Originally Posted By: Teunis
My two bobs worth. If RealDrums had an option split into separate tracks for snare, kick, hi hat, toms and overheads (ie the mikes that recorded them) allowing one to mix there own drums it would make them way more useful. It would also make “drum replacement” far easier.

I think the playing on RealDrums is usually great but often the mix leaves something to be desired.

As I say my two bobs worth.

Tony

I would add the ability to change the groove and/or change drum instruments individually.

All this can be done with a good MIDI drum channel on a good synthesizer. After all, many modern recordings are played with real drummers playing MIDI drum kits.

IMO the good part of the real tracks is the tone but the bad part is the minuscule amount of editing possibilities. Expression is much more important than the finer points of tone. Millions of #1 recordings with less than stellar tone on the instruments and vocals prove this.

Since we're talking drums --- after it's exported into your DAW:

With MIDI, say you want a ride bell instead of a ride cymbal. Click - click done. Same for a wood snare instead of a metal one or any other drum instrument change.

Say you want to eliminate a particular drum for a part, perhaps the cowbell, click - click it's gone.

Need to exaggerate the groove, perhaps delay the snare? A few more clicks (depending on your DAW editing functions) and it's done.

And this only scratches the surface of what you can do with MIDI drums.

* * * * * *

But nothing beats playing the drums life.

In the recording studio, the drummer is the king of both tempo and the groove. Everybody has to listen to the drummer and sync with his/her playing.

That's why when either writing new styles for BiaB or making backing tracks for my duo, I start by playing the drum rhythm into a MIDI sequencer or the MIDI function of a DAW in live (in real time). There is no way to calculate the exact variation of the timing from a quantized grid, you have to play it and feel it.

Then I play the bass and other comp parts in over the drum groove. Lastly I may open another drum track to add embellishments and add that to the drum groove.

If you want it to sound live, you simply play it in live and use a good synth to play it back.

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