Part 1 of 2: Misha Mansoor's Drum Programming Tips

[@Manas-co8wl]

Don't mind me just some markups. 1:22 Mapping 2:46 Basic 4:18 Basic Kick Snare 8:53 Shuffle 9:46 Shuffle Kick Snare 12:47 +Ghost Snare + Ride Bell/Tip 13:21 +Crash Cymbals

[@philiphugoofficial]

When programming drums I always assume my drummer is an octopus

[@amanchaure5584]

hahahahah LoL

[@duckduckgo358]

lolololololol HaH

[@amanchaure5584]

@@duckduckgo358 😂

[@Doppelus]

😆

[@pattysmusic524]

This comment is underrated haha

[@wseeback]

Misha, man, you're a natural at this shit. Explaining things, walkthroughs ect. You have a pleasant speaking voice, and a nice, calm demeanor. And you don't act as if you're a know-it-all. We appreciate it.

[@theericbeaty]

Great video. It makes a lot more sense to me now and takes some of the fear and intimidation of programming drums out of the recording process.

[@OhDelta9]

Misha, as an aspiring prog artist with no literal friends who listen to the genre or are aficionados like I am, this is a god send. Drummers are a rarity, and I don't know anyone willing to play something other than metallica covers. I Just got an axe fx2, and looking to get FRFR's but I'm almost always broke. Thanks so much for this. Looking forward to what you put out next.

[@KarlDutschke]

I am a prog drummer, but I know them feels man. I know about 2 other people who like prog...

[@TheSeal616]

Karl Dutschke Seems like this is always the case... Same here

[@OhDelta9]

We should start an internet band... Same way the safety fire handled their first release, we could send files back and forth?

[@joshpehrs]

I drum prog, too...let me know if you need anyone else involved if you do end up sharing files!

[@rumbachumba330]

7 years of experience with dirty growls n shit if its what you guys are into.

[@RoPanuganti]

Thanks so much for doing this, I think last video myself and many people requested this. Can't wait for Part 2, and to use all this new info!

[@jonathanparecki]

Don't lie, you can wait.

[@GuitarHeroandLegend]

*need to wait. :P

[@insaneintherainmusic]

oh, hi.

[@SixteenInMono]

jparecki95 Reviving old thread because lel

[@jonathanparecki]

#shrekt

[@itslongdick]

Misha is so thoughtful to have considered everyone into his mind

[@returntolifeband]

"You need to know what's possible with 4 limbs" Puts two ghost notes directly in front of a double cymbal hit

[@sergeantslowpoke1550]

I mean matt could probably do it

[@Nightmoore]

Just stumbled on this channel, and I don't think I've seen anybody on KZbin that explains real world drum programming this well. The ghost note thing blew my mind. Please keep dropping more stuff on us like this. It's greatly appreciated!!!!

[@RadjiMillette]

Dood. Just wanted to say that I'm very thankful and grateful that you take the time to show us how you do your thing. It's very awesome of you to set time aside to help us bedroom producers. Much appreciated!

[@VincenzoAvallone]

we need a sound placing and mixing tips video too!

[@trapOrdoom]

Wow much appreciated Misha, and Jeff. Many thanks for not only doing this video for your fans, but also just communicating with us as a whole. Cheers!

[@toolsound]

I have wished for a video like this for years. Thank you so much!

[@lordGoldemort]

Getting good workflow is key, too. I like to define a basic beat which occupies just one bar. Name it BeatA-01. Make a copy, edit it a little to make a couple of small variations (extra notes, fewer notes twiddle velocities slightly), name it BeatA-02. Make a copy of BeatA-01, make some different variations, call that BeatA-03. Copy BeatA-01 again, and in the last 1 or 2 beat, delete all the notes and add a fill. Call it BeatA-F1. Repeat the last step a few times to get BeatA-F2, BeatA-F3... with each of the fills as different as possible. Go back to BeatA-01, and add a crash (or crashes at the start). Now you can start sequencing the clips like this: 01, 02, 03, F1, 01, 04, 02, F2, 01, 03, 02, F3, 01, 04, 03, F4 You can now pull tricks like going into the various 01's and changing the cymbal(s) that get hit (try alternating left crash, right crash, and having the first one both crashes). A final trick I like to use is to have a macro that takes ride or hi-hat cymbals and nudges them a few ticks ahead or behind by a random amount, and also changes the velocities by a small amount. The result of all that is a drum beat with interesting variation and a realistic feel.

[@scarlaria3376]

Misha this is perfect, i think when you're done with your Drum series, please do a final one to show us how to bring every instrument (Drums, guitars etc) together to create a great mix.

