best VST/AU drum machine

  On 5/1/2011 at 1:46 AM, Blanket Fort Collapse said:

isn't a sixteen step drum machine VST on a computer kinda lazy/limiting yourself for no good reason?

Not if your intention is to have drums that sound like they came from a drum machine constrained to a 16-step sequencer.

It isn't necessary to get sickhouse on your drums at sequencing time. Wave manipulation is way more flexible and powerful.

I most definitely agree that audio manipulation can be very creative & take a simple beat in lots of directions but.. "way more flexible and powerful"? even if your REC feeding a different track for every sample/drum synth channel on your machine, there's a whole lot lot of shit you can do with midi sequencing in a good DAW that you can't do with post manipulation alone.

I understand why sometimes people want to limit themselves but I don't really get it that well and just wanted to hear some opinions of why they like sticking to grid lock step sequencing.

  On 5/2/2011 at 11:06 PM, Blanket Fort Collapse said:

I understand why sometimes people want to limit themselves but I don't really get it that well and just wanted to hear some opinions of why they like sticking to grid lock step sequencing.

it gets you in a certain mindspace maybe? it's the same reason why someone might burn incense while making music, or have a certain light scheme in their music making room, or only use a guitar that has a particular design for moody music and a different guitar for something else. it's all personal.

if someone has the limitation of a step sequencer in front of them, they might be more inspired to make a certain style of music.

at least that's how i see it. of course i'm probably wrong. i usually am.

  On 5/2/2011 at 11:06 PM, Blanket Fort Collapse said:

 

 

I understand why sometimes people want to limit themselves but I don't really get it that well and just wanted to hear some opinions of why they like sticking to grid lock step sequencing.

I prefer music I can dance to. It turns out that Roland tr style pattern editing is well suited for this. I'm not a fan beats that sound like they were generated by some algorithm. I respect that folks will try and push envelopes, but to me beats being quantized to the 128th note don't sound musical. At best they are scientific and experimental, at worst they just sound amateurish.

buy some hardware

i always did this way. ill buy some hardware when and if i sort out precisely what am i doing. and to learn precise, you have to learn less. and that less, i havent' precisely learnt it yet.

learning on hardware is just ridicolus, unless you did a vocational school as electrician.

  On 5/3/2011 at 1:52 AM, acidphakist said:

I prefer music I can dance to. It turns out that Roland tr style pattern editing is well suited for this. I'm not a fan beats that sound like they were generated by some algorithm. I respect that folks will try and push envelopes, but to me beats being quantized to the 128th note don't sound musical. At best they are scientific and experimental, at worst they just sound amateurish.

I don't make really ever make IDM style percussion anymore so yeah not even referring to trying to make that kind of insanity but the possibility for any styke variation is there with limitless DAW sequencing. Ever since I got into Flying Lotus, Dilla & wonk scene stuff I realized how cool it is to have some things in the pocket unquantified or finger punched. Being able to program a really tight quantized ass shaking hip hop rhythm and then make it even more groovy by humanizing the hi hat/snare/bass drum/tom pulse and putting it slightly ahead of the grid to make it sound more excited can be that extra inch to make a beat have a more unique feel.

I have some arpeggios in a track that are actually 256th notes but the tempo is so slow it's so groovy.

I'm done with my opinions but just felt like given the context of the progressive music this forum is based on that I would be the advocate for less limitations.

I'm with BFC here.

midi sequencing is cool for wonky beats, i tried it with dr.rex, at the Reason times. but then again, i'd end up being fooled again and again, and taken out of path by collisions and shit.

if you mean playing a beat with the keyboard, well yes than can be done too. can be that a melodic element, after tweaking with a limited number of knobs, sounds more percussive than a drum hit, too.

let the loops be loops i say

Big sequencers are more like a canvas of possibilities, while drum machines are like an etch-a-sketch - completely self contained.

But the beauty about using computers is that you can sample everything.

this one is quite ok

http://nusofting.liqihsynth.com/dk+.html

pretty straight forward, refillable, nice-ish step sequencer..

cheers,

io

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