Best drum machine?

Discuss music production with Ableton Live.
SynthGardel
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Best drum machine?

Post by SynthGardel » Tue Jun 23, 2015 11:58 am

Any advice on the better drum machines out there to engineer sound?

Richie Witch
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Re: Best drum machine?

Post by Richie Witch » Tue Jun 23, 2015 3:01 pm

What type of music? Hardware or virtual?
"Watching the Sky" ~ A 4-track EP of piano, strings, and Native American flute

jlgrimes
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Re: Best drum machine?

Post by jlgrimes » Tue Jun 23, 2015 3:35 pm

SynthGardel wrote:Any advice on the better drum machines out there to engineer sound?

There are so many type of drum machines is depends on what you want:

Most drum machines fall into a few categories:

1. Sample playback (Roland R8 style)
2. Old Analog style machines (Roland Tr 808)
3. Hybrid machines (Roland Tr 909)
4. Samplers (EMU SP 1200)
5. Midi Production Centers with emphasis in internal/external sequencing and sampling (Akai MPC)
6. Workstations, similar to number 5 but with built-in sounds and drum synthesizers (Esoniq ASR X)
7. Modern Computer Hybrids that require a computer but has a hardware controller to give you the drum machine style workflow (Maschine)


Drum machines nowadays IMO aren't as important as they used to be because now most DAWs (such as Live) have alot of functionality derived from drum machines. Even some Keyboards like the Roland Fantom works this way as well.

The main thing a drum machine will give you is a different workflow that sometimes can inspire creativity, usually because of great pads or a simple interface. Most of the sounds now can be sampled into just about any type of system. Some old school machines had a sound to them but you could easily just sample the sounds and have some of that feel in a Modern Device or use plug-ins or other type of processing to color sounds. It might take some more time and guesswork to work this way I guess though.


Some of Live's workflow though seems to be inspired from Old school drum machines like the MPC with its Session View. Live's workflow though is more detailed though and might have a higher learning curve though but it does share some similar concepts with like Session View Scenes (MPC patterns), Arrange View (Song mode), Drum Racks/Simplers (Sampling functionality of MPC).

timday
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Re: Best drum machine?

Post by timday » Tue Jun 23, 2015 3:44 pm

I'm looking lustfully at the Elektron RYTM (combines analogue synthesis and samples in kits, I think it can put all it's audio in via USB saving all sorts of multiple connections) but to be honest apart from the joy of hardware I'm not sure I can justify the price as I can do pretty much all that in a drum rack.

I have to say as far as software drum machines go I find drum racks hard to beat.

EasyWorkflow
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Re: Best drum machine?

Post by EasyWorkflow » Tue Jun 23, 2015 8:48 pm

I LOVE drum machines. Been using them since they first came out to I think I can speak with a little authority on this question because I have been playing guitar almost 4 decades. I am so into gear and recording that I had the very first multitrack recorder ever made which was a two a two track cassette deck made by Teac.

I just started private online lessons with an amazing Ableton tutor, and ironically, my first lesson play programming MIDI drum lines using pencil & mouse. I also finger drummed a bunch of tracks using Push. I also learned what Impulse was and how to use it to create drums tracks. Yes...you can find all this for free, but I need structure and homework. I have to write 20 tracks by next Thursday and add an analog or MIDI guitar to each track so I will have 20 .2 track projects.

Back to you question. Software wise, I own EZdrummer2 which is so so easy to use if you just want to throw down some quick ideas and need some drums in background. You can even pick from different intros, choruses, verses, syles etc and it's all drag and drop. Cost $149. Or, if you want the very best drum sofware on this planet, and this is coming from someone who has been at this DAW & MIDI game for just a few months, than Stylus RMX by spectrasonics is the motha of all drum machines. Cost $399. You get what you pay for. Buy it and you can thank me later if you ever have the time to stop playing.

https://www.spectrasonics.net/products/stylusrmx.php If you decide to buy it, there is a small boutique software company called www/Ilio.com. My sales guy is Austin. Tell him Bob from Ableton website sent you. Please IM me if you get it. And watch the videos on their site. There are like 20 videos.

Best of luck.

tylenol
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Re: Best drum machine?

Post by tylenol » Wed Jun 24, 2015 1:54 pm

Not sure if this is exactly what you are looking for but I do love my elektron analog rytm, even though I still am learning it; I doubt anything in software is remotely like this. They are working on some deep plugin integration (overbridge), it's not out yet though for the rytm.

SynthGardel
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Re: Best drum machine?

Post by SynthGardel » Thu Jun 25, 2015 1:13 am

Cheers guys, I think I might check out Stylus in the near future. I'll mention Bob if I do.

@tylenol Elektron is what I had in mind, hardware wise, now to see if they sell it near....

@Easyworkflow I own Steven Slate but don't enjoy it as much as I do Studio Drummer and just going through sounds in Kontakt. EZdrummer a better option than those mentioned?

@jlgrimes Very informative, and cool last name (I think)....

@RichieWitch I was looking for more on the virtual side.

borg
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Re: Best drum machine?

