ORIGINAL: bitflipper

Drum replacement is so commonplace nowadays you could make the case that samples are what the audience expects to hear.

It's no different than all those teenyboppers who believe that every 17-year-old perky singer on the Disney Channel has perfect pitch. Instantaneous pitch shifting? Oh, yeh, all the really talented singers can do that. And they're all double-tracked, even when performing live!

ORIGINAL: jacktheexcynic

i think the expanded recording process makes up for the challenges of 20th century instruments (and stereo reproduction). unfortunately, sometimes that process goes way too far. sometimes the process becomes the focal point instead of the music.

ORIGINAL: Jonbouy

Hookworm

You could achieve a great deal using that method.

Not only that necessity being the mother of invention and all, you'd most likely surprise yourself at your ability after a few months.

Drummers sound great when they are having fun which is should be the prompt for someone to bring the mics round to try to capture that.

ORIGINAL: Hookworm

Do any non-drummers have any experience with getting decent sounds from recording live drumlines on single drums? (i.e. as a guitarist I can't play an entire kit but I could rock a single hi hat or ride and use some creative looping to get the lines I need for each song).

My sister is still convinced Ringo Starr is the best drummer ever because he was so cute in the Beatles.

ORIGINAL: UbiquitousBubba

I'm enjoying this thread. There have been some good observations and suggestions offered.

I'm a drummer who has played both acoustic and electronic drums. I started playing electronic drums about 15 years ago. (Yes, I'm old.) In my opinion, they should be approached as a similar but different instrument.

Electronic drums fit more naturally in some genres than in others. If I were recording a Chicago blues project, I would want a live-sounding acoustic kit with plenty of warmth and ambiance. I'd want to hear the buzz of the snare, the resonance of the toms, and the ringing of the cymbals. On a pop or hard rock project, I would lean towards the electronic kit. Ultimately, the drum sound that sounds best is the one that sits in the mix, delivers the desired feel, and helps to "make" the song.

In my most humble opinion, the real reason why electronic drums sound "different" is not because of the sounds but because of the drum part itself. Those of us who remember the stories can recite the legends of how some of Bonham's best drum sounds were produced with less than ideal mic techniques. What made the drums sound so incredible was not the sound of the recording but the performance of the artist. Then unfortunate tendancy for many of us is to utlize our Awesome Powers of Engineering to "correct" the midi track for perfect timing. The original human timing is one of the things that makes the acoustic drums sound more natural than their electronic counterpart. Obviously, this is not the only difference, but it is often overlooked when comparing the two.

There's my $0.02. I'll go back to lurking now.