After 10 years I got my Studio w/AD full of NEW Equipment and Recovery of Stroke has been a Fight but picking up all the knowledge to start again at 63. Long live your lust for Life Warren. You just broke your right wrist 12 weeks before Christmas 2021.
Another great video Warren! I myself use Slate SSD and I love it!!! To me the stock presets sound less compressed than addictive drums..... But both are great plugins. I'd like to offer some tips to your viewers (I'm leaving the house halfway through the video so if you gave the same tips as I did..... Then awesome!!). My first tip is to play the drums as if you're playing a real kit. The drummer inky has two hands..... Don't have s snare a high hat and an overhead hitting at one time. The key to midi drums is replicating authentic patterns. My second tip is to try quantizing at 90%.... Or less than 100. Sometimes drums that are slightly off the grid are marvelous sounding and more realistic. My third and final tip is to EDIT THE VELOCITY OF EACH HIT!!! Don't have your snare drum at max velocity for every hit..... Otherwise you'll get that machine gun sounding effect and it ruins the authenticity. When I track my drums, I make sure all the velocities are close, but not all the same. If a drum hit is too low or too hard, I'll edit accordingly. Hope those tips help our your readers!!! Keep on making these awesome videos. I learn something new every day.
It's crazy how impactful a simple drum part like this can be. As a drummer a lot of times I find myself creating these really crazy and intricate parts, but then later I have to dumb it down. haha. Sometimes the difference between a good and great drum part is what you don't play. :)
Warren, I'm not sure if you haven't tried yet, but EZDrummer is fantastic for songwriting and laying down drums. You can pretty much create am whole drums track just like you did in about 5 minutes, and it does have a very human feel to it. All you do is simply tap the pattern you are looking for, EZDrummer browser will then display all the grooves that matches your pattern. You pick the one you like and toss it in Song Creator and you'll be presented with all the variations, fills, intro and endings, so that you can assemble the song just by drag and dropping the midi regions. Of course every single pattern can be edited to your liking. Another great feature is that EZdrummer will either send everything out of a stereo instrument channel, .. or it can split it for you and it will include, room mics etc etc, so it can be mixed in any way want. This guy has a pretty decent tutorial on what I was talking about ua-cam.com/video/YEJH3WM6Oz8/v-deo.html
Hi Alex Reverberi Thanks for commenting, I really appreciate it! Thanks for the tips! Addictive has the pre recorded parts as well, I think they're pretty comparable to EZ Drummer, but I love being to play them into the session, I enjoy the process! Thanks for watching and commenting! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
One thing to remember when laying drum parts down individually is what is physically possible for a real drummer to play, presuming a maximum of 2 arms and 2 legs, so i'd delete the hihat hits that coincide with the cymbal hits as they're usually both right hand hits.
Yeah, after like 5 years producing music I'm just realizing my plugins that are real instruments "simulators" don't sound good because I don't play them like a musician would play it.
Amen, Arran! This is very important folks when you are playing genres that are "live" like Blues, Rock, and Jazz. It doesn't really matter with other "non-live" genres like Trap and other drum machine-based styles.
you can actually hit the hi hat with your left hand and the cymbal with your right hand. I know it's probably not common, but you can do that if you want to.
I found myself coming to this very old video because I am in the need of wanting to make better drum tracks and this showed me just how powerful all my software really is. Folks, I believe the saying now: It's not the software, it's the user. Wow.
I have great admiration for anyone that can tweak the knobs and learn the software that can make the music we play! This has always fascinated me. I'm behind the times with my recording. I have a old 4-track that I use to record my music. That may tell you a bit about how overwhelmed I feel when faced with the computer.
Hi Kevin Gibbs I completely understand! I started on two cassette players then gravitated to a 4 track cassette recorder, then ADATs and a Tascam MSR24 before finally getting Pro Tools. The heavens opened up for me with Pro Tools because it could do everything I wanted to do in my mind! But I also love using Logic as well. Once you get the chance to mess around with a DAW on your computer you will really appreciate it! I promise! Thanks ever so much for watching and have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
When you select something and you want to duplicate it you can use "cmd + D" and it will copy and paste the region right after the selection finishes. Love your videos ! Im from Argentina and i love how you explain everything you do, very good material !
Hi Federico Barreto thanks for commenting and watching I really appreciate it! Yes I will use "cmd + D", but I have found that using the repeat function is more accurate when doing multiple repeats. The duplicate butts up against the section before and over a few dupes will drift slightly. Thanks ever so much for watching and have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
I use BFD3 and I love it. It has a nice paint function for drum rudiments and an easy to use Groove FX function that humanises your drum patterns that you may want to check out. I'm not sure if it has any buzz in the industry but I use it and recommend it.
I checked out the Massey DRT videos one of the other commenters alluded to and I must admit it looks really REALLY good. It isn't completely automated, allows complete control and then produces drag and drop MIDI parts. It looks like it may save me HOURS. The Melodyne method looks pretty long winded, although I agree there are no total short cuts and a manual polish is the only way the complete the task. Marvellous tutorial Warren!
Hi Joe Lonsdale yes it's on my to do list! Thanks for letting me know! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks for your comment, I really appreciate it! Warren
Hi Warren, thank you so much for all your wonderful videos! Sounds good. I tend to like the libraries that come bundled with Komplete Ultimate. Right through the decades from the 50s to the 80s, 'Vintage' and 'Modern Drummer', there is always something that I can choose and run with. I feel they sound very natural.
Great video, as usual. The copy/paste for good sections instead of trying to replicate them is a massive time saver for trying to get ideas down, and the overdubbing cymbals is brilliant. My only criticisms would be the quantizing and velocity matching. Humans have really spectacular rhythm naturally (Adam Neely has a great video on how to practice to improve/unlock it, for those who are interested) and quantizing makes a natural sounding drum part sound like a drum machine. The other part of the critique is that by velocity matching, you're doing much the same thing. If you look at a right handed drummer's track up close, right hand hits will typically be a little louder than left hand hits, and every hit will be slightly different in location, velocity, timing, etc. Furthermore, you're using a velocity sensitive pad, presumably to get dynamics, then velocity matching the dynamics out in the box, so why not just use a cheap keyboard that doesn't do velocity, so they're all matched on the way in? What I do with midi drums, to try to make them feel more real, which takes longer and is unnecessary for just getting ideas down, is record them, then mix each drum down to its own wav track, then treat it like a live drum. Use compressors to level them out, eq to taste, run it through a microphone impulse response (as if I had actually mic'd that drum live), reverb or whatever else you want on it. I'd be super interested in your opinion on handling midi drums like that because I only started recording in the past year, and I know from experience that I have a tendency to like some of my ideas out of narcissism instead of merit.
Tip for midi slection note! Press note on pro tools softwer keyboard to select all hihat or snares...is much easier...sorry for my english. You are the best..!
These Master series... are driving me crazy !! so much to learn...and to apply...well I use MT Power Drum Kit 2 to make my drum parts...because it´s free and I love it.
Hi sanoysuelto thanks very much! I'll have to check out the MT Power Drum Kit, yes free and you love it, two extremely good reasons to use it! Have a marvelous day, many thanks Warren
Hi David Greco yes I love the Abbey Road sounds, they are fantastic!! Thanks ever so much for watching and have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
In case you don't own a virtual instrument for drums yet: there is a great freeware tool by Sennheiser called "Drummic'a". It let's you mic up a virtual kit with different microphones and adjust the basic sounds using EQ, compression and transient shaping which gives you a lot of possibilities to create different drum tones. I really like it and it's great quality especially given the fact that it's freeware. It also comes with a decent amount of loops and fills which is nice if you want to get a beat going fast.
Hi +Lennart G Thanks very much for your kind comment! I'll have to check out the Sennheiser Drum Software! Thanks for the tip! Have a marvellous time recording and mixing, many thanks Warren
Hi Warren, I have both Addictive Drums 2 and Steven Slate Platinum and for me, the platinum kits are the best. The samples are ready to go with no need to process. Keep up the good work.
