Blues drum loops?

[rcat]

Do blues drum loops exist, and if so can someone point me in the right direction? Thank you.

[M'Snah]

http://www.betamonkeymusic.com/V3.html

groove monkey has a blues MIDI offering.

And there have been reviews (or ads, not sure) in SOS last year of several blues loops CD's. maybe google can help you there.

[Max el Belga]

A good idea is , indeed, to use blues midi files, mute the other instruments and record the drum loop.
Now I did a little collaboration on a blues theme at The Auditorium. You could download the drum part and, maybe it´s useful for ye. You can get it over here : http://www.audioshots.com/auditorium/vi ... 45&start=0

Have a nice, bluesy weekend !

[GreyLion]

Big library of MIDI loops for many styles here, including the blues quite extensively, for $50: www.drumtrax.com

Most of the songs are pretty long and varied, so you can cut them up and make new patterns easily.

Then run the patterns through Jamstix and you have something very nice.

IMHO, you'll end up with something much better and more flexible than a loop package can offer.

And you need JamStix anyhow, if you don't already have it...

Take care,

GreyLion

[The Chase]

the dnbmassive library that was just posted has some great ones

[G&L_player]

Big library of MIDI loops for many styles here, including the blues quite extensively, for $50: www.drumtrax.com

Most of the songs are pretty long and varied, so you can cut them up and make new patterns easily.

Then run the patterns through Jamstix and you have something very nice.

IMHO, you'll end up with something much better and more flexible than a loop package can offer.

And you need JamStix anyhow, if you don't already have it...

Take care,

GreyLion

GreyLion- I never knew this product existed. Thanks, for the scoop. The requirements simply call for MIDI sequencing software, and I also read that the quality really depends on the drum samples. I'm using CUbase SX3; Battery; and have a slew of fine drum samples. Any idea how well this product works outside of the Cakewalk circle?

[G&L_player]

http://www.betamonkeymusic.com/V3.html

groove monkey has a blues MIDI offering.

And there have been reviews (or ads, not sure) in SOS last year of several blues loops CD's. maybe google can help you there.

These are pretty good loops. Be prepared to spend some time (i.e. listening; cut/pasting; etc...) assembling a tune, like you would with any sample set. They certainly offer enough variations. Also, the REX files that I got were not set properly, and I had to set the timing correctly for many of them. This, is not to knock the quality of the loops themselves, just some sloppy packaging by the REX converter person. All in all, I'd definitely recommend them.

[herodotus]

This was made completely with these loops.

If you like it you might want to check them out.

[james0tucson]

This was made completely with these loops.

If you like it you might want to check them out.

Can't say I understand what's going on with that web page. It sounds just nuts. I already own ER/DG/Fuel, I'm just wondering if you mean for those demo sounds to
be so harsh and intermittent.

[G&L_player]

Actually, Beta Monkey has some demos on their site, as well. For what they charge, it's definitely worth picking up a three-pack or two.

[herodotus]

This was made completely with these loops.

If you like it you might want to check them out.

Can't say I understand what's going on with that web page. It sounds just nuts.

Can't say as I can either.

Fixing up the site has been postponed to the post-holiday period.

Assuming there is such a time.

Marriage......sigh......

[GreyLion]

Hey, G&L -- I don't think it much matters about which sequencer/host you use, assuming that you have something that will play the MIDI files. I'd think Battery would sound fine, though I've never used it. DrumTrax has been around a long time, but has a LOT of MIDI measures, supposedly played in by pro drummers, not just programmed.

I use Tracktion NFR and recently got EXT, no problems with them. Like everything else that's pre-programmed, you have to mess with the sequences to make them your own. That's a lot easier to do with MIDI than with audio loops. For me, anyhow. I know there are all kinds of audio loop beat-slicers and groove re-arrangers, but I've never used them.

However, I'm a lousy drum beat programmer, so JamStix has been magic for me. I like to cut out a couple of measures from a DrumTrax song, and run them through JamStix, looping for about a hundred repetitions. Just let the program evolve a jam, write it all out to MIDI, then look through those measures for something that pleases me. There's usually some gold in there, some parts that sound extremely 'alive' to me.

I'm really cheap -- I've got tons of samples and loops around the house from all those years of compulsively buying Computer Music Magazine, but, honestly, these days, I mostly just use the sounds inside JamStix, DK+, and the BFD demo. (DK+ and JamStix also have blues and other patterns in them, and you can program your own.)

The SR-202 still rocks if you just want to quickly load up some samples and see how they sound. But DK+ can load samples pretty easily, with velocity-mapping and all sorts of other cool stuff. Which I'm still not even close to being on top of.

