Drum ideas for DP-24

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I feel like I'm shyt out of luck when it comes to drum tracks. I have both an Alesis SR-16 and an Alesis Sample Pad Pro.

1.) I can't program a drum machine if my life depended on it.

2.) I can't play the SR-16 pads or the Sample Pad Pro worth a crap.

3.) My computer isn't up to snuff for the likes of FL Studio and I can't afford a new one anytime soon.

I don't have a problem laying the guitar, bass or keyboard tracks. I simply suck on drums.

I'm hoping someone has an idea for me out there that I haven't figured out yet.
 
I am using Toontracks EZDrummer 2, and I have been pleased with the initial results.

Some sources suggest it can be used as a stand-alone program. I had no luck because I could not get the window to show enough of the program. I now use it as a VST plug-in inside of Reaper on my laptop. I can play the completed track and record it with my DP (my way), or I can export an audio file through the file-computer transfer thing. (I can't remember what it is called - audio depot?)

I fought for a year with Drumcore, and could never get it to work right. I had a completed drum track with EXDrummer a couple of hours after downloading it. Lots of beats and drums, many more can be purchased, mostly drag and drop.

I don't know your budget and current computer, but this setup is working well for me.

Matt B
 
EZDrummer 2 is the way to go. A few random thoughts on the subject:

It is the easiest, most cost effective way to have on demand drum parts.

It can be used both as a plug-in and as a stand alone program. Since the DP24/32SD series machines do not have MIDI capability... I create and edit drum parts to my liking and then import the stereo wav file to a stereo track on the DP using the Audio Depot folder.

It is highly editable and user friendly. Some people find creating drum parts tedious. I dig it for some reason. Creating and editing drum parts with EZDrummer 2 is fun and creative. When you really dig in to it (which is not hard) - you'll discover that you can tweak, cut, splice, move stuff... and just get really creative with it. All you need is a mouse, time, and some imagination.

There are many expansion packs for different musical styles and corresponding drum kits.

When combing the factors of cost, quality, and ease of use... it can't be beat.
 
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A follow-up. I made a drum track for a song of mine yesterday on my laptop with EZ Drummer2. Though I am still very new to EZ, it took me about two hours. The song includes some unusual elements,and I still spend time searching for the beats I want.

I had one part where EZ would not let me sliver the time. I moved the track to my DP24SD, via the line out on the laptop into the DP ( I have a good sound card in the laptop). I changed the time register to bars and quickly synched my track to the metronome with the jog. I then used the jog to remove the one bar of music (actually one of two bars of silence), that EZ would not let me remove.

I have no doubt that I am no master of EZ, and the edit might have been available within the program. As it was, the edit took me maybe a minute.
 
Well, of course... the rules are: there ain't no rules.

; - )

It also takes just a minute or two - but in EZDrummer 2 you can render your stereo drum track as a .wav file, move it to the Tascam's Audio Depot folder, and then import it to any available stereo tracks of your choosing. I'm not sure - but this may be a cleaner option?

Also - yeah... you should be able to zoom into any beat or sequence of drum hits and delete, tweak level, etc... also remember you have a mixer in EZDrummer 2 if you want to adjust levels.

Keep playing... it's fun!
 
I have transferred as a WAV file, but running audio just gives me another chance to rehearse while it transfers. Besides, Jimmy Miller would transfer Stones drum tracks to cassette to give them dirt! A little analog probably helps the sound along.

(I actually bought a Nakamichi cassette deck at a thrift store for $10, for such things, should I need them!)

I have not discovered the zoom yet. Now that I know I can...

It IS fun! I told a friend that "music is an equation with a million variables, where the first one is a color!" I think that is why I like it - a decision tree that looks like a window screen!

Matt B
 
Thinking a bit out of the box : Maybe you can check out the beat buddy pedal ?
 
I have downloaded "Hydrogen" drum software which is easy to use and FREE !! within minutes you can create drums beats and apply them easily to your Tascam , either via the import wave method or as a direct output from your computer via the headphone socket to a designated , track , both methods offer high quality usable drum sounds
 
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I sent you a site mail.
 
