What is your go-to device for drums, and why?

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raymondh
Posts: 1776
Joined: 15 Jan 2015

08 Dec 2019

Kings of Kong are my GOTO. Because it's like dialing up a vintage drum machine, already with great processing, which can then be easily tweaked and routed off to separate mix channels for further processing. The most used drum setup for me would be the LinnDrum Pop.
http://www.jiggery-pokery.com/kok.html

motuscott wrote:
07 Dec 2019
Real drums because I spent half a century learning how to make them say what I want.
I think this instrument may be on it's way out. It's hard to play, hard to find a place to practice and a royal pain to haul around. Plus those apps sound pretty sweet and you don't have to deal with the "drummer personality".
Gosh! I hope not. I can't play drums but love watching a good drummer. You guys must have three or four brains to multitask like that!

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rgdaniel
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Location: Canada

08 Dec 2019

raymondh wrote:
08 Dec 2019
I can't play drums but love watching a good drummer. You guys must have three or four brains to multitask like that!
Speaking as a drummer, I can't play piano but love watching a good pianist. Those guys must have ten brains to multitask their fingers like that! ;) :puf_smile:

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kuhliloach
Posts: 880
Joined: 09 Dec 2015

08 Dec 2019

m.arthur wrote:
08 Dec 2019
kuhliloach wrote:
08 Dec 2019
What we need is something to help our brains with this problem. There are so many options in Reason its overwhelming to try and have any go-to. And if, like me, you work on different genres this problem always resurfaces. To make matters even more mentally stressful there aren't just different plug-ins to consider, but entire methods and workflows. As mentioned above you can simply drag a sample onto the timeline or go totally insane and drop an instance of Superior Drummer 3, and everything in between. Reason offers so many possible methods that simplicity can only be achieved by planning in advance: you decide before loading the program on all the tools you are going to use, mentally solving these problems before looking at the software with your eyes.
Making art is making decisions.
It's not Reason's job to 'help your brain with this "problem"' -- it's your job as an artist to commit to your own decisions.

do you think a novelist sits down and says "so many words, so many possible grammatical structures to arrange those words into sentences, how can I get any writing done!!!???".
But isn't "helping our brains with problems" the reason we buy computers? Who gets to decide at what moment hand-holding in user-interface design is no longer needed?

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Benedict
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08 Dec 2019

m.arthur wrote:
08 Dec 2019
Making art is making decisions.
It's not Reason's job to 'help your brain with this "problem"' -- it's your job as an artist to commit to your own decisions.

do you think a novelist sits down and says "so many words, so many possible grammatical structures to arrange those words into sentences, how can I get any writing done!!!???".
I agree but that is not the popular way of approaching this. Despite the popularity of being an artist, few are prepared to make the sacrifices necessary for Art.

Oh and if it has to be one answer then: Kong (it'll do whatever you want)
More recently: RD-19 (it'll do whatever I want)
https://benedictroffmarsh.com/2019/10/2 ... -free-vst/

:-)
Benedict Roff-Marsh
Completely burned and gone

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reddust
Posts: 677
Joined: 07 May 2018

09 Dec 2019

If I'm looking for realistic drums I use BFD3. Having played drums for a couple of years BFD3 is for me the one that is the nearest to the real thing, giving additionally a lot of tweaking options like a mic mixer, effects, complete flexible drum sets...

If I'm working on electronic music I mostly use native instruments maschine with some of the maschine expansions or as a sampler. And most of the time I use both BFD3 and Maschine together to get my own sound mixing the best of both worlds, acoustic and electronic.

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dan_g
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09 Dec 2019

Benedict wrote:
08 Dec 2019

Oh and if it has to be one answer then: Kong (it'll do whatever you want)
More recently: RD-19 (it'll do whatever I want)
https://benedictroffmarsh.com/2019/10/2 ... -free-vst/

:-)
RD-19 looks very nice! will check it out for sure!!


to stay on topic:

I still use Redrum with Seperate Outs. I'm so used to the layout and workflow. Also i need my seperate outs that i can bus later on to get my desired Drumsound. but im not programming with the build in sequencer. straight midi clips.

some things like reverse crashes or long percussion etc. i put in direct as audio so i can visually align them better. but still bus them with the redrum stuff.
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guitfnky
Posts: 4408
Joined: 19 Jan 2015

09 Dec 2019

kuhliloach wrote:
08 Dec 2019
m.arthur wrote:
08 Dec 2019


Making art is making decisions.
It's not Reason's job to 'help your brain with this "problem"' -- it's your job as an artist to commit to your own decisions.

