Please advice on drum backing tracks (battery?)

[aceplayer]

Hi all,

first post :)

Right, I want to just have some backing tracks for my guitar playing. Nothing fancy, just some basic rhythms which sound ok and where I can change the speed.

I downloaded Battery by native instruments. All well, thousands of options, I get what you can do with it. The one thing I don't understand: How do I make this thing actually play a rhythm??? All I can do is edit sounds and build kits.

I just want to take any of the pre-installed kits and just have it play a regular 4x4 rhythm. I guess that's not what the software is for?

If not, what would you recommend? I don't want to spend half my life programming drum tracks, I just want to click and go and have a little backing for my moderate guitar playing...

Thanks all!

Chris

[Akira]

I have Battery 3 operating within logic audio.

I have to program the beats using "Hyper Edit", which is a bit tedious to say the least, but allows full scoping of the sound of the groove.

If you have the latest Battery version (3), you could hook up a midi keyboard and bash away a basic beat whilst recording the midi data.

[Kevin Taylor]

You have to get some midi drum beats and use recording software like Cubase ect..

[aceplayer]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

So really, I need to start recording my own drum beats? I can't believe there isn't a software out there which just plays a basic 4x4 for you, surely this must exist! That's just one step up from a metronome...

I'll do some digging and post here if I find something...

Cheers

Chris

[Kevin Taylor]

There probably is.. don't know it off hand though.
You could always just grab a bunch of drum loops too btw.
All you need is a way to play them back.

[R. Shackleferd]

Posting a similar thread myself awhile back, I was recommended Smart Loops. (http://www.smartloops.com/products/acid-loops.php)
It's a cd with .wav files of 1-2 sec drum beats and fills that you lay out sequentially as necessary. The audio quality is great, there's lots of pre-set loops of various styles, and all the individual hits should you ever want to create your own from scratch or add on top of the loops.
Working with it would limit you to playing with or near your pc though, unless you burned a cd of your finished beats. And the samples come in rates of 75 and 100 bpm...to change these further require whatever audio program of choice to speed up/slow down without drastically changing the integrity of the sound.

Otherwise perhaps just a simple drum machine that could be in your signal chain to your amp is what you need. They've gotten pretty cheap and even many effects processors like Digitech RP pedals come with practice loops that are really good for practicing purposes.

[Kevin Taylor]

You could always check out the Jam section at Guitar Tricks as well.
There's a whole bunch of loops in various keys and styles to practice to.

[Julian Vickers]

I use FL Studio to create my drum beats, as well as pretty much everything else. I would go as far as to say that it's the best option.

[aceplayer]

Thanks for the kind help all!

In the end I just dug out an old copy of Cubase and started programming a few basic rhythms. After all it just takes a couple of minutes to create one of these.

I also got a copy of Guitar Pro. Doesn't sound very nice but enough for practice. And if I hear sth I like in there I'll just re-create it in Cubase :)

Cheers

Chris

[Kevin Taylor]

I've got several thousand midi files of drum loops (basically divided up into sections of songs) It's still on my HD somewhere so if you want a copy, just send me your email to spam1@93744050.onlinehome.us

... and I'll do a search & either send it or give ya a link - just PM me through Guitar Tricks

I use them all the time with Battery, however you have to assign the drum sounds to the kits.
Most time you can use the standard setting but every once in awhile you get some weird sounds.