What's your drum programming process via software?

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swiffy

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I was wondering how do you like to program your drums via software? Step by step instruction... Please state the software you use. I'm still getting use to doing them via software. I'm just so use to using the MPC. Thanks...
 
I use reason 4.0

First thing I do is load a ReDrum (usually, sometimes I use NN-XT) and load up the drum sounds I want. Then I lay down a 4 bar loop starting with a snare, then hats, then kicks. Then I do melody and then add drums and everything else.
 
Reaper. I arm 4 tracks for recording audio. Mic up my kit. Hit record. Done.
 
swiffy said:
I was wondering how do you like to program your drums via software? Step by step instruction... Please state the software you use. I'm still getting use to doing them via software. I'm just so use to using the MPC. Thanks...
Click to expand...

I like to beat slice loops, then rearrange the slices. The process is simple. Drop a loop into Cubase, automatic beatslice it then I may edit the slices to make sure no pops or clicks. Then I move each kick, snare, hat, etc to separate tracks and rearrange them to make a new groove. It's how I come up with beats fast.
 
Mpc, software, its all the same really. I program my drums in sonar and sometimes I program in reasn and sometimes I program on my eps. Depends on my mood
 
Obitheincredible said:
Reaper. I arm 4 tracks for recording audio. Mic up my kit. Hit record. Done.
Click to expand...
you forgot to say "play some drums" after you "hit record". me, i pick a drum patch, hit record, bang away on the pads. it's the same process for me weather i'm using the mpc, FL, Reason, MP-7, or Live.
LevLove
 
I start by selecting a drum map in Cubase (this way when I open the track it opens as a drum editor and not a key editor) I will draw 1 bar with the pencil, open it and put something down as a click track (I don't use the click on the transport bar because sometimes I like to alter the positions and add sounds as cues on my click track)

I might punch in my drums (using a keyboard, pads or foot controller) or I will draw them in and edit CC with the pencil as I go (especially if I am doing something like having CC give me differently effected samples so I could set a CC point where the sample reverses or if the sample is a loop I can change an entire break beat with a twist of a knob on the fly) other times I will use my RM1X as a step sequencer kind of like a hardware version of ReDrum or use my Atari with an old sequencer that can run independently looped MIDI tracks.

When it comes to programing beats it is not too difficult just more time consuming but you can get more control over very expressive sampled material without having to edit later like you might need to do if using a MIDI controller (the advantage of the MIDI controller is with adding a human feel to timing but often at the expense of expression)

If I were to program a drum kit I would program it as it would be played with the same physics of a drummer with two arms and legs and not like an octopus hitting more drums than is humanly possible, but how you program depends on what music you are making.
 
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Ableton Live v6, Reason 4.0, FL Studio 7, Roland MV-8000

I usually put together a rhythm part first, maybe an electric piano or something. Then put the drums in after that. Both of these are usually 4 bar loops.

I give each drum it's own individual track:
- In Reason, I put one instrument per note lane.
- I also route each individual drum in Redrum to it's on mixer channel.

- In Ableton, I use the "duplicate" clip command a lot. For example, put down the high hats, the duplicate that clip, then add the snare, then duplicate again, then add the kick. Now you have 3 variations that you can mix, match, tweak, etc.

I do my drums this way because I find it easier to mute my tracks, do my drops, solo, etc. It's also easier for me to run my effects and tweak all the parameters.
 
i just load all my drums into an nn-xt and play 'em out on my keyboard
 
load my drum samples in the FPC in FL and play them out on my mpd.
 
I usually start with finding a melody. If I think they melody is changeable then I will focus on creating drums in ReDrum. If not I put the melody down then work on drums.

I like to start with kicks and bassdrums. Then I add in some extra effect. I recently into ethnic sounds, so I'll put that in. Everything else just comes as I feel like it.
 
I like FL bc I'm used to it, but I also just started using Reason's ReDrum too. So, here's how I do it.

In FL, they have an app called the FPC, which is mapped like the MPC. I search my library of drums, and build a kit that way for the songs. The best part is you can combine several sounds to get the sound you want, for example you can combine a punchy kick with an 808, etc...After I get what I want, I save the kit. After that I record and play away...I once I find something I like I record it...one part at a time or all at once. Depending on how I feel. You can assign each pad to the mixer though.

I like to build kits so when have an idea for a song, I can pull up a kit I've already made, then I can go back and audition different snares, kicks, etc, once the beat is made. This works for me, because I have a Korg padKontrol, and you can "learn" the pads real quick.

In Reason, I can pull up ReDrum and build a kit or pull up a remade one. Save it as a template, and match up the notes on the padKontrol and do the same thing basically.
 
I run everything through Sonar so I'll usually sequence in there with MIDI using Cyclone, Session Drummer, RXP or whatever else. I also pull sounds out of the various synths, Sonic Cell or Reason and tweak those. It depends on what I'm feeling but I always play and process drums as you would an actual drum kit. I'm a big fan of Reason drumkits becuase I can tweak overheads and each mic and run them into Sonar and process and bus them in there. I really only use loops for hashing out melody ideas or to chop sounds out of them. Most of the time I start with a basic melody then I build the drums and bass around it so I don't approach it the same way every time. I've just started playing around with audio snap to extract grooves and also V-Vocal note to MIDI so I'll see where that leads. I'm gonna try to run some as automation too and see what I get from that.
 
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