I'm a guitarist, I have Toontrack's drum software as well as the drum software that comes Sonar X3.  My question really is not about the drums, but rather, do you ever create a drum track from which ever synth you use, and then create a song over that? And if so, do you have a formula you have a basic formula from which you start?
 
As in,
 
you have an intro that lasts so many measures
you have a verse that lasts so many measures
A pre chorus that lasts so many measures
A chorus .....
on and on.
 
I'm looking to to create some drum tracks and start from scratch creating some 80's style rock tunes and would like to know if there is a basic formula to follow and if so, what would it be.  Mind you, i'm not trying to create radio worthy music, rather, this would all be an exercise in creativity for me.  Creating a drum track, bass track, guitar track(s)... 
 
Any ideas / suggestions would be very welcome. 
Thanks!

Everyone seems to approach this differently.  I tried examining the drums on some tunes that were similar to what I was looking for with Notepad open.  As I was listening I would use something like commas and periods (since they're next to each other) and just hit one for each beat - a comma for a verse and a period for a chorus.  Breaks and codas got a different symbol (like the slash next to the period).  Then I counted 'em all and used the time signature.  Really boring and lame, but it worked.
 
I've also just looped parts and played with them until I figured out about how many measures I wanted for a section.
 
It can be very iterative.  Put something basic out there, add simple bass, add guitar(s), redo the drums better, redo the bass better, etc.
 
Personally, I'd love to hear what others do as well!

Not only do people approach it differently, the approach can vary with the style of the song.  I've been on the recording end and don't consider myself a musician--at least not at the level of most other people here in the forum.  I don't do much creating songs from scratch, but there is one trick that I stumbled onto that may help.  
 
I made a groove-clip of a section of audio and extended the clip beyond where I thought the song would end.  It then acted like a click track to keep the rhythm consistent.  The metronome tends to distract me more than it helps.  Then, I could edit that track anywhere I wanted to insert a fill or a change and be confident that the beat stayed correct for the rest of the song.  

1: Song idea is recorded to metronome. Hit save.
2: Click track to replace metronome - a very basic EZ Drummer MIDI pattern or me playing a simple pattern on the keyboard through EZ or Superior. 
3: Record basic song on top of click track and work out the structure, usually on guitar or key.
4: Work out proper drum track, with most of the fills and breaks and all. 
5: Re-record proper guitar/key track and record other instruments.
6: Spend time away from song.
7: Listen to the song w/ fresh ears.
8: Give the drum tracks some more attention if needed.
9: Bounce/Freeze drums.
 
10: Start mixing the song.
11: Find something's wrong.
12: Find everything's wrong.
13: Self-loathing.
14: Consider writing down last will.
15: Get over oneself and just finish the darn song.
 
No matter what, ALWAYS save the MIDI track, clearly identify versions and write down any bit of info that seems quasi-relevant.
 

Somewhere, somebody is writing down those steps and probably won't even really notice steps 10 and above until they get there!  LOL!

Yep... there are as many ways to write a song as there are writers. The most common way I would do it in the "old days" was as follows.
 
One of the ways I have done it in the past echo Rain's method. I worked out the song on paper first to kind of get it as close to what I thought it should be. Basic guitar vocal demo..... scratch track.
 
I would record it over a simple drum pattern from Jamstix,  or,  before I got JS I made a simple kick snare measure in midi and pasted it out 100 measures or so.
 
With the scratch track in place and a simple drum track for timing, I would then go back and add the other tracks.... guitars, bass, piano, etc, and eventually work on the drum track editing it, adding fills and breaks, and the intro as well as the ending.
 
My first purchase outside of the Sonar family group was Jamstix. As  guitarist, with a little bit of keyboard chops, I could play the bass parts on the keys fairly well, but getting a reasonable drummer was near impossible. Jamstix solved that for just over $100 at the time. It created a fairly decent drum track that was generally good to go as is, or I could easily edit it to suit my needs in the song.
 
that's one way to do it.
 
Now days, I tend to use Band in A Box as a writing tool. I love the simplicity of it. In BB you have a grid and simply drop  in chords after assigning a tempo and a musical style. You can write the lyrics in a document window and grab your guitar and play along until the song is how you like it. BB is not the cheapest software out there so if you go this route, it will set you back quite a bit of beer money or the equivalent of a nice,  but small,  amp head. Before I purchased BB I used the method I first described for many years rather successfully.  For the past 4 or 5 years I have used BB as my main writing tool.

Rain
1: Song idea is recorded to metronome. Hit save.
2: Click track to replace metronome - a very basic EZ Drummer MIDI pattern or me playing a simple pattern on the keyboard through EZ or Superior. 
3: Record basic song on top of click track and work out the structure, usually on guitar or key.
4: Work out proper drum track, with most of the fills and breaks and all. 
5: Re-record proper guitar/key track and record other instruments.
6: Spend time away from song.
7: Listen to the song w/ fresh ears.
8: Give the drum tracks some more attention if needed.
9: Bounce/Freeze drums.
 
10: Start mixing the song.
11: Find something's wrong.
12: Find everything's wrong.
13: Self-loathing.
14: Consider writing down last will.
15: Get over oneself and just finish the darn song.
 
No matter what, ALWAYS save the MIDI track, clearly identify versions and write down any bit of info that seems quasi-relevant.
 

THIS^^^^^  (apart from metronome, I always use a percussion loop)
 
Lately I've been laying the song/tune out using piano. Being a guitarist I found this steers me away from getting bogged down in riffs and lead guitar too early, and also throws up some interesting changes because 'muscle memory' is removed and I don't fall into the same old patterns.
 

Hi,
 
I was thinking that if you had to follow that idea, you are calling yourself a "writer" of songs?
 
You really think you will get somewhere with that?
 
Pathetic!
 
Oh wait ... it's just what top ten ordered!

I think Rain nailed the steps.  However, after laying down some chords (guitar or keys) to a cilck or basic drum loop, I work on the song for a while.  I will try to finish the drums later after I have the rough vocals, guitar and keyboard parts recorded.  I like to hear those parts when creating the final drum part. 
 
Rimshot
 

Rimshot
I think Rain nailed the steps.  
 ...

Agreed for the most part.
 
The strange thing, is that of all the things I write, if I have an idea, or a snipet for an idea, and I write it down, it will never get off the ground!
 
For me, ideas are just that ... ideas! And not always relilable in terms of material to write from and with.
 
I sit and go! Ideas be damned! And you can make the small changes later, but this might be a process that is too hard for self-conscious and professional musicians, where they have to work with the details given, and in many ways, that takes away a side of you, that likes the freedom, that all of a sudden you do not know how to enjoy and appreciate and test now and then.
 
I'm ok with anything that helps you, anyone, get the result, but as was the case in acting, for some it was movement, for some it was thinking, for some it was a slap in the face, for some it was just there, for some it was the kitchen sink ... and thinking that you have to do that each and every time is grossly naive, and a total misunderstanding of who/what you are as a creative person as a whole.
 
But yeah, I have warm ups for writing ... I go do some email and replies and such, and the "flow" helps the  mind fly!
 
Had a friend that always said, never do the bass guitar early, because it will be too worried about the beat, and have no idea what the song is about, and the notes not have the emotional attachment that is required to make the song live better. I, then, would suggest that on any given day, and track could be ANY instrument as they will have been the driving force of the song. Of course, if your name is Bob Dylan, he doesn't give a darn about the music behind his words, and is bored senseless having to sing them again!