Your videos are awesome and very educational. Thanks for all you do Warren! I'm not actually a Pro Tools user but I have applied the knowledge and wisdom that I have gleaned from your series of videos to my own workflow with my favorite production DAW software (FL Studio and Reaper - I love the workflow of FL for production and Reaper for post production). That's what I like about your videos is that they aren't necessarily specific to Pro Tools, but awesome for production and engineering in general.
I love addictive drums as I don't have the space for a full drum setup but one thing I've learned is I don't fix the velocity so much. I try to intentionally play the keys harder and softer where I'd like so that the outcome doesn't sound so robotic and programmed. No drummer hits the hi hat so perfectly each time so not making the velocities all the same gives it that feel of a real drummer. Especially the hats, it makes it feel more like the drummer is using their wrist. I also like to then solo each drum in addictive and then bounce the track to audio one by one so I have a snare track, a kick track, hats, toms, you even have a room and OHs you can solo and treat them as if they we live recorded drums. There's even a feature that you can have the mic bleed on the track so even tho it's one drum soloed, you still can hear the rest of the kit playing underneath just like a real kit recording! I wish I could show you what I mean. Ill have to just drive out to Cali one day and show you :P love your videos my friend!!
I Use Addictive drums. Love the patterns. With some tweeks, it could be more personnal. I began to use Groove Agent 4 last month. I'm with Cubase, so it is closely integrated (don't have to worry with Drum Maps). Thank's for the video Stephan fron Montreal.
Hey Warren - great to see you using Addictive Drums - I've been using them since 2008 & I've found it to be a creatively inspiring piece of software. I have all the other major drum programs, but I seem to always come back to AD when it's time to write a song.
Thanks for this great video Warren! I use EzDrummer 2's supplied grooves, as I am not a drummer, but after watching your video I'll spend some time trying to program drums using a midi keyboard!
Hi Gustavo Justus do Amarante thanks! I'm glad I can help! I love playing in ideas, however basic they might be, it's fun! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks for your comment, I really appreciate it! Warren
I'm using Steven Slate drums, which I love. When I'm writing the song I tend to lay down a 2 bar pattern, then copy it and in the copy do something subtle like a couple of ghost notes or a double kick. Then I'll copy those 4 bars and in that copy make some different changes, and repeat until I have a complete section. Then repeat that for further sections, the idea being to try and emulate those little differences that real drummers are always putting in. Then I go through the whole drum part to see if I've done something that a real drummer couldn't actually play (without needing 5 limbs!) Eventually I will give the part to my drummer who then does something entirely different with the song. But there you go!
Hi Mark Green yes that sounds like a very effective way to create a demo drum part! And yes drummers will do what they want! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks for your comment, I really appreciate it! Warren
This is a great video. I have some drum apps on the iPad via audio but now I can hook up the Yamaha PSR-500 via an iRig MIDI and try to do some of what you just showed thanks
One idea for ya. When you're adjusting the velocity of the hits in AD you're actually triggering different samples, so when you drop your cymbals to a lower velocity you get a real weak sounding cymbal hit as opposed to a strong crash that a drummer would actually play. You'd be better off using AD's built in mixer to adjust your volumes for your different elements if you're just looking for volume control.
I used to program all of my drums but lately I've been using more of the patterns in AD. I do think I might start doing some more programming again after seeing this video. I love the end part - especially the guitar part. Thanks again, Warren. I always look forward to your videos. Great stuff.
Aw shucks Jed Wunderli that's very kind of you! I love just winging it, see what ideas I come up with on the fly! Thanks ever so much for watching and have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
Interesting. For my recordings I have always sequenced the drums first, then laid down tracks afterwards. I'm going to give this method a try next time, and see how that feels. Mix things up a bit! Thanks.
Hi Warren,great video i have both addictive drums and slate ssd4,addictive is great but slate has more options for blending samples right in the plug in might be a time saver for getting finished drums sounds quickly
Hi Ron Harris yes I'm definitely going to audition Slate drums and see what they can do! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks for your comment, I really appreciate it! Warren
Hi Warren! How do you play your midi keyboard with getting any lag with Pro Tools? Can I ask what your buffer size and sample rate are? Any other info? Cheers!
love your videos please do video on quantizing alone. as in quantizing different types of tracks and the dangers/benefits thereof. Maybe also committing to audio, fades, automation etc.
Another great example and tutorial! Well done, Warren. I prefer to write the drum track "after the fact" like you show here, and end up with something way less "canned". It's so obvious where the fills go and where accents, and various sections of the song should change. AND I end up leaving more space and getting a more interesting drum track/arrangement. Having tried to play the pads on my lap, I found I was "less off" by using a tray under the pads, but it's even better putting it on a stable surface like the desk! Michael
Hi Michael Parson-McNamara yes I agree my lap isn't necessary the best place to play the drum parts! Thanks for watching and commenting! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
Produce Like A Pro I've had a lap steel for many years ('47 Gibson BR-4) and when I finally started playing on a desktop, was when I started getting much better and loving it! LOL ..."(it')s a question of balance" (thanks to the Moody Blues). Your recent video on augmenting the drum track with AD2 samples sprang to mind, when you mentioned doing that to this track, in this video. That'd make a great part 2 to this one, as your song production progresses.
Hi Michael Parson-McNamara I love playing Lap Steel, I have an early 50's Gretsch Lap Steel, it plays great! Thanks for watching and commenting! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
AD looks SO cool. I am currently using a mix of Kontakt and Studio One's Impact for drum programming, which I use to supplement my own real live acoustic drums. Impact, in Studio One is awesome. I believe they sampled Sabians and Paistes for their drumsets. The Kontakt comes with a 1960s Ludwig kit with K Zildjians. Lovely!
Hi Jonny Lipsham Studios great info thanks! I'm going to try out Studio One soon, excited to hear what it can do! Have a marvellous time recording, many thanks Warren
I personally use superior drummer for the demos I put together for the band I play for as I like the fact that the samples are raw and it forces me to actually mix the songs before i send it out to everyone in the band. I also like the VSTi because I find the GUI very user friendly and easy to navigate, plus you get the view of the drum kit as if you were playing it :P which, kinda helps with the visualisation of 'what can a drummer actually do' or at least it does imo. I also personally find that the hard quantising of the drum parts really kills the 'feel' of the drums as it helps with giving an impression that a real drummer is playing the parts. and just one quick final critique I'd like to offer is that I would have used two different crash cymbals sounds in time with the snare hits in the bridge part (around the 12:00 minute mark onwards) with small tom fill to break it up as well - but that's just a stylistic approach to song writing that particular part I guess =)
Hi +Mikeyprs21 Thanks very much for letting us know about your process! I really appreciate it! It's fantastic to see how everyone works! Have a marvellous time recording, many thanks Warren
I overdub real hihats and maybe cymbals over sampled drum kits to give it that real feel. Its similar to how Joe Baressi records drums and cymbals separately, but using the drums in Logic, Addictive Drums 2, Superior, Slate and maybe a few samples flown in. This can be done with a simple audio interface, a few condenser mics and the results are amazing. There are overtones and dynamics on a hihat and ride while playing a groove are extremely difficult to capture in drum software.
Hi Warren, I love your guitars. They layered in a stunning way. Sounds very fat. As a keyboard player, I usually play the piano in parallel with the drum. Drum gives an architecture of the rhythmic part in the song and what I need to do is to layer the piano according to the rhythm session of the drum.
Hi, thanks for all the recording tips. I do "bedroom" recording as a hobbie and use drum samples for that reason. I want to contribute with this tip. I just got a MIDI keyboard and, eventhough it is velocity sensitive it doesn't "groove" like a real drum so what I do (the cheap version) is to use some piezo discs, the ones under $1, gule them to a pad or any surface, play them with regular drumsticks, and send the signal to my interface, then use any beat-detective-ish plugin to turn that into MIDI. You get the same results as with the keyboard but it feels nicer.. and if you are recording a friend who is a drummer they appreciate it a lot. Also you might want to check Sennheiser's Dru'Mica, it's a FREE +3Gb virtual drum set, and the catch is that instead of changing drum pieces, you change the microphones. In case you want to listen how my weird system sounds with AddictiveDrums let me know, I'll post the link to my other channel where I have the tracks. (I don't like spamming comments) .. Keep up the videos, they are really helpful.
