WHUFC BASS Posted August 18, 2019 Share Posted August 18, 2019 Personally, I'd forget EZ Drummer and any type of drum machine and use drum loops instead. They're much more flexible and have some quite inspirational drum patterns which as most of us aren't drummers would never come up with. I've done about eight albums with drum loops and almost everyone has commented on what a great drummer we had and if they were available for sessions. For those who aren't aware, they're loops that have been professionally recorded by top session drummers on live kits so they sound like the real thing and can be chopped, changed and messed around with to sound like a live drummer on your own songs. Two of the best examples that I've used are made by: Beta Monkey https://betamonkey.com/the-1-source-for-drum-loops/?gclid=CjwKCAjw7uPqBRBlEiwAYDsr1-cP7Go4-sKM9cQ4lL_8hXtBmaP2poPyZwmKtb6hvlDSJwFENdTRaBoCvtQQAvD_BwE Drums on Demand https://www.drumsondemand.com/ 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted September 6, 2019 Author Share Posted September 6, 2019 I must admit I didn't like the relatively tiny screen interface of EZ Drummer! Shame they don't have something that adapts to the size of our computer screens. The other bit of hardware that is about to shortly hit the shops is this new pedal by Boss which looks interesting, their RC-10R. Combines looper, drum machine, midi input and, like your two suggestions above, has preset drum loops - 280 to be precise. Not sure whether it's possible to edit / save drum lines on PC, although there are hints that this might be possible. If that functionality is there, this would be a very attractive combination pedal indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatcoupe432 Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 im in the same boat ive decided that best option for me is to get a roland td drum as i can play a bit drums but i struggle to program i also have maschine mk2 but i never use it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacDaddy Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 i still fiddle about with one of these: https://www.yamaha.com/en/about/innovation/collection/detail/2080/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaytonaRik Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 I opted for Slate Drums 5 when it was on offer at $99 - absolute bargain with a phenomenal selection of 'out of the box' kits before you even touch the expansion packs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlphaK Posted December 7, 2019 Share Posted December 7, 2019 On 06/09/2019 at 08:40, Al Krow said: I must admit I didn't like the relatively tiny screen interface of EZ Drummer! Shame they don't have something that adapts to the size of our computer screens. The other bit of hardware that is about to shortly hit the shops is this new pedal by Boss which looks interesting, their RC-10R. Combines looper, drum machine, midi input and, like your two suggestions above, has preset drum loops - 280 to be precise. Not sure whether it's possible to edit / save drum lines on PC, although there are hints that this might be possible. If that functionality is there, this would be a very attractive combination pedal indeed. Don't watch this if you're still thinking of getting the RC-10R... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StickyDBRmf Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 There's always the Roland HandSonic (I have the older HPD-15) I bought it 'cause I wanted tabla. It's good if you like to bash about on something bigger than typewriter keys. And I also trigger it via MIDI with...AN ALESIS SR-16! I haven't embarked on the computer DAW merry-go-round yet - I've got Audacity installed but haven't recorded anything. Kinda off topic but I use a ZOOM H2 as a "notebook" for ideas outa my mixer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted February 7, 2020 Author Share Posted February 7, 2020 (edited) Slightly amusing that I'm ending up on this thread very much where I started it! Turns out that the Behringer RD-8 and Roland TR-08 are still the two leading contenders of physical drum machines. (I found the EZ drummer screen interface a bit tiny, if I'm honest, which was off putting). Both are 'tribute' acts to the original Roland TR-808 which was both apparently a commercial failure AND also subsequently became the iconic drum machine! The Behringer is bigger but, on balance, I think that's going to make it less fiddly to use, although compact design is usually something I'm a big fan of The Behringer has sought to keep the analogue circuitry of the original whilst improving on the workflow, and has some useful filtering thrown in e.g. hpf to cut out low end boominess The TR-08 has gone for digital emulation but kept the apparently very annoying quirkiness of the original 808 workflow, including needing to dive into sub menus; my least favourite pastime! They both have song mode