Hello All,
I am new to this forum but have learned a lot reading these questions and reply's. I was wondering. How does everyone create drums tracks using Toontrack EZ Drummer for a song? You cannot play your song and use toontracks on a PC at the same time. I am using the DP 24 ( formerly used the 488mkII ) and will export them via the Audio Depot. But there must be an easier way than to play the song on once device while trying to create the drum tracks for it on a pc at the same time. I used to use live drummers but wanted to try Toontracks. Hope this makes sense.
 
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I've spent a long time with similar problems!

Best bet for me has been to work with a real live drummer but it's not practical at the moment. I know that you can collaborate remotely if you find the right person, but I've never tried. Could be an option.

I tried learning with an e-kit and while I enjoyed it greatly for a couple of years (!), proved to myself and my neighbours that in the end I'm really no drummer. I quite like sequencing with hardware (mainly a JD-Xi and MPC) but that doesn't usually give all the live vibe/layers I want.

I had a BeatBuddy for several months. It was a good piece of kit, and useful live, but ultimately I sold it on. What BB doesn't do is help in generating patterns in the first place, which is ultimately what I'm after.

I have Superior 3 (upgraded from EZDrummer 2) which is great. The editor is a boosted version of EZD2 - it also has a grid editor, so you can mix and match - but what I've found really helpful is to run Jamstix into Superior.

For those who don't know it, Jamstix is a VST which takes your basic groove pattern (a MIDI clip you build or import) and tweaks it based on modelled drummer behaviour - timing/pocket, fills, accents, and so on. You structure the song in terms of parts (intro, verse, chorus etc) which can have varying power levels, timing offsets, frequency of fills and so on.

It's highly adaptable: you just have to set the parameters you want (for example, likelihood of preceding a fill with open hats), let it do its thing, repeat play until you find something you like, lock down parts and move on.

The downside with Jamstix is (1) it's not terribly intuitive (it's really a case of print out and RTFM, especially the song builder and brain sections; there are some useful videos too although not many for the current version 4); (2) it's not gifted with good looks, and the UI is fairly clunky in use (eg very little drag and drop available), but that doesn't really matter to me. Oh, and (3) it's not free - $99 for the basic (fully functional) version, which is fine for using the main features, especially if you have other drum software to run JS into.

In the past couple of days I've made convincing drum tracks for two songs with Jamstix (and Superior's kits), in a way that's been quick and fun. I tend to use the Loopey drummer model (there's a whole bunch, from Charlie (Watts) to John (Bonham) to Stewart (Copeland) etc, and all are configurable) because it doesn't do too much to the beats (I like simple drums), but can generate fills/accents with a vibe I like. Worth a look.

In terms of integrating with the DP - I have a DP24, so I can and do sync Reaper to MIDI which is fine. And there are workarounds for the DPxxSD models to generate clock I believe.

However, usually I'd either have most of my non-drums on the DP24 anyway (recorded to say an MPC beat, which would be on there too) and export the lot to Reaper to work at drums; or maybe start with the drums on Jamstix/Superior (or EZD2), and export the mixed WAVs from the drum VST to the DP24, then go from there.

Stew
 
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I create my drum track before anything.

First, I determine a speed in BPM. Seriously, this can take a long time for me - Thirty minutes is not uncommon. A difference of one beat per minute can throw me off.

I build my drum track on my laptop PC with my acoustic guitar in my lap. I use the program cursor to avoid replaying the parts I am good with, progressing through the song. I usually have a couple of bars of intro that I use for a "count" that will be deleted when the song recording is refined.

When I am pleased with the drum track sequence, I spend some time with the kits, separate drums, velocity, and mic placements to find a track I think I will be pleased with. I then render to a WAV file and move the stereo track into the DP via the USB and Audio Depot.

I either keep the project on EZ Drummer open or save it in case I want to change to a different drum kit, add a part, or etc.