Hi Construct2torials - by Danuyos thanks for the great comment! That sounds like a wonderful tip! It allows the drummer to be able to play something more substantial than a keyboard! Great idea! A couple of people have recommended the DruMica now, I will definitely have to try that out! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren.
Hey man! Love the way you work with AD-Drums, I use it myself but often use the mouse to make the beats happen. I think I will try your way, or at least a combinaton.
Hi Fred, Thank you ever so much for your kind words!! Yes I often draw them in as well!! Have a marvellous time recording and mixing, many thanks Warren
Great video. A song like that certainly implies a drum part that takes a bit of tasteful arrangement. I have been working mostly in Logic Pro X lately and really enjoying it! I would be curious if anyone has tips or tricks for wrestling a great drum track out of the built-in drummers on Logic. Or are they mostly a gimick?
Hi joereesemusic great question! I use Logic lot for less parts, not so much for drum parts. Anyone else have experience with using the built in drum sounds in Logic? Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
+Produce Like A Pro I've recently been using Logic Drummer to trigger an alias midi region on a track with BFD3. So you're basically using the samples of BFD3 and Drummer as a pattern maker.
Great video!! Just came across it. I like the way you build up the song - the order in which you do things. The speed that you were able to do the drum track was really good!! I write & record songs too - but being a keyboard player i put down the keyboard riffs/pads/ideas first (after writing the melody & chord progression). So keyboard parts first, then bass part (on keyboard), then midi drum track and then i get a mate to record the guitar parts (some of these are my ideas), & then finally vocals. I find writing lyrics difficult though. I really enjoyed your video!!
thanks for the video... when doing midi drums, if you were going to use them in a track... I use mostly Groove Agent 4.. the native instruments, drums and Ministry of Rock from east west... my question do you think when doing drums like hi hats or snare rolls etc.... do you make the Velocities different in volume as far as trying to keep the drums sounding more realistic or what things that you recommend for making midi drums sound more realistic... Again thanks for the video...
Hi Tim Adams thanks for the great question! I do keep the uneven feel in the drums where it sounds good, other times I level it out where it makes it better, more powerful. Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
Nice song and massive guitars. You don't want to use the pads, are they to stiff or something. I would probably turn the Akai backwards and hammer away on the pads. I use to practice drum-rolls with the right-hand 2 fingers used for bass. When you stopped the music at a point with drums going, it made a nice drum break.
Hi +rawstarmusic Thanks for the great comment! This was just the basic guide track, I actually cut drums on this with Matt Starr just the other day and Scott played bass on it! The video will soon be up on Scott's channel! Have a marvellous time recording, many thanks Warren
Question about 2:32. I have Addictive Drums 2 installed, I have Guitar Rig 5 installed, I have a full version of Pro Tools 12 installed (not First), yet Pro Tools 12 sees neither of those. How do I configure the settings so that AD2 in Pro Tools can be used?
Hi Warren. I enjoy your videos and find them useful. I just downloaded the free Kontakt Player, and would like to set it up to work with the incredibly extensive, and also free, Drummic'a. I was wondering whether you might do a video on how to get Drummic'a working in Kontakt Player, as it is doing my head in trying to figure this out. Thanks.
Great question! I actually don't use Contact very often, but that's inspiring me to learn! Have a marvellous time recording and mixing, many thanks Warren
ezdrummer 2 is great, alot of different things you can do/change on the drums. Pretty much you can do anything you can do with recording real drums on ezdrummer. You dont have to make midi though like you was doing, it has every drum beat you would ever need, and you can change them if you want more or less of a certain drum.
Hi Jon Burrell Thanks for watching and commenting! I personally prefer to play the pattern I like, I just enjoy the process, I'm primarily a musician and songwriter turned Producer, so I'm passionate about performing music. Addictive also does the same things, I unfortunately didn't get into all of the details of it, but yes you can select many different drums, EQ, Compress, Distort them and adjust the room mics, odds etc. Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
Right, I don't think one is better than the other. Just like DAWs they all do the same job. I get what you are saying enjoying paying the music not just making it lol
Nice video, I am beginning to use FL Studio for some MIDI compositions (and "high quality rip" stuff...), this Summer I've used a MIDI sequencer called "Jazz++", but it seems it's no longer developed, too bad... it was a nice sequencer. Although I have a MIDI keyboard, I prefer to draw the notes with the mouse, mostly because that MIDI keyboard is so old and *huge* it doesn't even fit properly on my current desk. I found this video very useful to understand some drums "patterns", as I am trying to figure out which kind of pattern would sound better, thank you.
You should do a video on how to set up V-drums with Addictive drums in Protools. That would be great. Especially if you can place each drum on its own output and track.
Did you ever play around much with V-drums to use simply as a trigger? Cheap used TD-3, TD-4, TD-6 or similar and don't bother with the on-board sounds, as the VST's are better. Much more fun than those little Akai pads for approximating an acoustic kit.
Thanks Warren! Love the open hi-hat on the snare. Do you ever drag your snares late a bit or try other tricks to 'make it sound more human', or do you, like Sir Paul McCartney, just "let it be"?
Hi Simon Adams thanks for the great comment! I do lay back the snare for the right feel with the right song and make the hat dance around the beat a little too! Thanks ever so much for watching and have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
Simon Adams and yes that's an old Roger Taylor trick, one of my favourite ever drummers! I'm a huge Queen fan! Thanks ever so much for watching and have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
Hi Warren, I really appreciated your videos and advices - very useful tips and technical infos. Do you have video (or planning to do one) on how to use the e-drums (such as Roland TD11kv) into recording studio situations, song production, sessions with real drummer? I just wonder, is it worth to get one of those e-drums kit which cost about 1000usd, to do same thing basically as the USB pads/keys playing Addictive Drums & MIDI, eh...;)
This is a long shot, but does anyone know how to do the "midi merge" portion of this tutorial in reaper??? I can't seem to find the write tutorial online. Thank you!!!
Hi Paul Bryson I do, but I tend to use very simple fills lot's of 'Pat Boone Debbie Boone's'! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks for your comment, I really appreciate it! Warren
Agreed Paul Bryson! More fun to get to the point, I like pats I can sing or at least air drum to! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks for your comment, I really appreciate it! Warren
Hi Warren, Thanks for the Video. I have just downloaded AD 2, can I tap the beats on MP Mini 2 as you have done and then add the fills that AD2 have supplied will it all work together when I then seperate all of the tracks into Logic Pro X???
Hi, I am Kayode from UK. I was trying to create a drums loop following your step by step method of our to create drums loops in pro tools. But in my xpand2 under the factory settings of choosing my instrument, I can't find any instrument there, nothing was display. I just want to ask if I need to get midi keyboard before I can see all the instrument I need in xpand2? Or what should I do. Thanks
I use EZ drummer 2 for recorded drum samples. Normally use original preset and link them to each instrument and mic to a separate channel then into a bus. Doing that i can do any i want and control bleed. The modern set is good for most things, vintage can be good for rock or edm, and pack that doesn't come with EZ Drummer 2 "Drumkit from hell" is really good for metal. The thing i don't really like is it seems too preset orientated and i'm always switching it to original. Also no way to control attack or release which superior drummer 2 can do. EZ drummer 2 does have a humanizing feature so each hit isn't the same and they recorded samples for each velocity level.
Hi blood lord thanks for the details on EZ Drummer! I haven't used Superior Drummer yet, I'd be interested to see how that compares to Addictive Drums and EZ Drummer. Would be great to do a shootout. Thanks for watching and commenting! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
Produce Like A Pro Yea. I don't know anything about addictive drums to know which one has more features and such. One thing i know about EZdrummer is if it's pulled out in view it takes more cpu because it's graphical. On a externeral harddisk which i use to run it from can mess with buffering it cpu is high at like 85 to 89% don't know if it's just my set up though,but it didn't use to do that and only at 100%.
