How to Play Realistic Drum Beats on a Keyboard

[@sweetwater]

Why should drummers have all the fun? Keyboardists, get your drumming on with these simple tips from Sweetwater’s Jacob Dupre! Want more keyboard lessons? Click here 👉 kzbin.info/aero/PLlczpwSXEOybFzNBWKH-43gw_c4qWLv7s

[@kevinperry3639]

These great tips are very helpful! And a great video too, thanks for sharing 🤘

[@robertclarkguitar]

This is what I used on all my workstations. Beating them live along with the melody or chords always felt better than automated loops.

[@firestormsentry80]

Great presentation. I had previously not thought much beyond virtual drum tracks, especially as I am not a drummer. Now I know why many keyboards these days come with several drum presets. Thank you, Jacob and Sweetwater.

[@fredmanteghian5913]

Very useful. I use SD3 and BFD3 before that. I’m not saying I’m good (I’m not at all) but one tool that helps is, I developed my own custom keyboard map which I use in any “kit” for consistency. The order of the keys from lowest C on my Arturia KeyLab2 is - kick (2 keys), hi-hat (the rest of the octave with lots of articulations), the snares including flam and side sticks, then the toms, 2 each of high, med, low, the three cymbals with 4 articulations each including of course bell, my favourite too! The way I remember these is I used a label maker to print labels and stuck them on the Arturia’s case at the vertical edge of the case just north of the end of the keys. Wish I could take a picture.

[@BrokeAtBestMusic]

Jacob: "I'm not a keyboard drummer" Also Jacob: Cool video, thanks for sharing!

[@drindy5166]

Fantastic vid. Loved it! 👊🧡👍

[@dopesnare]

Stellar

[@michaelchainsoff5035]

I love absolutely straight rhythm, twice quantized, I mean 😂 Don’t wanna let machines replace real drummer! Real drummer is a real, he’s doing his best and I don’t wanna “fake” him 😅 Let the 909 and 808 do what they can - absolutely clear quantized rhythm, no other can do! 😂 btw great video. You should sit to the real drums sometime, it would be great! 😊

[@patrikknoerr9777]

Great. Some decent finger drumming skills are mandatory for better drum tracks. Happy to get new ideas, thank you. I recommend trying an Octapad. I'm just amazed at how different my drum tracks sound now. Not that I'm a drummer. But you still can improve your timing and the results are way better than using simple drum patterns. Just don't forget to take your anti-GAS-medicine, or things are getting out of control in that field as well :) It's a great experience to use a cymbal pad instead of that C# key. Admittedly, the C# key comes practically for free, but I love those pads and cymbals :)

[@drakins7515]

Are you able to “fold” your piano grid so that you only see the drum notes you have recorded? I find this helpful in Ableton but Pro Tools lacks that capability.

[@shadowninja569]

good tutorial we need more yohan kim levels of keyboard druming.

[@hybridjohn1]

Just another day that Sweetwater is making me smarter. #GreatContent

[@ProducerReef]

What Daw is that?

[@datooch]

What DAW was that?

[@DaveMcCall]

That is Bitwig Studio

[@jloiben12]

Ahh quantization. A tool that can be very misapplied. Quantizing, in and of itself, isn’t a bad thing. Playing in time is good. But what you quantize TO matters. If you quantize everything to a straight grid it will sound like a robot. If you quantize all parts to one specific swing amount then you will run into the same sound. If you nudge all the parts a little bit all in the same way then you get the same sound. If you quantize, unless you want that robot sound, be cognizant of what you are quantizing to. You don’t have to do a Dilla but not quantizing everything in the exact same way adds a bit of humanity to the programing

[@michaelhawkins6149]

So many great classic rock songs have variations in time ....they speed up and slow down...its all in the energy of the songs, the human element. That's why I use time automation. It doesn't take much.

[@mariomartinic9247]

Logic drummer will do the job way better and u i need specific unison or fill parts switch to midi and get it done plus humanize function...and all the other features availavle

[@superblondeDotOrg]

15:00 "or if all else fails, just give up and hire a drummer!" ..funny but actually does not work in real-life because drummers can't/don't/won't sight read

[@sureshdegilo6571]

😂😂

[@remotecontrol9874]

Sounds like an unprofessional drummer playing a keyboard. I've played drums since age 8. Get this I use a guitar Harmonix synth pedal to play keyboard parts in songs. I also play guitar. Forget getting a keyboard player or hire one. Let technology replace people in music. Way to go music industry. You're killing off your customer revenue. Fewer musicians = fewer customers

[@BrokeAtBestMusic]

I don't think anybody prefers synth drums to real, do they?! The truth is you can't drum/jam in an apartment/suburbs without pissing SOMEONE off. I can play as loud as I want at 2am and people sleeping the next room are none the wiser. Tech allows so many more people to be musicians!

[@fredmanteghian5913]

But the keyboard drummer doesn’t sleep on your couch. 😂😂 (drum roll please)

[@LittleRichard1988]

Your so f*cking paranoid!

[@LittleRichard1988]

Yeah but hobbyists can't afford to hire musicians and these are top quality drum samples!