How do you REALLY get things done with EZ Drummer

Yeah, there's a lot to chose from. Stay focused.

I use it with a combination of Slicy Drummer(because I'm very familiar with it and it's fast to get started), or my Roland Octapad and sometimes my keys. Although the included loops are very good they sound like somebody elses ideas whereas Slicy Drummer is more non descript and I can shape or add to it to make it more original. Of course with the Octapad it's original from the start.

Hi there Mark

Once you get your workflow sorted, you'll be writing your drum tracks in no time at all.

I start with a loop or a couple of loops that's close to what I want to use for most of the song - if they need customising I'll do that in the PRV.

Next trick is to convert the loop/s into groove clips and drag them out into the sections of the song they're going to be used in (BTW - When I've done this - I'll record the audio parts)

Next job is to add your fills - just split off and delete the parts where you want your fills to go and then either drag in ready-made ones or (as I do) create your own in the PRV.

Now I'll go through and add cymbal crashes if I want them - take care to remove any other drum strikes that occur at these insertions or it can sound like your drummer has got three hands!

Steve

ORIGINAL: SteveStrummerUK



take care to remove any other drum strikes that occur at these insertions or it can sound like your drummer has got three hands!

What if your drummer actually has 3 hands?

ORIGINAL: guitz

Yea , it's sounds great and has alot of cool sample loops...but to me the PROCESS of 'auditioning' and selecting just the correct 1 bar piece to go here or there is STILL extremely tedious, not to mention trying to figure out what fill out of the dozens and dozens of possibilities fits....so what is your solution to this extreme tediousness, or is it just me? :)

I almost always rough it out first... just dragging midi with little effort into selecting the best, the ngo back and replace as necessary (or get a real drummer to play). How tedious it is from there is up to you. IF you know there's only one possible fill that would work, you may spend a lot of time looking... if you are the kind of person to listen to a fill, then say "That works", then you can get it done pretty quickly. The good thing about EZD is that you have the option... you don't have to explore every option available.

ORIGINAL: mlockett

if you are the kind of person to listen to a fill, then say "That works", then you can get it done pretty quickly.

That's me......I wasted countless hours and days trying to program my own drum tracks hit by hit, midi note by midi note, beat by beat, bar by bar.....and I thought I had it easy because I was recording the midi "live" by using my piano as the controller and "playing the drums" on the piano keyboard with my fingers. But I cannot remember one single drum track I made that way that I was happy with. I'm a guitar player......

EZDrummer was manna from heaven for me. I can play the patterns in tempo with the recorded tracks (recorded to a click or a hi hat or something) by just clicking on them in the EZD screen while Sonar is playing the song. I find as few or as many as I think work, and then drag and drop them in roughly the correct order. Fills are easy. One reason it's so easy is because all I look for is "will it work or not?" I never have a specific drum beat or pattern in my head when I start. It's almost like I let EZD audition itself, as if the drummer is saying "howzabout this? or this one?"

I cant imagine any other "drummer" being near as easy......


This is the very first serious tune I did after I got EZD about 9 months ago. Nothing dazzling, and it is 7 minutes long, the drums dont really come in for real until after a couple minutes go by and drop out the last couple minutes. So be prepared to skip around, or sit and wait for it if you dont have anything better to do. But the point is that it was pretty darn easy, and the song has a couple places where it stops and starts and the drums had to fit. A little bit of creative use of fills got it done. I was surprised at how quickly I had a drum track that works for the song. I think it took a total of about 3-4 hours tops to get the entire track.

I did not edit any of the patterns manually at all, this is all stock EZD loops. The only things I did were shorten a few patterns to match timing cues and stops, etc., and I added a few manual cymbal crashes on a second midi track.

Eleventh House (160kb MP3)

Singer (DJ) is from Australia. Real bass, guitars, Sonik Synth keys, Sonar plugs, and EZD Vintage Rock kit. (and no I dont have any affilatiion with Toontrack, I just buy their kits!)

if you are the kind of person to listen to a fill, then say "That works", then you can get it done pretty quickly.

Or if your like me and just use EZdrummer as a sound source for my V-drums you can get what ever you want by just playing it in real time very very quickly. I really don't get this post. Ezdrummer is one of the easiest drum programs on the market. Making music is work. I'm wondering what the original poster wants. Maybe a program that can read the rhythms of his song and maybe his mind also and then just play it??? Its really wired, or he just doesn't know how to use it and use sonar and he's just assuming.

ORIGINAL: SteveStrummerUK


Hi there Mark

Once you get your workflow sorted, you'll be writing your drum tracks in no time at all.

I start with a loop or a couple of loops that's close to what I want to use for most of the song - if they need customising I'll do that in the PRV.

Next trick is to convert the loop/s into groove clips and drag them out into the sections of the song they're going to be used in (BTW - When I've done this - I'll record the audio parts)

Next job is to add your fills - just split off and delete the parts where you want your fills to go and then either drag in ready-made ones or (as I do) create your own in the PRV.

Now I'll go through and add cymbal crashes if I want them - take care to remove any other drum strikes that occur at these insertions or it can sound like your drummer has got three hands!

Steve

Exactly.

regards, lightninrick