Hi blood lord from what I can tell from everyone's comments it seems that EZ Drummer and Addictive Drums are pretty comparable. I am able to run Addictive on my rig without it causing any crashes, but I agree it uses a reasonable amount of the CPU. Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
Hi Warren, always been fascinated on your videos, just a quick q, would you know how to produce midi sounds when you don't have any midi interface (eg. using computer keyboard) ? Many thanks.
Hi +David Beeheim That's Amanda Hardy. Thanks very much for your kind comment! Glad to be able to help! Have a marvellous time recording and mixing, many thanks Warren
Hi Buddha Gurung thanks for the great question! I do both actually, if it's a work in progress I'll leave the plug in open and adjust, but if I'm happy with the part I will print the sounds separately so I can mix them. Thanks for watching and commenting! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
Warren can you take a look at the GetGood Drums library (GGD)? It's a library for Kontakt and personally I think it sounds great, would love to hear what you think though
Almost exactly how I use PT with Drum VI's, except use the Trigger Finger. Do you you ever have issues copying a MIDI and the first or last note doesn't get selected, because it's not 100 on the grid?
+Produce Like A Pro Not Melodyne, but just copying and pasting MIDI notes within Pro Tools. Sometimes I'm missing a beginning or end note. Great videos, keep 'em coming!!
Hi +sbrave I see! Yes sometimes if the whole region goes over the grid line it den's copy, so the best thing to do is highlight the whole thing then copy and it will paste ok, or shorten the MIDI file to the bar length and that will also work very well! Have a marvellous time recording, many thanks Warren
Hi Tim Adams thanks for the great question! Believe it or not I've never used two at once, it's always just me! However I know definitely if you use a USB to MIDI Convertor you could come into one USB input, but it should also work coming in on multiple USB ports. Let me now how it goes! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
Warren, good job making another great video. I use Addictive as well in a very similar way. I also quantize the timing because I am horrible at tapping on my trigger pad. However, I don't make the velocity uniform because I feel like that is part of what makes it sound "human". Do you actually use that Mbox 2 Pro you have sitting on your desk??
Hi Dean Davidson thanks for watching and commenting I really appreciate it! I only make little pieces like I did in the video more even sounding, the hi hat which I brought down in volume I wanted to make more even so it could be lower against the kick and snare and not get lost. In the chorus I like the kick and snare to be a little more even, it saves a lot of compression, limiting etc. I do use a couple of different MBoxes that I have and even Pro Tools Express! I have a couple of full time Engineers that work with me and I have also editing and comping things for me while I work on different projects. I also work in Logic for keys and I love programming beats on my phone in imaschine! Thanks ever so much for watching and have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
I wish you'd do a video on how to program the Pads on the Akai MPK Mk II in Windows. I've watched some, but I can't get it to work for me. Maybe I'm on the wrong Channel or something, But I'm having the same problem with the LPD8. Maybe it's easier in OS X.
Hi Warren, thank you for the tips - they're really helpful! Do you sometimes consider humanizing your drum beats? 'cause when I record a drum track (especially on rock tracks), I can tell it's a machine playing because a lot of the hits feel the same.
Hi +Lexa001 Great question! I definitely choose when I edit and when I don't, when I'm working with world class drummers I rarely touch their feel at all! If it's my own playing I tighten myself more because I'm not that good! Haha. As far as using Addictive Drums for adding samples, I will try and keep the dynamics there as much as makes sense. Again if it's me playing I might even them out a little more because I'm not as consistent as a great session player. Have a marvellous time recording and mixing, many thanks Warren
Enjoyed watching this video!! Curious about something -- at about 17:30 you start adjusting the velocity of the open hi-hat hits, but then when you adjust the closed hats, you take them way lower in velocity... was that on purpose? Also, have you noticed any changes in the sounds of AD2 versus the original AD? I used to be able to find toms that I liked quite easily, but now I search thru every kit and hardly find something I am happy with -- and I have almost every ADpak available!
Hi +acpllc3 Thanks very much for your great comment I really appreciate it! When mixing I will push up and down the hats to feature certain grooves. I will have to dig deeper into AD2. Have a marvellous time recording, many thanks Warren
Hi Paul Schmdit thanks for the great question! When I mix I output them individually, except if I'm just using the kick and snare against a live kit, then I just output them in stereo. Have a marvelous time recording! Many thanks Warren
Hi Rich Bischoff if you hit the 'Midi Merge' button you can to add MIDI information. The keyboard shortcut is 9 on the Num pad on the right of the keyboard. Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks for your comment, I really appreciate it! Warren
I love these type of videos where we can see the creative process as it develops.
Hi Billy Glen Jr I really appreciate it! Thanks for watching and commenting! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
Please check out the new video on Song Production: Using Addictive Drums and MIDI Editing Basics. Let me know what you think, many thanks Warren
Thanks ***** I really appreciate it! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
Thanks for this videos and your works (sorry my english) ;)
Hi ***** thanks very much I really appreciate it! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
Great video !
Thanks Ben Tay I really appreciate it! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks for your comment, I really appreciate it! Warren
After 10 years I got my Studio w/AD full of NEW Equipment and Recovery of Stroke has been a Fight but picking up all the knowledge to start again at 63. Long live your lust for Life Warren. You just broke your right wrist 12 weeks before Christmas 2021.
Another great video Warren! I myself use Slate SSD and I love it!!! To me the stock presets sound less compressed than addictive drums..... But both are great plugins. I'd like to offer some tips to your viewers (I'm leaving the house halfway through the video so if you gave the same tips as I did..... Then awesome!!). My first tip is to play the drums as if you're playing a real kit. The drummer inky has two hands..... Don't have s snare a high hat and an overhead hitting at one time. The key to midi drums is replicating authentic patterns. My second tip is to try quantizing at 90%.... Or less than 100. Sometimes drums that are slightly off the grid are marvelous sounding and more realistic. My third and final tip is to EDIT THE VELOCITY OF EACH HIT!!! Don't have your snare drum at max velocity for every hit..... Otherwise you'll get that machine gun sounding effect and it ruins the authenticity. When I track my drums, I make sure all the velocities are close, but not all the same. If a drum hit is too low or too hard, I'll edit accordingly. Hope those tips help our your readers!!! Keep on making these awesome videos. I learn something new every day.
It's crazy how impactful a simple drum part like this can be. As a drummer a lot of times I find myself creating these really crazy and intricate parts, but then later I have to dumb it down. haha. Sometimes the difference between a good and great drum part is what you don't play. :)
Hi Kevin Reddoch agreed! Less is definitely more in most cases! Have a marvellous time recording, many thanks Warren
@@Producelikeapro As the architect quotes, less is more
Warren, I'm not sure if you haven't tried yet, but EZDrummer is fantastic for songwriting and laying down drums. You can pretty much create am whole drums track just like you did in about 5 minutes, and it does have a very human feel to it.
All you do is simply tap the pattern you are looking for, EZDrummer browser will then display all the grooves that matches your pattern. You pick the one you like and toss it in Song Creator and you'll be presented with all the variations, fills, intro and endings, so that you can assemble the song just by drag and dropping the midi regions. Of course every single pattern can be edited to your liking.
Another great feature is that EZdrummer will either send everything out of a stereo instrument channel, .. or it can split it for you and it will include, room mics etc etc, so it can be mixed in any way want.
This guy has a pretty decent tutorial on what I was talking about ua-cam.com/video/YEJH3WM6Oz8/v-deo.html
Hi Alex Reverberi Thanks for commenting, I really appreciate it! Thanks for the tips! Addictive has the pre recorded parts as well, I think they're pretty comparable to EZ Drummer, but I love being to play them into the session, I enjoy the process! Thanks for watching and commenting! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
One thing to remember when laying drum parts down individually is what is physically possible for a real drummer to play, presuming a maximum of 2 arms and 2 legs, so i'd delete the hihat hits that coincide with the cymbal hits as they're usually both right hand hits.
