Source of pre-fab drum loops?

K

K2000

New Member
I just upgraded to Logic Express from Garage Band... I want to use Logic as a composition tool. I'm wondering if there are good sources of drum loops, so I can get additional variety beyond the Jam Packs that come with Logic.

I understand that the most satisfying results are possible when programming your own drums. However, good results probably require some understanding of drumming. It's not only that I can't play drums, I don't think like a drummer so my drum programming would be horrible. I don't want to spend a year getting my drum tracks together. These are just scratch tracks anyway. I want building blocks to compose with. I hope this makes sense.

Any recommendations for a source of drum loops?

Genres would be rock, hard rock, heavy metal, progressive rock. I would also appreciate suggestions for jazz drums, and any other non-specific recommendations.

Also, if it matters... I upgraded to Logic so that I could mix time signatures and change tempos within a composition (the prog rock aspect). Ideally, I'd like to find loops that can work in different time signatures (is that even possible?)

Thanks!
 
I like EZ / Superior Drummer from Toontrack - Lots of good, easy to use "building blocks", with a good interface.
 
For a quick, non-commercial instant gratification procedure, I suggest this: download the FruityLoops demo, and with it comes the plugin called FPC something, which is a drum machine. It comes with 1000 or so MIDI beats, 2-bars, which are arranged in folders according to style (any style you can think of). I've zipped these MIDI files, so when I want to sketch a song in Logic, with a pre-fab "style", I use these...
 
some quick tips of thinking like a drummer:

1. Polyphonic - a drummer replaces several people. He always plays several "melodies" on his own. Several "stories" going on. Played by one.

2. Quasi-ambidexterity - what you can do with your right, you should be able to do with your left. Not applicable to every type of drummer, and even the most perfect drummers are still human, so weather it's singles, doubles, triples, it's never sounding like a machine. And we all have our naturall "vibe", different natural accentuations.

3. Count. Out loud. If you can sing the beat, you can play it. Beats are just melodies.

4. Improvisation - a drummer's idea of improvisation is usually an idea of a single-line rhythmic pattern that fits the style, displaced around the drum set. But structure is also important. That is, the drummer is also the part of the overall structure of the song. Actually you should feel that every beat has a place, not just within the bar, "groove", phrase, but also within the whole song.


With Logic and MIDI, you have precise control over all these parameters. For extra control, you also have DNA Groove Templates. (www.numericalsound.com) Now all you need is some good samples...
 
djstkora said:
For a quick, non-commercial instant gratification procedure, I suggest this: download the FruityLoops demo, and with it comes the plugin called FPC something, which is a drum machine. It comes with 1000 or so MIDI beats, 2-bars, which are arranged in folders according to style (any style you can think of). I've zipped these MIDI files, so when I want to sketch a song in Logic, with a pre-fab "style", I use these...
Click to expand...

Point of ethics... you should check the EULA for this demo to make sure you are not somehow violating it by doing this...
 
I'm looking at EZ Drummer and the Drumkit from Hell expansion pack (I like heavy rock) but I don't think it will be compatible with my Mac (?)

Toontracks website says that there is no support for 64 bit systems - possibly old info??
http://www.toontrack.com/helpdesk/issue_view_portal.asp?ID=39

My Mac is an Intel Xeon, it's a pretty new machine, quad core/dual processor. Xeon is 64 bits.

maybe this just means that EZ Drummer can't take advantage of 64 bits to function, but can still be used on my machine?

On a side note, Musicians Friend has EZDrummer on sale for the month of May - often happens before an update is released. Anybody know if there is an update planned?

What about Superior Drummer... maybe that is compatible. I wonder if that would be better, with more patterns.

Toontracks has a forum but it appears to be for registered owners (support forum).
 
Hi,

I went looking at Toontrack for an an answer and found a thread in a support forum from today by a "K2000". I'm guessing this is you and that you have the answer you need?

One reason for not buying Superior directly is that Toontrack seem to be having all kinds of weird deals at the moment (maybe, you say, because of an upcoming new version?). I recently went to my local supplier to buy Superior, but because of a special deal, the low cost of an upgrade and that the EZ add-ons will work in Superior as well, I bought EZ as a start. When I went back about a week later they had a deal on upgrades - So I wound up having paid less for EZ, 3 expansions and Superior than if I had bought Superior directly.
 
Yes, that's me. Turns out that EZDrummer does work on a 64 bit machine, even though the software isn't written for 64 bit operation yet (same as my Adobe software).

Also, Toontrack does have a 'general' forum that is available to anybody with 'pre-sale' questions like me.

So it's all good. 🙂
 
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