[kittonian]

For a lot of studios recording real drums is simply not an option. Either there's not enough great pre's, comps, and eq's around to do the job, not enough mics, the room isn't up to par, or any number of other things that inhibit the ability to get great sounding drum tracks from a real drummer.

I'm not going to use the word "trick" here but I will say that there is an exceptional way to produce drums, using a real drummer, but not actually using an acoustic kit.

Roland makes an amazing product called the TD-Pro V-Drum kit. It's not cheap (about $5295 if I recall correctly) but it's a complete drumset with a hi hat, cymbals, 4 toms, kick and snare. It's made to trigger sounds in a very realistic way and transmit midi messages to a DAW.

So, if you've got something like Nuendo 3, Cubase SX, ProTools, or Digital Performer, all you would need to add into your software arsenal (besides the obvious compressors, eqs, transient designers, etc.) is software from ToonTrack known as DFHS and C&V (Drumkit From Hell Superior and Superior Custom & Vintage). Together you've got about 70GB of samples with technology that makes for extremely realistic drum tracks. They are all in raw form which means you will seriously need to know how to mix drums to get the most from it but you can have a drummer sit and play the TD-Pro drumset triggering the sounds from DFHS/C&V, just as they would be playing a real drumset.

The really cool thing is that you can track a bass (or the entire band) at the same time and lock the bass player and the drummer together without worrying about phase, bleeding, separation, etc. No mics to setup, no pre's to purchase. Just sit down and play.

The absolute best part is that after you've done the take you can always go back and adjust certain hits if need be (making the kick drum perfect in time while the snare may drage a little here and there). You also have the freedom to change parts down the line, so, if you decide that the hi hat really should've been a ride cymbal, no problem. Just make the change and you're good to go.

If you want to get really crafty, you could even add a few real cymbals around the TD-Pro set and mic them up (such as a pair of overheads and a room mic). This way you are getting the best of both worlds if it sounds better to you that way. Some people prefer that method, some just use the samples included in the software.

I've been using it for quite some time on various sessions and so far no one has been able to pick out that they aren't real drums. In fact, I did a few songs where a couple were with a real drumset and the others were using DFHS/C&V. I played them for a few people and asked them to tell me which ones were a real kit and which ones were the samples. No one could tell them apart.

Hope that helps explain things a bit clearer. Good luck!