Who’s the top drummer?
Roland U.S. is looking for the nation’s best drummer with the 2010 V-Drums Contest. Here’s their press release with all the details…
Co-sponsored by DRUM! magazine, Remo, Drum Workshop, and Blue Man Group, the V-Drums Contest gives drummers the chance to compete at the local, regional, and national level with solo drum performances on the TD-20SX V-Pro® Series V-Drums, and win professional percussion gear and swag along the way.
Start by submitting a digital audition to qualify for one of 28 preliminary competitions to be held at a local music retailer, and the result could be a slot in the regional competition, or even the National Finals in Las Vegas, Nevada. Entries will be judged and selected by Roland U.S., who will be looking for musicianship, stage presence, and creative uses of technology in drum performances.
Digital auditions are being taken now through August 31, 2010, at www.RolandUS.com/VDrumsContest
Digital Audition – August 1st – August 31st
Visit www.RolandUS.com/VDrumsContest
to enter at one of 28 preliminary locations.
15 contestants per location will be chosen to compete in preliminary round
Preliminary Round – September 14th
- One winner from each preliminary location will be chosen to compete in regional round
Preliminary Winner Prize:
- RMP-5 Rhythm Coach®
- PDS-2 Pad Stand
- Goodie Bags sponsored by Remo, Drum Workshop, DRUM!, and Blue Man Group
Regional Round – October 5th
- One winner from each regional round will be chosen to compete in the National Finals
Regional Winner Prize:
- OCTAPADâ„¢ SPD-30 Percussion Pad
- PDS-10 Pad Stand
- Gift Bags sponsored by Remo, Drum Workshop, DRUM!, and Blue Man Group
National Finals – November 4th
- Sam Ash Music – Las Vegas, Nevada
- Celebrity Judges from Co-Sponsors, Drum Artists
- Guest performances by Blue Man Group and Thomas Lang
Grand Prize Winner
- TD-20SX V-Pro Series V-Drums Kit
- PM-30 Personal Monitor Amplifier
- DW 9000-Series: Hi-Hat Stand, Snare Stand, Double Pedal, Throne
- Remo Custom shell wraps
Second Place
- TD-9SX V-Tour® Series V-Drums Kit
- DW 5000-Series: Double Pedal, Throne
More information:
Sound Activated Drum Light
Who wouldn´t want this 
Just kidding..
Updated drum sequencer for Native Instruments Reaktor
Peter Dines has updated ParamDrum, a drum sequencer for Native Instruments Reaktor.
The impossible has happened: a ParamDrum update.
It’s got a brilliant skin courtesy of Jonathan Style, a new sound set based on samples from a very popular hardware synth (can you name it?), and at the moment only four new snaps. I could delay release and make more presets, but I want to get this out as soon as possible considering what a wait it’s been since the last update.
ParamDrum for Reaktor is available to purchase for $12.50 USD. The update is free for existing users. Note: this new skinned version only works in Reaktor 5.5 beta.
More information: Peter Dines / ParamDrum
Learn to be a drummer
A step by step tutorial, more can be found on their Youtube channel, or you can simply skip it and use a drum machine
Exploring the KORG wavedrum
This is the official introduction video for the Korg Wavedrum.
Featuring performances by Peter Michael Escovedo, Efrain Toro, Jeff Campitelli, and Joe Russo of the Benevento/Russo Duo.
Sonically richer, programmable, and intensely sensitive, this 2nd generation WAVEDRUM is bursting with more than enough power and expression to create its own musical legend. The extreme dynamic range challenges the response of an acoustic instrument. WAVEDRUM responds instantly to any and all playing styles, from subtly-nuanced tapping and stroking to aggressive, rhythmic assaults. From traditional acoustic percussion instruments to unique sounds previously impossible to obtain, WAVEDRUM serves up an enticing treasure trove of sounds. With WAVEDRUM, you’re always in control. Instruments that normally require special techniques to play, such as tabla, conga, etc., can be played with ease. Create your own unique performance style, filled with unparalleled levels of expression and originality. Built to travel, the compact and lightweight WAVEDRUM is ideal wherever your musical dreams take you – from casual playing through to a full-on recording session or a live concert performance.
Analog Drumsynth à la Kraftwerk
For those who want stereo output only, here is a version with individual pan.
Live drum sounds for Reason – tutorial
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=875-d0wHPDk]
This drum kit produced by the Propellerhead team offer something above and beyond simple one-shot samples of drum sounds with features such as:
- Multi-samples of expensive drum kits so that notes played at different velocities reflect the nuance of the real thing.
- Drum hits recorded with different sticks, brushes, mics and mic placements with the ability to mix between mics allowing you to tweak mic and room dynamics for each channel.