which allows chaining of multiple patterns => can easily create sections for verse / chorus, specify repeats, insert fills & endings. (Song mode is not available on the Roland TR-8 or TR-8S, which are intended more as live use kit, rather than for use in the studio). Nice little short comparison review by Andertons. And I agree with their conclusion - one clear winner in my books. Edited December 6, 2020 by Al Krow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krispn Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 You never got the screen sorted on EZDrunmer. It should be able to do full screen no problem. Plus the drop and drag feature really makes life easy. Which daw did you eventually settle on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted February 7, 2020 Author Share Posted February 7, 2020 31 minutes ago, krispn said: You never got the screen sorted on EZDrunmer. It should be able to do full screen no problem. Plus the drop and drag feature really makes life easy. Which daw did you eventually settle on? You'd have thought, wouldn't you! Here's what Toontrack have to say on the matter: "EZdrummer 2 and its demo are built on an older plugin architecture, so they are not resizable. Superior Drummer 3 has a resizable interface." [Aug 2019] https://www.toontrack.com/forums/topic/is-there-a-limitation-in-ez-drummer-demo-that-prevents-it-from-using-full-screen/ With due respect, that's pants. I'll be going with Ableton Lite which comes free with Focusrite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted February 11, 2020 Author Share Posted February 11, 2020 Arrived today 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 Wow, very retro looking. I love Roland's drum machines. So easy to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted February 11, 2020 Author Share Posted February 11, 2020 (edited) 14 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said: Wow, very retro looking. I love Roland's drum machines. So easy to use. This one is indeed an analogue clone of the Roland 808, but with the work flow apparently significantly improved. The Behringer logo has been obscured by the headphones I see! Edited February 11, 2020 by Al Krow 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 15 minutes ago, Al Krow said: This one is indeed an analogue clone of the Roland 808, but with the work flow apparently significantly improved. The Behringer logo has been obscured by the headphones I see! I would hope so. The synth band I was a member of in 1984 had an original TR808, in the days when it was a pricy bit of kit, but the decent alternatives were even more expensive. We would struggle to get more than one song's worth of patterns in it and chaining them together to form a song involved actually running the song in real time and switching patterns manually in the correct place for the device to remember the order. If you made a mistake it was simpler to stop and try again then go back and edit it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted February 14, 2020 Author Share Posted February 14, 2020 (edited) Spent 45 mins getting to grips with the RD-8 aided by a couple of YouTube tutorials which seem to be a heap more easy instruction than the manual! Only got as far as single patterns rather than chaining those into songs tonight, but certainly editing patterns is very intuitive and easy to use and I've managed to lay down / save a couple of rhythms and frankly have got further in such a short space of time than with any drum machine. This is in a totally different league to the Alesis SR18 I previously had, in terms of being able to create and monitor, in real time, the drum patterns I'm working on. In this particular aspect it's like transitioning from an abacus to a modern pocket calculator! And feels a bit like cheating but I picked up a copy of 260 Drum Machine Patterns (Hal Leonard) for under £7 off Amazon, which should provide a bunch of easy to plug in ideas as a starting point. It's now taking me seconds to do what it would take several minutes on the SR18, which frankly was sufficiently off-putting to mean that the SR18 was not put to creative use. Edited February 15, 2020 by Al Krow 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammybee Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 On 11/02/2020 at 14:00, Al Krow said: Arrived today Just picked one of these up from Bax-Music today £227 all in including shipping. Cant wait for it to arrive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HazBeen Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 I use a Rob, it is a little large at 6’7” but it does not need batteries or an adapter, just bananas....... lol....... We also have the 808 clone by Behringer. It works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted February 21, 2020 Author Share Posted February 21, 2020 52 minutes ago, sammybee said: Just picked one of these up from Bax-Music today £227 all in including