Drum timing issues - Metal test song #1

[smoore98]

I am new to computer based recording. I have Cubase, Reason, DFH Superior and lots of cool stuff that I don't know how to use yet.

One thing that has plagued me for awhile is timing issues with the drums. Could it be that I am having issues because my keyboard is a weighted keyboard and this is slowing my notes down or something. I tried to fix with the MIDI step editing but that just made things worse.

Anyone got any good ideas for getting solid timed drums (other than hiring someone every time I want to record)? Quantize (or the way I am aplpying it) never fails to ruin a track, and has never helped.

This is only 3 chords and 44 seconds long so don't expect much, but any comments or suggestions are welcome.

Thanks,
Scott

[Sharp11]

Originally Posted by smoore98

I am new to computer based recording. I have Cubase, Reason, DFH Superior and lots of cool stuff that I don't know how to use yet.

One thing that has plagued me for awhile is timing issues with the drums. Could it be that I am having issues because my keyboard is a weighted keyboard and this is slowing my notes down or something. I tried to fix with the MIDI step editing but that just made things worse.

Anyone got any good ideas for getting solid timed drums (other than hiring someone every time I want to record)? Quantize (or the way I am aplpying it) never fails to ruin a track, and has never helped.

This is only 3 chords and 44 seconds long so don't expect much, but any comments or suggestions are welcome.

Thanks,
Scott

I can only hear the snare and open hats on my little laptop speakers, but it sounds as if you need to move some of those snare hits closer to the grid.

Real drummers are quite consistent in their playing, a drummer who plays ahead will do so with only very minute variations, maybe 12 ms ahead one one beat followed by 10 ms on the next, etc. a good drummer would never be 10 ms ahead followed by 12 ms behind.

Listen carefully to how real drummers play, I think it's just a matter of fine tuning your parts with the little hand tool, it's tedious and it takes time, but it's the only way.

You're quite right regarding quantizing, this can ruin a performance, especially when using ultra-realistic samples like the DFH, our ears want to and expect to hear the variations and consistent "inconsistencies" of a quality drummer.

Btw, you can use some quantizing, read the section in your manual regarding the quantize percentage options, this moves only notes you select by percentage closer to a beat and leaves others alone. also, you don't need to quantize a whole part with the same percentages, select, perhaps just the hi hat and quantize that at 98%, then the snare at 80% etc.

Ed