Rudy Deighton

  • Home
  • Inleiding
  • De Toekomst
  • Marketing Platform
    • Delta Media Strategie Modules
    • Online Marketing
    • Delta Social Media
    • Delta Media Service
    • Delta media Platform
    • Delta Marketing Platform
    • Online business marketing
    • Online Business
      • Worth for free now
      • Work from Home 2020
      • Gadgets
      • All about Windows
      • about Whatsapp
      • Whats the
      • About websites
      • New Ways
      • New Way of Watching
      • Virtual
      • Website
      • All about Video
      • How to Use
      • YouTube Info
      • All about Twitter
      • The Best of
      • About Apps
      • Google News
      • For Free
      • About This
      • Need More
      • Why should you
      • Iphone news
      • Interesting News
      • About Amazone
      • Some tips
      • About Netflix
      • All about Music
      • About Facebook
  • Luxury Platform
    • The Indulgence Business site
    • The Luxury Web site
    • The Ultimate Indulgence
    • The Indulgence Site
    • The Ultimate Luxury Information site
    • Online luxury
  • Projecten
    • Global Diamond Security
    • Aqualith Project
    • Delta Online Projects
    • Delta Media
    • Delta Media Projects
    • Crypto info
      • What is Cryptocurrency
      • Delta Media ICO systeem
      • Cryptocurrency Information
      • About miners
      • Best Bitcoin Bokers
      • Overview Cryptocurrency
      • BLOCKCHAIN WEB PLATFORM
      • Delta Media ICO Cryptocurrency
      • Bitcoin Ticker
      • ICO and Cryptocurrency modules
      • Cryptocurrency, Blockchain, Bitcoin modules
      • Delta Buy & Sale Token
      • Buy and sell digital currency module
      • ico – Crypto BlockChain Parallax module
      • Exchange Cryptocurrency module
  • Nieuws Platform
    • RegioTV Nieuws
    • Regionaal Nieuws Platform
    • Nieuws Regio’s Tiel
    • RegioTV Buren
    • RegioTV Neder-Betuwe
    • Regionaal Nieuws Tiel
    • Micro Locals Nieuws
    • Micro Locals project
    • Lokale CSM systeem
    • RegioTV nieuws
    • Politiek Nederland
    • Politiek Gelderland
    • Politiek Tiel
    • Regio Nieuwsberichten Tiel
    • Regionaal nieuws
    • Regionaal video nieuws
    • RegioTV Nieuws & info
    • Regio Nieuws
    • Online video nieuws
    • Online Nieuws
    • Nieuws online RegioTV
    • Regionale content video
  • Promotion
  • Delta Media
    • Delta Media
    • Adverteren grote fraude
    • Menu POS
    • Delta Global Security
    • Delta Evenementen
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Facebook Group
    • Twitter
    • Terms & Policy
    • Contact
    • .
  • Ads prices
    • Online Blog promotion price
    • Online web sites prices
    • Global Promotion Platform
  • Home
  • Delta Media News
  • How to Use and Customize the Drummer Feature in GarageBand
February 26, 2021

How to Use and Customize the Drummer Feature in GarageBand

How to Use and Customize the Drummer Feature in GarageBand

by rudy deighton / Sunday, 16 August 2020 / Published in Delta Media News
drums-garageband

Drummer is one of GarageBand’s most impressive features. It offers an easy way to add professional drum tracks to your project, with almost unlimited customization options.

If you’ve never used Drummer in GarageBand before, we’ll explain everything you need to know to make the most of it in your next project.

What Is the Drummer Feature?

Drummer feature in GarageBand

GarageBand’s Drummer is a software instrument that plays automated drum patterns to use in your musical projects.

You can choose between 28 virtual drummers and three virtual percussionists, each with their own personal style. You can also edit the rhythm, sounds, and patterns of what Drummer plays to perfectly match your track.

If you haven’t already, go to GarageBand > Sound Library > Download All Available Sounds to download every Drummer option to your Mac.

In case you like to use loops with GarageBand, this also downloads the entire collection of free loops from Apple.

How to Add Drummer to GarageBand

To add Drummer to your GarageBand project, all you need to do is create a new track. Go to Track > New Track from the menu bar and select Drummer from the popup window that appears.

