Publishers of technology books, eBooks, and videos for creative people

Home > Articles > Apple > Audio & Video

How to Produce a Virtual Drum Track in Logic Pro X 10.1

In this lesson from Apple Pro Training Series: Logic Pro X 10.1: Professional Music Production, you will produce virtual indie-rock, hip-hop, and electro-house drum tracks. After selecting a genre and choosing the best drummer for your project, you will adjust the drummer’s performance, making her play busier patterns or simpler ones, louder or softer, and changing the feel, almost like a producer would communicate with a real drummer in a recording session.
This chapter is from the book

In most popular modern music genres, drums are the backbone of the instrumentation. They provide the foundation for the tempo and the groove of the piece. For recording sessions in which the instruments are not tracked at the same time, drums are usually recorded or programmed first so that the other musicians can record while listening to their rhythmic reference.

To meet today’s high production standards, producing drum tracks usually involves using several techniques, including live recording, programming, sampling, audio quantizing, and sound replacement. In Logic Pro X, you can speed up the process by taking advantage of the new Drummer feature along with its companion software instruments, Drum Kit Designer and Drum Machine Designer.

In this lesson, you will produce virtual indie-rock, hip-hop, and electro-house drum tracks. After selecting a genre and choosing the best drummer for your project, you will adjust the drummer’s performance, making her play busier patterns or simpler ones, louder or softer, and changing the feel, almost like a producer would communicate with a real drummer in a recording session.

Creating a Drummer Track

Drummer is a new Logic Pro X feature that allows you to produce drum tracks using a virtual drummer with its own playing style. Its performance is placed in Drummer regions on a Drummer track. You edit the performance data in the regions using the Drummer Editor. The virtual drummer also has its own drum kit loaded in a software instrument plug-in called Drum Kit Designer.

First, let’s open a new project, add a Drummer track, and examine the display of the drum performance in the Drummer region.

  1. Choose File > New (or press Command-Shift-N).

    A new project opens along with the New Tracks dialog.

  2. In the New Tracks dialog, select Drummer, make sure the Genre pop-up menu is set to Rock, and click Create.

    A Drummer track is created along with two eight-bar Drummer regions. At the bottom of the main window, the Drummer Editor opens, allowing you to choose a drummer and drum kit, and to edit the performance in the Drummer regions that are selected in the workspace. The track is named SoCal, which is the name of the drum kit used by the default virtual drummer in the Rock category, Kyle.

  3. Press the Spacebar to listen to the two Drummer regions.

    In the first region, the drummer starts with a crash cymbal and plays a straightforward rock pattern. At the end of the first Drummer region, a drum fill leads into the next section.

    In the second region, the drummer switches from the hi-hat to the ride cymbal and plays a more complex pattern: The kick is busier, and the snare adds ghost notes (very quiet hits) between beats. As in the first region, the drummer plays a fill at the end of the first four measures, followed by a crash. He plays another fill at the end of the region.

    Let’s take a closer look at a Drummer region.

  4. Control-Option-drag over the first bar of the first Drummer region. If necessary, continue zooming vertically by dragging the vertical zoom slider (or pressing Command-Down Arrow) until you can see two lanes in the Drummer region.

    The Drummer region displays drum hits as triangles on lanes, roughly emulating the look of drum hits on an audio waveform. Kicks and snares are shown on the bottom lane; cymbals, toms, and hand percussions are on the top lane.

  5. In the upper half of the ruler, drag a one-measure cycle area at bar 1.

  6. Listen to the first bar a few times while looking at the drum hits in the Drummer region.

    Although you cannot edit individual drum hits in the Drummer region, the region display gives you a quick glance at the drummer’s performance.

  7. Turn off Cycle mode.
  8. In the workspace, click the background and press Z to zoom out and see both drummer regions.

    Now you can read the Drummer regions. In the next exercise, you will listen to multiple drummers and several performance presets. Later, you will zoom in again to see the Drummer regions update as you adjust their settings in the Drummer Editor.

Choosing a Drummer and a Style

Each drummer has his own playing style and drum kit, and those combine to create a unique drum sound. Before you start fine-tuning the drummer’s performance, you need to choose the right drummer for the song.

In the Drummer Editor, drummers are categorized by music genres. By default, choosing a new drummer means loading a new virtual drum kit and updating Drummer region settings; but sometimes you may want to keep the same drum kit while changing the drummer, which you will do in this exercise.

  1. In the character card, click the drummer.

    All the drummers from the Rock category are displayed.

  2. Place the mouse pointer over Anders (the first drummer in the second row).

    04-006.jpg

    A help tag describes that drummer’s playing style and the sound of his drum kit. Let’s get to know the other drummers.

