The Fake Drums Thread

[paulman]

Wow that sucks @paulman . I've played into SD2/SD3 with an eKit pretty extensively over the last several years and I haven't had any issues with latency. The funny thing is, the standalone version has given me way more issues

The only times I have latency issues with Reaper is sometimes when I'm using ReaInsert on a few tracks, it'll get in some weird mode where the latency is out of control. But if I just press play and stop on the transport bar, it comes back to its senses.

What size of an ASIO buffer are you working with? And what is Reaper reporting in the upper right corner of the screen as far as latency?

Hmm. Well, I opened up Reaper so I could answer your questions, but now it’s working fine. This time I just started with a blank file and opened up SD3, whereas the first time I was in an old mix that has a lot of other VSTs (such as a mammoth sampled piano) in it. So maybe that was the issue? But I wasn’t playing the song, so I didn’t think any of that would affect the latency of the drums. In any case, I’ve got some exploring to do.

Most of all, it’s time to practice! For now I’m using a shitty kick pedal that’s broken and won’t stay in place, but I have a DW 5000 single chain Accelerator arriving on Sunday, along with a better hi hat stand. So until then I’ll probably focus more on snare rudiments. Combined with SD3, it’s unreal how real this snare feels and sounds. Different depending on where you hit it on the head, very realistic soft strokes... It’s frigging gigantic, too.

[Tadpui]

Hmm. Well, I opened up Reaper so I could answer your questions, but now it’s working fine. This time I just started with a blank file and opened up SD3, whereas the first time I was in an old mix that has a lot of other VSTs (such as a mammoth sampled piano) in it. So maybe that was the issue? But I wasn’t playing the song, so I didn’t think any of that would affect the latency of the drums. In any case, I’ve got some exploring to do.

Most of all, it’s time to practice! For now I’m using a shitty kick pedal that’s broken and won’t stay in place, but I have a DW 5000 single chain Accelerator arriving on Sunday, along with a better hi hat stand. So until then I’ll probably focus more on snare rudiments. Combined with SD3, it’s unreal how real this snare feels and sounds. Different depending on where you hit it on the head, very realistic soft strokes... It’s frigging gigantic, too.

Well that's good to hear! Maybe try the play/stop thing if it happens again?

Listening back to everything that I recorded with my ekit into SD2 or SD3, it seems that the main mistake that I made was not setting the sensitivity or velocity curve so that I really had to whack it hard to get the top velocity. Man, it sounds like I'm getting a running start and jumping into the snare drum on all of my old stuff I bet if I look at the velocity of the snare hits, they'd just be a long list of 127, 127, 127, 127 That, and mixing in way too much of the room mics without compressing them.

That sounds like a great kick pedal. Have fun, man!

[paulman]

Well that's good to hear! Maybe try the play/stop thing if it happens again?

Listening back to everything that I recorded with my ekit into SD2 or SD3, it seems that the main mistake that I made was not setting the sensitivity or velocity curve so that I really had to whack it hard to get the top velocity. Man, it sounds like I'm getting a running start and jumping into the snare drum on all of my old stuff I bet if I look at the velocity of the snare hits, they'd just be a long list of 127, 127, 127, 127 That, and mixing in way too much of the room mics without compressing them.

That sounds like a great kick pedal. Have fun, man!

Yeah, I just finished setting velocity curves for a default SD3 setting. They’ll get tweaked more, I have no doubt. I am in love with the Ludwig Classic set on SD3. It’s probably going to be the base for most things I do.

[vomitHatSteve]

If you keep having latency issues, my dumb suggestion might be to use an interim drum for monitoring while you track. (probably a Reasamplomatic5k kit) Then import SD and drop the MIDI on it.

[paulman]

If you keep having latency issues, my dumb suggestion might be to use an interim drum for monitoring while you track. (probably a Reasamplomatic5k kit) Then import SD and drop the MIDI on it.

Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll keep it in mind, but hopefully I don’t have to use it.

