So I have a drum set and an audio/MIDI box and I'd like to be practical and do something useful with them rather than just play to myself.

If anyone has any requests then I'll see what I can do. It'll also give me an opportunity to get some feedback on my playing, something I'm kind of lacking at the moment - I'm confident, but have no real source of feedback. (Could ask my dad I guess but I want real feedback not family encouragement.)



(Edit: nb. I haven't actually tried to combine the drums/box/laptop yet but I'm reasonably sure it should all work. I'll formally retract this thread if it doesn't.)

It all works BTW does anyone else feel distracted when they play anything with a metronome ticking along? I need to work (a lot) on my consistency in terms of pace, but the metronome just makes me paranoid and I keep pausing to adjust my playing speed

I find it a lot easier to play along with a drum loop than with a click, even if it's just hi hats. With the exception of one metronome I used to have in college (now lost), they all are really a "beep" instead of a "click" and I find it really distracting.

A few drummers I know/knew, rather than a chime or click, recommend a woodblock sample. Apparently it cuts through without being annoying, or something.

I don't like beeping or clicking. They're irritating. Wooden sounds are good, just like Joe said.

It's taken me a few years to get used to the metronome. My timing still sucks though.

Does such a thing exist as a sample-based metronome VST?

Yeah, it's called "anything that can play two samples."

What host do you use?

I have GarageBand available, which is ok, I just don't think I can change the click sample. I haven't actually checked.I still have a Live trial that I haven't activated yet. I also have Reason installed but I'm aware that that doesn't "do" audio.

This is not a VST, but I've been using this with Garage Band. I usually use it just for practising though.

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~ronfleckner/metronome/

Oh yeah, it's the stand-alone kind.

Garageband can play Apple loops, though, yes? So drop any metronome-like loop you want into it and it will slave it to whatever BPM your session is.

P.S. the Live Trial would work, too. Just drop a couple of clicks that you like into an impulse plug, and then make a midi loop that plays them.

Yeah, it can do that - like I said, I only just got the box working today, and I had to go out to buy new headphones because the lead I had isn't shielded, making it useless for anything bigger than my iPod. So I'm back here, and I have been drumming just now, but only dicking about. I might actually try making two recordings of myself playing the same thing and see which is more consistent after, the one to a metronome or the one without. I have a vague suspicion it'll be the latter, but that probably has a lot to do with not knowing I'm going out of time

I record myself almost every day to see if my singing, playing and timing sucks or works for different songs, arrangements and stuff, or not. And stuff. Recording is good for that.

You could use a cowbell sample and then adjust its levels. Then you could easily add more cowbell if needed.