shipping. Cant wait for it to arrive Congrats - and a great price! Mine was £269 and even that's £20 cheaper than many. Hate to say it, but at £227 there are a bunch of bass pedals that are equally or more expensive and gonna be a lot less fun! How / what are you planning on using it for? 26 minutes ago, HazBeen said: I use a Rob, it is a little large at 6’7” but it does not need batteries or an adapter, just bananas....... lol....... We also have the 808 clone by Behringer. It works. Are you saying absent bananas, Rob doesn't? 😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammybee Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 47 minutes ago, Al Krow said: Congrats - and a great price! Mine was £269 and even that's £20 cheaper than many. Hate to say it, but at £227 there are a bunch of bass pedals that are equally or more expensive and gonna be a lot less fun! How / what are you planning on using it for? I figured at £227 - why not? I had the original TR-808 in the 1980's and I've been without an analog drum machine since i sold my TR-606 and Jomox Xbase-09 a couple of years ago. Like you said, cheaper than a lot of bass pedals. I'm weighing up whether to buy their SH101 clone too. Heaven knows where it will fit into my current sound lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HazBeen Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 4 hours ago, Al Krow said: Congrats - and a great price! Mine was £269 and even that's £20 cheaper than many. Hate to say it, but at £227 there are a bunch of bass pedals that are equally or more expensive and gonna be a lot less fun! How / what are you planning on using it for? Are you saying absent bananas, Rob doesn't? 😁 Pretty much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammybee Posted March 1, 2020 Share Posted March 1, 2020 RD-8 arrived on Friday, and I took it out of the box this afternoon. My god, this thing is as much fun as legally possible with £200! After about 30 mins, the kids arrived .... ",....whats THAT??? "... they took over and I didn't get a look in. Looking forward to recreating all the 80's soul classics with this one. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubit Posted April 22, 2020 Share Posted April 22, 2020 On 15/04/2019 at 19:04, TheGreek said: Alesis SR16 - there is a good reason why this is the best selling drum machine ever. As a hardened technophobe I must say that this is soooo easy to use - one of the few bits of technology that truly is intuitive. I can use it so it proves they're idiot-proof. It's even programmable for those who aren't happy with the existing patterns and prepared to have a go at programming their own. Tonewise....you wouldn't fool anybody into believing it's a real drummer but it's close enough for most people not to worry. I use mine through a Behringer BDi - this means a much broader tonal package. Since they sold many millions of these you can pick them up used on eBay for stupid prices. I've even thought about buying a spare but they're so reliable there really is no need. It is real drums that have been recorded though. We used one for years as a two piece and it was superb. I never learned how to programme it as the guitarist always did it but I bought one myself after we got a drummer so that I could work at home. I still don't know how to programme the thing right enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted April 22, 2020 Share Posted April 22, 2020 I can't understand why anyone would buy a drum machine and not create their own patterns for it. I know for a fact that no a single drum machine I've owned has ever come with any kind of pre-programmed rhythm that I would want to use for my songs. And it's not that difficult - you just hit the pads in time with the metronome just like you were playing the drums but much easier! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted April 22, 2020 Author Share Posted April 22, 2020 4 hours ago, ubit said: It is real drums that have been recorded though. We used one for years as a two piece and it was superb. I never learned how to programme it as the guitarist always did it but I bought one myself after we got a drummer so that I could work at home. I still don't know how to programme the thing right enough. The SR16 /18 are soooo cumbersome to properly bespoke programme though. It takes 20 seconds to do something on the RD-8 that would literally take several mins on my old Alesis SR18. That adds up timewise and becomes a barrier to wanting to get any creative stuff done. So you end up just using the preset rhythms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted April 23, 2020 Share Posted April 23, 2020 I've got EZdrummer 2 and an Akai pad, but I'm having a lot of trouble programming the pad to do what I want in terms of layout. I'm sure it's user error but that doesn't help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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