When the drum track is in the DP, I do a guide track. Basically singing and playing, but I will include verbal counts, "Second chorus" and other vocal guides so I can easily identify the location in the song.

The rest, you know!

I hope this helps.
 
I use EZ Drummer2. And I love it.

I also write/create my drum parts while writing/arranging my song(s). The process is more or less one and the same. Like Matt - I generally start with an idea that's more or less a rough song sketch - and then sit with my guitar in front of the computer and just hammer out the specifics in EZ Drummer2. (some folks might find this process tedious - I happen to love it) So once I have a song arrangement for my song and drum parts crafted to/for that arrangement....

Then, I simply export a stereo drum track file out of EZ Drummer2 which the program creates. I take that stereo drum .wav file and import it onto a stereo pair via the Audio Depot folder.

It's that simple. Great, "real" sounding drums... in a snap.


I've mentioned this here before: I love using EZ Drummer2. Toontrack has put together a user friendly platform that makes creating kick ass drum parts FUN and easy. There are limitations - but if you're creative and diligent - you can slice and dice and edit out just about anything you can think of. I'm considering advancing to Superior Drummer - but I'm good for now.
 
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All good ideas thanks. What I was trying to do was figure out a way to add the drum tracks to songs already written for the most part, except they have no drums. I did record 5 songs years ago in a traditional studio ( back when the tapes were a 15" reel) with all the instraments and that took a year so to finish to mix and master etc. I have patients but still have another 30 -40 to finish before I croak. The remaining songs I have recorded guitar, bass and vocals to on my 488 mkII and have just started using a Roland Juno DS 61 to add strings, horns etc. I don't think I can convert those to wav using audacity and import to the dp-24 but would be nice if I could listen as I create the drum tracks. I suppose I can play it on my cd player and keep hitting pause :). But I will certainly give your ideas a try. Thanks again for your responses.
 
Ah... well this gets a little bit out of my area of knowledge.... but it seems to me to do what you are wanting to do - add drums to other song parts/tracks that are already existing - you'll need to import that track data into a capable computer based DAW, create a time grid for each song - and then add drums via MIDI. That is way over my head, for sure.
 
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I do drums last, ever since I stumbled on that production technique by having a drummer re-record drum parts after everything else was completed. The second pass was incredible! The drummer played around vocal parts (and didn't interfere with any of them) and accentuated instrumental parts that did not exist at the creation of the bed. After that, deciding on a fixed drum part before the singer, lead guitarist, and other crucial instruments have their parts recorded, and in doing so, ignoring the amazing things that happen spontaneously, was counter-productive to making a very listenable record. Etched-in-stone bed track drum parts rob the drums of their spontaneity too. I never liked my records to sound like a collection of overdubs.

I meticulously experiment to find the perfect tempo, often recording several pre-production versions until I get it right. Then, I use MIDI to sync my drum machine on a loop that acts as a time keeping track until all the overdubs are complete.

Then, I craft the perfect drum track for the song.

On many of my 24 track sessions in the 90s, the drums are machine, but the hat and cymbals are real, played by a drummer in time to the machine tracks, and recorded in the studio, mic'ed up. That added an uncanny realism to the tracks while maintaining the precision of the machine. The drummer would set up a practice-pad kit with his real cymbals, and just have at it.
 
Finally got my DP 24 all hooked up. To my surprise you can import previously recorded songs ( from my 488 mkII ) and add additional instrumentation like keyboards and EZ Drummer. I burned the originals to cd then ripped from the cd to my PC. I used Audacity to convert MP3's to wave format and copy them to the audio depot folder. Then import to a stereo pair on the DP. I did notice that you cannot use 32 bit only 16 and 24 when exporting from Audacity. But it was quite simple to do. Still learning all the ins and outs of the DP24 but it is quite a nice machine.
 
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Hi,
I'm pretty new myself. Did you simply copy to SD card from audacity, and import from SD card to dp24?
 

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