Making MIDI Drums Sound "Real?"

I've programmed an awful lot of drums, mainly in AD2 and what I've found is that 'humanisation' comes from poring over every drum note, manually. i.e. not using loops or pre-built MIDI clips, make your own. I don't use any auto-randomization stuff.
 
Mainly this results in you manually tuning the velocity and timing of every single drum note, but it can become quite a therapeutic experience. In most of my recordings it takes around 1 hour to program 1 minute of drums to a reasonable level of satisfaction.
 
Usually you only need a few little embellishments to make something feel human.
 
The big picture is dynamics: differing velocities and ghost notes. If the software is simulating mic bleed, use it. If the software is triggering different samples based on velocity, use it. program ghost notes at a lower velocity on a different part of the snare skin. Use tom rimshots for emphasis/effect.
 
Once you've programmed a nice dynamic drum part, don't compress all of your work out of it, turn it down, and let the master bus make it noticeable.
 
Some examples of what I've done using these findings:
 
https://www.facebook.com/jobsonandrew/videos/vb.611805940/10156639594335941
 
https://soundcloud.com/andrew-jobson/anesthetize-porcupine-tree-cover
 
 

Every note by hand. Start off with a copy/pasted pattern but revise that note by note as the track develops.
Attention to dynamics, especially those almost inaudible snare notes on shuffled rhythms.
Make sure each pattern would be playable buy a human drummer.
Things like triplets are rarely exactly on time...  a real drummer speeds them up a bit...  make sure the hi hat isn't still going during fills. Would a real drummer really get his hand from that floor tom to that cymbal in that time?
Make sure each kit piece is the sound you want. For AD2 I almost always end up with a hybrid kit.
I tend to keep things simple by having just two tracks for the drums - one for main drums and one for the hi hat and cymbals.
Jerry
 

https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/programming-realistic-drum-parts
https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/6-tips-for-programming-more-realistic-sounding-drums/
https://www.emusician.com/gear/making-drum-samples-sound-like-real-drums
http://www.craiganderton.com/tips.html (Tips 171027, 180209, 180427)
 
 

I play a lot of different instruments and have dabbled around on drums. I do not call myself a drummer. But, I had the privilege to play alongside of some really great drummers. Playing rhythm guitar made me very conscious of how and where to lock in to the groove and these are the main things I do to sound as authentic as possible when programming drums.
1. Drummers ALWAYS subconsciously hit the cymbal hand harder on the downbeat!
2. Time adjust the snare on slow songs just a tad behind the accurate down beat for a relaxed feel. Usually during verses.
3. Time adjust the snare on fast songs a tad before the accurate down beat for a more tension feel. Creates a little more excitement!!
4. Ghost notes on the snare during grooves are really important.
5. No drummer I have ever watched so closely has ever played the exact same pattern over and over on the cymbal hand!!! Always randomly change the cymbal pattern every couple of measures or so. If it's an 8th note pattern, add some sixteenth notes randomly in the measure. Overtime you will find the spots to do this. If it's sixteenth note patterns, take out some cymbal strikes here and there.
6. Even with Factory played midis, ALWAYS reduce the velocity of the entire clip another 5 to 10 per cent and edit the velocities for the accents back up 5 or 10 per cent for more pronounced dynamics.
7. Always randomize velocities for each hand and foot!!!

I teach my students this simple philosophy. Notes are the voice singing. Rests are the breath between the notes. But dynamics is the pure soul of the music.
I hope some of this helps you. I do not profess to know everything about drums but I do think these crucial things that I have covered are the meat and potatoes of programming interesting drum tracks.
Good luck!

Lots of good info here.  I also start with the loops provided in EZ2 or AD2 as they are played by actual drummers and are infinitely better than me trying to play high hats naturally on a keyboard. I'll often do fills by hand in the drum map.
 
 One thing that is especially important is to vary the tempo throughout the song to sound natural.  Create a tempo map once your song and drum parts are laid out, BEFORE you start playing guitar or keys or whatever. Let the song breath into the chorus and speed up a bit etc. 
 
Once I have that, I play all the instruments to the drums.  Last tweaks are to go in and manually adjust velocities of hits and things to make it all as natural as possible.