do you think a novelist sits down and says "so many words, so many possible grammatical structures to arrange those words into sentences, how can I get any writing done!!!???".
But isn't "helping our brains with problems" the reason we buy computers? Who gets to decide at what moment hand-holding in user-interface design is no longer needed?
computers are there to help us with those problems, yes, but it’s still a valid point.

to your earlier comment about needing to commit to a plan of action and set of tools in advance, in order to keep things simple, well that’s not true at all. I’ve got about the most haphazard, free-formed process you could imagine, but I still manage to keep things simple (for the rare projects where it’s called for). like m.arthur says, it’s all about the choices you make. BUT, if formulating a plan ahead of time works for you, that’s all that matters in the end. :)
I write good music for good people

https://slowrobot.bandcamp.com/

dezma
Posts: 268
Joined: 02 Jun 2015

09 Dec 2019

I've been trialing a lot of devices lately. I had high hopes for RP punch 2, and while it looks nice for synthesizing drums, the sampling and loop slicing part is very disappointing imho because of:

-sample drag and drop is not working from DAW file browser
-sample drag and drop from windows explorer copies the file physically in user folder
-preview does not play in sync
-no timestretching, meaning your loops are worthless if you 're a few BPM more/less than the
-loop slicing with transient detection is just plain weird, you don't get any graphical feedback nor can it be done with slider like everybody else does it
-loop midi export implementation is awkward, you have to physically store a .mid file instead of simple drag and drop

Geist 2 looks tempting with the sale.. but I heard a lot of bug complaints.

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motuscott
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Location: Contest Weiner

09 Dec 2019

rgdaniel wrote:
08 Dec 2019
raymondh wrote:
08 Dec 2019
I can't play drums but love watching a good drummer. You guys must have three or four brains to multitask like that!
Speaking as a drummer, I can't play piano but love watching a good pianist. Those guys must have ten brains to multitask their fingers like that! ;) :puf_smile:
"that drummer personality"
joking rgdaniel :puf_smile:
Who’s using the royal plural now baby? 🧂

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Jackjackdaw
Posts: 1400
Joined: 12 Jan 2019

09 Dec 2019

I use Kong loaded up with Goldbaby samples and the Drum Sequencer stuck on top and Pulveriser in the mix channel fx slot. I never use all 16 pads in a beat so 8 channels is fine.

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hurricane
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09 Dec 2019

I'm a huge fan of Arturia's Spark 2. It's kind of like Kong but a billion times better.


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VariableX
Posts: 564
Joined: 02 Apr 2018

09 Dec 2019

I pretty much only ever use Umpf.

This looks good though:

https://sugar-bytes.de/drumcomputer

groggy1
Posts: 466
Joined: 10 Jun 2015

09 Dec 2019

I'll add two more drum techniques I forgot to list earlier:
1) D16 Punchbox is my favorite for Kicks. It's synthesis based, so lots of knobs to tweak. But the presets are also incredible
2) Unfiltered Audio Triad is also a trick I use: I take a full mix drum loop, and run it through Triad with Preset=="Reshuffle Perc high-end", and it spits out a crazy/glitchy hihat pattern I can use

jlgrimes
Posts: 661
Joined: 06 Jun 2017

09 Dec 2019

Simone Lombardo wrote:
06 Dec 2019
I mean, there are so many ways to add drums to your project in Reason: Kong, Redrum, NN samplers, synth drums, or even just drag-and-dropping samples into an audio track. The question is basically in the title: what is your favorite method for adding drums and why would you pick it over the others?

Personally I really like using NN-XT, mainly due to: separate routing, MIDI remapping (so you can potentially get more than 100 different hits by dragging multiple NN-XTs inside a Combi) and multi-layered samples.
I never really embraced Kong.

I like the Redrum as it is more direct.

The Uumph drum boxes are nice to.

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reddust
Posts: 677
Joined: 07 May 2018

10 Dec 2019

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention Umpf, I really like that one too. And if you're interested in 808 kicks I'd definitely recommend SubLab

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chimp_spanner
Posts: 2908
Joined: 06 Mar 2015

10 Dec 2019

Maschine is really fantastic for drums. For a start it is literally a device, in addition to a plugin. So it's very much a performance device. But I really like how every pad is basically its own MIDI channel (so you can play pads within a kit melodicially in Keyboard mode). Every time I turn on the Maschine I come up with some kind of cool beat. I'd love for Kong to have pads that could be played chromatically as well as triggered like drums, but I think it would need multi-channel MIDI for that!

avasopht
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Posts: 3932
Joined: 16 Jan 2015

10 Dec 2019

About 10 years ago I bought as much as I think I'll ever need:
1. Lots of sample sets from eBay
2. Sonic Reality Gold
3. A few modernbeats kits
4. Samples from music Magazines (up until about 2007 they used to even have samples from keyboard workstations in their cover CD's until Roland complained)

Combine that with the free Refills from the Prop shop (KIKBAK's MPC, Commodore-C64), and I have the means to create any drum timbre I want.

