Softsynth drums for hip hop?

[pitman]

Is anyone using software such as BFD or DFH for Hip Hop tracks or is it basically an MPC world?

[JDN]

I rarely touch the MPC anymore, those zips were driving me nuts taking forever to load. I'm using battery 2 exclusively now for drums in Logic and I'm very happy. thumbsup

[pitman]

Originally Posted by JDN

I rarely touch the MPC anymore, those zips were driving me nuts taking forever to load. I'm using battery 2 exclusively now for drums in Logic and I'm very happy. thumbsup

What are you using to trigger the drums in Battery 2?
How exactly do you go about it?

[No4PCs]

Hi friend, i know im out what your post, but.
Did you try buy a real snare/kick/cymbal and make the drum sessions with real microphones, then , duplicate the drum with electonic ones ? So you can mix a blend of the drums like real/electronics. I think more powerfull.
This is my own opinion, huh ?

[RedOne]

I like MPCs alot but I m getting a fan of the Ableton Live/M-Audio Trigger Finger combo. thumbsup There s a free demo version on abletons homepage. Give it a try. (sold my MPC1k but kept my MPC60II )

[Dr.Wu]

Stylus RMX-just cant beat it when it comes to anything rhythmrelated.
thumbsup

[jsrockit]

People are using Reason, Fruity Loops, Live, Battery 2, GURU, etc

[TestAccount]

I use Stylus RMX exclusively. I buy a ton of sample CD's and put them in REX format. I also record a lot of my own samples and dump them into Stylus RMX too. Just incredibly intuitive and expressive.

[Methlab]

Stylus is cool, but I hate digging through loops when I can program the drums myself instead. I use Battery 2 and trigger them with an MPD and sequence in Cubase.

[TestAccount]

That's the beautiful thing about RMX - you don't have to use the library. Now it supports REX files, so you can put the power of RMX right onto your own audio. Pretty phat if you ask me!

[C Heat]

Originally Posted by TestAccount

That's the beautiful thing about RMX - you don't have to use the library. Now it supports REX files, so you can put the power of RMX right onto your own audio. Pretty phat if you ask me!

Hi.

I'm on the verger of givin RMX a try. 3 Questions:

1. Are you using a PC or Mac?

2. Is it very CPU intensive?

3. Have you tried integrating it with PTLE?

Holla.

[TestAccount]

Hey C Heat -

1. Macs exclusively. I can't stand PC's. I've tried to use them in commerical applications and in studios - can't handle the unecessary shit that PC's bring to the table. Macs are clean, no bull. Just what you need it to do and nothing else. Of course, Macs are also my favorite for everything else, too. Powerbook on the road. iMac at home. One G5 in the studio, and one in my office. And no, I don't work for Steve Jobs.

2. You tell me - I've got a stupid amount of RAM installed: 8 gigs. It doesn't even affect my CPU usage meters. Get that! Pretty kickass.

3. Believe it or not, I use ProTools exclusively. For my own music and on the road, I use a Powerbook running a 002R system with apogee converters. In the studio I use an PT|HD system. But the majority of my work with RMX is in ProTools. Then when I'm ready to take it to the big system for mixing, I generally bounce each RMX channel as audio so it can be treated like any other track on the console.

Remember, RMX is not just core-library exclusive. There are a ton of sample CD's, construction kit samples, you name it. I love the material that comes from BigFishAudio.com and SoundsOnline.com. Just any library encoded in REX format will drag and drop into RMX with ease. And if you're feeling really adventurous, then you can take your own audio, put it in REX format (by way of Propellerheads ReCycle) and now you can use your own stuff with RMX. Any audio, either from a sample CD, your own recordings, whatever. This stuff is the shit.

[C Heat]

Originally Posted by TestAccount

Hey C Heat -

1. Macs exclusively. I can't stand PC's. I've tried to use them in commerical applications and in studios - can't handle the unecessary shit that PC's bring to the table. Macs are clean, no bull. Just what you need it to do and nothing else. Of course, Macs are also my favorite for everything else, too. Powerbook on the road. iMac at home. One G5 in the studio, and one in my office. And no, I don't work for Steve Jobs.