[@bobillathezilla8542]

Misha is awesome for putting this together. Same with all his tutorials. Thanks man.

[@danknittel1250]

Awesome to get a look inside your process. thanks for taking the time to do these!

[@primordial.sounds]

This is cool. Really appreciate all the production tutorials! You guys rock!

[@MetalAllDayAllNight]

Yes! Keep em coming, this is rad to see how Bulb does his thing

[@RustyNotesTV]

you should also do a drum mixing tutorial where you show how to get that drum sound ;)

[@AleKiefer95]

Misha i'm watching now this lessons and i hope i could reach that drum sound some day, i recently installed Superior Drummer 3 but it was such a waste of space in my HDD, you make this plugin sound very professional and it's around 20Gb or less, thanks for this kind of tutorials and for being an inspiration too, you're awesome.

[@MrSabianFaz]

Some very sick tips there dude. Being a drummer my self, i also go into this much detail, it is the secret to creating realistic sounding drums. Subtlety is the key!!

[@etrain8885]

"I don't want anything that's a complete pain in the ass for a drummer to play." Basically the entire first album from Animals as Leaders is a pain in the ass to play, but a really really awesome pain in the ass.

[@JeremiasBonifacio]

And a lot of Periphery songs are so fucking hard

[@PLAZ1990s]

"Not that, that should matter though." Hahaha. Brought me such a good laugh.

[@Ossa9]

For guitarists too trust me we dont get it any easier. IE Cafo and Inamorata

[@massfusionstudio]

Thank you! I've never dabbled with my drum editor in my daw. Definitely will use the tips and tricks you shared. Thank you

[@brunocoliveira89]

Doing this kind of video youre really helping ppl how to produce corectly. Please continue doing that. Thank you.

[@ghstproject]

16:02 Don't be afraid to try things out that would be "impossible" for an actual human. That's what makes a music production so much more fun! Why don't make a drum sequence that only people with 7 arms could play if it sounds cool and fits whatever you are doing! Also nobody that casually listens to music would care about these details or even notice them! If your goal is to create something realistic that would be another case. It always depends but why not cosider adding stuff here and there that could be played with like 3 or even 4 sticks sometimes!

[@chrisdaviesguitar]

How did it take me so long to find this post! Awesome.

[@Excalibaard]

The ghost notes help a great deal, awesome guide and well-explained, thank you so much!

[@TheM1ghtyGuitarist]

I'm having some serious difficulties in mixing everything together.. I just can't get my songs to sound right. A "mixing tips" video would be amazing!

[@PERPowns]

There are a ton of great videos out that cover mixing, just type it in your search bar! I think Misha already has one out on this channel that covers some of his recording/mixing techniques as well.

[@benrhysjenkins]

Go to Ultimatemetal.com and join the recording/mixing forums (Practice Room) man.

[@AkisM]

TheM1ghtyGuitarist Watch Fortiori's extensive mixing guide. Just youtube "Fortiori mixing tutorial". It's the easiest and most in-depth tutorial on youtube

[@TheM1ghtyGuitarist]

Akis Mylordos Thanks man!

[@TheRokkis]

Very helpful, this is some awesome information you're giving out. Your explanations are good and clear! Thank you so much!

[@ChristianFlanders]

Just an FYI for anyone confused, Misha is using the BPM as an 8th note pulse rather than 1/4 notes, so when he clicks in what looks like an 1/8th note on the grid, it's functioning musically as a 1/4 note.

[@driftergrey]

Really good stuff dude. Nice little studio too!

[@IbanMieZ]

Pure GOLD, Misha! Thank you so so much for helpin' out!

[@SstalkerS]

That might defly inspire me to be not lazy, thanks Misha

[@SamBrockmann]

That reinforcement track is a good idea. I'm an amateur at mixing prog metal-ish stuff. I always had to turn the drums WAY UP for them to cut through the mix.

[@liamhindley2582]

I agree the outro is dope! Mansoor could you show in one of your videos how to create a realistic drum roll? Your the man and thanks so much for sharing your knowledge with the world!

[@JoeyC4D]

First watched this video YEARS ago, now I’m back with the ggd plugins

[@boomerriffs]

Is there a video on how you create your drum mix? That would be amazing.

[@JackMcDonnell91]

thanks for doing this Misha. Seems like we work very similarly in programming drums, but it was still very interesting to see your thought process!

[@Rustinpeace117]

I had no idea I could change my drum map. I have to figure out how to do it.. plus being able to select a group of hits and set their velocities. Im using Cubase AI6 so I'm not sure if I can or not. Very useful!