[WhiskeyJack]

What a fantastic video.!!!!!

trying to use the mouse for the tap2find in EZD2 SUCKSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

this will be much handier and efficient.

[vomitHatSteve]

Y'know, I tried using the keyboard based midi input once, and I found it somehow just didn't feel as good as my hacky, circuit bent toy drum.

I should probably get used to the keyboard 'cause the toy is increasingly broken and finicky. (or I should get a real midi controller of some sort)

[WhiskeyJack]

Y'know, I tried using the keyboard based midi input once, and I found it somehow just didn't feel as good as my hacky, circuit bent toy drum.

I should probably get used to the keyboard 'cause the toy is increasingly broken and finicky. (or I should get a real midi controller of some sort)

Oh, I shan't be using it for anything of consequence. It's clunky, there is an odd little delay, no velocity control. It might be good for filling in some blanks here and there. I mostly just needed to find a better way to make use of EZD2's tap to find browse option. before i was using a mouse and most of the stuff i do is a bit faster tempo and this one is probably the fastest tempo i have ever worked with. very angry fast skatepunky kind of beat, and trying to do the tap 2 find with a mouse was driving meme nuts.

being able to hammer it out on the keyboard was a HUGE!!!! help. Not only that, it also allowed me to record some tapped out crude temp placement filler chunks right within the EZD plugin which i thought was pretty cool. I couldn't do that before. Will save time versus siting there going thru all my libraries looking for just the right fill to stick in there.

I'm sitting her typing this all out and just now realizing i have a korg nano pad in one of my storage boxes.

[Armistice]

I just use a mouse on a grid in Reaper. Slow, but simple...

I don't need to play it on a keyboard of either kind - I can hear it in my head and so I plot it out bar by bar. Done it that way for ages.

[WhiskeyJack]

I just use a mouse on a grid in Reaper. Slow, but simple...

I don't need to play it on a keyboard of either kind - I can hear it in my head and so I plot it out bar by bar. Done it that way for ages.

You and JD need to start an elite school of drum programming.

[vomitHatSteve]

I just use a mouse on a grid in Reaper. Slow, but simple...

I don't need to play it on a keyboard of either kind - I can hear it in my head and so I plot it out bar by bar. Done it that way for ages.

That's more or less how I started programming drums (tho I was actually dropping samples themselves directly)

It took so long tho!

[JD01]

I just use a mouse on a grid in Reaper. Slow, but simple...

I don't need to play it on a keyboard of either kind - I can hear it in my head and so I plot it out bar by bar. Done it that way for ages.

I'm exactly the same. It's not even that slow. Just hear it in my head.. if its a tricky beat I tap it on the desk to work it out.

[musicturtle]

I just use a mouse on a grid in Reaper. Slow, but simple...

I don't need to play it on a keyboard of either kind - I can hear it in my head and so I plot it out bar by bar. Done it that way for ages.

I'm exactly the same. It's not even that slow. Just hear it in my head.. if its a tricky beat I tap it on the desk to work it out.

I have done this a few times with covers, my problem is coming up with an original drum part that I think sounds good. I usually think it's too busy...or not busy enough.

One tip a drummer tried to give me was to play the rhythm I feel/hear on one or two keys on the keyboard/pads, then transfer it to different drums in the kit. Still never quite worked for me.

[Armistice]

I usually start out too busy - or I did - then I'd cut it back. These days I'm purposefully trying to keep it sparser, and like anything else, working out what might work is a matter of practice.

I imagine if you took your new meisterwerk to a band situation, the first thing your real drummer is going to do is just sit on the beat - kick/snare/kick/snare etc. until they understand the piece, and then they'll start fleshing it out a bit with practice. Not much different to creating it using fake drums. Start simple, work it up.

[vomitHatSteve]

One tip a drummer tried to give me was to play the rhythm I feel/hear on one or two keys on the keyboard/pads, then transfer it to different drums in the kit. Still never quite worked for me.

That's more or less what I do for the kick and snare. (Then similarly for hats, and a pass for toms and crashes)