2. You tell me - I've got a stupid amount of RAM installed: 8 gigs. It doesn't even affect my CPU usage meters. Get that! Pretty kickass.

3. Believe it or not, I use ProTools exclusively. For my own music and on the road, I use a Powerbook running a 002R system with apogee converters. In the studio I use an PT|HD system. But the majority of my work with RMX is in ProTools. Then when I'm ready to take it to the big system for mixing, I generally bounce each RMX channel as audio so it can be treated like any other track on the console.

Remember, RMX is not just core-library exclusive. There are a ton of sample CD's, construction kit samples, you name it. I love the material that comes from BigFishAudio.com and SoundsOnline.com. Just any library encoded in REX format will drag and drop into RMX with ease. And if you're feeling really adventurous, then you can take your own audio, put it in REX format (by way of Propellerheads ReCycle) and now you can use your own stuff with RMX. Any audio, either from a sample CD, your own recordings, whatever. This stuff is the shit.

Heya TestAccount. Props for the detailed reply.

1. I'm also a Mac man exclusively. Dual 1.25 G4 Mirror Door. It's serving me well at present... Id like to think my mac would handle RMX pretty well. I'll do some more research to make sure it can kick it.

2. I got 1gig RAM. Again, I think this will handle RMX pretty well. Although 8 gig is off the chain man!

3. Your road setup is similar to my studio setup. 001 with MiniMe. I'd be working pretty much the same way you describe how you work.

The REX format gig pretty much sells it for me now. I've read nothing but praise for this software. Can't wait to score it. Better double check the G4 thing first.

Thanks again.

[TestAccount]

Right on man, glad I could help.

Yeah, I used to have a dual 1gHz G4, and it was a bit slow with any more than 1 instance of Stylus (the original, not RMX). Using RMX alone, and maybe even with a few tracks, you'll be just fine. But once your track count comes up and you need more plugs, things get really slow. You'll find yourself getting really comfy with the "Playback Buffer" error message. :( I couldn't stand it, and that's when I got the G5 and maxed it out.

So if you're not ready to take the plunge for a new computer, then more RAM is definitly a must. I recommend Lifetime Memory. Apple's is just ueber-pricey, and I've actually had 2 bad RAM sticks from em. I learned my lesson and got Lifetime from Sweetwater all the way, and all is well for a couple of years now.

Anything else let me know -

[Dr.Wu]

I love running vocals in RMX.
Its a piece of cake to create all kinds of supercool st uttering stuff with the Chaosdesigner and you can easily tweak a vocal beyond recognition using the onboard effects and the editmode where you can apply a seperate stack of 3 effects to each slice in a loop.
Perfect tool for remixes.
The same goes for bass lines and guitarstuff BTW.

And if i dont feel like working with loops i simply switch to kitmode and either use one of the 250 preset kits or i roll my own using the 10000 single hits that are neatly organized in groups like kicks,snares etc.
And they all sound killer!

BTW the maximum amount of ram a single app can use with the current OSX is a little less than 4 GB. So unless you are planning to run a couple of apps simultaneously there is no need to go for the full 8 GB at the moment.
Anything above 2 GB will give you a nice environment to work with.

[TestAccount]

Another RMX lover - cool.

At the studio i work at, we handle all kinds of project, large and small. We also have a huge plug-in collection, and we use them extensively. (We loved Altiverb so much that we thought we'd cash in on our old Lexicon unit!) Anyway, the full 8 gigs RAM was really important for us, but the DR. is right - anything over 2 is smooth rollin.

[azwun25]

rmx...simply put...is the shit

[Dr.Wu]

BTW i am having a ball using tonal material in RMX ever since i downloaded the Key2CC environment for Logic from www.swiftkick.com
It transforms keyboardevents into modwheel values in realtime. By simply assigning modwheel in RMX to pitch with Midilearn i can easily transpose any loop in RMX in realtime by simply playing the appropiate pitch on my keyboard!
Kinda like Aunt Marys one finger auto arranger for Plug in users!

