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Re: MPD-style drum pads vs midi keyboard / midi pedal



On Tue, Feb 5, 2013 at 9:03 AM, Buzap Buzap <buzap@gmx.net> wrote:
> since we've opened up the topic of drum programming:
> Is there any practical advantage of using MPD-style drum pads vs using 
> midi keyboard for punching down drum patterns?
> (I don't even want to get started on Piezo pads - think Zendrum, 
> Futureman...).

I take it you got struck by a typo and actually mean MPC? The question
is hypothetical because Akai MPC is known for the great playability of
its pads while there are so many different brands of MIDI keyboards of
different quality regarding playability in the touch sensitive
department. A good thing with the MPC is that the pads bounce back
your fingers as you tap them and also that you can make rolls and
other drumming effects by a "long press" on one pad.

Here I must mention a new highly interesting instrument: the Push that
Ableton Live has developed together with Akai. Push is know for
relying on the same musical pads quality as Akai used in the MPCs. If
I had money and needed a new studio keyboard I would be very tempted
by the Push instead of a traditional piano-style keyboard. I think
that scales and playing patterns are more logical and playable on the
Push than on a piano. Actually, the "normal tuning" of the Push grid
has the same tapping patterns as the fourth tunes neck on a Stick.


>
> Also, while we're at it:
> Do you think you could program straight 1/16 hi-hats, then record a midi 
> foot pedal sort of as automation, simulating hihat pedal?

Certainly! Many do so. The MPC has the roll function that would be
like your idea if set to 16th notes. In a modular sequencer like
Numerology it is easy to make on sixteenth nots sequencer for a hihat
and assign a quantized momentary trigger pedal to play it. Older
versions of Logic had this too in the Window version. Your idea is a
typical example of a highly useful musical tool that gets lost in the
industry because theere seem to be too few musicians in the corporate
board rooms ;-)  I have tried to set up play stations like this for
drummers using audio samples of recorded hi-hat patters. It works well
but you lose out on a bit of dynamic playing and you suffer a
frightening risk of Major Mistake in live playing due to bad
triggering of the sequence. I mean, just a few milliseconds early or
late will let out the full sequence out of time and force the drummer
to improvise stutter effects all through a bar or two in order to
cover up, LOL...   That's why I think a duly programmed sequence
pattern triggered from maybe an eight note quantization is better. But
face it, this is a solution for non drummers and can never sound like
a drummer because a drummer will never play a two bar hihat pattern in
exactly the same way twice :-)  But quite often that stiffness sounds
good, at least to my taste.

Greetings from Sweden

Per Boysen
www.perboysen.com
http://www.youtube.com/perboysen