Drum Machine - Advice Needed

[kendall]

Hi there

I am considering picking up a drum machine for songwriting. Currently, I play guitar and bass but lack any drums.

Ideally something I can use to create simple drums to play along with and add into garage band to create demo tracks. I have tried using the drums on Garageband but am not getting much joy from it.

I don't want to spend a lot of cash - no more than £150.

Features I want:

1. ability to create own drum loops
2. ability to upload into laptop
3. preset drum loops included

Has anyone got any first hand experience of drum machines as I am a complete novice.

Thanks

[BigRedX]

Which instrument in GarageBand are you trying to use - is it the standard Drummer instrument?

Most drum machines work in a completely different way. Instead of "loops" which are chunks of audio edited to make them fit together seamlessly, they work with "patterns" which are made up of individual drum hits controlled by the sequencer in the drum machine that tells each drum hit when to sound. In order to turn those into loops you would have to record the output of your drum machine into the computer and then edit it to make it loop smoothly like the ones in GarageBand do.

My advice would be to look at "upgrading" from GarageBand to Logic, as it can use the Garageband loops but also includes several drum-machine-like instruments for creating your own drum patterns all seamlessly integrated within the Logic environment which behaves like a "grown-up" version of GarageBand.

[kendall]

Hi Bigredx

Thanks for the reply.

I used both the standard drummer instrument and also tried using the keyboard as a drum, neither of which did much for me. It could be my lack of skills on Garageband.

I will take a look at Logic later today.

Cheers.

Update 10 mins after posting:

- Yikes. Logic is £200!

Edited September 28, 2017 by kendall

[SH73]

I create drums using Ableton live. It's time consuming. I downloaded the free version of I think EZ drummer
Has some basic loops.

[PaulWarning]

I use Hydrogen it's free, I use a PC though, there's no preset patterns you do your own but it's quite good because it teaches you what a proper drummer actually does, if you don't already know, if you do it's easy

[BigRedX]

Will EZ drummer or Hydrogen work in stand-alone mode or do they need a DAW to operate in?

[PaulWarning]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1506613839' post='3379970']
Will EZ drummer or Hydrogen work in stand-alone mode or do they need a DAW to operate in?
[/quote]Hydrogen will, I make up a drum pattern save it as a wav file then load it into audacity to add tracks, not brilliant results but good enough for rough demos

[ahpook]

There is a plug-in similar to EZ Drummer called [url="http://www.powerdrumkit.com/"]MT Power Drum Kit 2[/url] which comes with a lot of free patterns and fills. It does require a host DAW to run it as far as I know, but Reaper's free to try and very cheap to buy a license for.

Edited September 28, 2017 by ahpook

[Al Krow]

I have an Alesis SR18, which is a very capable piece of kit, but seems to be retailing a bit above your £150 budget.

It's baby brother the Alesis SR16 is a more modest £129 from Gear4Music and worth checking out.

[kendall]

Thanks everyone.

A few ideas to explore there. I'm not in any hurry so will take a look at some of the free/cheaper software options and see if they fit the bill.

Al Know - will also take a look at the alesis and see if I can get a demo in store somewhere.

[songofthewind]

If you’re going to spend up to £150, I suggest you spend the extra fifty notes and get Logic.

It’s a much better tool than GB, and the drummer possibilities are legion, including as they do Ultrabeat, drum Designer, Drummer, EXS 24. HUGE value for money, and very tweakable.
Logic Drummer has just been the subject of an upgrade, and now includes percussionists.

Just my two copper discs.

[bartelby]

I have a Roland R-8 and an Alesis SR-16.
I use stuff in Logic more than either of the two hardware drum machines.

For the additional cost Logic offers so much more...

[Gottastopbuyinggear]

EZ Drummer is great - very easy to use and good search functions to find suitable patterns for your songs, but I also think you should look at Logic - you get an awful lot for your money.

[xgsjx]

I'd just go for Logic. It's worth the extra money. You get a great customisable acoustic drummer and a superb drum machine in the form of Ultradrum, which can play samples or create synthetic sounds & you can do a whole host of tweaking in it.
The effects & amp sims are worth the extra £50 & considering if you look at just about any other DAW, you'd need to spend at least twice as much to get anywhere near as much in the way of VSTs.

