I tend to use only audio tracks on most of the things I do these days.

With a good DAW like Sonar or equivalent, it's easy to edit the audio of a drum track. There are also some programs.... I think Melodyne has this feature although I don't use it... where it can convert the drums and some other things to the equivalent midi.

I have also used some AI based drum programs like Jamstix to create the drum parts. There are a number of fairly strong drum synths that let you do custom drum tracks that sound exceptionally realistic.

Another trick I've used is to add midi drums into the drum score using the audio in one track and the midi drums properly EQ'd to sound like the same kit, in a different midi track and use volume envelopes to regulate which one you hear and when.

For most of my songs. I just use a straight up BB or RB drum track.

You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
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