Drum Programming Q&A

WILL DRUM PROGRAMMING REPLACE MY DRUMMER?

Not necessarily. Drum programming is incredibly useful for the song writing process, arranging, learning parts, and even the full production. It’s also cheaper. Most times drummers choose to program from recording of themselves so the same beats and grooves can be created without having to record real drums.

DON’T PROGRAMMED DRUMS SOUND FAKE AND BLAND?

It depends on the style of music, you can make programmed drums sound hyper realistic or super compressed for different genres. Metal drums require more solid hits and a lot of intensity, while a country song requires a more natural and human feel. Both can be achieved, no problem.

WHY DO I NEED YOU TO PROGRAM MY DRUMS, I MEAN; CAN’T I DO IT MYSELF?

You absolutely can! However, I am a drummer myself and very often I hear unrealistic drum parts, horrible dynamics, and a machine gun of a snare. Drummers only have two hands and two feet. We also don’t play the same exact hit, each and every time. It’s gotta be real.

WILL I NEED TO EDIT THE PROGRAMMED DRUMS?

Yes and no. Depending on the music, you may want to have a more realistic and natural feel with some ‘drummer mistakes’ and some ‘human element’. Being a drummer, I’m able to program these into the performance and deliver a rugged feel or a super tight ‘on the grid’ performance. It’s up to you…

WILL I BE ABLE TO CHANGE THE NOTES YOU’VE PROGRAMMED?

Yes! Once you receive the MIDI file with my drum map, you have full control over where the notes are and how they sound. You can change sounds and rearrange the notes with the drum map to any virtual drum kit you like.

I HAVE A SONG I WANT PROGRAMMED DRUMS FOR, BUT I DON’T KNOW WHERE TO START. WHAT DO I DO?

Start with figuring out the tempo of the song and record guitars or bass along with the metronome. Make sure your parts are as tight as they can be. I’ll use this, along with your tempo map; to create the programmed drum performance.

WHAT IF I WANT A SPECIFIC DRUM SETUP TO MATCH MINE?

I can add more crashes, effect cymbals, and toms at your request. With my included MIDI performance and drum map, you’ll be able to move your notes to match your desired drum setup so you can be sure it’ll be exactly what you intended to play.

I’M NOT A DRUMMER, AND I DON’T HAVE ANY DRUM SOFTWARE TO USE. CAN I REQUEST THE TRACKS YOU’RE USING?

Absolutely! If you don’t have any virtual drum software, you can request to have RAW tracks of each individual drum so you can mix them to your liking. Make note that you won’t be able to move around notes or change the sound of the drums once you receive them. You can choose between the RAW sounds or the MIDI file.

I WANT TO REQUEST PROGRAMMED DRUMS, BUT I ONLY HAVE A RECORDING OF ALL OF US PLAYING TOGETHER.

I can program drums to that recording. Although more difficult, it can be done. This will allow you to have a solid structure to which you can then track guitars elsewhere. This option would require more time, and more communication between us.

I DON’T HAVE A COMPUTER, CAN I STILL REQUEST PROGRAMMED DRUMS?

Yes. You can request both the MIDI and RAW files at an extra cost so you can take these to your studio and have more flexibility. The engineer will love you, trust me. Contact me for more info on this.

WHAT IF I’M NOT HAPPY WITH THE PROGRAMMED DRUMS?

You can request 3 revisions from the time you receive your files. Listen to your song and make a detailed list of the corrections you’d like made. Each list is counted as a revision. Any extra revisions will be charged an extra fee.

WHAT IS DRUM PROGRAMMING AND WHY DO I NEED IT?

Please CLICK HERE and this will take you to my blog post with more information on drum programming, it’s uses, and how I create these realistic drum performances.

WHAT IS A DRUM MAP?

A drum map is an attached text file sent to show you where the notes line up in correspondence to each drum and cymbal. This is crucial in being able to manipulate the performance.

WHAT DO I REQUIRE TO START WORKING ON YOUR SONG?

• Rough Mix With All Instruments: This can be a demo recorded through a microphone of a band playing live, guitars recorded to a metronome, or even pre production tracks from MIDI instruments.

• Drumless Track: This is the song without any drums on it. This will allow me to create my drum track on a clean slate. If you have your own ideas programmed please attach those too.

• Tempo: Send over a tempo map, or a detailed description of any tempo changes and signatures.

• Notes: Please send any notes of ideas you’d like in the song. i.e. Do you want the song to start at 1:24 or do you want a quiet ending? Songs without notes will be programmed as my ears hear it and any changes will count as a revision.

When you’re ready to take your production to the next level, contact me and let’s start working.