Track Type popup window in GarageBand

Alternatively, press Option + Cmd + U to instantly add a new Drummer track.

After you add a Drummer track, GarageBand creates an eight-bar region at the beginning of your project. It also opens the Library and the Editor windows to let you choose your virtual drummer, kit, and Beat Preset.

Choose a Drummer

The Library window on the left shows all the different GarageBand virtual drummers, separated into seven musical genres:

  • Rock
  • Alternative
  • Songwriter
  • R&B
  • Electronic
  • Hip Hop
  • Percussion

Choose a genre, then select an available drummer to read a short paragraph about their playing style.

Drummer selection in Garageband

Each drummer offers a different playing style. It might take a while to get to know each of them, so for now, focus on the sub-genre next to their name. You can always experiment with different drummers further down the line.

Choose a Kit

Changing the drum kit doesn’t change what Drummer plays; only how the actual drums sound. Every drum kit is available for every virtual drummer, although each one has a preferred kit they default to.

After choosing a virtual drummer, hit Space to listen to them play. Then select different kits in the Sounds section of the Library.

Drum Kit selection for Drummer in GarageBand

Don’t worry about the drum pattern they’re playing. Instead, listen to the tone of the kit or the sound of individual drums. You can tweak the controls in the Smart Controls window to further edit the sound, but we’ll get into that later.

Choose a Beat Preset

The Beat Preset refers to the actual drum pattern that Drummer plays. If you changed the drum kit, press E to open the Drummer Editor again and find a list of Beat Presets at the left edge of the window.

Beat Presets in the Drummer Editor Window

Each virtual drummer offers a different selection of Beat Presets to fit their genre. Click through each of them to find a drum pattern you like for your project.

Don’t worry if the Beat Preset isn’t perfect; we’ll edit it in a moment.

Structure Your Drummer Track

If you don’t want Drummer to play the same drum pattern for your entire project, you need to create separate Drummer regions in the Workspace window. You can edit the settings for each region so Drummer plays different patterns for the intro, verse, and chorus of your song.

Hover your mouse over the right edge of a Drummer region to reveal an Add (+) button. Click that to create a duplicate region immediately after the original. Then drag and drop it somewhere else, adjust the length, or loop it to fit your song structure.

Add button after Drummer region

A duplicate region starts with the same settings as the original. But you can choose a new Beat Preset and edit other settings to change it up. Unfortunately, you can’t change the drummer or drum kit without affecting all the other regions in the same track.

We also suggest adding short regions wherever you want to include drum fills. The easiest way to do this is to move the playhead where you want the fill, select the Drummer region, then press Cmd + T to split it into two regions.

Drum Fill splitting a Drummer region

How to Edit the Drummer Settings in GarageBand

Using a Beat Preset is a quick way to get started with Drummer. However, you can take far more control over what Drummer plays by adjusting the X/Y Pad, pattern variations, and style knobs in the Editor window.

Double-click a particular Drummer region to open the Editor. Then adjust the settings below to edit that region, making it different from what Drummer plays elsewhere.

Tweak the X/Y Pad

The X/Y Pad offers a quick and easy way to change the drum pattern to match your project. Drag and drop the yellow puck to different areas of the pad to completely change the pattern that Drummer plays.

X:Y Pad in Drummer Editor

Moving along the X-axis changes the drum pattern from Simple to Complex, while the Y-axis changes from Soft to Loud.

You don’t need to drag the puck to the far corners of the pad. Small movements still change the drum patterns a surprising amount.

Choose Your Percussion Sounds and Pattern Variations

To the right of the X/Y pad, you should see a drum kit or a grid of percussion instruments, depending on your chosen drummer. You might see cymbals, toms, shakers, bongos, or other instruments.

Click to highlight a percussion sound if you want to include it in your pattern. Alternatively, remove the highlight if you don’t want to hear that sound.

Percussion instrument pattern variations in Drummer Editor

The sliders next to each percussion sound let you change the pattern variation for it. Generally speaking, moving the slider to the right tells Drummer to use that sound more often in the drum pattern.

However, the last two positions for the Kick & Snare sounds let you choose between half-time and double-time drum patterns.

If your drummer uses brushes, you can also use a checkbox beneath these sliders to change the brush style.