  3. Continue by placing the pointer over other rock drummers to read their descriptions. When you’re through, click the drummer named Jesse.

    In the workspace, the two Drummer regions update to display Jesse’s performance.

  4. In the workspace, click the first Drummer region (at bar 1) to select it.

    The Drummer Editor shows the settings for the selected Drummer region. A yellow ruler allows you to position the playhead anywhere within the region, and you can click the Play button to the left of the ruler to preview the Drummer region. As in the Tracks area, you can also double-click the ruler to start and stop playback.

  5. In the Drummer Editor, click the Play button.

    The selected region plays in Cycle mode, and the cycle area automatically matches the region position and length. The selected region is soloed—indicated by a thin yellow frame—and the other region is dimmed. Soloing the region helps you focus on the drums when you have other tracks in the project.

    Although you will later fine-tune the drummer’s performance, Jesse’s busy, syncopated drum patterns are not a good fit for this indie-rock song. You are looking for a drummer with a simple, straightforward style that more appropriately serves the song.

  6. Stop playback.

    In the Tracks area, Cycle mode is automatically turned off, the dimmed cycle area returns to its original position and length, and the selected region is no longer soloed.

  7. In the Drummer Editor, click the Genre menu at the top of the character card, and choose Alternative.

    Drummers from the Alternative category are shown.

  8. Click the first drummer, Aidan.
  9. In the Drummer Editor, click the Play button.

    While the region is playing back in Cycle mode, you can try selecting other region settings presets to explore Aidan’s full range of playing style.

  10. In the Presets column, click a few different presets while the region plays back.

    When you click a preset, the region settings update and you can hear another performance from the same drummer.

  11. Without stopping playback, from the Genre menu, choose Rock.
  12. Click the fourth drummer, Max.

    A dialog explains how to retain region settings when changing the drummer.

  13. In the dialog, select “Do not show this message again,” and click Change Drummer.

    Listen to a few of Max’s presets. Although Max’s hyperactive performance is not what you’re looking for, the drum kit sounds punchy. Let’s assign the first drummer, Kyle, to play on Max’s drum set, East Bay Kit.

  14. In the character card, click the drummer to display the drummers.

    You can Option-click a new drummer to select that drummer while keeping the current drum kit.

  15. Option-click Kyle.

    04-011.jpg

    Kyle is now playing Max’s East Bay Kit. Let’s make him play a bit faster.

  16. In the control bar, set the tempo to 142 bpm.

  17. Stop playback.

    You have found a drummer that plays the straightforward style you’re seeking for this project, paired a punchy-sounding drum kit, and set a tempo that will drive your indie-rock song. You are now ready to customize the performance.

Editing the Drum Performance

In a recording session with a live drummer, the artist, the producer, or the musical director must communicate their vision of the completed song. They may ask the drummer to play behind or ahead of the beat to change the feel of the groove, or to switch from the hi-hat to the ride cymbal during the chorus, or to play a drum fill in a specific location.

In Logic Pro X, editing a drummer performance is almost like giving instructions to a real drummer. In this exercise, you will play a drum region in Cycle mode as you adjust the drummer settings.

  1. In the workspace, make sure the first Drummer region is still selected, and in the Drummer Editor, click the Play button.

    Next to the presets, an XY pad with a yellow puck lets you adjust both the loudness and the complexity of the drum pattern.

  2. As the region plays, drag the puck, or click different locations inside the pad, to reposition it.

    04-013.jpg

    After positioning the puck, you must wait for the region to update (update time varies depending on your computer). If you drag the puck constantly, the region will not update.

    As you position the puck farther to the right, the drum pattern becomes more complex; and as you move the puck toward the top of the pad, the drummer plays louder. Try placing the puck in the pad’s corners for extreme settings, such as soft and simple, or loud and complex.

    As the drummer plays softer, he closes the hi-hat and switches from hitting the snare drum on the skin to playing rim clicks (hitting only the rim of the drum). As he plays louder, he opens the hi-hat and start playing rim shots (hitting the skin and the rim simultaneously for accent).

    Let’s make the drummer play a solid, straightforward beat in this first Drummer region, which will be used for the first verse of the song.

  3. Settle for a puck position where the drummer plays a rather simple and fairly loud pattern.

    04-014.jpg

    You can still hear a lot of syncopation on the kick drums. To the right of the XY pad, you can choose from several Kick & Snare pattern variations.

  4. Drag the Kick & Snare slider to position 2 (or click the second increment on the slider).

    04-015.jpg

    The drummer now simply alternates kick and snare on every beat. If you don’t hear the drummer play the snare on beats 2 and 4, slightly readjust the horizontal position of the puck in the XY pad so it’s in the same position as in the figure following step 3.

