Recording with a drum machine

[Sleepy_poet]

What is the best way to record an Alesis SR-16 drum machine onto 8 track 1/2" tape?
Should I run it through anything before it hits the tape?

Also, I am concerned about levels. What if I record it and then when it comes time for the mixing process, it needs more toms? Or more snare/kick or cymbals?

Can someone give me the low down on making my drum machine tracks sound good?

I don't plan on getting a real drummer anytime soon. So I am gonna have to make the best out of this SR-16

[Brian Brock]

Well the standard answer is patch it on there an hear what you think. I personally like to do some kind of fancy tricks to my drum machines, and if you do it on the way to tape you have that sound as a reference for later tracks.

By fancy tricks I mean distortion, effects, compression, eq.

As far as finding out that the toms are too quiet, unless that drum machine has individual outputs for each sound (some drum machines that only have a stereo out can be modded to have individual outputs), you're basically screwed. Even with individual outputs, you're using up some valuable tracks on that eight track, so you'd want to bounce, and then you're back to wondering if the toms are too quiet. You can always eq it (ie find a frequency that the toms like but that nothing else has in large quantities and boost it, or cut a few other frequencies and boost the whole track) but then you're bound to be changing the sound that you liked in the first place, but then again you might like something new sometimes, too.

Basically, a drum machine is a nasty little beast that will mess you up, and the best thing to do is to bow to it and allow it to do its thing. Otherwise, get a different drum machine or learn to play the drums (which is really fun).

Uhh... ok, I'm typing a lot.

[Sleepy_poet]

Haha, that sucks!

What the hell are drums machines for then? lol.

[inverseroom]

Drum machines are awesome, and yes, you've gotta just take what you get...just like with a real drummer. So program the shit out of that thing.

I always say, usually to myself, waking up my wife in the middle of the night, "You should spend as much time on your sequencing as you would practicing on a real kit." And then she's like, "Go to sleep, dammit," and I'm like, "Step off, bitch!," and I'm cuddling the drum machine on the sofa all night long.

[person444]

i believe that there are four outputs on the sr16. (it's been a while.)
and i think you can pan out the individual drum sounds to different tracks.
this gives you lots of options when recording to tape.
eg. kick to output 1 panned hard left. snare to out 1 panned hard right. and everything else in stereo on out 2.
(or toms to 2L and cymbals and high hat to 2R. or send pitched cowbells to an output as the main melodic riff for your song.)

you can throw different effects on different drum sounds. reverb the whole drummix or just the snare. bounce down if you want.

I remember quite fondly when the only gear i had was an HR16 and a 4track cassette recorder. much fun.

[lancebug]

I have a boss dr660, and I prety much always run it through a dbx 163a for a start. It basically always sounds better this way.

[bobbydj]

i believe that there are four outputs on the sr16. (it's been a while.

You're right.

[Sleepy_poet]

Another thing is the "Big Knob". Should I turn the volume up all the way? I read somewhere that you should turn keyboards up to about 3:00, should I do that with the drum machine?

I plan to program the shit out of the tracks. I'm gonna step edit the velocity and all that to get it sound as close to a real drummer as I can. One thing I really want to focus on is taking away that "sterile" sound of a drum machine. Even though I am recording to tape, I don't think that that alone will be enough to Unstrilize the squeaky clean drum machine.
I was actually thinking about buying a preamp or somethign that I can run the drum machine through to warm up the signal. I actually have 2 ART Pro VLA's on the way, so maybe that could do some good?
I have heard that a bit of compression on a drum machine will kinda "glue" it together. If I use the 4 different outputs, should I compress during the mixing process? I suppose I could slam the kick and snare to tape...but I'm afraid that will bring out some weird electronic sound of some sort.

[bickle]

You could always try running it through an amp and mic'ing that up...I did an old Yamaha drum machine through a really old Silvertone the other day, and it sounded killer (certainly not 'realistic', though). Just be careful not to blow yr amp.
I'm not too into the idea of making a drum machine sound like a real drummer, though - it never really will anyway. Why not just use it for what it is, and exploit the possiblities it offers that aren't available w/ a real drummer?

[sears]

the sr-16 crash samples are kind of short. pff! I recommend sync'ing it and the tape machine together with an external sequencer. Then you can fine-tune levels and change the sounds inside the "Drum Set" and then re-record it after more tracking.

[Mane1234]

That's a setup that I still use when I'm just working on some ideas for songs. I've found that I can treat the SR-16 like a drummer as far as signal path goes. I generally use all four outputs for the most control over level and sound quality and then mix down to 2 trks after I'm done getting sounds to tape. I always have the big knob all the way up and use the individual settings on the drum sounds to control volume and such. Like it was said earlier kick and snare panned hard left and right in the main mix and then toms and cymbols panned wherever throughout the aux 1 and 2 outputs.

Kick and snare get run through a DBX tube pre and then through compressors usually a DBX or sometimes through a pair of UREI LA 4's. It just depends on what I'm looking for. I don't spend a whole lot of time on it these days. Just enough for a live drummer to be able to get the general idea. My TSR 8 was set up for Quantegy 499 tape so I could hit the level pretty hard and it would still sound good.

[Justin Foley]

Hi.

My band uses a Boss DR660. I think it's a pretty equivalent machine.

For years we ran it into a reverb unit until I realized that I don't like the sound of a fake reverb. Now we amp it into a decent sounding room and record a stereo feed of the ambient sound. This gets mixed with the direct sound coming out of the machine, checking for phase. It still sounds like a drum machine, but I like the sound of natural reverberation. Besides, that's what it sounds like when people see us play.

I don't get why you wouldn't run it as hot as your input device (tape machine, mixing board, preamp, whatever) would allow @ 0db. Higher volume will equal a better S:N ratio. I would be surprised if your drum box could be turned up enough to be distorting on the audio outputs.

As for the levels, the posts above do a pretty good job telling you what to do. Best is to take the time to listen to the thing while it's playing and adjust your levels at the source.

Good luck,

= Justin

[vvv]

The main problem with a drum machine sounding like a drum machine is that what you typically hear from the use of a drum machine is being played by the machine.

So, play the thing; add grace notes on the snare, especially if they are detuned, play your crash cymbals live on it, change the tempo as you go into the chorus, bridge, etc.

On the machine itself, turn off the quantisation. Stack the sounds. De-tune; I always use at least two different tunings on the snare, for example. The SR16 allows velocity adjustment, also; try that.

Outboard effects, especially compressors to smash and extend the cymbals, can help alot. Consider a global reverb.

Then, add to the machine tracks. Add tambo, cowbell, live cymbals, shakers, etc.

As above, "re-amping" and/or room mic's can change the sound; a buss to a smashing compressor or distortion effect brought back underneath can be usefull, too.

Oh, and don't pan too wide in the two-mix.

[orbb]

Another thing is the "Big Knob". Should I turn the volume up all the way? I read somewhere that you should turn keyboards up to about 3:00, should I do that with the drum machine?

I have one and it puts out a lot of noise & hiss when the volume is way up. I generally run mine into the board and then try to eq some of the noise out of it.

[mrclean]

I have its older brother the HR-16 and recommend using all 4 outs as described above. This way you can treat the snare and kick individually and the rest go panned stereo.

I'd say go either two ways with it - 1. Program as much feel and dynamics you can into your patterns. Program slightly different patterns for the same part like a verse or chorus and alternate them. OR - 2. Go the other way and emphasize the machine and artificial-ness of it all.