Do you use a drums machine?

[cphollis]

I have a BeatBuddy which I like. I use it for jamming, e.g. fire up a rhythm and start improvising. The samples are convincing. It takes a bit of practice to use the pedal to advance through a song, haven't quite got the hang of it yet. Big user community with all sorts of drum sample sets, and lots of ready-to-use songs albeit sometimes of questionable quality. And any drum beat can be edited via computer with any MIDI notation software.

[Rusty Mike]

Apps on my iPad: Drum Beats +, SessionBand (1, 2, 3) and iRealPro. Big fan of Band-In-A-Box.

I just started a duo with a trumpet player, and wanted something higher quality with a bass line. I use Band-In-A-Box with RealTracks to create nice sounding tracks and export them to audio files. I then do a quick touch up on volume and slight compression with Audacity, and export them to mp3. The mp3 file is imported into FourScore, where I attach the track to the lead sheet.

We're killin' it in the restaurant wallpaper scene in Bayonne, NJ!

[JayDee]

Your welcome 34. BTW-you might want the optional footswitch, it makes things certain functions easier. Winnipeg? Went through their once, long time ago, mid 70's? Epic road trip, camping previous night near Nipigon racing to Winnipeg all day through Thunder Bay etc to get to Muhammad Ali v Ken Norton fight (closed circuit TV not live) at a sports arena probably hockey arena. Ken Norton beat Ali that night. Canada is gorgeous. I digress, consider the footswitch. Cheers.

[Quai34]

Yes thanks. I was planning to guy it, I saw what it could do, thanks for the heads up...well, to conclude aboyr Winnipeg, I was just 7 years old at that time in 1970 and was living in France so, cannot comment on how it was back in the day....But I digress too...bye.

[Quai34]

Apps on my iPad: Drum Beats +, SessionBand (1, 2, 3) and iRealPro. Big fan of Band-In-A-Box.

I just started a duo with a trumpet player, and wanted something higher quality with a bass line. I use Band-In-A-Box with RealTracks to create nice sounding tracks and export them to audio files. I then do a quick touch up on volume and slight compression with Audacity, and export them to mp3. The mp3 file is imported into FourScore, where I attach the track to the lead sheet.

We're killin' it in the restaurant wallpaper scene in Bayonne, NJ!

Hi Mike,
I use IrealPro for Jazz a lot, very practical to use but I didn't know the other ones so, I downloaded them and Holly S---!, there are great, thanks a lot....For band in a box, I've been thinking to buy it since I Bought my stage 2 in 2011 but needed a computer, my Ipad, Ipad 2, is too "old" to accept the Ipad Apps of Band in a box...
So, instead of waiting again and trying to make my 11 years old Dell working again, I found an IMac late 2013, Quad core, 2.7 gHrtz, 8 gb Ram, 1 Tera HD drive....Ok, it's not the 27", just the 21 but at least I could finally re plug everything that I Had done 5 years ago when I was borrowing an IMac from the University...At 900$ in a Store who is an Apple specialist, I thought it was good enough...
And in June, my Daughter should upgrade her conputer and sell to me her MacBook Pro so, I should be covered....
But thanks again, Ho yes, I also downloaded Session Jazz and Session Blues, there are awesome, I will look closer at what kind of Rock and Funk session they might have but I should be good for a while....So, just the time for me to get used to the new IMac and for sure, Band in a box will be my next purchase....I already have Cubase, just need an editor to find for all my synths...
I don't even know if I will buy the BeatBuddy pedal...Which seems to be the next level...
Anyway, thanks again, that was great advices...
Sincerely
PS: thanks to all the others as well, you gave me great Inputs, for sure, I know I will end with a drums box, but I don't know when yet...

[Quai34]

I still have to look at "Drumbox" proposed by Accordionman though...

[Rusty Mike]

Apps on my iPad: Drum Beats +, SessionBand (1, 2, 3) and iRealPro. Big fan of Band-In-A-Box.

I just started a duo with a trumpet player, and wanted something higher quality with a bass line. I use Band-In-A-Box with RealTracks to create nice sounding tracks and export them to audio files. I then do a quick touch up on volume and slight compression with Audacity, and export them to mp3. The mp3 file is imported into FourScore, where I attach the track to the lead sheet.

We're killin' it in the restaurant wallpaper scene in Bayonne, NJ!