Yeah, after like 5 years producing music I'm just realizing my plugins that are real instruments "simulators" don't sound good because I don't play them like a musician would play it.
Yes but there can be a percutionist(even more) playing cymbal over hihat, then comes the panning. Just like that.
Amen, Arran! This is very important folks when you are playing genres that are "live" like Blues, Rock, and Jazz. It doesn't really matter with other "non-live" genres like Trap and other drum machine-based styles.
you can actually hit the hi hat with your left hand and the cymbal with your right hand. I know it's probably not common, but you can do that if you want to.
I found myself coming to this very old video because I am in the need of wanting to make better drum tracks and this showed me just how powerful all my software really is. Folks, I believe the saying now: It's not the software, it's the user. Wow.
Thanks for taking the time and effort to put together this video. It has helped me greatly!
Hi noiseassembly, so glad to be able to help!! Have a marvellous time recording and mixing, many thanks Warren
This is probably the most helpful AD Drums video I have come across. Thanks for putting this together!
Aw shucks thanks ver so much! Have a marvellous time recording and mixing, many thanks Warren
I have great admiration for anyone that can tweak the knobs and learn the software that can make the music we play! This has always fascinated me. I'm behind the times with my recording. I have a old 4-track that I use to record my music. That may tell you a bit about how overwhelmed I feel when faced with the computer.
Hi Kevin Gibbs I completely understand! I started on two cassette players then gravitated to a 4 track cassette recorder, then ADATs and a Tascam MSR24 before finally getting Pro Tools. The heavens opened up for me with Pro Tools because it could do everything I wanted to do in my mind! But I also love using Logic as well. Once you get the chance to mess around with a DAW on your computer you will really appreciate it! I promise! Thanks ever so much for watching and have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
Perfect..I am learning midi drums..always good to watch how others record, keep these midi, drum sample videos coming...
Thanks dave thompson Thanks ever so much for watching and have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
When you select something and you want to duplicate it you can use "cmd + D" and it will copy and paste the region right after the selection finishes. Love your videos ! Im from Argentina and i love how you explain everything you do, very good material !
Hi Federico Barreto thanks for commenting and watching I really appreciate it! Yes I will use "cmd + D", but I have found that using the repeat function is more accurate when doing multiple repeats. The duplicate butts up against the section before and over a few dupes will drift slightly. Thanks ever so much for watching and have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
I use BFD3 and I love it. It has a nice paint function for drum rudiments and an easy to use Groove FX function that humanises your drum patterns that you may want to check out. I'm not sure if it has any buzz in the industry but I use it and recommend it.
I checked out the Massey DRT videos one of the other commenters alluded to and I must admit it looks really REALLY good. It isn't completely automated, allows complete control and then produces drag and drop MIDI parts. It looks like it may save me HOURS. The Melodyne method looks pretty long winded, although I agree there are no total short cuts and a manual polish is the only way the complete the task. Marvellous tutorial Warren!
Hi Joe Lonsdale yes it's on my to do list! Thanks for letting me know! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks for your comment, I really appreciate it! Warren
Hi Warren, thank you very much for all your videos!
I really appreciate time and effort you're putting into it. I'm learning so much from you.
Hi fatalerror777 that's so kind of you to say! Have a marvellous time recording, many thanks Warren
Hi Warren, thank you so much for all your wonderful videos! Sounds good. I tend to like the libraries that come bundled with Komplete Ultimate. Right through the decades from the 50s to the 80s, 'Vintage' and 'Modern Drummer', there is always something that I can choose and run with. I feel they sound very natural.
Great video, as usual. The copy/paste for good sections instead of trying to replicate them is a massive time saver for trying to get ideas down, and the overdubbing cymbals is brilliant.
My only criticisms would be the quantizing and velocity matching. Humans have really spectacular rhythm naturally (Adam Neely has a great video on how to practice to improve/unlock it, for those who are interested) and quantizing makes a natural sounding drum part sound like a drum machine. The other part of the critique is that by velocity matching, you're doing much the same thing. If you look at a right handed drummer's track up close, right hand hits will typically be a little louder than left hand hits, and every hit will be slightly different in location, velocity, timing, etc. Furthermore, you're using a velocity sensitive pad, presumably to get dynamics, then velocity matching the dynamics out in the box, so why not just use a cheap keyboard that doesn't do velocity, so they're all matched on the way in?
What I do with midi drums, to try to make them feel more real, which takes longer and is unnecessary for just getting ideas down, is record them, then mix each drum down to its own wav track, then treat it like a live drum. Use compressors to level them out, eq to taste, run it through a microphone impulse response (as if I had actually mic'd that drum live), reverb or whatever else you want on it.
I'd be super interested in your opinion on handling midi drums like that because I only started recording in the past year, and I know from experience that I have a tendency to like some of my ideas out of narcissism instead of merit.
Tip for midi slection note! Press note on pro tools softwer keyboard to select all hihat or snares...is much easier...sorry for my english. You are the best..!
Hi Zarko Jankovic thanks for the great tip! Thanks for watching and commenting! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
These Master series... are driving me crazy !! so much to learn...and to apply...well I use MT Power Drum Kit 2 to make my drum parts...because it´s free and I love it.
Hi sanoysuelto thanks very much! I'll have to check out the MT Power Drum Kit, yes free and you love it, two extremely good reasons to use it! Have a marvelous day, many thanks Warren
I tend to use a lot of NI's Abbey Road Drums. The 60's and Vintage Drums are my go-to kits.
Hi David Greco yes I love the Abbey Road sounds, they are fantastic!! Thanks ever so much for watching and have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
I really dig your style to teach! Wwwery laid back, efficient and creative. Big up!
Anttoni Wikström wow! Thanks ever so much!!
I have AD, AD2, and ez drummer 1, with a akai lpd8 and never feel comfortable using it. these tutorials are soooo helpful!
Hi +Jim Gahagan Wonderful!! Great work! Have a marvellous time recording, many thanks Warren
I do use EZ Drummer 2, and love it. I did try Slate Drums for a while but switched to Studio Drummer with Abbey Road 60s & 80s Drums.
For more groove use a tiny amount of swing on the quantize (5% or so).
In case you don't own a virtual instrument for drums yet: there is a great freeware tool by Sennheiser called "Drummic'a". It let's you mic up a virtual kit with different microphones and adjust the basic sounds using EQ, compression and transient shaping which gives you a lot of possibilities to create different drum tones.
I really like it and it's great quality especially given the fact that it's freeware. It also comes with a decent amount of loops and fills which is nice if you want to get a beat going fast.
Hi +Lennart G Thanks very much for your kind comment! I'll have to check out the Sennheiser Drum Software! Thanks for the tip! Have a marvellous time recording and mixing, many thanks Warren
HI Warren! I just got into Addictivedrums and just learned a few nice tips from this video.Thanx for sharing man!
Truly appreciate your videos, they help a great deal.
Thanks ever so much John!! Have a marvellous time recording and mixing, many thanks Warren
Hi Warren, I have both Addictive Drums 2 and Steven Slate Platinum and for me, the platinum kits are the best. The samples are ready to go with no need to process. Keep up the good work.
Awesome vid warren. You're a beast. I enjoyed watching and learning from you.
Aw shucks LuvMusiq37 Thanks for watching and commenting! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
Your videos are awesome and very educational. Thanks for all you do Warren! I'm not actually a Pro Tools user but I have applied the knowledge and wisdom that I have gleaned from your series of videos to my own workflow with my favorite production DAW software (FL Studio and Reaper - I love the workflow of FL for production and Reaper for post production). That's what I like about your videos is that they aren't necessarily specific to Pro Tools, but awesome for production and engineering in general.
