Drum Machine/Software - from scratch

[frozenright]

I use the SR-16 to it's potential. I NEED todays state of the art drum machine/software for easier creation of my drum tracks. I do not use pre-established beats. Please help. My big concern (ex.) is being able to tap out a Bass drum/Snare drum over two measures and not have to fit it inside a predetermined frame of time that can later be quantized where desired. Beats created in free space then framed and quantized after the fact where desired! Thanks for a reply.

[jdaug]

having used both stand alone drum machines and software based, i would recommend software. its more flexible and easier to see your drums in the context of the whole song. BFD and DFHS and EZdrummer are some popular drum sampler instruments. you can tap in the backbone of your beat with either quantize on or off. if its on the notes will snap to your grid based on what tempo you have set for the song and the level of quantize. if quantize is off the notes end up exactly where you hit them. you can quantize after programming as well, and select only the notes you want to quantize. if you change the tempo on the song, your drum track will increase or decrease tempo accordingly. meaning, a quarter note will still be a quarter note, just in a faster tempo.

is that what you are asking??

[crimson_713]

I agree. Software based drum machines are much more flexible. I have drumkit from hell, and it's never once let me down.

The majority of the tracks I create (and I play technical death metal, so they're pretty complex) are created in a seperate, MIDI editing program, then imported into whatever drum machine I'm using at the time. I find that it makes editing the track much easier, and will allow whatever tempo flexibility you need for your work. The only downside is that you have to make sure that everything, and I mean everything is where you want it, because all the editing has to be done as a MIDI. Some drum machines/software programs with VST plugins allow MIDI editing, but it's usually a pain...

[fortyseven]

EZDrummer (with the drumkit from hell expansion pack)
Superior Drummer
BFD
JamStix
Addictive Drums
Steven Slate Drums

[boabstewart]

My choice would be Addictive Drums