Drummer-less musicians rejoice, there is hope for us yet

    This looks really promising.


    http://www.synthtopia.com/cont…ou-make-beats-with-balls/


    It seems like an incredible device. It's like a drum machine, except you send midi to the device and it hits an actual drum. Super costly, at 1199 euros for the controller and three balls, and you can't even add more than three balls per controller. That's not enough to cover most pads on a conventional drumkit, though it might work well for drum and bass stuff.


    I also wonder how this thing would manipulate a hi-hat, I don't think it would be able to.


    Still, the tech looks incredible. I'm thinking if I run into a small fortune, I might think of getting a couple of controllers for myself.


    I play drums myself, but I'm unable to play it with the guitar at the same time lol. This just might be really useful to me and I'm thinking some of you guys out there. :thumbup:

    While I feel the fascination of the tool, I am with MentaL here: I'll always prefer a perfectly captured and mic'ed sample to a mediocre drumkit I'll have to mic myself and record using a mixing desk.


    :)

    Steve Hill seems a bit like ReignWolf, will check him out, thanks! But blues is blues and I doubt I'd be able to play a double bass beat while singing and playing guitar.


    Quote from MentaL

    Whats wrong with midi drums? Works fine for me.


    Quote from viabcroce

    While I feel the fascination of the tool, I am with MentaL here: I'll always prefer a perfectly captured and mic'ed sample to a mediocre drumkit I'll have to mic myself and record using a mixing desk.


    :)


    I find that crowds are often very unreceptive to pre-recorded material. I would be leery of performing anywhere with a backing track triggered from a laptop. This just seems more legit, in some sort of weird way.


    And while something like Superior Drummer has very nice sounds, it often doesn't compare to the sounds you can get from any recording where real drums have been used.


    Let's say you can get some famous drummer to record on your album. But you can't afford said famous drummer for touring. No problem. Get the drummer to record the track using an electronic drumkit. Now feed back that information to this device to play any drum anywhere.


    Alternatively, programme your sounds and take this device to the recording studio, hook it up and record drum sounds tailored to your album.

    I must have got it completely wrong then... Isn't this device playing a drumset in real time? If this is the case you'll never get that famous drummer's sound, you will just have his patterns... The sound will be that of a mechanical hammer hitting a (cheap?) drum mic'ed by "you"...
    am I missing something?


    :)

    Totally agree!
    I've seen Steve Hill live and he is very good. Its entertaining to see him hit the cymbals with a drumstick attached to his guitar and the crowd loves it....even though as you say, playing some blues grooves with your feet while playing guitar is a heck of a challenge! But it certainly works for him.


    [/quote] nightlight> I find that crowds are often very unreceptive to pre-recorded material. .[/quote]

    What would make me leery is that mechanical devices break down rather easily.


    And it's quite easy for stage frequencies to move pieces around and then it's not hitting right.


    Plus, since it doesn't have morals, it's easily misled.

    Quote from viabcroce

    I must have got it completely wrong then... Isn't this device playing a drumset in real time? If this is the case you'll never get that famous drummer's sound, you will just have his patterns... The sound will be that of a mechanical hammer hitting a (cheap?) drum mic'ed by "you"...
    am I missing something?


    :)


    No, you're quite right. It will definitely be more mechanical than a real drummer, less dynamics and swing.


    But I think the material you feed to the brain will dictate how life-like it sounds. There are 128 velocities for a midi note, so if you get a drummer to record for you, it could be more dynamic than just programmed material.


    I think another way to put this would be "ever been fooled by programmed drums on a recording"? Some are very, very good. More multiple velocity hits and swing than just synced to a grid and at maximum velocity.


    Plus, you won't have problems with alcoholism and drugs, or walking into a travel agency, as MonkeyMan pointed out.


    Someone told me: "There was an interview with Jeff Pocaro in Modern Drummer in the early/mid 80's where he predicted this was the future of studio drumming.


    He felt with in a few years, guys like him would stay at home, play the parts into the machine, send the data to the studio, where a machine would physically play the drums exactly as he had inputted."


    It is now the future haha

    Poor Jeff. My all-time fave rock / pop / R&B / funk and fusion drummer.


    Thank you for noticing my inspired travel-agency projection, lifted directly from the jokes thread. I appreciate that, mate.


    Now, a minor correction is in order:
    You said, "It is now the future". Incorrect. That was the past.


    The future, my dear fellow, is... wait for it... NOW! :D

    LOL


    Quote from nightlight

    No, you're quite right. It will definitely be more mechanical than a real drummer, less dynamics and swing.


    Not only this, you'll miss the touch and the tone from the "famous drummer", and the sound of the very expensive drumset he played, and the sound of that very expensive mics and pres set, not to mention the mic placement and the room, and the reverb...


    It doesn't seem to me a way to have the great drummer with you at your local pub, if not for the rhythmic (notation) aspect of it :huh:


    :)

    I have to admit it, nightlight:
    I think you were right in the past about the future... as was Jeff.


    Yes, the future according to Jeff started the day this new-fangled contraption "appeared".


    Please try to ignore my useless ramblings; it's Saturday night and I'm not feelin' alright, and I don't have a Corvette... of any colour.


    I'm gonna do the sensible thing now and hit the couch with my ass, so farewell, dear nightlight, and farewell forum. Being in Oz, I'm already in your future by half a day, so I can afford the rest I s'pose...


    EDIT:
    Geez, I'm tying so slowly that I missed your appearances, bilbo and Gianfranco.
    G'night fellas.