Let's hear your latest stuff....right here

[FingerFlicker]

Thanks BP.

Sure, I use an Alesis SR-16 (I think that's the number). It has these "fill" options, which I don't really use as they were intended. I just use them as regular drum patterns.

Here's the short version (explanation below):
1. Program main kick/snare combo into machine, stopping before drum fill
2. If fill has kick/snares, add those
3. Add tom fill
4. Add cymbal crash before fill (and possible after, though may have to wait until recording)
5. Add high-hat except during fill

I basically figure out what 8 beat pattern (2 measures) I want to create, and if it has a drum fill (like toms/bass/snare combo), I figure out where the "main" beat ends and the "fill" starts. Then I program the "main" kick/snare combo into the machine, stopping before the fill. You have to figure out what the last note of the main part really is, and memorize both that and the drum fill you worked out in your head (and on the machine slowly).

If the fill has snare or kick, I sometimes add those into the machine before doing the rest of the fill (toms), because if I miss the toms, I can just delete the toms. If I miss a snare in the fill, it's harder to erase just that snare (I either have to erase all snares and re-perform the main ones too, or go into the machine editor thing, look for the note, and erase it).

For fills, I stop the machine, practice the drum fill a few times, then hit record again. When the machine loops, I wait until the main part passes and then perform the fill into it. If I miss, I usually delete each tom. It's easier to perform all the toms in one pass, even if I miss one, than to stick one in in the middle of others. I could add stuff in the editor, but I hate the editor.

After all this, I add the highhat or ride cymbal. Also, drummers usually can't strike a high-hat when performing a drum fill, so I omit the high-hats when fills are happening. To cover the absense of the bright sound, I almost always add a cymbal crash before the drum fill. Fills often end with a crash, too.

Those crashes are the only ones I add to the machine. The rest I manually record later after the drums have gone to "tape". The reason is that crashes are so obvious, and if I want to use a pattern twice, and it has a big crash in it, I can't really use the pattern somewhere else. It's too obviously a repeated pattern. Well, now that I think about it, with PT, I could just mute the crash if I don't want it later. Hmmm. Doing crashes manually adds a least some human touch.

My great fear as a drum programmer is that someone will realize my drums are a machine, not from the sound, but because there's no imagination and things return too predictably. When it comes to recording, I put every sound on its own track (takes 8-10). Each tom is alone, and cymbals go to a stereo track.

Believe it or not, due to tendinitis in both arms, I actually do all the drum programming (except toms) with both feet. I rigged a book with 5 letter openers and tape, and when I step on the letter openers, they push down the corresponding drum pad. I've been meaning to make a video of me doing this for my site, since people don't believe me

You're the second to notice the high-hat. Do you think turning it down would help? It's a stock sound from the Alesis. Is it the tone itself? I wonder if EQ would help it. I don't really hear the result you guys mean (probably too used to it).

Sometimes a cymbal hits at the same time as a high-hat. You're NOT talking about that, right?

[SSRJazz]

You're the second to notice the high-hat. Do you think turning it down would help? It's a stock sound from the Alesis. Is it the tone itself? I wonder if EQ would help it. I don't really hear the result you guys mean (probably too used to it).

Sometimes a cymbal hits at the same time as a high-hat. You're NOT talking about that, right?

Make me the third.

I think the programming on it is great....but I just don't care for the drum sounds themselves.

Yeah....that open hi-hat really sticks out in the mix.... turning it down ever so slightly would help...but overall the drums sound just....dead and not big and huge like a real metal drum kit set would. I usually -hate- electronic drum kit soundbanks anyways....they're usually WAY over compressed or just dead or just plain crappy. I think this would sound much better with like BFD or Drumkit from Hell or even one of SampleTank's Acoustic Drum kits.

I love the mix on the guitars.... the eq sounds a little thin on some of the tracks..but..overall it's great....I love the song....lots of energy!

[Tito Ricci Arballo]

Hey pk_hat, I'm feelin' Orly. It's a nice listen. Kind of Portisheadish but definately not bitin'. I like the diverse fillers.

Allright everybody, check the new joint. It's a Lil' Kim remix w/ some disco flavor. The jump Off

Let me know what you think.

[FingerFlicker]

What's the easiest (I know that's subjective) way to replace drum sounds? I may know how to program the drum machine, but I know little else of usign drum sounds that aren't in the machine....

[nightshadecrisis]

You could get sound replacer, but if your drums are one stereo file you will run into some problems. If each track has its own sound assigned to it, soundreplacer can go in there and put a different sample in there. Its about $350 dollars I think, but its well worth it, theres also a demo I'd suggest trying, on the digidesign download page.

I think the drums sound pretty good, however the hi-hat that i mentioned in my first post has the repetition on the first beat that really sticks out, i think if you used a more "closed hat" sample it might sit easier in the mix.
-ev

[SSRJazz]

If you recorded the MIDI out of your electronic drumkit, you could probably get any soundbank that follows the General MIDI format for the percussion. That lets SampleTank out, unless you're willing to move/transpose the individual notes by hand.

What you -might- want to do is get the VST-to-RTAS converter, get the soundfont VSTi player and then go download the Natural Studio Kit soundfont ....great acoustic kit....I'm pretty sure it's laid out in the GM MIDI format.

[neonpool]

Mike,

Nice guitar tone. I especially liked the sweep-picking parts on "... Test 2"
(if that's what they were?).

I'm still a beginner and I do mostly folk-pop (is that actually a genre?),
but I make the foray into blues more often than some. Here's one of my latest:
http://www.pault3.com/babysniche.mp3

Any feedback would be appreciated.

As you'll probably notice from a certain vocal part, I printed
this track just before I figured out what a limiter was for.

(p.s. I thought I was replying to the last post, but as I just found out, I wasn't, so ignore any seemingly out-of-place-ness (word?))

[graveleye]

Hey folks... I lurk in here all the time but never really get a chance to post much, but as usual I am really impressed at what i am hearing

Here is my wife, Mrs Graveleye , in her debut song. We worked pretty hard on the recording, and its not really done yet, but we're going to rest it for a while before trying to get it perfect -we're getting kind of tired of it, time to move on. So I wanted to just slide it by you guys because I liked the song, and cuz its my wife and I am proud of her.

Overboard

BTW, I hate mp3s... I thought a few minutes ago that I should have cut this at 256 rather than 128 because i can tell the difference. It sounded ok on the crappy computer monitors, but listening to it here through my studio monitors it just sounds so different than the cd. But its too late now - I will try to get a better copy up later when I have time for the hell of it.

What software are you guys using to cut mp3s? I have cdex, wondering if there is something better.

[roksta]

Hey graveleye...

Overboard is absolutly WICKED!!!!! U guys shud hit the charts you,d be loaded!!! Great stuff.
I thoight the vocals were a little quiet, but thats just an opinion, plus iv been mixin my bands album all week, so mybe my ears are a little tired!!

Im gonna get some of my bands stuff on here as soon as i can figure out how to post MP3'S. It my bands first album n my first big production project, so any feedback wud b real helpful... dunno how you guys recieve nu-m,eatl sorts stuff, but were a three piece (me on guitars, a drummer n the wife on bass n vox, and no, were ARNT evanescence wannabies!!!!!!!)

Rich

[spkguitar]

Graveleye - great stuff. Your wife's voice kind of reminds me of Dale Bozzio from the early Missing Persons stuff in some places. Very cool!

Neonpool - Very cool. Nice minimalistic feel; I love it. I wish I could do that. My tunes always end up with "more more more" syndrome.