Some drum programming questions

Piano roll, step sequencer, tracker?

Drums machine(s), one-shot samples, breaks?

One track or multiple tracks?

How do you do your beat repeats, pitch shifts, glitches, etc?

I typically use FL's step sequencer with one-shot samples. Sometimes I'll take a break and chop it up with the piano roll/ fruity slicer. My most recent percussive endeavour has been making a simple beat, throwing dblue glitch on it set to random, exporting that as a wav, and then further processing/ rearranging sounds in Audacity and getting one-shots that way.

But until recently my drum patterns, when I have had them, were just sliced up breaks, or bare-bones kick-and-snare sequences.

mpc retrigger, arpeggiator or tenori solo mode

  On 7/13/2011 at 6:37 PM, wahrk said:

Piano roll, step sequencer, tracker?

I use the midi piano roll triggering Cubase's cheap drum machine Groove Agent or a free VST sampler called Shortcircuit. Battery would be better, but I'm to cheap to buy it. I usually step record but use groove templates to loosen up the parts.

  On 7/13/2011 at 6:37 PM, wahrk said:

Drums machine(s), one-shot samples, breaks?

All of the above, though mostly one-shots. If I do use a drum machine, I'll program maybe 16 patterns, then record them into Cubase and arrange them from there. I do use breaks occasionally too - I'll chop them into parts in Cubase and drag/drop them into Groove Agent.

  On 7/13/2011 at 6:37 PM, wahrk said:

One track or multiple tracks?

Programming the midi part on one track - sometimes an identically programmed midi part on a separate track, but with different sounds. I route each sound to their own channel, then I combine them into a group drum channel.

  On 7/13/2011 at 6:37 PM, wahrk said:

How do you do your beat repeats, pitch shifts, glitches, etc?

I don't do much of that for my music. I just try to vary the parts, switch it up, even if the changes are subtle. Ableton seems to be a good program for easy glitches and repeats.

808 onboard sequencer. Repeats, stretches, reverses and glitches are done by hand once recorded to wave.

I place everything by hand, like a loving mother bird making her nest or use an mpc.

Spam incoming:

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Really though, it is good to use different techniques for different end results. Obviously sometimes you want a definite 808 kit. Sometimes you want something unique with a bunch of different layered samples. Sometimes you want breaks. Likewise, midi piano roll is completely different than chopping up audio. Also midi arpeggiators and stuff can sound way different than some things you could do with audio chopped up by hand for glitches and stuff.

  On 7/13/2011 at 8:17 PM, ryanmcallister said:

Really though, it is good to use different techniques for different end results. Obviously sometimes you want a definite 808 kit. Sometimes you want something unique with a bunch of different layered samples. Sometimes you want breaks. Likewise, midi piano roll is completely different than chopping up audio. Also midi arpeggiators and stuff can sound way different than some things you could do with audio chopped up by hand for glitches and stuff.

I agree. I just want to know how people prefer to do it in certain circumstances and hopefully flesh out new ways to do things that I hadn't thought of.

And thanks for the videos. I always enjoy your stuff, Ryan.

  On 7/13/2011 at 8:43 PM, wahrk said:

  On 7/13/2011 at 8:17 PM, ryanmcallister said:

Really though, it is good to use different techniques for different end results. Obviously sometimes you want a definite 808 kit. Sometimes you want something unique with a bunch of different layered samples. Sometimes you want breaks. Likewise, midi piano roll is completely different than chopping up audio. Also midi arpeggiators and stuff can sound way different than some things you could do with audio chopped up by hand for glitches and stuff.

I agree. I just want to know how people prefer to do it in certain circumstances and hopefully flesh out new ways to do things that I hadn't thought of.

 

And thanks for the videos. I always enjoy your stuff, Ryan.

No problem, I am just trying to get as many views as possible, but these are old videos. I may have some new content by the end of the day though that could definitely be relevant to this question. Workflow stuff. I'll post in here if that pans out.

  On 7/13/2011 at 8:52 PM, ryanmcallister said:

  On 7/13/2011 at 8:43 PM, wahrk said:

  On 7/13/2011 at 8:17 PM, ryanmcallister said:

Really though, it is good to use different techniques for different end results. Obviously sometimes you want a definite 808 kit. Sometimes you want something unique with a bunch of different layered samples. Sometimes you want breaks. Likewise, midi piano roll is completely different than chopping up audio. Also midi arpeggiators and stuff can sound way different than some things you could do with audio chopped up by hand for glitches and stuff.

I agree. I just want to know how people prefer to do it in certain circumstances and hopefully flesh out new ways to do things that I hadn't thought of.

 

And thanks for the videos. I always enjoy your stuff, Ryan.

No problem, I am just trying to get as many views as possible, but these are old videos. I may have some new content by the end of the day though that could definitely be relevant to this question. Workflow stuff. I'll post in here if that pans out.

I like workflow stuff.

reaktor + example:

http://forum.watmm.com/topic/58737-sup-any-of-you-guys-know-how-to-get-pervy-with-choppin-beats-up-ine-reaktor/page__view__findpost__p__1396620

Oh, i also use a lot of supercollider and maxmsp for beats too, but that doesn't make me feel half as much like a mother bird.

1. put together a beat with one-shots in a maxmsp step sequencer i made called 5blunts

2. bounce recordings of that beat into another patch for effects and resequencing

3. jam on that process til it sounds good enough, load other files, bounce chunks along the way and bring them into logic for songcrafting

here is a screenshot of my msp babies:

  On 7/14/2011 at 4:51 AM, Boxus said:

1. put together a beat with one-shots in a maxmsp step sequencer i made called 5blunts

2. bounce recordings of that beat into another patch for effects and resequencing

3. jam on that process til it sounds good enough, load other files, bounce chunks along the way and bring them into logic for songcrafting

 

here is a screenshot of my msp babies:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Very intriguing. Care to share?

  On 7/14/2011 at 1:36 PM, acidphakist said:

  On 7/14/2011 at 4:51 AM, Boxus said:

1. put together a beat with one-shots in a maxmsp step sequencer i made called 5blunts

2. bounce recordings of that beat into another patch for effects and resequencing

3. jam on that process til it sounds good enough, load other files, bounce chunks along the way and bring them into logic for songcrafting

 

here is a screenshot of my msp babies:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

 

Very intriguing. Care to share?

i'd like to share the patches when they're more polished. at this point the interface is getting smoother, but i still have to travel pretty far up my own ass to get them working smoothly.

  On 7/13/2011 at 6:37 PM, wahrk said:

Piano roll, step sequencer, tracker?

yes, yes, no. but also akai MPC

  On 7/13/2011 at 6:37 PM, wahrk said:

Drums machine(s), one-shot samples, breaks?

yes, yes, not unsliced

  On 7/13/2011 at 6:37 PM, wahrk said:

One track or multiple tracks?

multiple

  On 7/13/2011 at 6:37 PM, wahrk said:

How do you do your beat repeats, pitch shifts, glitches, etc?

very carefully