[@peanutismint]

Really useful. Thanks for posting. I *LOVE* your desk/setup! Lots of 'levels', easy access to keys, plectrums. You should do a video walkthrough of your gear! :-)

[@MishaMansoor]

Might could do that at some point.

[@brodiekath13]

Misha Mansoor PLEASE DO!

[@SolitaryLight]

Ahhhhh! That outro! Thanks for the tips Misha, you rock!!

[@blueisournew2sun]

It's about time! lol keep Em coming and keep up the great work

[@j.scottharris5541]

Yes a very good overview. Thanks for this 2 part tutorial.

[@phoebehoughton6698]

MISHA! You are the fucking best. Until now I just kind of gave up whenever I tried to program anything by hand and relied on EZDrummer but this video has allowed me to actually figure it out. I use reaper and realizing that I can change the format to have diamonds like in cubase makes it so much easier! You're the best!

[@AmpsforBuddha]

Excellent Tutorial! …I'm really enjoying your videos.

[@TheGhostOfKarelia1]

Awesome, I just use the piano roll in my DAW to program the midi for superior, and it works perfectly fine too, but the cubase editor looks like it would be much easier. All in all very informative, especially the ghost notes which I'm definitely going to start using. Thanks.

[@KipBrockett]

Great vid & thanks for the tips, Misha! Very useful.

[@robertlangford6639]

These are some of the best fucking tutorials I've ever seen on the net! Misha for world president!

[@TonyHookedonVanlife]

I used to read an online magazine called "Sick Drummer" which has all kinds of info, interviews(guys like Gene Hoglan and Hellhammer), techniques, etc. for metal drumming & I would try to apply that stuff to my own drum programming.

[@shanemeister5478]

These videos are all so legit and helpful! Thanks!

[@TheRenegadeGuitar92]

Been waiting a longtime for this! Absolutely worth the wait! You're the man Misha, hope to get more of these tutorials down the road. ~Zack

[@whoisdark__]

i never thought to use reinforcement samples, thanks for the tips!

[@VoVikMakaR]

omg that kit sounds amazing

[@brianwendt9818]

Love it please keep posting more videos thanks misha!!!

[@TheShreddingHand]

Thanks for this Misha, really great stuff!

[@IsaacSchwartz]

I also would love to get the presets for your superior drummer kit, unless it's like a top secret. Awesome.video man.

[@neilorourke71]

I saw a drummer hit two symbols and a hi hat at the same time once. It was amazing.

[@winstonmetalcore1]

i revisit this video now and then to learn again and again :D

[@CarlGonzalesGuitar]

Now that you use getgood drums, could you giveaway how you process this superior kit?

[@CapuletLeGrand]

The Cubase drums editor looks dope!

[@brandontadday6288]

These tutorials are really helpful! Thanks!

[@mrdave3000]

Dude! great tuts! I mean these vids are a game changer, Thanks a mill!

[@JoshuaLomonaco]

aww yeah! saw on reddit. gonna get in on it!

[@nailay7]

This is sweet, thanks for making this!

[@1hamin1]

Thanks for the useful tips Misha

[@91945punx]

Thanks a lot for taking the time to make this video. :)

[@AllenHarrison]

The song from the carvin demo on your soundcloud that is this video is one of my favorites of yours!

[@mrdrprfkc]

Super informative - It all makes sense now!

[@arguingthehuman4392]

Im late to the party on this video, but at 7:40 when he talks about reinforcing the samples, whats happening there? is it just doubling the midi signal triggering 2 of the same hits but with slight variation from the drum samples? how do you route that?

[@AZO991H]

Excelent job dude, keep it up!!!

[@danielabilez3619]

The funny thing is...imagination. I find that I end up using more jazz than say rock. And I am a rock kinda guy. The other thing is... you gotta start somewhere... I am glad you did this. The quiet in-between notes is just as important.

[@meatballllll]

Dude... Thank you so much for putting this up!

[@lasolasolaso]

Hey misha, u should make a video showing how to get the drums to sound like it does in this video.

[@0oTHEJACKo0]

+Gabriel Laso fuckin' arena metal presets and the right program, mate. I mean that's the point of drum programs. You don't have to go through all the time and money consuming processes for having big fat nice bamming sounds. There is a shitload of sweet presets you can use as a foundation for your further tweaking. Some of them can be spot on in the first place. Hear for yourself and check out Addicitve Drums, Superior Drummer or Steven Slate Drums ;)

[@tenebrousband8592]

Mishas the coolest. And the snare is the loudest!!