Kick & Snare pattern variation showing half-time and Brush Sweep options

Add Fills and Swing

The right side of the Drummer Editor shows two knobs. These both let you change the style of playing for your selected region.

Increase the Fills level to make Drummer play longer and more complex fills throughout the drum pattern. A fill is an elaborate flourish, or a drum roll, that adds variety to the song. It usually comes at the end of a region.

Increase the Swing level to add a jazz-like swing to the rhythm of the drum pattern. This works best if other instruments in your project also play in swing time. Use the 8th and 16th buttons to choose how fast you want the swing to be.

Fills and Swing knobs in Drummer Editor

Close the padlock next to either of these knobs to lock those levels. That way, you can change the Beat Preset, the pattern settings, or even the virtual drummer without losing your Fills or Swing level.

How to Mix the Drummer in GarageBand

After creating a series of drum patterns to use in your project, you still need to mix the Drummer track to get the best sounds out of it. The easiest way to do this is using the Smart Controls window.

Select your drummer track and press B to open the Smart Controls. Use the knobs that appear to adjust the volume for each of the drums in your drum kit.

Smart Controls for Drummer in GarageBand

You can even use the lights beside each knob to turn certain drums off entirely.

The Compression knob allows you to “squash” the sound of your drums, making them feel louder. And you can use the Tone and Room levels to change the overall timbre of your kit.

Different drum kits offer different Smart Controls. But you can get even more control over your sound by converting Drummer regions to MIDI tracks.

Convert Drummer Regions to MIDI Tracks

If you recorded a real drum kit, you would usually create a separate audio track for each drum. This offers more control over the sound, as you can mix each drum independently.

To achieve the same result with Drummer in GarageBand, you need to convert your Drummer regions to MIDI. Create a software instrument track by going to Track > New Track in the menu bar. Then change the instrument to match the drum kit you chose earlier.

Now click and drag to select all your Drummer regions at once. Press Cmd + C to copy them, then highlight your new software instrument track and press Cmd + V to paste your Drummer regions as MIDI.

Drummer track copied into MIDI track

Open the MIDI Editor to edit the timing, velocity, quantization, and other parameters for your drum patterns.

Alternatively, select every beat from a particular drum, which you can do by clicking the relevant note on the MIDI sidebar keyboard. Then paste them into a separate software instrument track to split your Drummer region again. Repeat this process to create individual tracks for each drum in your Drummer regions.

Drummer region turned into separate MIDI drums

Now you can add plugins, change the EQ, or adjust the level and pan for each drum to create the perfect mix.

Learn All There Is to Know About GarageBand

Learning how to use the Drummer feature is crucial if you want to make the most of GarageBand. But Drummer isn’t the only worthwhile feature in this music production software.

Check out our guide on how to use GarageBand to learn all there is to know about loops, software instruments, score editors, and more.

Read the full article: How to Use and Customize the Drummer Feature in GarageBand

MakeUseOf

  • Tweet
Tagged under: Customize, Drummer, Feature, GarageBand

About rudy deighton

What you can read next

Logitech Bricks Devices, Offers Free Replacements
How to Try Alexa’s New Whisper Mode
10 Discounted Online Courses, Gadgets, Apps, and Services

Rudy Deighton Corporate Blog

  • TerraMaster Launches the Upgraded D8 Thunderbolt 3

    World-leading storage hardware manufacturer Ter...
  • You Can Now Pre-Order the Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2

    Amazon-owned Ring has unveiled its latest video...
  • YouTube Launches Supervised Accounts for Parents of Tweens and Teens

    YouTube Kids is a little too limiting for older...
  • Microsoft Launches Windows 10 Cumulative Update Preview

    Microsoft has released the latest cumulative up...
  • How to Play Google Stadia on Your iPhone or iPad

    It’s been a long time coming, but Google ...
  • Is the DeviantArt Mobile App Worth Downloading?

    Years after deviantART launched in 2007, the ar...
  • TikTok Has Chosen 100 Users for Its Black Creatives Program

    During the second week of January, TikTok opene...
  • Microsoft, FireEye, CrowdStrike, and SolarWinds Speak at US Senate Hearing Into Massive Cyberattack

    Tuesday, 23 February, saw the first of a series...
  • What Happens If You Reject WhatsApp’s New Terms of Service?