Hi Mike,
I use IrealPro for Jazz a lot, very practical to use but I didn't know the other ones so, I downloaded them and Holly S---!, there are great, thanks a lot....For band in a box, I've been thinking to buy it since I Bought my stage 2 in 2011 but needed a computer, my Ipad, Ipad 2, is too "old" to accept the Ipad Apps of Band in a box...
So, instead of waiting again and trying to make my 11 years old Dell working again, I found an IMac late 2013, Quad core, 2.7 gHrtz, 8 gb Ram, 1 Tera HD drive....Ok, it's not the 27", just the 21 but at least I could finally re plug everything that I Had done 5 years ago when I was borrowing an IMac from the University...At 900$ in a Store who is an Apple specialist, I thought it was good enough...
And in June, my Daughter should upgrade her conputer and sell to me her MacBook Pro so, I should be covered....
But thanks again, Ho yes, I also downloaded Session Jazz and Session Blues, there are awesome, I will look closer at what kind of Rock and Funk session they might have but I should be good for a while....So, just the time for me to get used to the new IMac and for sure, Band in a box will be my next purchase....I already have Cubase, just need an editor to find for all my synths...
I don't even know if I will buy the BeatBuddy pedal...Which seems to be the next level...
Anyway, thanks again, that was great advices...
Sincerely
PS: thanks to all the others as well, you gave me great Inputs, for sure, I know I will end with a drums box, but I don't know when yet...

Be aware there is a BIAB app for the iPad, but it's awful. You need to have your computer based BIAB running to get content first. It has to run a piece of server software, and I'm not even sure you can do it on a Mac. Once you download it to the app, it will play without the "server", but you cannot make a single change to it. Needless to say, I don't use it.

I create mp3 files on BIAB to load into my iPad. A whole lot easier.

Session Band has great sounds for practicing, but the control is limited. There are no intros or endings, and it will just repeat until you stop it. But the sounds are great, and you can comp behind the sax "solo". DrumBeats+ is kind of the same thing - wonderful to practice against.

[Quai34]

Ok. Thanks....Yes, for Band In a Box, I will see later but the two other little Apps seem to be good and I agree for the sound, even from my ipad with no connection to a PA this evening, it was nice...
Thanks again, I will let you know how it goes....
Sincerely

[AdamStage2]

I used to have several Drum machines around in the mid/Late 80s as they were quite essential back in my early days before playing in a band and really the only source of tight drums without having to result to very expensive and limited sequencers all the time

I like to keep at least one Drum machine in my gear these days to lay down beats for fun without having to program a fully sequenced track,these days I use a Dave Smith Tempest for synthetic drums,and also use the Drum Track on the Korg Kronos for more acoustic sounds,I love to just make some 4 bar drum loops and just jam with my Nords.

I do also have an Akai MPC4000 which I use for sequencing/Drum programming when I need to add all the other musical elements to make a song,but sometimes it is really great fun just to hit play on the Kronos drum track or Tempest and just jam away without any preconceived ideas or direction of where to go musically,I've lost many hours doing that just jamming away and come up with really great songs as a result of just playing on the fly,its also a great way to practice and improve your keyboard licks and getting a feel for different playing styles/Grooves

I think it would be great for Nord to introduce a drum track parameter on their Nord stage line,much like the Kronos has where by you can save a Drum loop with each program and then just play the loop to jam along with,its great fun for jamming and thrashing out new ideas/Riffs and getting a feel for a songs tempo/Groove without having to sit down and try and write a track,I find jamming on the fly along to a drum track/Loop so inspirational.

[Quai34]

I used to have several Drum machines around in the mid/Late 80s as they were quite essential back in my early days before playing in a band and really the only source of tight drums without having to result to very expensive and limited sequencers all the time

I like to keep at least one Drum machine in my gear these days to lay down beats for fun without having to program a fully sequenced track,these days I use a Dave Smith Tempest for synthetic drums,and also use the Drum Track on the Korg Kronos for more acoustic sounds,I love to just make some 4 bar drum loops and just jam with my Nords.

I do also have an Akai MPC4000 which I use for sequencing/Drum programming when I need to add all the other musical elements to make a song,but sometimes it is really great fun just to hit play on the Kronos drum track or Tempest and just jam away without any preconceived ideas or direction of where to go musically,I've lost many hours doing that just jamming away and come up with really great songs as a result of just playing on the fly,its also a great way to practice and improve your keyboard licks and getting a feel for different playing styles/Grooves

I think it would be great for Nord to introduce a drum track parameter on their Nord stage line,much like the Kronos has where by you can save a Drum loop with each program and then just play the loop to jam along with,its great fun for jamming and thrashing out new ideas/Riffs and getting a feel for a songs tempo/Groove without having to sit down and try and write a track,I find jamming on the fly along to a drum track/Loop so inspirational.

Thanks a lot for your inputs....The tempest "tempted" me, but I'm using for the moment the Apps proposed in this post....By the way, the Tempest has factory loop/tracks or do you have to enter everything?