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An interesting tool for drums [message #103545]

Tue, 16 June 2009 09:42

Messages: 1124
Registered: July 2005

Senior Member

Right after I sold my Paris rig and built the Cubase rig I quickly discovered that it was going to take more than one computer to deliver the low latency performance that I had been used to so for my first major tracking session (full band...18 live mics) I split the tracking chores between two computers running RME interfaces in Cubase 4 synced using Steinberg Systemlink.....so predictably, by moving to a native system in order to simplify, I had quickly created another frankenstein rig. It was a nightmare trying to run a tracking session with Systemlink. Anyway, I was so unfamiliar with it and so overwhelmed trying to run this session solo that I did a less than stellar job of getting the best drum tracks. After the initial tracking session, the project languished for about a year while the band did some sorting out of it's own and then over the next 9 months or sothey came back in with OD's and finished it up.....except for the drums. As I started mixing this, I just wasn't getting what I wanted out of the kit but retracking it wasn't an option.

Around last Christmas, Toontrack came out with a new app called Drumtracker.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XA95qe7uCY4
It's a bit different from Drumagog in the way it goes about midi'ing up audio, but it is absolutely wonderful in the way it preserves the dynamics and timing (no quantizing) and for my purposes, it was preferable to the way Drumagog works with my sampler, which is BFD2. Anyway, here are links to some songs that employed Drumtracker in a reinforcement role. The band was very happy with this, which is the bottom line for me.

http://www.mediafire.com/file/kyzj2abmmnm/07 Billy.mp3
http://www.mediafire.com/file/jzmrt4mz2yw/01 We'll Get By.mp3
http://www.mediafire.com/file/jy1ydndide0/02 We Could Be Happy.mp3
http://www.mediafire.com/file/dnzzzt4yow0/10 Get A Job.mp3
http://www.mediafire.com/file/jdyzeammqjj/11 Cops On Bikes.mp3

[Updated on: Tue, 16 June 2009 09:53]

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Re: An interesting tool for drums [message #103547 is a reply to message #103545]

Tue, 16 June 2009 10:54

kerryg

Messages: 1529
Registered: February 2009

Senior Member
Administrator

Yeah, Drumtracker looks awesome. I'll be definitely checking it out.

Drumagog seldom really seemed to suit my needs - likely to do with the styles of music I've tried it on. I've had a few occasions where we wound up keeping it, but most of the time it got turned off.

I've speculated that it might be to do with the way we unconsciously judge a drum performance - that we judge a great performance by its mutually-reinforcing elements of confidence of groove, confidence in note choice, and confidence of tone production. Increasing one without increasing the other - combining the tone of a guy who practices four hours a day with the timing and or part choice of a guy who only plays every third weekend (I know, but so often "the gig's the gig") - gives me a subtly uncomfortable "that ain't right" feeling. The sound improved, but with the sonic improvement came an increasing feeling that something didn't feel right. To me it was like increasing the height of one of the legs of a three-legged stool - the stool didn't get higher, it just started to fall over.

[By the way, if you want a forum avatar - I put some custom ones at the bottom of the avatar list you might want to check out Very Happy