Dealing with Virtual instruments & virtual drum machines.
Through the years as I have transitioned from producer musician/bassist/guitarist/drummer/keyboard player, into musical technician. The big challenge for working in my scaled down home studio environment has always been in learning to use the technology without losing the creative spontaneity of the musical art. I'm not hating on Virtual instruments software programmers as I understand that creating music production software is an art within it self. I believe the true technical art is in making the technology fit the user's needs.
However, there are a few Music & virtual drum sequencer software programs out there that really miss the mark when it comes to
understanding the art of producing great music.
I mean lets be real here. Most of the serious music heads I know mostly just want to play and create fresh beats and not spend a few days or weeks learning how to get the software to do that one simple task that the technical sells guy made seem so easy to do... "I am a musical genius not a technical genius. If it takes longer than 15 or 20 minutes to understand how to use it, for get it."
So if I get a song idea floating around in my head, I need to get it down right then before it floats away. That can get frustrating when you have to stop, maybe open up the program, and then open a new project. Figure out what folder the project should be saved in. Next you have to add a new audio midi or instrument track. Then pick a input channel. Then choose an instrument or sound. If it's an audio track, set the levels. Then set up a metronome click tempo...
OK!
Now we can record that idea we have or should I say the Idea that we had before we did all of that.
"The software should adapt to the users needs not the other way around". Like a bridge over troubled waters. Not like water over the bridge
I am happy to see that our digital world is becoming ever more adapted to normal human behavior. To this reality, new comers and "old-schoolers" can simultaneously be more productive and spontaneously create new material. The other day, a young newbie rapper introduced me to some really good quality, easy to use beat production software that does all most everything that the MPC does for way less money. In fact, I think it's even easier to work with. I mean my dude opened the program, picked some drum sounds, setup a 16 bar loop, set the tempo and started recording some dope beats on his laptop in like 30 seconds. The amazing thing is that this young cat just started doing music beats for the first time like two weeks ago? I know that this sounds like total BS. But no joke.
I have never heard any one get that good this quick.
I have been in this game even before The Linn Drum & 808's where invented.
(Side Bar)
Hey anyone reading this old enough to remember when Korg introduced The Dss1 Sampler? Remember waiting a minute for a floppy disk to load the sampled sounds? I think I may have made it to about page 31 of that 300+page tech manual. It was a great unit for those who wanted to take all year to learn all of it's great feature. (As I said before, I'm a musical genius not a tech geek) LOL. Anyway back to the subject of Virtual drum machines.
I've recorded thousands of hours, using a lot of different audio/video analogue/digital pro-studio gear. Brand Names like > Soundcraft, Makie, Switchcraft, Art, Presonus, DOD, Dolby, Motu Akia, MU80, TD8', Adat's, AD converts,Vocalist, Sennhiezer, Shure, MDR7500, digital interface, sawpro32, motif, triton, Cubase, Fruity Loops, Powertracks, Protools and others that can't remember right now.
But baby boy shows up with his laptop and out puts a excellent 16bit Stereo 44.1KHz sample quality file that is really just as good as I would produce using similar output quality pro studio gear.
I've further researched that software and company.
If I had to be the judge I think the software is really a good production tool.
Everything about it is streamline.
Quick setup.
Fast editing.
Simple production.
Studio quality output.
The bad part is that users with slower PC's may have latency issues while recording. However any off beats or mistake are quick and easy to fix with a mouse click and drag. There is also a quick start guide and complete video tutorials that has even beginners making hit tracks right out of the gate. One big Thing that is included with the software that I have never seen before. The Company actually will help new up coming artist to sell beats show cased on there site. OK. I figured that this program was going to cost big bucks right? No. It cost very little.
Bottom line:
I think this is a good way to go for anyone who is looking for a low cost way to produce broadcast quality Hip-hop, Rap beats right away. Or really this one is good for producing any style of music that has a repetitive beat. Here is a link. Virtual drum machine. There is a demo video and more info about the software there.