    While WhatsApp has extended the deadline for it...
  • 5 Stress-Busting Apps to Rant to Strangers Online or Vent Into the Void

    Do you want to rant and rave about the frustrat...
  • Microsoft Launches Coalition to Combat Media Disinformation

    Microsoft is joining forces with other major te...
  • iOS 14.5 Will Crack Down on Zero-Click Attacks

    A zero-click attack is a terrifying kind of cyb...
  • The New Echo Show 10: Everything You Need to Know

    The Amazon Echo Show lineup took the features t...
  • Donald Trump Might Make His Own Social Media Platform

    After a flurry of people raided Capitol Hill la...
  • iPhone 12 Success Could Push Apple to Amazing $3 Trillion Valuation

    Apple’s valuation has had a rocket strapp...
  • 11 Ways to Easily Identify Manipulated Images

    Adobe Photoshop and other image editing tools b...
  • The 5 Best Apps Like Cash App

    Need to make a quick payment or send money to a...
  • TikTok and UFC Seal a Multi-Year Partnership

    Last week, TikTok was named the Global Sponsor ...
  • Report: Clubhouse Doubled Its Downloads in Two Weeks

    The scarcity principle says that the more rare ...
  • How to Mute Specific Words and Hashtags on Twitter

    Sometimes, Twitter can be an information overlo...
  • 6 Clubhouse Apps to Make the Audio Social Network Better and Solve Its Restrictions

    Finally, got an invitation to join Clubhouse? Y...
  • Report: Google Pixel Users Are Experiencing Camera Failure

    The Google Pixel devices are an impressive line...
  • How to Divide in Excel

    You don’t have to be a business analyst o...
  • How to Fix the "Task Manager Has Been Disabled By Your Administrator" Error in Windows 10

    Have you experienced a situation where you can&...
  • Nikon Announces Release Date for the Z6 II/Z7 II 1.10 Firmware Update

    Nikon ranked third behind Canon and Sony in the...
  • Microsoft Officially Announces Office 2021

    Microsoft has tried its hardest to convince peo...
  • Apple TV App Launches on Chromecast With Google TV

    The Apple TV App is now officially available on...
  • Hour One Debuts Its Digital Clone Technology

    Surely you’ve at least entertained the id...
  • Nintendo Announces Zelda-Themed Joy-Cons

    February’s Nintendo Direct has been and g...
  • Facebook Bans News in Australia Over Proposed Legislation

    Facebook is taking a stand against a proposed b...
  • New Amazon CEO Commits to Making Video Games, Unlike Google

    It is (kind of) official; Amazon will continue ...
  • Introducing FocusEx: A Digital Reading Aid for People with ADHD

    Have you ever found it difficult to stay focuse...
  • How to Enable Burst Photos on iPhone

    Burst mode has become a standard feature across...
  • 6 Reasons Why You Should Be Using pfsense Firewall

    When it comes to choosing firewall software, th...
  • How to Record, Edit, and Promote Your Own Podcast

    You listen to podcasts all the time—but h...
  • Microsoft Edge’s Collections Are Getting a Handy Update

    Microsoft has been working hard to make its Chr...
  • Regret Deleting an Instagram Post? Now You Can Restore It

    Instagram’s Recently Deleted feature allo...
  • The 10 Best Signal Features You Should Be Using

    Signal gained immense popularity following What...
  • 5 Specialized Bookmark Apps to Save Links in Unique Ways

    The internet has a lot to offer, and you would ...
  • Facebook Wants iOS Users to Allow Activity Tracking Permissions

    Facebook is rolling out a new notification that...

DELTA MEDIA ONLINE MARKETING PLATFORM
An Arte di Riunire Investments GmbH Division

Office:
Delta Media

Arte di Riunire Investments GmbH

Address: Lood 207F

Postcode: 3803 Beatenberg (Swiss)

email: rudydeighton@hotmail.com

rudydeighton@deltamediagbe.com

 

 

Online Platform

Menu POS Systeem

  • GET SOCIAL
Rudy Deighton

© 2014 Delta Media - Arte di Riunire Investments GmbH Division - SWISS All Rights Reserved

TOP