The Power of Kick Snare

[David Oberlin]

One of my favorite ways of approaching more straight forward “bang your head” or rock tracks is by writing out a simple and consistent kick/snare beat with a little high hat. Think ACDC “Back in Black”, Motley Crue “Sumthin for Nuthin” or even Joan Jett “Hate Myself For Loving You”.
I find that if the guitar riff grooves well on this, I’m off to a great start creating a track that’s gonna make the listener or myself bob their head.
For those of you programming your drums and writing/recording this way, what’s your approach to starting a track? Do you write your midi, or play it on a midi controller?

 

[Dan Shipway]

Christopher Schneider made a career out of it.

 

[Filip Tomiša]

I usually play them on a midi controller and when I find a groove i like I write it because I’m not on time so it’s easier for me to write them. I know that you can quantize it but I usually do that for melodies because I tend to start a song with a melody first and then drums, so I record the melody and then quantize it and then I just play the drums on my midi controller and then I write them in my daw.

 

[Syn Gates]

I do a little of both. I have an extended Roland electronic kit that’s fun to play on through Superior Drummer. If the groove is too complex, I write in the midi. For all of the Etudes, I did a combo of playing and writing midi. Sorry, they are not acoustic drums lol. Also, sorry, it’s not Brooks Wackerman either. He charges way too much, such a diva

 

[Dan Shipway]

He could throw in stick tricks but it would cost you extra

 

[David Oberlin]

I think the hardest for me is writing complex drum fills. I’ll usually drop in some pre made midi, like what you will find in the Superior Drummer refill Drums From Hell, and then modify it a bit. It’s especially nice to be able to knock something out a bit faster for pre production/demo purposes rather than slave away at midi programming for parts that can or should be re recorded by live drums, or a drummer on a vkit!

 

[Ed Seith]

My earliest demos (late 80s, early 90s) were programmed on a Roland TR-707. That shit was a pain in the ass. Now I use EZDrummer, the easier, cheaper version of Superior Drummer. I need to get some demos going again soon. I haven’t written and recorded anything to completion in years… This is motivation.