The problem, of course, is that there's so much great, affordable stuff out there, with new stuff constantly coming out, that I end up making pieces of songs and not finishing, because it's so seductive to play with the software and tweak endlessly, looking for the perfect Thing, whatever that might be. EXT is eating my brain this month, for instance.

Anyhow, I got way off topic here... Sorry... But I still haven't lost my sense of wonder that we've got inexpensive tools at our disposal that couldn't be had in million-dollar pro studios a decade ago. There's no longer anything preventing us from making great music.

And this year, with JamStix and DK+, the final pieces for me seem to have come into existence. Drums were always the thing that hung me up. Now, all that remains is to quit screwing around looking for perfection and just....do the work.

Take care,

GreyLion

[G&L_player]

Hey, G&L -- I don't think it much matters about which sequencer/host you use, assuming that you have something that will play the MIDI files. I'd think Battery would sound fine, though I've never used it. DrumTrax has been around a long time, but has a LOT of MIDI measures, supposedly played in by pro drummers, not just programmed.

I use Tracktion NFR and recently got EXT, no problems with them. Like everything else that's pre-programmed, you have to mess with the sequences to make them your own. That's a lot easier to do with MIDI than with audio loops. For me, anyhow. I know there are all kinds of audio loop beat-slicers and groove re-arrangers, but I've never used them.

However, I'm a lousy drum beat programmer, so JamStix has been magic for me. I like to cut out a couple of measures from a DrumTrax song, and run them through JamStix, looping for about a hundred repetitions. Just let the program evolve a jam, write it all out to MIDI, then look through those measures for something that pleases me. There's usually some gold in there, some parts that sound extremely 'alive' to me.

I'm really cheap -- I've got tons of samples and loops around the house from all those years of compulsively buying Computer Music Magazine, but, honestly, these days, I mostly just use the sounds inside JamStix, DK+, and the BFD demo. (DK+ and JamStix also have blues and other patterns in them, and you can program your own.)

The SR-202 still rocks if you just want to quickly load up some samples and see how they sound. But DK+ can load samples pretty easily, with velocity-mapping and all sorts of other cool stuff. Which I'm still not even close to being on top of.

The problem, of course, is that there's so much great, affordable stuff out there, with new stuff constantly coming out, that I end up making pieces of songs and not finishing, because it's so seductive to play with the software and tweak endlessly, looking for the perfect Thing, whatever that might be. EXT is eating my brain this month, for instance.

Anyhow, I got way off topic here... Sorry... But I still haven't lost my sense of wonder that we've got inexpensive tools at our disposal that couldn't be had in million-dollar pro studios a decade ago. There's no longer anything preventing us from making great music.

And this year, with JamStix and DK+, the final pieces for me seem to have come into existence. Drums were always the thing that hung me up. Now, all that remains is to quit screwing around looking for perfection and just....do the work.

Take care,

GreyLion

Thanks, a LOT, Grey! I really appreciate the time you took to write up a worthy reply and set me straight on DK+.

Although, I've got tons of great drum loops (i.e. REX2 files), many times, I'd rather have the MIDI files to use my sampler with, as the drum samples that I supply are often a much better quality. In addition, I'm always looking for a new/better way to set the table for a new tune, as opposed to the listen-cut-n-paste method that seems to come with the standard loops.

For $49.95, DK+ seems to be worth the investment, although I have no idea what Jamstix is, so I'll do a little research. I'm kinda miffed that I have never heard of these products, as I keep up on this stuff. No problems; only solutions.

Thanks, again and have a Happy Christmas!
G&L

[GreyLion]

You're welcome, G&L!

JamStix is the best damn program in the world for making drum tracks. It's almost a religious experience for me, since I've been so frustrated with my drum programming for so long.

Go to www.rayzoon.com and buy the JamStix Jamboree. I absolutely promise you that you'll think it's the best money you've ever spent on music software.

Yeah, I know I sound over-the-top. Try the demo, and you'll see why.

Take care,

GreyLion

[Improv]

For $49.95, DK+ seems to be worth the investment, although I have no idea what Jamstix is, so I'll do a little research. I'm kinda miffed that I have never heard of these products, as I keep up on this stuff. No problems; only solutions.

If you want to keep up, hang around kvraudio. Besides DK+, you might want to check out Linplug RMIV and FXpansion DR008. Both have demoes. As for Jamstix, the main deal is that it can jam parts based on what you play. You slow down, it slows down. You get more complicated, it gets more complicated.

Go grab the demo and read the web site:

http://www.rayzoon.com/