Drum Machines?

[glocke]

Anyone here use a drum machine as part of their practice/writing process?

[sonicus]

A drum machine or even a metronome is a useful tool to instil a good sense of time .
 
A Click Track in the studio will instantly reveal this aspect of a player .

[glocke]

yeah, ive always used a metronome....im just wondering if im missing out anything by not having a drum machine

[mike1762]

Not that I agree with him, but Jeff Berlin is VEHEMENTLY opposed to using a metronome.  There were some pretty good threads over on TalkBass where he personally took part in a rather nasty debate on the subject.  My recollection is that Berlin actually got banned from the site for a period of time!!!  Jeff seemed to be someone who is... let's say never in doubt about his opinion!!!

[hb3]

That's pretty funny. What was his argument?

[brb9911]

Check out these guys and their drum machine! Who needs a drummer anyway??
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1ThSi1wbqU

[crobbins]

I've used a Roland TR-505 for years to practice with.
 
http://www.vintagesynth.com/roland/505.php

[mike1762]

Apparently you are just supposed to have a perfect sense of timing ingrained in your DNA.  It's your job as a bassist (and human-being) to express it!!!  I concur with him that one should strive to develop your own internal metronome, but while you're waiting for that to happen... you do what need to do!!!  But he doesn't allow his students to use one.  I've never used any type of timing device (other than a drummer), but I WAS a drummer for several years prior to picking-up the bass.

[oddmetersam]

I've used an Alesis SR-16 for 10 years or so as a practice tool for odd meters.  It's not meant to supplant a real drummer, though.  But it sure takes up a lot less space and never drops a stick or breaks a bass drum head. The main difference between a metronome and a drum machine is that you can program stuff that actually inspires improvisation and helps you think like a drummer and see things more from their perspective.
 
Uh, but don't tell Jeff I said that; it'll just be our little secret...

[eligilam]

I use a good ole Roland R-5...I got it in 1989 and I've used it consistently to practice with (and occasionally record with) ever since.
 
One cool thing you can do to practice chops and timing with a d.m.:  find the writing mode on your device, come up with some time signature, then randomly add bass drum and snare throughout the blank slots...play it back and try to nail the accents and groove on it for a while until the random/bizarro resultant rhythm starts sounding smooth and second nature.  Then, delete it all and do it again with some other time signature.
 
Now that's what they call good clean fun.
 
[PS.  I'm convinced this is how some Meshuggah and Soilent Green songs are originated....]
 
(Message edited by eligilam on June 05, 2010)

[sonicus]

The exception to where such devices might be in your way  in my opinion is where one might play in Tempo Rubato;  perhaps an expressive work of solo playing or other passages where one might speed up and slow down for the sake artistic expression .

[hieronymous]

I've been using iDrum for Mac - nice fairly intuitive interface, plus the newest version allows odd time signatures! But I don't use it to practice, more for sketching things out.

[jedisan]

I have a Roland 626 that I have used for years on my home recordings. I would always prefer the real thing, but this machine is quite nice, as it has individual outs for each drum.
 
Also, I believe Jeff Berlin was permanently banned from Talkbass. He is sort of a firebrand.

[mike1762]

Google Jeff Berlin Metronome and check-out the hits from TalkBass.  He was using the handle cwazywabbit on one thread and his real name on another (you can see they were both banned).  I just asked for some information on his 1 Week Intensive Course... I gotta meet this guy!!!  Stratospheric arrogance aside, he IS an incredible player.

[terryc]

I use the drum unit in my Zoom B1u, it too also has metronome click to keep you in time