I love addictive drums as I don't have the space for a full drum setup but one thing I've learned is I don't fix the velocity so much. I try to intentionally play the keys harder and softer where I'd like so that the outcome doesn't sound so robotic and programmed. No drummer hits the hi hat so perfectly each time so not making the velocities all the same gives it that feel of a real drummer. Especially the hats, it makes it feel more like the drummer is using their wrist. I also like to then solo each drum in addictive and then bounce the track to audio one by one so I have a snare track, a kick track, hats, toms, you even have a room and OHs you can solo and treat them as if they we live recorded drums. There's even a feature that you can have the mic bleed on the track so even tho it's one drum soloed, you still can hear the rest of the kit playing underneath just like a real kit recording! I wish I could show you what I mean. Ill have to just drive out to Cali one day and show you :P love your videos my friend!!
I Use Addictive drums. Love the patterns. With some tweeks, it could be more personnal. I began to use Groove Agent 4 last month. I'm with Cubase, so it is closely integrated (don't have to worry with Drum Maps).
Thank's for the video
Stephan fron Montreal.
Hey Warren - great to see you using Addictive Drums - I've been using them since 2008 & I've found it to be a creatively inspiring piece of software. I have all the other major drum programs, but I seem to always come back to AD when it's time to write a song.
Hi Coldroom Studio agreed I really like the simplicity and ease of use of Addictive Drums! Have a marvellous time recording, many thanks Warren
Thanks for this great video Warren! I use EzDrummer 2's supplied grooves, as I am not a drummer, but after watching your video I'll spend some time trying to program drums using a midi keyboard!
Hi Gustavo Justus do Amarante thanks! I'm glad I can help! I love playing in ideas, however basic they might be, it's fun! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks for your comment, I really appreciate it! Warren
I'm using Steven Slate drums, which I love. When I'm writing the song I tend to lay down a 2 bar pattern, then copy it and in the copy do something subtle like a couple of ghost notes or a double kick. Then I'll copy those 4 bars and in that copy make some different changes, and repeat until I have a complete section. Then repeat that for further sections, the idea being to try and emulate those little differences that real drummers are always putting in. Then I go through the whole drum part to see if I've done something that a real drummer couldn't actually play (without needing 5 limbs!)
Eventually I will give the part to my drummer who then does something entirely different with the song. But there you go!
Hi Mark Green yes that sounds like a very effective way to create a demo drum part! And yes drummers will do what they want! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks for your comment, I really appreciate it! Warren
Those guitars sound great!
Hi +Thomas Hennessey Thanks very much I really appreciate it! Have a marvellous time recording, many thanks Warren
This is a great video. I have some drum apps on the iPad via audio but now I can hook up the Yamaha PSR-500 via an iRig MIDI and try to do some of what you just showed thanks
Hi +Richard Mellersh great! Glad to be able to help! Have a marvellous time recording, many thanks Warren
excellent and helpful video - you make it look so easy - many thanks
Hi +Macaroon Thanks very much!! Have a marvellous time recording and mixing, many thanks Warren
Nice video. Thanks for sharing your creative process.
One idea for ya. When you're adjusting the velocity of the hits in AD you're actually triggering different samples, so when you drop your cymbals to a lower velocity you get a real weak sounding cymbal hit as opposed to a strong crash that a drummer would actually play. You'd be better off using AD's built in mixer to adjust your volumes for your different elements if you're just looking for volume control.
I used to program all of my drums but lately I've been using more of the patterns in AD. I do think I might start doing some more programming again after seeing this video. I love the end part - especially the guitar part. Thanks again, Warren. I always look forward to your videos. Great stuff.
Aw shucks Jed Wunderli that's very kind of you! I love just winging it, see what ideas I come up with on the fly! Thanks ever so much for watching and have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
Interesting. For my recordings I have always sequenced the drums first, then laid down tracks afterwards. I'm going to give this method a try next time, and see how that feels. Mix things up a bit! Thanks.
Hi +Larry Lachmann Fantastic! Glad to be able to help!! Have a marvellous time recording and mixing, many thanks Warren
Hi Warren,great video i have both addictive drums and slate ssd4,addictive is great but slate has more options for blending samples right in the plug in might be a time saver for getting finished drums sounds quickly
Hi Ron Harris yes I'm definitely going to audition Slate drums and see what they can do! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks for your comment, I really appreciate it! Warren
Hi Warren! How do you play your midi keyboard with getting any lag with Pro Tools? Can I ask what your buffer size and sample rate are? Any other info? Cheers!
I use easy drummer with an axiom 49 midi keyboard. Thinking about getting addictive drums. Cool vids thanks.
Hi 1900stratoliner Glad to be able to help!! Have a marvellous time recording, many thanks Warren
wrote a song over the weekend with drums last. turned out great. plus you can try out different beats and it drastically can change the feel.
Hi Andy, fantastic!! That sounds amazing! Congrats! Have a marvellous time recording and mixing, many thanks Warren
love your videos please do video on quantizing alone. as in quantizing different types of tracks and the dangers/benefits thereof. Maybe also committing to audio, fades, automation etc.
Another great example and tutorial! Well done, Warren.
I prefer to write the drum track "after the fact" like you show here, and end up with something way less "canned". It's so obvious where the fills go and where accents, and various sections of the song should change. AND I end up leaving more space and getting a more interesting drum track/arrangement.
Having tried to play the pads on my lap, I found I was "less off" by using a tray under the pads, but it's even better putting it on a stable surface like the desk!
Michael
Hi Michael Parson-McNamara yes I agree my lap isn't necessary the best place to play the drum parts! Thanks for watching and commenting! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
Produce Like A Pro I've had a lap steel for many years ('47 Gibson BR-4) and when I finally started playing on a desktop, was when I started getting much better and loving it! LOL ..."(it')s a question of balance" (thanks to the Moody Blues).
Your recent video on augmenting the drum track with AD2 samples sprang to mind, when you mentioned doing that to this track, in this video. That'd make a great part 2 to this one, as your song production progresses.
Hi Michael Parson-McNamara I love playing Lap Steel, I have an early 50's Gretsch Lap Steel, it plays great! Thanks for watching and commenting! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
AD looks SO cool. I am currently using a mix of Kontakt and Studio One's Impact for drum programming, which I use to supplement my own real live acoustic drums.
Impact, in Studio One is awesome. I believe they sampled Sabians and Paistes for their drumsets. The Kontakt comes with a 1960s Ludwig kit with K Zildjians. Lovely!
Hi Jonny Lipsham Studios great info thanks! I'm going to try out Studio One soon, excited to hear what it can do! Have a marvellous time recording, many thanks Warren
I personally use superior drummer for the demos I put together for the band I play for as I like the fact that the samples are raw and it forces me to actually mix the songs before i send it out to everyone in the band. I also like the VSTi because I find the GUI very user friendly and easy to navigate, plus you get the view of the drum kit as if you were playing it :P which, kinda helps with the visualisation of 'what can a drummer actually do' or at least it does imo.
I also personally find that the hard quantising of the drum parts really kills the 'feel' of the drums as it helps with giving an impression that a real drummer is playing the parts.
and just one quick final critique I'd like to offer is that I would have used two different crash cymbals sounds in time with the snare hits in the bridge part (around the 12:00 minute mark onwards) with small tom fill to break it up as well - but that's just a stylistic approach to song writing that particular part I guess =)
Hi +Mikeyprs21 Thanks very much for letting us know about your process! I really appreciate it! It's fantastic to see how everyone works! Have a marvellous time recording, many thanks Warren
I overdub real hihats and maybe cymbals over sampled drum kits to give it that real feel. Its similar to how Joe Baressi records drums and cymbals separately, but using the drums in Logic, Addictive Drums 2, Superior, Slate and maybe a few samples flown in. This can be done with a simple audio interface, a few condenser mics and the results are amazing. There are overtones and dynamics on a hihat and ride while playing a groove are extremely difficult to capture in drum software.
Thanks for your videos!
Thanks for watching Corneilus Neal! Have a marvelous time recording! Many thanks Warren
Thanks you soooooo much.....I am a guitar player and that is exactly what I was looking for.
