Best - EASIEST - drum machine?

[guitbuddy]

Hey all,

right now drum machines [VST plugins} are slowing my work. Why?

1. Large panels that get in the way of everything.

2. Panels that disappear- and I have to find, then load everything again.

3. Drums on only one [ midi] track, which makes organizing sections hard.

b. re-open the track - and the drums are gone.

4. Not enough style variations. They all sound pretty much the same to me.

I'm not a drum purist. I'm not judging if one sounds 5% better than another. I just want
something easy to use.

any suggestions?

thanks

[Starship Krupa]

Are you looking for realistic sounds, like samples, or retro "drum machine" sounds, or what?

Which ones have you tried and found wanting so far?

[guitbuddy]

Hi,

just basic rock / pop drums sounds. Addition of latin would be good too.

Easy of use is the main key.

I've tried:

Power drum kit

Jamstix 1.

Band in a Box. / realband

Easy of use is the main key. I'll sacrifice for easy of use.

[backwoods]

EZDrummer by toontrack is very cool- easy to use and sounds excellent too. They normally have sales a couple of times each year

[guitbuddy]

thanks,

yeah I was thinking it was gonna come down to EZ drummer. Not sure if it's easier than
power drum kit, or just better. { with more support}. ?

I thought/ was hoping - jamstix would " play it self " but I seemed to have start up issues.

Band in a box is easy in some ways. Bad / overly complicated in others. Some don't like
the sounds too well, either.


I basically like classic rock, classic pop sounds.

[Mark Bliss]

Tough call. Creating decent drum tracks is never simple IMO. And there are so many options and workflows. Its hard to say what any one person might prefer.
IMO its an art form in itself and generally not "easy" to do well for the most part.

Its frequently been discussed here, and the same recommendations tend to pop up regularly.
Some use single shot samples and edit as clips. Some use the piano roll and samples like the Studio Drummer kit included with Mixcraft. (or similar) Others like EZDrummer or another similar title.
You mentioned desiring multi tracks, that's doable with several of the above options, but can be an extra step or complication too.

I think critical info like whether you wish to "perform" your drum track recordings via some type of controller, write/program MIDI in a drum program or the piano roll, or would prefer to use third party MIDI loops, etc. would help get more specific and targeted advice.

A little searchng here should also result in threads where this is discussed and links/tips are provided.

[Rod VM]

Hi, heard excellent things for The Loop Loft, really drummers playing samples....
Rod VM

[Rod VM]

Hi, heard excellent things for The Loop Loft, really drummers playing samples....
Besides, very affordable price...
Regards,
Rod VM

[JonInc]

If Power Drumkit2 isn't doing it for you, then the next step up is maybe something like BFD Eco, or Native Instruments Abbey Road Drums (From the 60s to Modern styles. No Latin, though. That's the trade-off with the less simple instruments. This vid briefly covers 60 and 70s Drums):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EqdW9KlihE

Next step up from there is EZ Drummer2 with various expansions (like Latin), then XLN Audio Addictive Drums, BFD3 Drums, etc...

[Acoustica Greg]

Mixcraft's step editor is pretty easy.

[guitbuddy]

THANKS guys.

good suggestions so far.

I'm starting to wonder if a " guide track" is what I need . What I mean is, I start adding
parts on guitar -- then the longer the track gets the more messed up it gets.

I thought I would start with BIAB - maybe one section. { export one section to DAW } But it seems when you LOOP these section in mixcraft the timing gets off. { its hard to connect
them, using more than one track }

I find the metronome too simple, or jarring in MC, to be of much help with the guide track
process.

Or if, I start working with MT power drums, by the time I get to a guitar solo section, the
timing is off for some reason.

I know MC has colored markers, they help somewhat .

Of course these problems are at the simplest, my fault -- but I'm wondering the best way to rough out the song - { create this " guide track" } - then add better parts as I go along, in mixcraft.

{ trying to create a whole guide track in BIAB is a real exercise in confusion, cause its so
complicated -- then hard to edit in the DAW}

Does that help clarify my problem/ confusion?

thanks
-----------------

UPDATE 'Mixcraft's step editor is pretty easy. '

thanks Greg. maybe that's what I should look
at?

Ive seen stuff like that in the past - but Im not into " house" hip hop type sounds. -- i like
classic rock, classic pop.

[Acoustica Eric]

Superior drummer 3 smokes ezdrummer. But if you want simple, yeah ezdrummer. Or the great (and free) MT Powerdrums http://www.powerdrumkit.com

[cactus-head]

Hello,

I highly recommend RealiDrums by Realitone. It's all setup and ready to go out of the box. You can preview the available patterns on the fly and there are actually "complexity" sliders that change the busyness of the individual instruments or all of the instruments in a particular groove. You can add or drop out different instruments within a groove on the fly with the click of a button.

The mics, the mixing, and the out of the box drum setup are all great. The sounds are fantastic. You can check out the overview at the Realitone website but you have to mess with it to really appreciate its ease of use and its great sound and playability.

[guitbuddy]

ACOUSTICA ERIC

But if you want simple, yeah ezdrummer. Or the great (and free) MT Powerdrums

thanks Eric. I have MT Power drums. Its good. But I tend to lose the beat with it for some reason.

I think I need to used guide tracks.


cactus-head »

I highly recommend RealiDrums by Realitone.

THANKS man, looks very interesting. You say its easy to use?

[guitbuddy]

JonInc »
If Power Drumkit2 isn't doing it for you, then the next step up is maybe something like BFD Eco, or Native Instruments Abbey Road Drums (From the 60s to Modern styles.

thanks man, power drumkit is the best I have now. I just was checking other options, before
I got too far into it.