The debate between using drum machine software and real drum machines is ancient. Since drum machine software, too, is pretty old, the controversy as to which is better is huge. The bottom line, however, is that they both produce pretty high quality drum beats. Which is better is a matter of opinion.
Drum machines produce drum beats depending on what type of machines they are. Sequencers produce recorded playbacks of drum beats whereas synthesizers produce their own beats which are exclusive to them. There are some models that act as both synthesizers and sequencers, allowing user to mix up recorded to beats with produced drum beats. The problem with drum machines, however, is their high costs. Drum machines fetch thousands of dollars for even basic models. The more complex models with multiple features go into tens of thousands of dollars. This is where many opt for drum machine software. They claim that the software offers the same quality of drum beats for a fraction of the price.
The idea of using a drum machine is to produce drum beats in mp3 or wav formats to be introduced into music tracks. Both drum machines as well as drum machine software as capable of this feat. However, it is how the beats are made that makes the difference for the different tastes. Drum machine enthusiasts prefer making the drum beats using a physical machine while drum machine software lovers prefer a virtual interface to make their drum beats.
The fact that a drum machine is much more expensive compared to drum machine software in no way means that drum machines are superior to drum machine software. As a matter of fact it may be the exact opposite. The reason drum machines are so expensive is that they need to raw materials for each machine and labor goes into building each one of the drum machines. Drum machine software, on the other hand, needs to be developed only once. Once the drum machine software is complete, it is just a matter of making multiple copies.
Drum machine software does have an advantage. Since developing software is relatively cheaper, the drum machine software is able to develop at a much faster rate than drum machines. As a result, new versions of drum machine software are able to create songs with the created drum beats. It will be sometime before drum machines have this feature built into them. In addition, drum machine software has further features where it allows a user to connect drums to their computer and play along to the drum beats produced by the drum machine software to test the skill of the player. Player’s improvement in skill can also be recorded within the drum machine software.
In the world of music drums are quite important musical instruments. They have been in use almost from the beginning of music, even before the invention of other musical instruments. What came in to being from man pounding onto surfaces has now come a long way. Today as a result of the fusion between technology and music, digital drum machines have been invented.
Digital drum machines are perfect for beginners as well as for experienced drummers. If you a beginner, starting off your career with digital drum machines is bound to keep you involved in drumming forever. Since digital drum machines have the ability to produce a large number of percussion beats, any beginner can experiment and learn his way around in drumming. There are also a lot of music centers which give training in playing digital drum machines. It is wise to seek professional help if you do have a problem adjusting to your digital drum machine. In contrast, if you are a person who has played an actual set of drums for a long time, it might take some time to adjust to a digital drum machine. At first the compact nature of the machine can be strange to get used to. But according to many drummers once you get used to digital drum machines it is quite hard to let go of them.
Digital drum machines are rather user friendly and do not take long to assemble or catch onto. On every drum machine there is a central module onto which drum pads are connected. The central module is then connected to an external power supply. Beats can be made by thumping on the drum pads and can be listened to by plugging in speakers or earphones. You can also feed external music to digital drum machines and then try to figure out the beats for them. Another advantage is that you can record your beats while playing. This feature can be very useful for beginners to correct their mistakes.
Yamaha, Roland, Fender Starcaster are a few popular manufacturers of digital drum machines. The prices of the various brands can differ according to the model of the machine. Some manufacturers offer the additional equipment such adaptors, earphones, stands and USB connections for free while some do not. In the excitement of getting your hands on the drum machines, it is possible to forget details such as these. But having these additional equipments, especially headphones, is very important for you to play without disturbing others. Therefore look for such offers when you are shopping for digital drum machines.
It is very important to take proper care of digital drum machines in order for them to give maximum performance. Always keep your drum machine mounted on the stand and not on the floor. Also remember keep it away from moisture and plug in to a proper power supply without any voltage fluctuations.