Converting programmed drum parts to acoustic kit

Great responses again guys :)

This artist uses "edgy" rhythms with a distinctly staccato vibe in her writing. In many ways, that lends itself perfectly to programmed drum parts, but makes the transition to a more organic stripped out live trio quite a challenge. Even if you play the parts verbatim, it just isn't there. The drums aren't the only things that need to adapt, everything needs to find a way of delivering in a totally different format. That will take some working out between the three performers. Me, doing that on the spot, & in isolation, was both difficult & largely ineffective.

in Andys case I do imagine it would be tough on the spot with no time to work it out
This is true Tony, but of course, that's mostly my fault. I should have prepared properly for the audition, & if it was a pro situation, I would have put the work in. As it is, I simply didn't have the time. Luckily for me, I can take or leave the gig without starving.

"Getting left behind" is a poignant element though. I got thoroughly left behind by programmed drums about 6 months before I gave up drumming some 30 years ago. it wasn't the only reason I threw in the towel, but it was a big contributor. Bottom line, I wasn't good enough to cut my own path in a glut of out of work drummers. I'd been comfortable for too long, just doing what got me work, & not progressing accordingly.

This time out it's different. I decided to go for this act/audition partly because it's outside of my comfort zone. I'm going to struggle to get groove into this situation, & I absolutely have to achieve that for it to work for me.
 
Update: It would seem I can't have been that bad. Ria seems keen to work with me on the recording side of the project. She's auditioning a ready made band at the end of this week, then deciding wether to build up the trio for upcoming gigs (that would involve me), or run with the ready made backing band option. It's the studio side of things I'm most interested in anyhow, but I'm old school, & really believe in the benefits of gigging the act prior to recording. To me, that's especially important in a stripped back trio. The studio vibe has to be right, as there's nowhere to hide :(
 
. The studio vibe has to be right, as there's nowhere to hide :([/QUOTE]
That's the Spirit.
 
there it is, the Musicians Laborer mentality..

are you suggesting not being on dial with what is currently happening within your craft ?

that is fine I guess for someone not using their musical craft to put food on the table .... but in my ... and others around heres...... case it is pretty much necessity

sometimes we are hired for our own sound and feel ....and other times we are hired to do exactly what an artist or producer wants to hear

the more flexible you are the more you work
 
Timing might be an issue. When the time is clean there feels like more space. So if you play a machine beat manually and don't get the spaces exact, it can sound messy. If you look at Jojo, Johnny Rabb and others who get into the "reverse engineering" drumming Tony talked about, they are absolute monster players. Mere mortals find perfect timing less easy.

Andy, in your example, I didn't think the programmed beat gelled all that well with the band sound anyway (though maybe it's me old ears), so if you replicated the beat then it would similarly not gel - the machine doesn't feel bad about that but we feel the disconnect immediately.
 
IDK, Ands if you play the exact notes of that beat with good meter/tempo, the right unrelenting attitude, and the proper dynamics....what more can you do? OK get the sound of your drums to sound electronic-ey. How important is that here? Is there anything else you can do? I'm at a loss. My point is, if it was a human playing it from the get go, I doubt you would have a problem. The beat isn't stupid hard or anything, it just has a certain sound.
 
First, I love her vocals.

Smaller, tighter drums and choked cymbals (or stacks) might get you part of the way, engineering/mixing magic for the rest. I couldn't imagine recording that material, I'd be so out of my element.

I think live gigs with that material would be exciting - more open sounds and flexibility as most of the instruments get thicker and have more sustain.

Good luck, I hope the project pans out and it includes you.
 
I agree with Bermuda that, when in doubt, replicating the patterns of the drum part as closely as possible is ideal. Unless the artist tells you otherwise, s/he probably wants that.

But I have to say, shifting into pragmatic mode, you could probably make that groove on the clip you linked your own and have no issues as long as you keep the basic feel.

I've had to imitate programmed parts before, especially working from a demo. It can be challenging. But I find that anyone interested in bringing a real drummer into the picture in the first place is already finding something lacking in the programmed part and hoping you can improve it with a little "human touch."

Even harder than this, IMO, is playing along with a programmed part. I did a recording for a friend's daughter, who is a young but budding composer and guitarist, and I had to lay a real drum part over a machine. I'm actually happy with how it turned out, but it requires a certain approach.

My 2 cents.
 
are you suggesting not being on dial with what is currently happening within your craft ?

that is fine I guess for someone not using their musical craft to put food on the table .... but in my ... and others around heres...... case it is pretty much necessity

sometimes we are hired for our own sound and feel ....and other times we are hired to do exactly what an artist or producer wants to hear

the more flexible you are the more you work
No Tony, I guess i'm verbalising my frustration with the erosion of just about everything with digital technology. For me i enjoy modern technology i'm using it right now , but i feel i that i can draw the line and use it when i can but not to the point that it encompasses everything. I am a DRUMMER not a programmer not a DJ, not a EDM fanatic i am a DRUMMER and i want to keep it that way. If i have to drop my craft for being on dial with the latest and greatest then so be it, i would rather flip burgers coz believe me the percussive rhythm of a busy kitchen has a more real rhythm to it than electronic beatism. The human element is what is important to me so if the modern version of society prefers pre programmed music then please don't let me stand in the way of Fashion. Trends come and go but the Drum is an ancient instrument and this fad will fade just like the Keyboard bands of the Eighties,remember them they didn't like drummers either... but ....we can still feel the primal beat of a hollow log. Rant over and out.
 
But Pete the popular 'beat' is changing.. from the scatter rhythms of grime music to the new hi hat patterns of hip hop.. things change up and evolve. Regarding drumming, I see it as less of an erosion and more of an advancement. The standard of drumming is going to have to improve if more players are going to make these new, syncopated beats groove. Will be a nice departure from the 'basic rock rhythm' which has dominated the community since the early 70's.
If we all had the same tastes I guess life would be pretty dull though! Interesting discussion this..
 
No Tony, I guess i'm verbalising my frustration with the erosion of just about everything with digital technology. For me i enjoy modern technology i'm using it right now , but i feel i that i can draw the line and use it when i can but not to the point that it encompasses everything. I am a DRUMMER not a programmer not a DJ, not a EDM fanatic i am a DRUMMER and i want to keep it that way. If i have to drop my craft for being on dial with the latest and greatest then so be it, i would rather flip burgers coz believe me the percussive rhythm of a busy kitchen has a more real rhythm to it than electronic beatism. The human element is what is important to me so if the modern version of society prefers pre programmed music then please don't let me stand in the way of Fashion. Trends come and go but the Drum is an ancient instrument and this fad will fade just like the Keyboard bands of the Eighties,remember them they didn't like drummers either... but ....we can still feel the primal beat of a hollow log. Rant over and out.

it's clear that we are talking about two different things
 
it's clear that we are talking about two different things

Maybe,Maybe not. I spent the whole day driving in the car today, I had the radio dialed in to the latest and greatest, cutting edge swag, must have tunes of the moment and all I could here was pretty much 4 on the floor kick patterns weird 60's rehash Phil Spector clone songs with some of that helicopter rhythm thrown in, and I really despise that computer enhanced vocal production they are all using. Hi tech bubblegum. The only thing that's improved is sound technology.if the beat is changing it's not on the radio.
 
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