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I know there have been a multitude of drum threads before this one, but my questions are slightly different and I didn't want to hijack someone's thread.

First off, a little about me - I'm a complete amateur when it comes to recording, though I have all the gear I need to do budget home recording (Edirol USB interface, Rode NT-1000 condenser, Vox Tonelab etc) for jotting down song ideas.

I have EZDrummer, but I have what to me seems like a completely ridiculous, over-complicated method of using it. I compose my drum tracks using Guitar Pro 5, then export them as a MIDI. I then import the MIDI into my DAW (Adobe Audition) and apply EZDrummer, and voila, I have a usable (for my purposes) backing drum track for my song ideas.

There must be an easier way. Aren't there some loops which I can just drag and drop or something? I can see the benefit in the method I'm currently using in that you can compose every single snare hit etc. exactly how you desire it, but for the most part I'm programming straight four-on-the-floor drum beats, so it's just a pain.

Anyone got any recommendations of a better way of getting backing drums for writing songs? Doesn't have to be in EZDrummer.

Cheers folks.

If you browse the fills and stuff in ezdummer you can drag and drop them as patterns into your DAW, cycle thru ones you like and chuck them in and you can trigger them etc..

Consarnit, I knew this was probably the case. I'll give it a crack. I find it a lot easier to write stuff with a nice backing grove.

While we're on the subject, what's the most effective way of making these drum programs sound a little more humanoid by giving it some dynamics?

Hey dude, this might be useful to watch. Not sure if it's what you're after or not...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yH6hzTh3YHc[/youtube]

SixGunLover wrote:Consarnit, I knew this was probably the case. I'll give it a crack. I find it a lot easier to write stuff with a nice backing grove.

While we're on the subject, what's the most effective way of making these drum programs sound a little more humanoid by giving it some dynamics?

Varying the velocity of the hi hats is a good start. Drummers will hit harder on the beat than off the beat.