    Listen to the hi-hat: It is currently playing eighth notes.

  5. Click the first increment on the Hi-Hat slider.

    04-016.jpg

    The hi-hat now plays only on the beat (quarter notes), which works well for up-tempo songs.

    The drummer is playing a fill in the middle of the region (before bar 5) and another at the end (before bar 9). Let’s get rid of the first fill and keep only one at the end.

  6. Look at the region in the workspace while trying different positions for the Fills knob, and drag the Fills knob down until you see the fill before bar 5 disappear. You should still see a fill at the end of the region.

    04-017.jpg

    You now have a very straightforward beat. Because the drummer plays less now, he can make the hi-hat ring a bit more.

  7. In the Drummer Editor, click the Details button to display three knobs.

  8. Below the Hi-Hat knob, deselect the Automatic option.
  9. Drag the Hi-Hat knob up to open it a little bit.

    04-020.jpg

    This verse’s drum pattern now sounds great, so let’s move on to the second Drummer region, which you’ll use for the chorus.

  10. In the Drummer Editor, click the Details button to hide the three buttons.
  11. Stop playback.
  12. In the workspace, select the second Drummer region.

    The Drummer Editor updates to show the second region’s settings. On the drum kit, the hi-hat is now dimmed, while the cymbals are highlighted in yellow. The drummer no longer plays the hi-hat, but instead plays a ride or crash cymbal in that region.

  13. In the Drummer Editor, click the Play button.

    You can hear the second region in Cycle mode. The drummer is playing the ride cymbal on every eighth note. For a more powerful chorus, you instead want it to play crash cymbals on every beat.

  14. Click the first increment of the Cymbals slider.

    04-022.jpg

    You now hear crash cymbals on every beat. Even for a chorus, the beat is a little too busy.

  15. On the XY pad, drag the puck toward the left to create a simpler beat.

    04-023.jpg

    Let’s listen to the verse going into the chorus.

  16. Stop playback.
  17. Go to the beginning of the song and listen to both Drummer regions.

    You now have a simple, straightforward beat for the verse, and then the drummer switches to the crash cymbal for the busier chorus pattern.

You have carefully crafted two eight-measure drum grooves: one for the verse and one for the chorus. They are the two most important building blocks of the song you will now start arranging.

Peachpit Promotional Mailings & Special Offers

I would like to receive exclusive offers and hear about products from Peachpit and its family of brands. I can unsubscribe at any time.

Overview


Pearson Education, Inc., 221 River Street, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030, (Pearson) presents this site to provide information about Peachpit products and services that can be purchased through this site.

This privacy notice provides an overview of our commitment to privacy and describes how we collect, protect, use and share personal information collected through this site. Please note that other Pearson websites and online products and services have their own separate privacy policies.

Collection and Use of Information


To conduct business and deliver products and services, Pearson collects and uses personal information in several ways in connection with this site, including:

Questions and Inquiries

For inquiries and questions, we collect the inquiry or question, together with name, contact details (email address, phone number and mailing address) and any other additional information voluntarily submitted to us through a Contact Us form or an email. We use this information to address the inquiry and respond to the question.

Online Store

For orders and purchases placed through our online store on this site, we collect order details, name, institution name and address (if applicable), email address, phone number, shipping and billing addresses, credit/debit card information, shipping options and any instructions. We use this information to complete transactions, fulfill orders, communicate with individuals placing orders or visiting the online store, and for related purposes.

Surveys

Pearson may offer opportunities to provide feedback or participate in surveys, including surveys evaluating Pearson products, services or sites. Participation is voluntary. Pearson collects information requested in the survey questions and uses the information to evaluate, support, maintain and improve products, services or sites; develop new products and services; conduct educational research; and for other purposes specified in the survey.

Contests and Drawings

Occasionally, we may sponsor a contest or drawing. Participation is optional. Pearson collects name, contact information and other information specified on the entry form for the contest or drawing to conduct the contest or drawing. Pearson may collect additional personal information from the winners of a contest or drawing in order to award the prize and for tax reporting purposes, as required by law.

Newsletters

If you have elected to receive email newsletters or promotional mailings and special offers but want to unsubscribe, simply email ask@peachpit.com.

Service Announcements

On rare occasions it is necessary to send out a strictly service related announcement. For instance, if our service is temporarily suspended for maintenance we might send users an email. Generally, users may not opt-out of these communications, though they can deactivate their account information. However, these communications are not promotional in nature.

Customer Service

We communicate with users on a regular basis to provide requested services and in regard to issues relating to their account we reply via email or phone in accordance with the users' wishes when a user submits their information through our Contact Us form.