Try it-its good fun.
Works terrific with libraries like downtempo guitars from 9voltaudio.

RU with me?
Dr.Wu

[gsilbers]

try the sonic charge utonic which is a synth drum machine no samples here. cool sounding stuff. its from the same guy that did stuff i reason. m
if not try glaresoft's idrum, very simple interface and you can load your own samples.

[jjdpro]

For sure ..These days, I only use the MPC as a Sequencer and controoler for:

-Stylus.( Original) Killer Killer Killer!!! For radio ready , hard hittin drums and percs.Boom.

-Stylus RMX, Same as above, but now multimbral, and a few new tricks to "trick" out canned loops..

Battery (1 & 2)..MPC on steriods!!! now, I can load up my Akai, wave MPC sounds with the ability to stack up to 16 sounds(Layers) per PAD!!! Now your Bass drums and snares are hot without having to use up tracks when tracking..


ACID: Where would my loops be without acid. ?? Stacking canned loops into something totaly diffent sounding loops is one of Acid's many features. Also, it's make a great loop creator..

Reasons: Man, the two(2) drum units in Reasons are killer, and the on-boards sounds will get you a Hot R&B track...

[kLyon]

A second set of thumbs up for sonic charge's Microtonic, my secret weapon. (somebody's already given it away, so why not let it go...)

[Sirocco]

Originally Posted by gsilbers

try the sonic charge utonic which is a synth drum machine no samples here. cool sounding stuff. its from the same guy that did stuff i reason. m
if not try glaresoft's idrum, very simple interface and you can load your own samples.

co-sign!

magnus also created the malstrom, so u know its quality, plus for a limited time, it comes in a special tin package and installed on a usb drive in it

-sirocco

[Silver Sonya]

Microtonic 3.0 is released in a few days.

- c

[T. Gundersen]

Originally Posted by Silver Sonya

Microtonic 3.0 is released in a few days.

- c

You revived an almost 5 year old thread to write that?
Looks interesting though.

[Silver Sonya]

Originally Posted by T. Gundersen

You revived an almost 5 year old thread to write that?

Ha! Yup.

Lord knows GS is populated with too many threads that are redundant with existing threads. I'm being a GS environmentalist, I guess. Less waste.

How many "Where do I get hot hip hop drum samples?" threads exist just in this forum alone? Imagine if they were all consolidated...

- c

[turbo46]

GURU or the new FXpansion product Geist

[bonusbmusic]

this is HIP HOP were talking here not POP. grab a hardware sampler with some grit

[Thysta]

Originally Posted by bonusbmusic

this is HIP HOP were talking here not POP. grab a hardware sampler with some grit

agree

[Silver Sonya]

Nah.

Hip hop's about having an open mind and grabbing tools and making music out of whatever's available. By any means necessary, to coin a phrase. Why limit yourself to the same things everybody else is using?

This is a random Micotonic sound generator. Try a few; I bet you'll come up with one or two patterns that you'll find inspiring along the Neptunes/Danger Mouse/Timbaland nexus.

The smart producers experiment.

I use Microtonic layered and filtered under other sounds and it's amazing what it can do.

- c

[korbes]

Originally Posted by Silver Sonya

Ha! Yup.

Lord knows GS is populated with too many threads that are redundant with existing threads. I'm being a GS environmentalist, I guess. Less waste.

How many "Where do I get hot hip hop drum samples?" threads exist just in this forum alone? Imagine if they were all consolidated...

- c

Originally Posted by Silver Sonya

Nah.

Hip hop's about having an open mind and grabbing tools and making music out of whatever's available. By any means necessary, to coin a phrase. Why limit yourself to the same things everybody else is using?

This is a random Micotonic sound generator. Try a few; I bet you'll come up with one or two patterns that you'll find inspiring along the Neptunes/Danger Mouse/Timbaland nexus.

The smart producers experiment.

I use Microtonic layered and filtered under other sounds and it's amazing what it can do.

- c

Couldn't agree more!