Below is a video showing Josh Mobley aka Neoverse drumming away with Reason Drum Kits 2.0. Shot while taking a break during production of MPR4
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6J9in1JgigU]
Freeware: Groove Analogizer – audio controlled drum synthesizer
Groove Analogizer is an “audio controlled drum synthesizer”, it means that like a vintage electronic drum tone generator (e.g. Simmons) the percussion sound is triggered by an audio input, not by a MIDI message. This also means that you must not load, in the host, Groove Analogizer as a VST instrument, it loads as a VST effect, usually in an insert slot.
But it’s really a synth: the sound of three oscillators is triggered and shaped by the audio input in many ways.Groove Analogizer is an “audio controlled drum synthesizer” or a drum tone generator triggered by an audio input rather than a MIDI message.
Groove Analogizer must load as a VST effect, even though it’s actually a closer to a synth. Sounds of three oscillators are triggered and shaped by your audio in. Here’s how triggering works:
Any sort of percussive (meaning anything with a fast attack and moderate to fast decay / release) sound can be triggered in mono or stereo as a .wav file or VST instrument. Three generators each allow you to select left, right or left+right inputs before a band pass filter defines which frequency range will work as the trigger.
This allows you to create different patterns from a single audio source by separating the hi, mid and low tones. You can also use a Pre-Listening feature to monitor your trigger. The Sensitivity control more precisely selects the loudest triggers so that you can take or leave ghost notes as triggers.
If you want to move beyond the 128 presets, you’re afforded ample control:
- Sound Controls For each generator:
- Release time: amplitude and pitch envelope time
- Bending: positive or negative pitch envelope amount
- Offset : pitch base
- Timbre: from pure tone to noise, with FM option. New: overtone mode
- Output Controls For each generator:
- Effect: send to internal stereo delay
- Pan: stereo image
- Volume: output level
- Master Controls:
- FM: global amount
- Smooth: slope time for all envelopes
- Delay effect controls
- Dry: output of the trigger (source audio)
- Master : output level of all three generators
Electronic download pack for a nice price (4.99€)
Glitch Gumbo Vol 1 is a new download pack featuring electronic breaks and percussion loops. It is aimed at adventurous producers of breaks, IDM, techno and other electronic music styles. Glitch Gumbo Vol 1 is available in PC and Mac loop formats at the introductory price of 4.99 EUR.
The emphasis of this download pack is on experimental breaks and beats, while retaining a good dose of funk and groove. The loops build on ideas from IDM, techno and hip-hop to create an original collection of warped percussive sounds. The consistent use of timestretching, granular synthesis and programmed beat deconstruction techniques makes for a futuristic sounding download pack.
The loops are ideal for layering on top of other beats and textures. For the more experimental producers, they also lend themselves nicely to beat slicing, pitch shifting and other DSP trickery. Lastly, the beats can be used for spicing up hip-hop rhythms with a touch of glitch. All loops contain a convenient BPM tempo indication in the track title.
The Atypical Audio website provides previews of the loops as well as a Glitch Gumbo free download pack. This pack contains similar sounding loops made during the production of Glitch Gumbo Vol 1. Separate sounds are also made available for free in the form of two kits for Native Instruments’ Battery. All files can be downloaded from the Atypical Audio website.
– Glitch Gumbo Vol 1
– Electronic breaks and percussion loops
– Instant Download Pack of 66 loops
– Acid Loops & Apple Loops formats
– 16 bit / 44.1 kHz
– Royalty free
– Available from January 2008 on the Atypical Audio website
– Introductory price of 4.99 EUR until April 2008
– Website: www.atypicalaudio.com
Atypical Audio
www.atypicalaudio.com
Kraftwerk => Karl Bartos => Drummer boy
Need help with your percussions, why not be inspired by the masters and get yourself a real electro beat, LOL or perhaps not…
15 DUETS FOR SNARE DRUM
Between the records “TOUR DE FRANCE” (1984) and “ELECTRIC CAFE” (1986) work at the Kling Klang Studio – being a classically-trained percussionist he tied in with his studies at the Robert Schumann institute and started to compose several pieces for percussion instruments. In 1990 the “Fifteen exercises for two snare drums” were released by the renown publisher Zimmermann in Frankfurt, appearing in the series DUO FOR PERCUSSION.
These intermediate duets for snare drum contain fifteen studies, which include the use of frequent dynamic changes, all standard meters, embellishments, and rolls of varying duration.
Karl Bartos: “The purpose of this text is to provide the intermediate student with practical duets which will aid in developing the rhythmic discipline necessary for ensemble playing.”
DATAMASKIN
