Session drummer skipping notes

Go to Global Options/Midi and increase your playback buffers to something like 1500 and see if that makes a difference.

I got your pm and wrote you a whole page rersponce and you had your pm's in the forum turned off and it got deleted
turn them on and let me know when they are turned on so i dont waste 15 minutes responding to your question.

I just wanted to add, its not the equipment that makes a good mix. I have allot because ive been doing this for over 20 years.

I really want to learn and I am taking the steps to slow down and build it piece by piece over time rather than thinking I can jump in for low $$$ and try for impossible results.

Like i said, you dont need a bunch of equipment to get good results. All you need is soanr, a sound card and some decent studio monitors. with those 3 things you can make a mix that is ready for CD, radio or movies. Its not your equipment that makes a good song sound good. Its the person recording it, mixing it and mastering it. Sonar has all the tools for that. You just need to learn how to record, mix and master. No money can buy that and no equipment can do that for you.
I suggest reading a few books on Recording/mixing and mastering. Bob Katz has a great book. Its called mix it like a record.
Bill Gibson has a book called mixing and mastering and thats a great book. Its an art and needs to be acquired/learned over time
These books will enlighten you because there are things that you dont know and you dont even know that you dont know them.
 
The only way to learn is to understand what it takes and you cant understand what it takes if you dont know what it takes. Does that makes sense to you??  Learning the subject by reading and taking those things learned into practice is the only way. No equipment can do that.
Cj

In addition to the ones CJ has listed, this is a damn fine book, for novices & experts alike:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/M...=1265664828&sr=8-1

CJaysMusic

I am going to get the books you referenced. I am also a very hands on visual type learner so I might see if there are some videos out there as well that I can watch. And if it is true, that it is an art, you are a master man. You should make and sell instructional videos on how to record like that. I listened to maybe 5 of the songs you recorded, and they sound amazing.

LOL, We might need to schedule an intervention also. That's some powerful stuff your on...
Cj
 
Hey, I'd buy it if you made one. I am looking to buy instructional video online now. And I am likely going to buy it having not heard a final product from whomever the seller is.

Though a lot of these books are great, I can't say I recommend them to be honest and here's why. Before I speak here, just understand I speak for myself only here and do not mean anyone that has posted, nor the authors of the books any malice.

One of the things that upsets me horribly in this field is the hype behind it. From gear to advice from professionals to authors of books who are living the dream. In my opinion, quite a bit of what you will read will NOT apply to you simply because you are NOT using the same gear. This is why I teach and create custom video lessons for people. There is nothing worse than a monotone voice or a book that takes you so off course, you feel like you're in a freakin' college class going through the motions. I dropped out of college which was a mistake, but the reason for that was because there was so much that I was forced to learn that had nothing to do with what I would use in real life, I found it a waste of my time and money.

When recording becomes more of a class room exercise that tests your mind with technical jargon more than it literally teaches you how to apply this stuff, in my opinion it is a waste of time. I didn't need to know the aesthetics of recording to get good sound and good results. What worked for Andy Johns will not work for me in my studio. We do not have the same weapons and we do not have the same situations or instrumentation, million dollar studio's....the list goes on and on.

Those that went to college know what I'm talking about here. You went to college, you paid your dues, you sat in class and learned all you could. When you went for a job to which you earned your degree in, you were usually told "forget what you learned in school, this is our system and this is how you will do things." Some people will be in good shape, others will be starting all over again depending on the job and the rules the employer lives by.

This same stuff happens in the recording field all the time. For example, I think Bob Katz book is fantastic...but it's not for everyone. It's not even for me and I like to consider myself a mastering engineer. If you do not have an attention span that is tough as nails, this book will definitely make you lose interest. It's informative, it's brilliant, I respect Bob and know the guy personally and used him on my last album. But though the book was informative and well thought out, I found it didn't really do anything for me at all. There was nothing I took from it that I wasn't already doing and the things I DID take from it weren't as successful as I would have hoped in MY situation. What works for one will not always work for another in this field, remember that. Remember that when you buy these books put out by pros that they are NOT using Alesis monitors and an M-Audio soundcard. They are not using Cake FX or Sonitus plugins (which I actually like and think are under-rated to be honest) and they have rooms, mics, and room tuning that most of us will not afford in this lifetime. 

I could give a crap who can do what on an SSL or NEVE console if I myself do not have one. I could care less how great a Drawmer compressor sounds if I don't have the 2.5k it would cost to get one. Here's another thing to consider. What some of these old pro's did back in the 70's that they still brag about and teach about, would not be the same in today's times. For today's music, some of their methods are just way too warm and boxey sounding. Today's music has a brilliance that just seems to shine a bit more when it remains a bit more digital. These out of the box processors and methods used by some of the old pro's just sound 70's and un-interesting to me. 

So think about the hype as well as your personal application before you start buying these books that teach you more about how great the sounds they achieved were using gear that you may never own in this lifetime. Think about how you may want to dive into this field with of course some basic knowledge, but then may want to learn how to apply methods and techniques using what you have right here, right now. All of the above are the reasons I took on teaching because I was just so sick of all the jargon and useless history regarding audio. People want to be able to use what they have and get the best out of what they have. The only way to do that is to see someone using what they have showing them how to use it and what to listen for. 

Yes, there is quite a lot you can learn from books that I would call "basic rules of thumb" that will be incredibly helpful. But until you see someone using what you have showing you before and after results with all the methods that go with it, you'll just be a book worm and a walking information data base that will NOT achieve the results you're looking for. This is just my opinion based on what I have lived and experienced personally. I'm not trying to sell my services or talk down to anyone. I'm just saying...watch out for the hype and the technical jargon that can easily intimidate or make a person no longer interested in this field. Best of luck. :)

Until yesterday I thought that My shure sm57 sucked and I needed an $800 mic to record my amp.

Yea. SM57 is the industry standard for micing amps. It also does a good job with vocals. Its a great mic...

I don't hope the books will make me great at engineering my sound so much as helping me to establish some terminology, an understanding of how to listen to music, and possibly avoid some pitfalls.

 
You will learn how to mix and master by reading books in that subject. Its just like school. They use books to teach you about subjects .Mixing and mastering is also a subject. But books alone wont teach you. Putting into practice what you learned and using it in different situations (songs) will help you learn.
Mastering/mixing/Recording is an art. It needs to be learned, just like Math and American Literature.
Cj

And if it is true, that it is an art, you are a master man. You should make and sell instructional videos on how to record like that. I listened to maybe 5 of the songs you recorded, and they sound amazing.

Thanx dissfigured. Im 100% positive that those videos and books are way better than anything i could ever do,. But thanx for listening to allot of my mixes..
Cj