Add to that the extra drum sounds you now get with Reason, and that drum refill ... we've got it good.

Device wise: depends. Either NNXT, Redrum, or Kong depending on my mood. Sometimes I'll even load single drum sounds in NN19 or Grain.

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reddust
Posts: 677
Joined: 07 May 2018

10 Dec 2019

chimp_spanner wrote:
10 Dec 2019
Maschine is really fantastic for drums. For a start it is literally a device, in addition to a plugin. So it's very much a performance device. But I really like how every pad is basically its own MIDI channel (so you can play pads within a kit melodicially in Keyboard mode). Every time I turn on the Maschine I come up with some kind of cool beat. I'd love for Kong to have pads that could be played chromatically as well as triggered like drums, but I think it would need multi-channel MIDI for that!
Totally agree, as someone who started creating drum tracks on classic drum machines like the Alesis SR-16 or the BOSS DR-550 , Maschine feels for me like the natural evolution of those type of models. Every time I want to create drums or percussive parts on my songs I get the Maschine out of the case and I fell it's very inspiring too

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stratatonic
Posts: 1507
Joined: 15 Jan 2015
Location: CANADA

10 Dec 2019

Dr. Octo Acoustic College as a placeholder if it's guitar based.
Kong from start to finish for most everything else.

chimp_spanner wrote:
10 Dec 2019
I'd love for Kong to have pads that could be played chromatically as well as triggered like drums...
You must mean something else, but to play Kong chromatically on a keyboard, don't you just play from the CO Octave position?

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chimp_spanner
Posts: 2908
Joined: 06 Mar 2015

10 Dec 2019

stratatonic wrote:
10 Dec 2019
Dr. Octo Acoustic College as a placeholder if it's guitar based.
Kong from start to finish for most everything else.

chimp_spanner wrote:
10 Dec 2019
I'd love for Kong to have pads that could be played chromatically as well as triggered like drums...
You must mean something else, but to play Kong chromatically on a keyboard, don't you just play from the CO Octave position?
Oh yeah sorry I meant each pad being able to accept chromatic MIDI input. So if a pad had a tonal sound on it you could play that at different pitches.

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dvdrtldg
Posts: 2386
Joined: 17 Jan 2015

10 Dec 2019

avasopht wrote:
10 Dec 2019
Sometimes I'll even load single drum sounds in NN19 or Grain.
I use Grain for drums & percussion too, it's great

Also Parsec has some excellent presets

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stratatonic
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Location: CANADA

10 Dec 2019

chimp_spanner wrote:
10 Dec 2019
stratatonic wrote:
10 Dec 2019
Dr. Octo Acoustic College as a placeholder if it's guitar based.
Kong from start to finish for most everything else.



You must mean something else, but to play Kong chromatically on a keyboard, don't you just play from the CO Octave position?
Oh yeah sorry I meant each pad being able to accept chromatic MIDI input. So if a pad had a tonal sound on it you could play that at different pitches.
Ahhh cool. :cool:

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teddymcw
Posts: 432
Joined: 13 May 2016

10 Dec 2019

chimp_spanner wrote:
10 Dec 2019
Maschine is really fantastic for drums. For a start it is literally a device, in addition to a plugin. So it's very much a performance device.
No one has specifically mentioned that performing hi hats, usually on finger pads these days, can be important to getting some lively humanized drums with velocity variation and diff micro timings.

Also white noise (some mentioned) added to any particular drum element for augmentation or even on its own is always something to think about imo.

Lastly, a word for the Drum Supply R10 iirc provided. Some great and varied stuff in there, really helps to get something going or challenge one’s creativity to match whatever a stumbles upon groove is.

avasopht
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Posts: 3932
Joined: 16 Jan 2015

11 Dec 2019

teddymcw wrote:
10 Dec 2019
chimp_spanner wrote:
10 Dec 2019
Maschine is really fantastic for drums. For a start it is literally a device, in addition to a plugin. So it's very much a performance device.
No one has specifically mentioned that performing hi hats, usually on finger pads these days, can be important to getting some lively humanized drums with velocity variation and diff micro timings.
Yep, works with triangles as well.

sdst
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11 Dec 2019

NNXT with more outputs it would be perfect, but you know, that company doing things

I am using this in Reaper, very simple and free
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