Other Collection and Use of Information


Application and System Logs

Pearson automatically collects log data to help ensure the delivery, availability and security of this site. Log data may include technical information about how a user or visitor connected to this site, such as browser type, type of computer/device, operating system, internet service provider and IP address. We use this information for support purposes and to monitor the health of the site, identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents and appropriately scale computing resources.

Web Analytics

Pearson may use third party web trend analytical services, including Google Analytics, to collect visitor information, such as IP addresses, browser types, referring pages, pages visited and time spent on a particular site. While these analytical services collect and report information on an anonymous basis, they may use cookies to gather web trend information. The information gathered may enable Pearson (but not the third party web trend services) to link information with application and system log data. Pearson uses this information for system administration and to identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents, appropriately scale computing resources and otherwise support and deliver this site and its services.

Cookies and Related Technologies

This site uses cookies and similar technologies to personalize content, measure traffic patterns, control security, track use and access of information on this site, and provide interest-based messages and advertising. Users can manage and block the use of cookies through their browser. Disabling or blocking certain cookies may limit the functionality of this site.

Do Not Track

This site currently does not respond to Do Not Track signals.

Security


Pearson uses appropriate physical, administrative and technical security measures to protect personal information from unauthorized access, use and disclosure.

Children


This site is not directed to children under the age of 13.

Marketing


Pearson may send or direct marketing communications to users, provided that

  • Pearson will not use personal information collected or processed as a K-12 school service provider for the purpose of directed or targeted advertising.
  • Such marketing is consistent with applicable law and Pearson's legal obligations.
  • Pearson will not knowingly direct or send marketing communications to an individual who has expressed a preference not to receive marketing.
  • Where required by applicable law, express or implied consent to marketing exists and has not been withdrawn.

Pearson may provide personal information to a third party service provider on a restricted basis to provide marketing solely on behalf of Pearson or an affiliate or customer for whom Pearson is a service provider. Marketing preferences may be changed at any time.

Correcting/Updating Personal Information


If a user's personally identifiable information changes (such as your postal address or email address), we provide a way to correct or update that user's personal data provided to us. This can be done on the Account page. If a user no longer desires our service and desires to delete his or her account, please contact us at customer-service@informit.com and we will process the deletion of a user's account.

Choice/Opt-out


Users can always make an informed choice as to whether they should proceed with certain services offered by Adobe Press. If you choose to remove yourself from our mailing list(s) simply visit the following page and uncheck any communication you no longer want to receive: www.peachpit.com/u.aspx.

Sale of Personal Information


Pearson does not rent or sell personal information in exchange for any payment of money.

While Pearson does not sell personal information, as defined in Nevada law, Nevada residents may email a request for no sale of their personal information to NevadaDesignatedRequest@pearson.com.

Supplemental Privacy Statement for California Residents


California residents should read our Supplemental privacy statement for California residents in conjunction with this Privacy Notice. The Supplemental privacy statement for California residents explains Pearson's commitment to comply with California law and applies to personal information of California residents collected in connection with this site and the Services.

Sharing and Disclosure


Pearson may disclose personal information, as follows:

  • As required by law.
  • With the consent of the individual (or their parent, if the individual is a minor)
  • In response to a subpoena, court order or legal process, to the extent permitted or required by law
  • To protect the security and safety of individuals, data, assets and systems, consistent with applicable law
  • In connection the sale, joint venture or other transfer of some or all of its company or assets, subject to the provisions of this Privacy Notice
  • To investigate or address actual or suspected fraud or other illegal activities
  • To exercise its legal rights, including enforcement of the Terms of Use for this site or another contract
  • To affiliated Pearson companies and other companies and organizations who perform work for Pearson and are obligated to protect the privacy of personal information consistent with this Privacy Notice
  • To a school, organization, company or government agency, where Pearson collects or processes the personal information in a school setting or on behalf of such organization, company or government agency.

Links


This web site contains links to other sites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every web site that collects Personal Information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this web site.

Requests and Contact


Please contact us about this Privacy Notice or if you have any requests or questions relating to the privacy of your personal information.

Changes to this Privacy Notice


We may revise this Privacy Notice through an updated posting. We will identify the effective date of the revision in the posting. Often, updates are made to provide greater clarity or to comply with changes in regulatory requirements. If the updates involve material changes to the collection, protection, use or disclosure of Personal Information, Pearson will provide notice of the change through a conspicuous notice on this site or other appropriate way. Continued use of the site after the effective date of a posted revision evidences acceptance. Please contact us if you have questions or concerns about the Privacy Notice or any objection to any revisions.

Last Update: November 17, 2020