I took a bit of time before switching from GarageBand to Logic & once I did, I wished I'd done it earlier.

[kendall]

Hmmn. Seems like Logic is the way to go. Thanks everyone, appreciate the time to share thoughts/experience etc.

[Cuzzie]

Just to reinforce what people has said.

I have an Alexis SR16, I bought itnsexondnhand for peanuts, it’s fine for very very simple stuff on the fly, but that’s about it.
I’ve got logic and EZDrummer.

Logic is brilliant, EZDrummer is amazing and as and when you have more money you can add different drum packs, rhythms etc. To widen your sound.
Once you have created a drum patch it drags and drops across to populate a track on Logic no problem.

As long as you then have your USB audio interface you can then record whatever instrument you want alongside it.
It’s really and intuitive and easy, especially if you are used to Macs and GarageBand

The other thing is that if you want to expand further and you have a friendly drummer with an electronic kit, you can take a midi out of it into the audio interface and create your own drum kit in EZDrummer, so you could have Bonham floor Tom, Ludwig snare, Gretsch mid Tom, Tama bass drum etc.
Then you can live play your beats around your track you have laid down with a basic beat.

Edited October 8, 2017 by Cuzzie

[kendall]

Well lady luck came knocking this morning, and I have an Alesis SR16 on its way to me courtesy of a work colleague who has had it knocking around for years and never used it. Free to a good home he said, so bargain.

I wonder if it will do the job.

[bartelby]

[quote name='kendall' timestamp='1510153736' post='3404332']
Well lady luck came knocking this morning, and I have an Alesis SR16 on its way to me courtesy of a work colleague who has had it knocking around for years and never used it. Free to a good home he said, so bargain.

I wonder if it will do the job.
[/quote]

Keep the manual handy. The SR-16 isn't the most intuitive drum machine to use.

[kendall]

[quote name='bartelby' timestamp='1510302091' post='3405372']
Keep the manual handy. The SR-16 isn't the most intuitive drum machine to use.
[/quote]

I discovered that last night! After diving in blind and getting nowhere, I sat and read the manual. (its a big manual)

Once I got my head around the 80's technology, and my 80's nostalgia had dissipated, I managed to have some fun creating a few simple Sisters of Mercy drum loops.

It's quite good fun and I think it will be useful..... time will tell. Anyway - a new toy is a new toy!

Edited November 10, 2017 by kendall

[bartelby]

[quote name='kendall' timestamp='1510311441' post='3405467']
I discovered that last night! After diving in blind and getting nowhere, I sat and read the manual. (its a big manual)

Once I got my head around the 80's technology, and my 80's nostalgia had dissipated, I managed to have some fun creating a few simple Sisters of Mercy drum loops.

It's quite good fun and I think it will be useful..... time will tell. Anyway - a new toy is a new toy!
[/quote]

The SR-16 is a great drum machine, well worth persevering with.

I once drew out a grid to help me visualise the drum partterns.

Once you've mastered SoM, set up a new kit of detuned drums and program in some mid era Godflesh!

[kendall]

[quote name='bartelby' timestamp='1510312676' post='3405483']


I once drew out a grid to help me visualise the drum partterns.
[/quote]

That's brilliant! WTF didn't I think of that? Thanks for the idea.

Godflesh - now there's a blast from the past.....

[bartelby]

[quote name='kendall' timestamp='1510326987' post='3405650']

Godflesh - now there's a blast from the past.....
[/quote]

New album comes out next week

[Dood]

Absolutely buy Toontrack's EZ Drummer 2. It works stand alone and although a fully featured 'drum machine' is a powerful song writing tool too. The ability to easily save and export your finished song structure full of professionally created fills, introductions and endings as an audio file or MIDI for importing in to a DAW is invaluable. Of course the audio can easily be dropped on to an MP3 player or CD and you have your drummer there to take to any gig. Dead easy to use and about another 20 features I've not even mentioned that had me reaching for my bank card in minutes. I use it every day now.

[steve]

If you don't want to be tied to a software solution, the Beatbuddy is good, and sounds pretty convincing