Custom Drum Tracks - Make The Right Choice
This article is designed to help you make a good choice when seeking an online session drummer to record custom drum tracks for your music.
There are several characteristics or qualities that you should look for in an online studio drummer.
Let me first point out a technical skill that most recording situations call for in a studio drummer, online or otherwise: the ability to play with a click track.
When a custom drum track is played accurately with the click, it makes any possible editing much easier.
For example, if you have three takes of a song and each take is nailed to the click, you can use the first verse from the second take, the choruses from the first take, and the bridge from the third, or any combination of sections you wish.
But the editing together of different takes to make the perfect custom drum track would be very difficult and at times impossible if not done with a click.
So for most situations the ability to accurately play to a click is a good starting point, but that skill alone is not sufficient.
Some online studio drummers might play accurately to a click but may lack groove, feel, energy, and dynamics.
Avoid the multitudes of online session drummers who play accurately to the click but sound robotic while doing so.
You do not want your custom drum tracks to be lacking musically, even if they are done technically well.
This leads me to speak of more musical concerns regarding your online custom drum tracks now that we have covered the technical prerequisite of being able to nail a click track.
Musicality is what makes a custom drum track great.
What constitutes musical playing? Well, to some extent that varies between songs and, of course, styles of music.
One important factor is need for the online session drummer to play with the proper "touch" for the custom drum track.
For example, if your song is in the style of Antonio Carlos Jobim, it is not enough for the online studio drummer to simply play a bossa nova pattern to the click.
The playing would need to have a "lightness" reminiscent of the way a Brazillian drumset player would play.
By the same token, if your song is in the style of Nirvana then the drummer must be able to bash those drums -- yet still be able to create dynamic and textural contrast.
Energy is also very important.
You do not want your custom drum tracks to sound like the online session drummer was just "going through the motions" or "phoning it in".
The right energy and vibe has to be there from the start of the drum track and must build as the song progresses, moving in the natural direction of the music.
The online studio drummer you choose must be able to "lead" the dynamics, energy, and vibe throughout the song.
Another important musical factor for your custom drum tracks is that the drummer must play a part that makes sense with what the other instruments and the vocals are doing.
The drum part does not necessarily need to "mimic" the bass part, but must be in the same flow -- not going against the grain.
The drum part also needs to be out of the way of other things going on, especially vocals.
An online session drummer with a good sense of musicality will know when to give vocals space and when to reinforce certain vocal rhythms.
Do not accept custom drum tracks that are too busily played and stepping all over the vocal parts! Of course, if busy playing is musically appropriate then the drummer should go for it.
Bottom line, the drummer must play in a way that serves the music.
Lastly, when you get custom drum tracks online you want to make sure to hire a drummer who can come up with ideas but still be totally open to instruction.
This is because for some songs you may not have a specific part in mind, so you want be able to trust the session drummer to come up with something good on his own.
However, you may have a very specific part in mind and if so the drummer must be able to give you exactly that part for your custom drum tracks.
Keep in mind that if you want a very specific part to be played, you may want to send the online session drummer a chart -- which of course the drummer must be able to read, so if you have charts make sure you hire a reading drummer! Hopefully this article will help you choose an online session drummer who will provide you with custom drum tracks that are grooving, dynamic, and energetic.
As always, good luck with your music.
There are several characteristics or qualities that you should look for in an online studio drummer.
Let me first point out a technical skill that most recording situations call for in a studio drummer, online or otherwise: the ability to play with a click track.
When a custom drum track is played accurately with the click, it makes any possible editing much easier.
For example, if you have three takes of a song and each take is nailed to the click, you can use the first verse from the second take, the choruses from the first take, and the bridge from the third, or any combination of sections you wish.
But the editing together of different takes to make the perfect custom drum track would be very difficult and at times impossible if not done with a click.
So for most situations the ability to accurately play to a click is a good starting point, but that skill alone is not sufficient.
Some online studio drummers might play accurately to a click but may lack groove, feel, energy, and dynamics.
Avoid the multitudes of online session drummers who play accurately to the click but sound robotic while doing so.
You do not want your custom drum tracks to be lacking musically, even if they are done technically well.
This leads me to speak of more musical concerns regarding your online custom drum tracks now that we have covered the technical prerequisite of being able to nail a click track.
Musicality is what makes a custom drum track great.
What constitutes musical playing? Well, to some extent that varies between songs and, of course, styles of music.
One important factor is need for the online session drummer to play with the proper "touch" for the custom drum track.
For example, if your song is in the style of Antonio Carlos Jobim, it is not enough for the online studio drummer to simply play a bossa nova pattern to the click.
The playing would need to have a "lightness" reminiscent of the way a Brazillian drumset player would play.
By the same token, if your song is in the style of Nirvana then the drummer must be able to bash those drums -- yet still be able to create dynamic and textural contrast.
Energy is also very important.
You do not want your custom drum tracks to sound like the online session drummer was just "going through the motions" or "phoning it in".
The right energy and vibe has to be there from the start of the drum track and must build as the song progresses, moving in the natural direction of the music.
The online studio drummer you choose must be able to "lead" the dynamics, energy, and vibe throughout the song.
Another important musical factor for your custom drum tracks is that the drummer must play a part that makes sense with what the other instruments and the vocals are doing.
The drum part does not necessarily need to "mimic" the bass part, but must be in the same flow -- not going against the grain.
The drum part also needs to be out of the way of other things going on, especially vocals.
An online session drummer with a good sense of musicality will know when to give vocals space and when to reinforce certain vocal rhythms.
Do not accept custom drum tracks that are too busily played and stepping all over the vocal parts! Of course, if busy playing is musically appropriate then the drummer should go for it.
Bottom line, the drummer must play in a way that serves the music.
Lastly, when you get custom drum tracks online you want to make sure to hire a drummer who can come up with ideas but still be totally open to instruction.
This is because for some songs you may not have a specific part in mind, so you want be able to trust the session drummer to come up with something good on his own.
However, you may have a very specific part in mind and if so the drummer must be able to give you exactly that part for your custom drum tracks.
Keep in mind that if you want a very specific part to be played, you may want to send the online session drummer a chart -- which of course the drummer must be able to read, so if you have charts make sure you hire a reading drummer! Hopefully this article will help you choose an online session drummer who will provide you with custom drum tracks that are grooving, dynamic, and energetic.
As always, good luck with your music.
