Alvaro Lopez on drum programming

May 2010

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Alvaro Lopez on drum programming

Alvaro Lopez is an amazing drummer so I asked if he would be kind enough to talk to us about drum sequencing from a drummers perspective. He is working in Logic with Ultrabeat but the information can be applied to programming drums in any DAW or hardware drum machine.

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  • Ultraregards from Madrid! Great Job, Alvaro is also capable teaching Ultrabeat while Snowboarding. He taught me in Astún (Spain)...
  • DC
    Really helpful! Id like to request if possible a video showing how to make a beat which is made up of individual samples, but which sounds as seamless as possible i.e. like a sampled break. Are there any tips you can share on how to do this?
  • RupertBrown
    Hey DC,
    My initial thoughts would be if you want it to sound like a sampled break, why not use a sampled break? You can cut out each hit allowing you to sequence the hits as you require, and as long as you dont leave any empty gaps and cut at 0 you should be able to get a loop that sounds like it was recorded as you programmed it. If the recordings don't have the dynamics your after try layering in some one hits underneath but make them quieter then the original break.

    Thoughts?
  • DC
    I guess what i meant was how can i get as close to making my programmed beats (using individual hits) sound like a real drummer, but hey thats the holy grail isnt it. ill definately give your suggestion that a try! Thanks:)
  • RupertBrown
    Its a tough task as a big part of what makes them sound real is the room they are recorded in. Also if you are using hits from different samples or library's they most likely will of been recorded by different mics, preamps and desks separating the sound even further.
    If possible I would recommend using hits all from the same session. If that's not possible use very dry hits (no reverb or room sound) and apply the exact same reverb to all the hits. You might not notice it but using different reverb setting can really alienate sounds from each other. Finally part of what makes humans human is imperfection. So zoom right in and off set the beats ever so slightly at random. If you using Live 8 this can be done with a groove setting. Hope that helps!
  • Karim
    Alvaro...... The Ultrabeat Master !!

    Bests from Spain
  • Dodo
    Wow, great video! Finally something concise useful on drum programming. Thank you Rupert for posting this video. I'm loving this!
  • Alvaro Lopez
    Hey Dodo, thank you for your kind words of appreciation! Feel free to keep posting requests on the site and check out www.youtube.com/alvarolopezmusic for more info.
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