I've been working with DAWs for a while now. The only thing I hate so damn bad is writing drums. I use Ableton and Bitwig, and I find it so boring to click in drums into the piano roll with my mouse.

I like stepsequencers for that matter, as it allows me to get me in a groove faster, I've used Guru, Geist, Nerve, I liked Guru the best. Throw a couple loops in, mangle them with your own drums
But I haven't been able to complete a whole song with those specific plugins... IDK why maybe it's the whole fuckery these plugins provide with midi routing, audio routing, compressing, sidechaining certain elements, plugins crashing etc.

Don't get me wrong I do know how to write my drums, but I lost severe interest in writing them in the piano roll.
I did use some hardware step sequencers to drive the midi drums in my daw, and it was probably the best solution, but I had to sell the Korg Electribe.

Btw, I make techno,house, electro, and I like complex patterns, or beats with swing, not the house music u hear on the radio). This guy explains it a little bit better then I do :D

So here is my question, how do you write your drums in 2017? Specifically for techno, electro, house.

Just use straight up loops, pencil them in, use some kind of plugin?

Cheers.

 

well mmm then play them in with the keyboard. personally i use ableton live drum rack which is one of the most flexible drum sampler you could dream off, further i use maschine (but not for kicks) and hardware like volca sampler , circuit , tr808 etc e

 

I use Toontrack EZDrummer 2. I like it because you can find libraries that match the style you're looking for and search for the right pattern simply by tapping in like snare and kick. It's saved me lots of time.

 

Nice one tr-808 huh. Cool. I dislike writing drums with the keyboard so its not an option. I do like the drum rack aswel, but again I find it boring to actually pencil them in. Probably better to buy a volca sample aswel or some kind of Drum machine/sampler.

Nice, I never really understood the hype about for example EZdrummer 2 of BFD, I thought these plugins simulated real drums? Can you explain your workflow a little bit with it?

 

buy a controller such as Maschine , problem solved

 

I believe you can get to the MIDI of the patterns which would enable you to use it within whichever drum VSTi you chose. You can also route the MIDI. It's pretty flexible that way. I compose rock/pop music, so I just stick with the built in kits until I can get my drummer to actually record a drum track. The thing I prefer about it is that the patterns are actually real drummers recorded on a electronic kit so the grooves really have a human feel to them.
I think the best use for you would be the pattern searching function which is why I suggested it. Many Youtube videos out there which demo and show how to use it.

 

It's one good way to get MIDI drum tracks into your project. If you can't afford EZDrummer 2 (or Addictive Drums, which also includes that feature) you have a free option: MT Power Drum Kit is a FREE VST Drum Kit which also includes a small MIDI drum library. You can even start by dragging and dropping measures in a "preview" blank space inside the plug-in and check if you like your choices. Then you drag the whole arrangement to the instrument track and there you have it.

Here's the link for the MT Power Drum Kit page. Just download the appropriate version for your DAW (32 bit or 64 bit). Place the dll file and the library folder in your VST folder and you're ready to go! Hope you like it.
http://www.powerdrumkit.com/download76187.php

P.S. - I'm editing my post now. I forgot to recommend you to watch the full demonstration video. You have it posted in the "downloads" page. Or you can watch it here:

I forgot to mention another interesting feature inside MT Power Drum Kit: You can re-route the MIDI output towards another VST Drums Instruments you own. The video tells you how at the end.

I know MT Power Drum Kit's library is quite pop/rock/metal oriented. You won't find fancy Hip-Hop, Electronica, Techno, Dance, Trap, etc rhythms there. But... well, it's a start.

 

Last edited: Sep 20, 2017

your journey should be from simple to complex. And you should learn drum programming first then processing/layering bla bla.
drumkit like ezdrummer/ addictive drum will save your time of youth!
if you're into dance pop then you should have vast knowledge of groove/swing.
because your beat should sync with vocals in real life. if you can hum/buzz with song/loop then its perfect.
i check every bar. if there is a need little bit off grid then i do that. i mean i believe in custom groove not like ableton groove template.
And 808 & 909 are good to go for layering...

 

I expected such an answer in this thread, but this is irrelevant, thats why I stated that I know how to get a good groove with drums, it's actually one of my strong points, probably because I drummed in my youth, so please read the original post again. But thanks for the reply about ezdrummer/activedrummer I will look into it. Humming is nice, I always did that, helped alot, would recommend to anyone reading this thread.

But back on topic, I made this thread about my rant writing drums in the piano roll, I'm sure many agree with me, so I'm looking for alternative ways.

 

Thanks, would be a good start

 

@alex921, I once did a remix of Alice In Chains song Down In A Hole and entered the entire drum track in the piano roll. That takes forever! Since I've vowed to have a drummer to record, haha. So I understand the rant!

 

Has anybody tried FXpansion - Geist ?

 

i dont understand this, someone explain it to me ?

 

Last edited by a moderator: Sep 21, 2017

i always wanted to record midi with my sticks, this one drawed my attention:
Keith McMillen Boppad

 

Last edited by a moderator: Sep 21, 2017

Staff paper and a pencil. Like a boss!

 

Don't know if I got your problem right.

On the hardware side I would suggest any controller (keyboard/drum machine) with pads. Also there seems to be the possibility to play on the computer keyboard with ableton.

On the software side you will need an editor to, well, edit the notes - hence the name. Further more you can drag and drop midi files from a lot of software drum machines or get them for free in the internet.

Maybe loop recording mode could also be helpful.