Creating Drum Loops

As far as I know, among the forum users there is a drummer named AlessandroGozzo. You could also send him a PM.

Besides, he uses Logic... so ....

.......... try to skim through also ....

http://www.pianoconcerto.it/forum/index.php?/topic/603-scrivere-sul-rigo-ritmi-di-djembe/

Thanks everyone! Anyway, what do drum machines consist of? I had read names like Ultrabeat etc. floating around, but I couldn't understand exactly how they work.

My advice is, first of all (if one wants to achieve something of this type), to focus mentally on what one wants to obtain from the drum sounds, whether they are acoustic, electronic, or hybrid; by hybrid I mean those obtained by recording noises and "converting" them into kick, snare, hi-hat, etc. (as they may be understood), and here I mean perhaps already having in mind (as sometimes happens with instrument sounds) one or more sequences, but it is also possible to create work-in-progress patterns while practicing, as a second step, though it doesn't necessarily have to or cannot be done beforehand,

the creation of custom sounds; this is something I have often done before preparing electronic music pieces, because even a single particular percussion sound, or one created by ourselves,

sometimes provides further ideas on how to use it with the instruments we would like to use, and fuels subsequent ideas.

Therefore, my inclination is to use "standard" sounds, but in an unusual way, at least 50% of the time; otherwise, to make new sounds with anything that can be useful for this purpose (once I made a hundred recordings with a condenser microphone, with every type of object whether it had resonance or not, and they were useful to me for several tracks).

As for how to create a decent drum loop, the discussion here is like writing for other instruments: there is no one way, there is your taste just as there is the taste of others; it is up to you to find what satisfies you but at the same time is not "predictable," which I think is what you mean; then it always depends on the type of music you make. I shape everything based on what I want to achieve, and I must say that I certainly do this much better than in instrumental music, where I still have some gaps (also and especially for the usual reasons, those who know me a little know what I'm talking about); often I then hear loops in the software I use, but even if some are not bad, they are still recognizable by the effects that were used, and over time they lose effectiveness precisely because there is no "craftsmanship" behind them, but rather a finished product that is used as-is (literally: 'cooked and eaten').

Thanks Piccinesco!

Today, with a lot of goodwill, I managed to create something nice by playing around with the various sounds and modifying the volumes. However, what I actually wanted to know is if there is a more refined way to create drum loops instead of the usual sequence of sounds just placed randomly on the keyboard.

I have a little question regarding something else entirely... today, while selecting a virtual instrument and using the virtual keypad (the one that appears when Caps Lock is pressed), I noticed that playing a key with the keypad produced a decidedly different sound compared to what I obtained by clicking with the mouse pointer on the piano roll, even though I was playing the same note of the same octave. Would anyone know why?

I don't use this software so I wouldn't know, you are probably talking about velocity, which controls the "volume" of the notes you play; basically, by modifying this parameter (the values range from 1 to 127) you increase or decrease the theoretical "force" with which you press a key, for example when playing an instrument that allows control over dynamics, but if you do it with a sound that has velocity control deactivated, I don't think there would be any difference between that little key (would it be a mini keyboard, in practice?) you are talking about and the piano roll.

By "refined," what do you mean, positioning the sounds differently on the keyboard, because if you change the positions you can also set up the score instead of finding yourself with percussion

a distance of 2/3 octaves from others.

For me, by refined, I think of the way to treat the sounds and obviously also the sequences, but if you are talking about random positions on the keyboard, it makes me think of tests done "live" to see how

it goes, and if something pleasing is found, it is kept and saved.

hi, I'm the infamous drummer of the mappets

first of all, if I understood correctly, instead of programming the drum parts you play them "with your fingers" on a keypad .... it's difficult to get a good result.

but it is also difficult even if you want to create an acoustic drum track by programming it and you know little or nothing about how it is played.

in any case, everything depends on the type of music you make:

if you cannot do without programming it yourself, because it is too unique or you don't want to rely on pre-packaged content, you must use the MATRIX window in Logic (in other programs also called PIANO ROLL) and with a drum VST you program whatever you want. It is all very intuitive (unless you are at absolute zero with these software)

if instead the drums are a simple accompaniment that you don't care much about (badly, very badly... ) then the web is full of pre-packaged sequences in MIDI format that you can use, and often drum VSTs already include a large amount of rhythms and "fills" to the point of indigestion.

well, in any case, if you need help, knock here or via private message.

AleGozzo wrote:

hi, I'm the infamous drummer of the mappets

first of all, if I understood correctly, instead of programming the drum parts you play them "with your fingers" on a keypad .... it's difficult to obtain a good result.

but it is also difficult even if you want to create an acoustic drum track by programming it and you know little or nothing about how it is played.

in any case, everything depends on the type of music you make:

if you cannot do without programming it yourself, because it is too unique or you don't want to rely on pre-packaged content, you must use the MATRIX window in Logic (in other programs it is also called PIANO ROLL) and with a drum VST you can program whatever you want. It is all very intuitive (unless you are at absolute zero with these software)

if instead the drums are a simple accompaniment that you don't care much about (badly, very badly... ) then the web is full of pre-packaged sequences in MIDI format that you can use, and often drum VSTs already include a large amount of rhythms and "fills" to the point of indigestion.

well, in any case, if you need help, knock here or via private message.

Thank you so much AleGozzo! But please, can you tell me where I find this MATRIX window? In Logic there is the Piano Roll, did you mean that?

yes yes that's it, in my old logic it was called matrix ...

AleGozzo wrote:

si si è quello, nel mio vecchio logic si chiamava matrix ...

Ok! So that's what I'm using too! It's not easy to build beautiful progressions, but I managed to create a decent one. But in the end, I think all it takes is a bit of goodwill and effort to succeed, and try and try again.