Hi Warren, I love your guitars. They layered in a stunning way. Sounds very fat. As a keyboard player, I usually play the piano in parallel with the drum. Drum gives an architecture of the rhythmic part in the song and what I need to do is to layer the piano according to the rhythm session of the drum.
Hi, thanks for all the recording tips. I do "bedroom" recording as a hobbie and use drum samples for that reason. I want to contribute with this tip. I just got a MIDI keyboard and, eventhough it is velocity sensitive it doesn't "groove" like a real drum so what I do (the cheap version) is to use some piezo discs, the ones under $1, gule them to a pad or any surface, play them with regular drumsticks, and send the signal to my interface, then use any beat-detective-ish plugin to turn that into MIDI. You get the same results as with the keyboard but it feels nicer.. and if you are recording a friend who is a drummer they appreciate it a lot.
Also you might want to check Sennheiser's Dru'Mica, it's a FREE +3Gb virtual drum set, and the catch is that instead of changing drum pieces, you change the microphones.
In case you want to listen how my weird system sounds with AddictiveDrums let me know, I'll post the link to my other channel where I have the tracks. (I don't like spamming comments) .. Keep up the videos, they are really helpful.
Hi Construct2torials - by Danuyos thanks for the great comment! That sounds like a wonderful tip! It allows the drummer to be able to play something more substantial than a keyboard! Great idea! A couple of people have recommended the DruMica now, I will definitely have to try that out! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren.
Hey man! Love the way you work with AD-Drums, I use it myself but often use the mouse to make the beats happen. I think I will try your way, or at least a combinaton.
Hi Fred, Thank you ever so much for your kind words!! Yes I often draw them in as well!! Have a marvellous time recording and mixing, many thanks Warren
Great video. A song like that certainly implies a drum part that takes a bit of tasteful arrangement.
I have been working mostly in Logic Pro X lately and really enjoying it! I would be curious if anyone has tips or tricks for wrestling a great drum track out of the built-in drummers on Logic. Or are they mostly a gimick?
Hi joereesemusic great question! I use Logic lot for less parts, not so much for drum parts. Anyone else have experience with using the built in drum sounds in Logic? Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
+Produce Like A Pro I've recently been using Logic Drummer to trigger an alias midi region on a track with BFD3. So you're basically using the samples of BFD3 and Drummer as a pattern maker.
Great video!! Just came across it. I like the way you build up the song - the order in which you do things. The speed that you were able to do the drum track was really good!!
I write & record songs too - but being a keyboard player i put down the keyboard riffs/pads/ideas first (after writing the melody & chord progression). So keyboard parts first, then bass part (on keyboard), then midi drum track and then i get a mate to record the guitar parts (some of these are my ideas), & then finally vocals. I find writing lyrics difficult though.
I really enjoyed your video!!
Great video, thanks!
Thank you for sharing this !
Hi Žarko Zlatar Thanks for watching and commenting! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
thanks for the video... when doing midi drums, if you were going to use them in a track... I use mostly Groove Agent 4.. the native instruments, drums and Ministry of Rock from east west... my question do you think when doing drums like hi hats or snare rolls etc.... do you make the Velocities different in volume as far as trying to keep the drums sounding more realistic or what things that you recommend for making midi drums sound more realistic... Again thanks for the video...
Hi Tim Adams thanks for the great question! I do keep the uneven feel in the drums where it sounds good, other times I level it out where it makes it better, more powerful. Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
Nice song and massive guitars. You don't want to use the pads, are they to stiff or something. I would probably turn the Akai backwards and hammer away on the pads. I use to practice drum-rolls with the right-hand 2 fingers used for bass. When you stopped the music at a point with drums going, it made a nice drum break.
Hi +rawstarmusic Thanks for the great comment! This was just the basic guide track, I actually cut drums on this with Matt Starr just the other day and Scott played bass on it! The video will soon be up on Scott's channel! Have a marvellous time recording, many thanks Warren
Question about 2:32. I have Addictive Drums 2 installed, I have Guitar Rig 5 installed, I have a full version of Pro Tools 12 installed (not First), yet Pro Tools 12 sees neither of those. How do I configure the settings so that AD2 in Pro Tools can be used?
Hi Warren. I enjoy your videos and find them useful. I just downloaded the free Kontakt Player, and would like to set it up to work with the incredibly extensive, and also free, Drummic'a.
I was wondering whether you might do a video on how to get Drummic'a working in Kontakt Player, as it is doing my head in trying to figure this out. Thanks.
Great question! I actually don't use Contact very often, but that's inspiring me to learn! Have a marvellous time recording and mixing, many thanks Warren
ezdrummer 2 is great, alot of different things you can do/change on the drums. Pretty much you can do anything you can do with recording real drums on ezdrummer. You dont have to make midi though like you was doing, it has every drum beat you would ever need, and you can change them if you want more or less of a certain drum.
Hi Jon Burrell Thanks for watching and commenting! I personally prefer to play the pattern I like, I just enjoy the process, I'm primarily a musician and songwriter turned Producer, so I'm passionate about performing music. Addictive also does the same things, I unfortunately didn't get into all of the details of it, but yes you can select many different drums, EQ, Compress, Distort them and adjust the room mics, odds etc. Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
Right, I don't think one is better than the other. Just like DAWs they all do the same job. I get what you are saying enjoying paying the music not just making it lol
Hi Jon Burrell haha agreed! It's fun that playing music part! Thanks for watching and commenting! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
Nice video, I am beginning to use FL Studio for some MIDI compositions (and "high quality rip" stuff...), this Summer I've used a MIDI sequencer called "Jazz++", but it seems it's no longer developed, too bad... it was a nice sequencer.
Although I have a MIDI keyboard, I prefer to draw the notes with the mouse, mostly because that MIDI keyboard is so old and *huge* it doesn't even fit properly on my current desk.
I found this video very useful to understand some drums "patterns", as I am trying to figure out which kind of pattern would sound better, thank you.
You should do a video on how to set up V-drums with Addictive drums in Protools. That would be great. Especially if you can place each drum on its own output and track.
That's a wonderful idea!!
Did you ever play around much with V-drums to use simply as a trigger? Cheap used TD-3, TD-4, TD-6 or similar and don't bother with the on-board sounds, as the VST's are better. Much more fun than those little Akai pads for approximating an acoustic kit.
You are very good and fast. I like this video!
Thanks Dominique! Have a marvellous time recording and mixing, many thanks Warren
how can I download it
what's the name of the song around 5th minute?
Thanks Warren! Love the open hi-hat on the snare. Do you ever drag your snares late a bit or try other tricks to 'make it sound more human', or do you, like Sir Paul McCartney, just "let it be"?
Hi Simon Adams thanks for the great comment! I do lay back the snare for the right feel with the right song and make the hat dance around the beat a little too! Thanks ever so much for watching and have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
Simon Adams and yes that's an old Roger Taylor trick, one of my favourite ever drummers! I'm a huge Queen fan! Thanks ever so much for watching and have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
Thanks loads for your response Warren. This is audio gold!
Aw shucks Simon Adams Thanks for watching and commenting! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
Hi Warren, I really appreciated your videos and advices - very useful tips and technical infos. Do you have video (or planning to do one) on how to use the e-drums (such as Roland TD11kv) into recording studio situations, song production, sessions with real drummer? I just wonder, is it worth to get one of those e-drums kit which cost about 1000usd, to do same thing basically as the USB pads/keys playing Addictive Drums & MIDI, eh...;)
Hi Igor, I don't have a video like that, but it's wonderful idea!! Have a marvellous time recording and mixing, many thanks Warren
Hi. What, in your opinion, would be better between AD2 & EZD2 for custom beats on Ramones style backing tracks?
This is awesome! My "problem is that I work with logic. Does it make any difference?
Hi +Ivan Ortiz Lucas No Logic works great!! I use it for my keyboard Productions! Have a marvellous time recording and mixing! Many thanks Warren
Cool video! Which Addictive Drums 2 Adpak did you use for this song?
