What are you using for drums?

Just got Sonar 8PE and am confused with all the drum options- Session Drummer, Drum Maps, Beatscape, etc.  Curious about what everyone is using and why.

Thanks,
John D

jdown


Just got Sonar 8PE and am confused with all the drum options- Session Drummer, Drum Maps, Beatscape, etc.  Curious about what everyone is using and why.

Thanks,
John D

First off. I use EZ Drummer and Kitcore, Why beacuse they deliver the sounds I want, at a price I can afford and are easy to use. I have discussed Kitcore in length recently on another thread so I won't repeat hear. Others will tell you these applications are too limited.
 
However I think your question relates just to the applications in the Sonar Bundle? Of those I would use Session Drummer because I like flexability of working with MIDI and want to emulate a real drummer without the restriction of Audio loops.
 
I don't know much about Beatscape, I keep thinking I should try to learn how to use it some time, but I am not much of a audio loop guy. There are some tips on Beatscape here
http://emusician.com/tutorials/master-class-cakewalk-beatscape/
 
 
 
 
 

jdown


Tried Session Drummer a little and it's pretty cool.  So is EZ Drummer a lot better?  I'm a little short on funds right now.

I would say so, particularly when you add some expansion packs. But if you are enjoying using Session Drummer and the sound fits your music I would wait until you have outgrown it before spending money you can ill afford. There will always be somthing better than what you have.
 
related discussions her.
http://forum.cakewalk.com/tm.aspx?m=1796856
http://forum.cakewalk.com/tm.aspx?m=1792713
 
 

No, I don't mind creating my own beats.  I also prefer acoustic sounds but haven't really played around with electric at all. 

Guess I should play around with SD a little and then I'll have a better idea about it's limits.  I've worked through the drum map tutorial and guess I could use it to create my own patterns by modifying the ones in the pattern brush and then try those patterns on different kits.

 

I use EZ Drummer, and I do prefer it over Session Drummer, mainly because the drums just sound a lot more realistic to me.  To be honest, I really don't spend tremendous amounts of time tweaking the sound with different EQs or anything, but the great thing about EZ Drummer is that, for the most part, it sounds fine "as is."  Plus, it comes with an absurdly large number of loops, so if I feel lazy and don't feel like writing my own, I know I'll be able to find something useable.  That was a big problem with SD2 for me-- not enough loops included. 

If you want to try using audio loops for your drums, I would suggest checking out Drums On Demand (drumsondemand.com)  I've used them for a few years.  They sound good, and best of all, they're intelligently organized, so it's easy to find the parts you need.  Of course, the bad part about using audio loops like Drums On Demand is that you really don't get much control over the individual parts.  Still, though, it's great when you just want to quickly lay down a realistic drum track.  

These days, I use a combination of EZ Drummer and Drums On Demand's "Essential Percussion."  EZ Drummer handles the conventional drums (kicks, snares, toms, cymbals, etc.) while "Essential Percussion" is great for adding realistic shakers, tamborines, etc.