Adding drums to a guitar track

[paulsuttle7]

Hi
I'm a complete novice to all recording software programs

I have just purchased Mixcraft 8. I want to use it for recording a guitar track and then to add drums and bass to it.

I have worked out how to record to guitar onto the program and now i want to add other instruments, how do I go about adding drums that match the beat of the guitar?

[Mark Bliss]

People work in many different ways, but I would suggest the majority record guitar to the beat of the drums, not vice-versa. Some might use a "click track" then fill out drums. I have sometimes used a rudimentary drum track (for example just a simple kick/snare) then later developed more suitable drum track (or tracks).
Creating drum tracks after the fact can be done, but it's not a very efficient workflow.
Start with the foundation.

[paulsuttle7]

Ah OK, going about it the wrong way, good to know!

Thanks for the advise

Paul

[Mark Bliss]

Glad to help, and BTW, welcome to the Mixcraft user forum. Let us know if we can help get you going!

[geobee]

Yep, you really need to put your drum track down first whilst playing along with guitar, then once you have the drums ''to tape'' so to speak, you can keep adding your guitar track until you are happy with it. No matter how good of a guitar player we all may be, without at least a click track or drum beat to go on, our timing in strumming will not line up to even the roughest of drum patterns, if you try and do that second. The only way I can think of doing it, if you have a guitar track that you want to/must use, is to play the drum pads in real time to it, that is, if the guitar track timing is pretty spot on. Not sure if you have a drum machine or midi controller with pads, which you would really need to make this work.

[Ian Craig]

Alternatively if the recorded guitar part must be used play the drums manually on a keyboard controller, then with the snap to grid function turned off manually align each drum hit. Whilst it is not very efficient I always manually change the drum hits from general preset pattern types as I could sit there all day trying to select the right one and it wouldn't sound right to me, so I end up having to do it manually anyway. But I try to get everything to align to the grid timing (unless it doesn't sound right) first because it just isn't worth the days of re-adjustment, especially if you just want to get it into shape so that you can mess around with the next idea (like I do, because I want something new to listen to, preferably by me, because I can correct it and get it right without infringing some bloody copyright nonsense).

Be productive and enjoy doing whatever you do