This is a long shot, but does anyone know how to do the "midi merge" portion of this tutorial in reaper??? I can't seem to find the write tutorial online. Thank you!!!
Hi Warren...Do you add all simple and complex fills the same way between sections ?
I find this can be a bit of challenge at times
Hi Paul Bryson I do, but I tend to use very simple fills lot's of 'Pat Boone Debbie Boone's'! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks for your comment, I really appreciate it! Warren
Gottcha, That's what I figured, keep it simple...Which is exactly what I need to do
Agreed Paul Bryson! More fun to get to the point, I like pats I can sing or at least air drum to! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks for your comment, I really appreciate it! Warren
Hi Warren, Thanks for the Video. I have just downloaded AD 2, can I tap the beats on MP Mini 2 as you have done and then add the fills that AD2 have supplied will it all work together when I then seperate all of the tracks into Logic Pro X???
Hi, I am Kayode from UK. I was trying to create a drums loop following your step by step method of our to create drums loops in pro tools. But in my xpand2 under the factory settings of choosing my instrument, I can't find any instrument there, nothing was display. I just want to ask if I need to get midi keyboard before I can see all the instrument I need in xpand2? Or what should I do. Thanks
I use EZ drummer 2 for recorded drum samples. Normally use original preset and link them to each instrument and mic to a separate channel then into a bus. Doing that i can do any i want and control bleed. The modern set is good for most things, vintage can be good for rock or edm, and pack that doesn't come with EZ Drummer 2 "Drumkit from hell" is really good for metal. The thing i don't really like is it seems too preset orientated and i'm always switching it to original. Also no way to control attack or release which superior drummer 2 can do. EZ drummer 2 does have a humanizing feature so each hit isn't the same and they recorded samples for each velocity level.
Hi blood lord thanks for the details on EZ Drummer! I haven't used Superior Drummer yet, I'd be interested to see how that compares to Addictive Drums and EZ Drummer. Would be great to do a shootout. Thanks for watching and commenting! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
Produce Like A Pro Yea. I don't know anything about addictive drums to know which one has more features and such. One thing i know about EZdrummer is if it's pulled out in view it takes more cpu because it's graphical. On a externeral harddisk which i use to run it from can mess with buffering it cpu is high at like 85 to 89% don't know if it's just my set up though,but it didn't use to do that and only at 100%.
Hi blood lord from what I can tell from everyone's comments it seems that EZ Drummer and Addictive Drums are pretty comparable. I am able to run Addictive on my rig without it causing any crashes, but I agree it uses a reasonable amount of the CPU. Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
Hi Warren, always been fascinated on your videos, just a quick q, would you know how to produce midi sounds when you don't have any midi interface (eg. using computer keyboard) ? Many thanks.
great stuff! I like the song in the background btw. I wonder who is the performer.
Hi +David Beeheim That's Amanda Hardy. Thanks very much for your kind comment! Glad to be able to help! Have a marvellous time recording and mixing, many thanks Warren
Thanks, Warren! I ' d bet money this song will hit the charts one day.
that was great , thanks
As always, thanks for a great video! Do you leave your drum tracks as midi or print them separately as audio tracks for the final production?
Hi Buddha Gurung thanks for the great question! I do both actually, if it's a work in progress I'll leave the plug in open and adjust, but if I'm happy with the part I will print the sounds separately so I can mix them. Thanks for watching and commenting! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
Warren can you take a look at the GetGood Drums library (GGD)? It's a library for Kontakt and personally I think it sounds great, would love to hear what you think though
Hi Xiyu Yang very interesting! I’ll check it out!
Almost exactly how I use PT with Drum VI's, except use the Trigger Finger.
Do you you ever have issues copying a MIDI and the first or last note doesn't get selected, because it's not 100 on the grid?
Hi +sbrave Great stuff! I don't get any major MIDI issues with using Melodyne. Have a marvellous time recording, many thanks Warren
+Produce Like A Pro Not Melodyne, but just copying and pasting MIDI notes within Pro Tools. Sometimes I'm missing a beginning or end note. Great videos, keep 'em coming!!
Hi +sbrave I see! Yes sometimes if the whole region goes over the grid line it den's copy, so the best thing to do is highlight the whole thing then copy and it will paste ok, or shorten the MIDI file to the bar length and that will also work very well! Have a marvellous time recording, many thanks Warren
Hello I love your videos! Soon i will get Pro Tools 9 with full plugins...For now i use garage band are there any free good plug ins available?
Also can you run 2 USB keyboards at the same time like with what you are doing??? you got me sold on the AKAI. controller.
Hi Tim Adams thanks for the great question! Believe it or not I've never used two at once, it's always just me! However I know definitely if you use a USB to MIDI Convertor you could come into one USB input, but it should also work coming in on multiple USB ports. Let me now how it goes! Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
Warren, good job making another great video. I use Addictive as well in a very similar way. I also quantize the timing because I am horrible at tapping on my trigger pad. However, I don't make the velocity uniform because I feel like that is part of what makes it sound "human". Do you actually use that Mbox 2 Pro you have sitting on your desk??
Hi Dean Davidson thanks for watching and commenting I really appreciate it! I only make little pieces like I did in the video more even sounding, the hi hat which I brought down in volume I wanted to make more even so it could be lower against the kick and snare and not get lost. In the chorus I like the kick and snare to be a little more even, it saves a lot of compression, limiting etc. I do use a couple of different MBoxes that I have and even Pro Tools Express! I have a couple of full time Engineers that work with me and I have also editing and comping things for me while I work on different projects. I also work in Logic for keys and I love programming beats on my phone in imaschine! Thanks ever so much for watching and have a marvelous time recording, many thanks Warren
I wish you'd do a video on how to program the Pads on the Akai MPK Mk II in Windows. I've watched some, but I can't get it to work for me. Maybe I'm on the wrong Channel or something, But I'm having the same problem with the LPD8. Maybe it's easier in OS X.
Which Addictive Drums kit is being used, please? I really like the sound of the kit.
Cool video! Singer has a lot of potential, but great hook on it!
Hi Warren, thank you for the tips - they're really helpful! Do you sometimes consider humanizing your drum beats? 'cause when I record a drum track (especially on rock tracks), I can tell it's a machine playing because a lot of the hits feel the same.
Hi +Lexa001 Great question! I definitely choose when I edit and when I don't, when I'm working with world class drummers I rarely touch their feel at all! If it's my own playing I tighten myself more because I'm not that good! Haha. As far as using Addictive Drums for adding samples, I will try and keep the dynamics there as much as makes sense. Again if it's me playing I might even them out a little more because I'm not as consistent as a great session player. Have a marvellous time recording and mixing, many thanks Warren
Thanks!
You’re a genius!
You're very kind! Thanks ever so much
Enjoyed watching this video!! Curious about something -- at about 17:30 you start adjusting the velocity of the open hi-hat hits, but then when you adjust the closed hats, you take them way lower in velocity... was that on purpose?
Also, have you noticed any changes in the sounds of AD2 versus the original AD? I used to be able to find toms that I liked quite easily, but now I search thru every kit and hardly find something I am happy with -- and I have almost every ADpak available!
Hi +acpllc3 Thanks very much for your great comment I really appreciate it! When mixing I will push up and down the hats to feature certain grooves. I will have to dig deeper into AD2. Have a marvellous time recording, many thanks Warren
How can I activate that ticking sound? Sorry dumb question kinda newbie here XD
Great video Warren. Do you record your drums in stereo or do you have each drum on a assigned channel?
Hi Paul Schmdit thanks for the great question! When I mix I output them individually, except if I'm just using the kick and snare against a live kit, then I just output them in stereo. Have a marvelous time recording! Many thanks Warren
So if I use a midi keyboard like this, every time I record a new layer, it doesn't record over the drum tracks recorded previously?
Hi Rich Bischoff if you hit the 'Midi Merge' button you can to add MIDI information. The keyboard shortcut is 9 on the Num pad on the right of the keyboard. Have a marvelous time recording, many thanks for your comment, I really appreciate it! Warren