Drum Samples – Pads and Keys

One of the most debated topics by far on music production forums is the medium to use for drum sequence input. On one side are the advocates of using standard MIDI keyboard controllers – the keys on which can be used to input control messages for drum samples – or dedicated equipment like the drum machines from Akai and other manufacturers that have flooded the market as of late.

Recently, a lot of cheap dedicated equipment has hit the music scene, leaving professionals with more room to switch and use hybrid set-ups, while amateurs and those that have not even gotten into the game can pick up a discounted drum pad unit from their local Guitar Center. These units, like the MPD32, have MPC-style pads for drum input and do no processing of their own, except for calculating the velocity of the finger tapping. The processing is left up to the computer equipment or music work-station.

On the keyboard end, we can see many producers preferring to stick with key input for drum samples. One of the advantages here is velocity recognition, but it’s nowhere near as good as the pad sensors on the MPD, for example. A common reason expressed for choosing the keyboard is that it’s very easy to hit multiple instruments at the same time, and also that many producers already have a great feel and rhythm on the keyboard keys.

We can see that the trigger response is the final drawback for those on the edge of making a decision to switch to pad systems. With the sensor timing on the keyboard, one needs to be somewhat firm with their fingers to allow the sensors to accurately place the notes. However, if your timing is not perfect, it’s probably not the best platform to hone your skills on. Get some pads and at least try them out!

Devices with pads also have some issues, however. One major issue concerns the pad quality. Some of the best-received products have had a backlash of bad reviews due to pad degradation. You will probably need to shell out at least a few dollars for replacements if you’re going to go with something like the MPD range of drum inputs.

More recently, there has been a trend towards integrating the two technologies and create something for both parties to meet in the middle and sort this out. The result is a hybrid product that integrates both a keyboard and pads. The pads are usually located above the keyboard for easy access, and the keyboard is in some cases even weighted or semi-weighted, but 90% of the time is just sensitive to velocity and nothing more. A major complaint regarding this merge is the quality of components. Some people have pointed out that the pads and actual keys are both lower quality than stand-alone products. So with neither the pads nor keys being really good, it’s simply a gimmick. This view is share by a lot of professional reviewers.

Came here looking for information on how to make beats? I’ve heard that before. Simplest way to start: get a good basic tutorial and some banging hip hop drum samples, then let creativity take over!