Post by borg » Thu Jun 25, 2015 10:14 am

SynthGardel wrote:I was looking for more on the virtual side.
D16 classic boxes (the 'best' 606, 808, 909)
Guru
Microtonic
Battery, Polyplex, ... (NI)
Skinnerbox (M4L, so you can grab it for free)
...
I personally don't have NI Komplete (too much other software and hardware already), but should I just start out, I'd probably start with that. Just too many stuff in that package to ignore it. As an aside, the Soundtoys bundle is on sale right now, and I'm very tempted as decapitator, echoboy and the filter sounded very nice the time I had my hands on it some time ago.

Still, the DSI Tempest or an Elektron device... mmm
Mind you, I have the MachineDrum, and it's quite underused, a love-hate thing, and with overbridge (software turning that hardware into a VST/editor) missing, I'd rather go with analog Rytm.
andy
2015 MBP, OSX 10.12, Live 10.1 64bit, RME Fireface 800

Idonotlikebroccoli
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Re: Best drum machine?

Post by Idonotlikebroccoli » Thu Jun 25, 2015 1:09 pm

These are my go-to drum samples: http://www.hexawe.net/mess/200.Drum.Machines/

beats me
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Re: Best drum machine?

Post by beats me » Thu Jun 25, 2015 1:36 pm

Just to throw more confusion in the pile, on acoustic drums I was recently flipping through the Abbey Road kits in Komplete 10 Ultimate grouped by decade. They are actually quite good. I don’t know at which version of Komplete they got tossed in or if you need Ultimate, but I think they often get ignored because the vast majority of people aren’t buying into Komplete for the Abbey Road kits. Check them out if you have them.

For acoustic drums my main go to was Addictive Drums and their many expansion packs.

http://www.xlnaudio.com/addictivedrums

Then I switched to Logic’s Drummer for similar needs in both kits and AI drummers as opposed to the MIDI patterns programmed by actual drummers for Addictive Drums.

Now I’m mostly Maschine Studio coupled with NI’s many expansion packs. They just aren’t into acoustic drum genres for some reason and over the last year think everybody is just producing Hip Hop.

UncleAge
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Re: Best drum machine?

Post by UncleAge » Thu Jun 25, 2015 3:44 pm

I own a bunch of vst drum machines. I used to own a bunch of hardware ones as well. I have tried almost all of them and there are a lot of good ones. Nowadays I find that I use only 3.

Microtonic
Geist
Addictive Drums

v00d00ppl
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Re: Best drum machine?

Post by v00d00ppl » Thu Jun 25, 2015 7:18 pm

+1 for the RYTM.

Elektron did their homework with this machine. It's like a 16 bit version of the Sequential Studio 440. Not only do you get control of different drum oscillators you also can turn off all the oscillators and just use it as a sample player with analog VCAs, analog filter with overdrive section. It has its shortcomings here and there but I use it a lot.
SSL X Desk / Apollo Twin Solo / Sherman Restyler / Ensoniq EPS Classic / Analog Keys / Handsome Audio Zulu

crystalmsc
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Re: Best drum machine?

Post by crystalmsc » Fri Jun 26, 2015 4:22 am

For me Live + Push is the best drum machine.
Kaossilatron - Voicillator
Station: Ableton Live 10 Suite, Obscurium, Push 2, Ultranova, MS-20m, Wavedrums

EasyWorkflow
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Re: Best drum machine?

Post by EasyWorkflow » Fri Jun 26, 2015 8:00 pm

UncleAge wrote:I own a bunch of vst drum machines. I used to own a bunch of hardware ones as well. I have tried almost all of them and there are a lot of good ones. Nowadays I find that I use only 3.

Microtonic
Geist
Addictive Drums


What controller do you use to trigger the plugins? I never heard of them and will need to check them out. I also forget that not everyone needs a controller and can use the mouse and pen to draw in notes. Ironically, my very first private lesson with my online tutor last week he had me writing in MIDI drum notes/patterns and some of those tracks turned out fat.

UncleAge
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Re: Best drum machine?

Post by UncleAge » Fri Jun 26, 2015 8:35 pm

EasyWorkflow wrote:
UncleAge wrote:I own a bunch of vst drum machines. I used to own a bunch of hardware ones as well. I have tried almost all of them and there are a lot of good ones. Nowadays I find that I use only 3.

Microtonic
Geist
Addictive Drums


What controller do you use to trigger the plugins? I never heard of them and will need to check them out. I also forget that not everyone needs a controller and can use the mouse and pen to draw in notes. Ironically, my very first private lesson with my online tutor last week he had me writing in MIDI drum notes/patterns and some of those tracks turned out fat.
I have had several over the years. I think I still have an mpd 18 sitting around here somewhere. The trigger finger went bye bye a couple years ago. I generally use the built in sequencers or the piano roll to modify midi clips that drive the sound engines. However, most days if I need to bang on something to get groove going I just use my Akai LPD8 or my midi keyboard.

All three of the plugins provide a lot of options. If you haven't heard of them google:
Sonic Charge Microtonic
Fxpansion Geist
XLN Addictive Drums

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