Recording and triggering drums using real cymbals and MIDI drum pads

[Moshinmysocks]

cymbals still sound  electric :/

[oncepureband]

Hello! i got pro tools le 8, mbox pro, SSD EX, Trigger EX, and i have an acoustic set & an Alesis DM5 Pro kit. i have been recording thru my DM5 kit, but i'd like to use the SSD EX sounds. im a noob w midi, so im not sure how it works, but i heard u can sample any drum sound from CD's using Trigger or SSD EX? will i need to run a midi cable back to the mbox pro to use SSD samples?

[jimjamstudio]

@oncepureband you will need to run a midi cable from your dm5 out onto the in on your mbox pro and the samples will come out of the computer when you hit the pads on your kit. In theory you can sample a drum sound from a cd but youd need to have the desired drum playing completely on its own for the entire length of the sample which isnt very common. Hope this helps :)

Jamie

[babaroogeorge]

that sounds ace!

[manuelpedregon]

this is great man!! greeting from mexico!

[realstevo007]

Hey, right know i'm using a Ddrum hybrid kit with EZ drummer and then recording acoustic cymbals, I was just wondering how you got your cymbals sounding so good and defined? What mics/ mic placements did you use? Eq and compression?

Cheers, it sounds greaaatt!

[jimjamstudio]

@realstevo007 i used AKG C1000's for overheads, they're cheap and alright! Theres no right way really, just place them around the kit and see what sounds best. Try and keep them equidistant from the snare aswell. I just placed one to the left and to the right. EQ, i cut out alot of the bass but again theres no right way, just have a play and see what sounds best. Avoid boosting the high frequencies though! Enjoy, send me a message if you need anymore help!

Jamie

[marfguy1987]

you are using the alesis dm pro pads it looks like right?

[jimjamstudio]

@marfguy1987 dm 5 pads :)

[BandaDK]

Holy shit, that snare sounds like.... omg, it sounds good! :D

[steeltown39]

@BandaDK ...thats because its an electronic pitch.

[jimjamstudio]

@BandaDK if you like it then check out the steven slate drum sample packages :)

Jamie

[jimjamstudio]

@BandaDK If you like it then check out the Steven Slate drum sample packages :)

Jamie

[BandaDK]

@jimjamstudio

Okay :)

[cafdo]

Pardon my ignorance:

Are the overheads and the midi being recorded simultaneously? Are they sent to a mixer, separate recorders or what?

What type of interface are you using?

Thanks in advance.

[jimjamstudio]

@cafdo No worries pal! Yes they are, they are both sent to an interface which handles MIDI aswell as Audio. Think of it like a sound card with more features outside the box! I am using an M Audio Profire 2626 recording audio and MIDI signals into Pro Tools M Powered. I quantized the midi then used beat detective and a little manual work to align the over heads to match the midi, as you can hear there is a slight bleed from the pads.

Hope this helps!

Jamie

[howycwap]

tell me how you record these PLEASE

do you plug the alesis straight into your computer, then use any recording software such as audacity? or do you need a program such as toontrack

[jimjamstudio]

@howycwap Hi there, You will need an audio/midi interface. Such as the M audio fast track pro in the simplest form. This will connect to your computer via USB. Then you will need a midi cable from the out on your drum module to the in on your interface. Then mic up the cymbals using your preferred method, now you will require a digital audio workstation such as Cubase, Logic, Pro tools ect depending on your preference. Here you will record both the audio and MIDI signals, msg me for more info :)

[SoundOfAShark]

Hmm this sounds great, but i wonder when companies will replicate drum sounds so electric kits sound realistic

[wholettheledout]

i really like this, but how do the mics not pick up the drum heads, if you respond it would be very helpful, thanks:)

[jimjamstudio]

@wholettheledout Hi there, do you mean in this video or when micing an entire kit? Drumagog or SSD Trigger replaces the audio from the mic's with just samples and no bleed. If youre reffering to the overhead mics, they will. You just have to work with it. I have heard some people like to cut out everything below about 5-6khz on the overheads and rooms to get rid of drums, but I like to mix them in with the samples. This video though has no drum heads, just pads which he tapped lightly :)

Jamie

[wholettheledout]

@jimjamstudio ok so the tape cuts down on the sound a bit. thanks!

[codyoty]

you need double bass

[Mesayermusic]

jus to clarify so if i buy a midi to midi cabel ican have it record as midi data onto my pc in real time?

[xsirhc6x]

if you have midi on your comp, and the right software yes

[jimjamstudio]

@Mesayermusic Hi there, yes that is correct if you have a midi interface and sequencer :)

Jamie

[rockmati]

hey man! it sounds great

i want to know wich mixer did you use to record the overhead mics in this video?

cheers

[jimjamstudio]

hoy! All the mics went into the pre's on an M Audio Profire 2626, check it out, nice bit of kit!

[nikolasquemtri]

It seems, that MIDI-recorded drums sounds too different from cymbals. You may add some acoustic desing for that drums. I can hear a room in cymbals, but I can't do the same with MIDI-recorded drums.

In general, it's quite great. Thx. ;)

[jimjamstudio]

yeh i agree, thats one bad thing about this technique!

[AWilliams7878]

I agree. I don't like electronic drums cause they have a built in gate it seems and you can't get a roomy sound. There are roomy kits, but no real room sound. My friend is an audio engineer and in his opinion and mine, electronics are just too perfect for recording. I like my toms and snare rolling off into the cymbal overheads. This is just my opinion. But also I believe this is the best I've heard electronics with real cymbals. GOOD JOB!

[MrTwostone]

yea, but what i do is, i use real drums with ddrum triggers and blend with drumagog which gives me the best of both worlds

[AWilliams7878]

...which is how it should be done. I just don't see the point on wasting money on triggers and a brain when you can mic a kit up and make is sound beastly. If you use the proper techniques and a little experimentation you can make any drums sound good. Like I'm using the same Tama Swingstar set I had since 4th grade still to record and it sounds killer.

[MrTwostone]

usually only time I replace a drum piece or kit , is if the kit there using is complete junk and even then i try to use as much of the real kit as I can.

[jimjamstudio]

@AWilliams7878 Hi there, I agree with you, but so many variables depend on getting a good sound, Room, kit, drummer, mics, hits and consistency. Triggering can help some of these. It has also im sorry to say, become the standard in the rock/metal genre hasnt it? So to give people 'that' sound, the easiest way to give them that is to trigger with ridiculous sounding samples. Just my thoughts though, im glad youre still keeping it real!

Jamie.

[AWilliams7878]

@jimjamstudio I agree totally with the rock/metal comment. But think about it, that is the genre where so many bands are just looking to fit that sound. That's what I don't like. No new mixes ever come out these days because of ProTools, Drumagog, triggering, etc. Everyone just wants their CD to sound like someone else's.

[MarvinMoshaka]

so if I buy a drum trigger

and I connect that to an Alesis Trigger iO

then connect that to my iMac...

I can do this, right?

[jimjamstudio]

Hello!

You can if you have some drum samples or drum VST to trigger. You also have to use a couple of over head mics too!

[dann1punk]

5 stars! =) you are using a midi-midi cable? or usb-midi? is easy to configure the midi ezdrummer? thanks!

sorry for my english, i speak spanish

[jimjamstudio]

Hello!

Midi to Midi from the drum module to my PC interface. Its easy ! Just set the input of EZDrummer to your interface's MIDI in, or the default MIDI in!

[lotrcdefender]

wow that sounds tight