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Easiest and best way to make rock drums

Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2019 9:11 am
by tavasti
I'm considering how to make rock-type drums to own tracks. I will be using Mixbus. Question has two separate branches:

- what is fastests way? I mean something pre-made, matter of clicking / drag & dropping patterns. Maybe even MT Powerdrummkit (windows vst)? When testing new idea, getting drums that are 'something like it should be' fast. And sure, it is possible that drums stay there, because I know next to nothing about drum programming.

- Way for best? Sometimes I've read that hydrogen with it humanisation controls makes great, realistic sounding stuff, but is it the best, or maybe something else?

Re: Easiest and best way to make rock drums

Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2019 2:28 pm
by zoco
Basic rock drums is not that hard. Is mostly simply is a simple boem chack boem chack chack with some ruffles in between.
I like to build those drumming on my keyboard. Could be a drum pad too.

For the more up tempo or more orchestral versions there are nice templates to be found on the internet to use or use as example for your own build one.
An example i found in about 30 seconds. https://sites.google.com/site/gidbiddle ... -templates

Re: Easiest and best way to make rock drums

Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2019 2:46 pm
by tavasti
zoco wrote:Basic rock drums is not that hard.
I was not asking for basic, but looking for solutions for wider scope.

Re: Easiest and best way to make rock drums

Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2019 5:22 pm
by milo
Have you tried Hydrogen? It's pretty intuitive, easy to get started. Easy to route through JACK or export/import into your DAW of choice.

Re: Easiest and best way to make rock drums

Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2019 9:03 pm
by tavasti
milo wrote:Have you tried Hydrogen? It's pretty intuitive, easy to get started. Easy to route through JACK or export/import into your DAW of choice.
I know hydrogen (a bit), and if you know your drum programming, works fine.I don't know that stuff so well. And for using pre-made patterns, specificly trying out different things it is not so handly. And having your beats in DAW itself would make things easier, because all is included in one save.

Re: Easiest and best way to make rock drums

Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2019 9:12 pm
by English Guy
You can synchronise Hydrogen to Mixbus using jack and program the song along to the track. Then set the humanisation and export to an audio file and import into Mixbus. Use the black pearl or red zeppelin kits and make sure to tweak the velocity of the hits for a more realistic sound.

Re: Easiest and best way to make rock drums

Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2019 9:44 pm
by rghvdberg
Rock drums?
Drumgizmo. I find it amazing.

Re: Easiest and best way to make rock drums

Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2019 10:25 pm
by Michael Willis
Also take a look at x42's AVL drumkits plugins, great fun to be had with those.

Re: Easiest and best way to make rock drums

Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2019 6:38 am
by tavasti
Great suggestions for getting drums playing.

Any suggestions for easy programming with pre-made grooves? I tried MT Power Drum Kit, but drag'n'drop from it to mixbus does not work.

Re: Easiest and best way to make rock drums

Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 12:34 pm
by zoco
tavasti wrote:
zoco wrote:Basic rock drums is not that hard.
I was not asking for basic, but looking for solutions for wider scope.
For a wider scope i also answered.
But still i say, drum on keyboard or drumpad. Make a basic rhythm to manually alter it later to a wider rhythm. Still a good answer also for wider scope.

Re: Easiest and best way to make rock drums

Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 5:09 pm
by tavasti
zoco wrote:
tavasti wrote:
zoco wrote:Basic rock drums is not that hard.
I was not asking for basic, but looking for solutions for wider scope.
For a wider scope i also answered.
But still i say, drum on keyboard or drumpad. Make a basic rhythm to manually alter it later to a wider rhythm. Still a good answer also for wider scope.
If you have skills for it. I don't think I have.

Re: Easiest and best way to make rock drums

Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 11:05 pm
by zoco
One needs to know drum parts or at least learn it to play or build one himself.
Otherwise i would search for finished drum files like the one i already gave a link for. That's only about selecting drum parts in an wished order.

Re: Easiest and best way to make rock drums

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 1:01 am
by Michael Willis
Either that or find a percussionist who will work with you.

Re: Easiest and best way to make rock drums

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 5:09 am
by tavasti
zoco wrote:One needs to know drum parts or at least learn it to play or build one himself.
Otherwise i would search for finished drum files like the one i already gave a link for. That's only about selecting drum parts in an wished order.
You are in point. I've trying to find tool that gives me possibility to listen those clips and easily drag & drop them to Mixbus. And definitely midi clips, so that I have possibility to see what is happening, and that way learn.

For hydrogen, loading of patterns is bad workflow. Find pattern with file browser, load, play, and find out it is not what you want.

Re: Easiest and best way to make rock drums

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 3:35 pm
by noedig
I don't know a lot (arguably anything) about drums, but I have found that, for me, it works best just programming drums using MIDI in Ardour (would be similar in Mixbus).
Start with bass and kick to get basic rythm/feel, then add repeating highhat to keep tempo, and there you have a very basic groove. Then add fills and crashes to taste.
This video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bge36qT8VpI
claims that the essence of rock drums is the interplay between the bass and kick.

Having to fiddle with drum beats when you're not sure what you're doing can put a damper on the creative flow, but once you get used to it, it becomes less of a barrier and beats (no pun intended) having to search for drum loops on the internet.

For dragging/dropping the grooves in MtPowerDrumkit, perhaps try it in Reaper running in Wine (or Windows), then export to MIDI?