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.
The keyboard method has several drawbacks, the most obvious one being trigger response for drum samples. Pressing a key does not trigger the sample, it’s only once the key is pressed down, and the delay between putting finger to key and key reaching the sensor bed can be devastating to rhythmic anticipation and hitting notes on the fly.
Pad devices are not angelic, though. There are plenty of reported problems with these, and you can find out a lot about a product by visiting the manufacturer’s forum and seeing the kinds of repeated support issues. One major issue is the quality of the pads - a lot are very rubbery and simply do not last more than a few weeks of usage. You’ll need replacement pads if this happens.
Lately, there has been a trend among manufacturers to combine the function of both devices into the same product. Therefore, we’ve been introduced to keyboard and pad hybrids like the Akai MPK, and these probably target those just getting into the production world. They do look very appealing, with pads above the keyboard and the keyboard being semi-weighted action in some cases, but mostly just velocity-sensitive (as in the case with the MPK). Still, some people have complained that this is going backwards. Simply put, apparently these devices are of a gimmicky nature, with neither the keyboard nor pads really good. They’ve been bashed as the worst of both worlds, a harsh criticism shared by top magazines, too.
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!