[@megatronsass999]

The shuffle groove example sounds like the intro drums to Epiphany by Intervals :P

[@GR1PTAPE]

Love his last couple of sentences.

[@screeeeeeeeee962]

i keep seeing the clock on your imac on mine in fullscreen and keep thinking im late for work hahahaha

[@sgarrou]

7:45 What samples do you run on the battery? I have understood that they are ment to reinforce the main drums groove but due to my bad english listening skills i can't understand what kind of samples they are

[@STEREODVST]

I just got Cubase about two months ago and as a complete noob, i had no idea what i was doing. I'm a drummer, so i have basic logic in limb-awareness. But its cool to know that at 3:20 i was sorta attacking this at the right angle. Im basically sticking to simpler, more linear beats for the time being, adding in small ghost notes and fills as practice. In the future, wayyyy down the line, i want to be able to program Dillinger Escape Plan type madness without it sounding like an exploding garbage truck. lol

[@yannajuice8092]

which cubase version did you use or bought? cubase element or the 7.5 version

[@MohaiminulIslamra]

Hats up to you...... great job man.... love your music \m/

[@TheGarlicOwl]

You should do a tutorial on how you personally use Trilian.

[@Nesrasgado]

The name of the intro song.... Please...

[@ignaciombm]

great videos misha! please share your drums sound settings! how do you compress and work with superior and TMF??

[@irzubeta9999]

Very cool and useful, thanks for the tips! About the reinforcement samples, if you're just doubling the samples without any modification (such as modulation of some kind or different sounds) doesn't that simply boost the volume? If so, why don't you just increase the volume in the mix? If not, what else are you doing to them to make them add more presence/stand out in the mix without simply adding more volume?

[@muh2k4]

This confused me too. Would like to get some info on what he did there, too

[@DarrellHughes82]

your drums sound killer...... do you have a vid on drum mapping and sounds....... like the snare verb and stuff

[@xothanpuiakhiangte8951]

Your the best misha...thank you

[@jules7168]

Solid tutorial man. Thank you!

[@Demonbane41276]

awesome vid, I'm just starting out in this and this has been one of the most instructional videos I have watched, sub'd.

[@BorisBARSTubeti]

Whe the next one comes out???) it's amazing

[@aebs2011]

misha or nolly need to do one on how to record bass I would say I ak decent with recording bass but I want to know how they would arrange a bass track as I find mishas and nollys insight to recording/ tracking very intriguing

[@asexydeath]

you should totally link that kit preset :P that'd be delicious.

[@MishaMansoor]

All the mixing is done in Cubase, so the kit is just the default Metal Machine preset with an Avatar snare blended and an Avatar China on the right.

[@galuhardiana9616]

Misha Mansoor halo misha, is metal machine comes from the same company as EZ drum?

[@Airtrooper719]

Hey Misha, nice video tutorial and some awesome tips there. Question, can you play drums yourself to the same level as the beats you program? Just I want to get into songwriting prog metal, I only play guitar/bass and I've never played anything more than a simple 4/4 beat on a real drumkit, so my knowlege of metal beats is pretty obscure. If your answer is no, then its great to see you don't need to be a drummer to still get creative with the drums which is inspiring for me to start my solo project.

[@bjorksven]

What will be in part 2? I was kind of hoping for more technical stuff about setting everything up for the actual programming to make it as convenient and good-sounding as possible.

[@toemasmeems]

the sarcasm on the drum riff is hilarious bahaha

[@funknode]

That mutlisample aside is arguably the most important thing that got a 3 second note.

[@peterbock5060]

very informative and helpful! thanks a lot!

[@lasolasolaso]

How do u put so much ambience in the kit?

[@Philliesfanno1]

Reverb

[@lasolasolaso]

Directly in superior?

[@J-MLindeMusic]

I just realised that the melody in the outro can be heard on Juggernaut! It's almost the same.

[@matiaspenaloza8793]

+MrFinGuitar That melody is on Heavy Heart (Juggernaut Alpha) :D

[@J-MLindeMusic]

+Matias Peñaloza Yep,couldn't remember the exact song. Awesome albums!

[@KyleKhaosPowell]

Also you can use 6/8 to give you a nice Triplet feel. Periphery 4 is coming soon yeah? :)

[@oriondrums2]

I REALLY hope the music at the end and the beginning is on Juggernaut.

[@KaraethonOfficial]

The full thing is on Misha's Soundcloud if you weren't already aware! It's his Carvin Holdsworth Signature demo :)

[@oriondrums2]

Thanks SO much.