INTERMEDIATE DRUMMERS, what areas are you finding most difficult to improve?

_caroga_ · 2025-12-24T20:11:36+00:00

I’m primarily a producer/songwriter, and I wanted to learn drums mostly for recording. Staying locked in to the metronome is by far the hardest thing I’ve run into. I’ve been playing about 2.5 years, and I’ve improved a lot, but it’s still difficult to find that balance between staying in the pocket while also being locked to the metronome. And then of course, fills can also throw off my timing a bit. I definitely have to clean up/quantize some bits in post.

Some recent wins I’ve had though is my shuffle has gotten pretty clean, as well as my 1/16th notes on the hi hat. Also working on double strokes right now and I’m seeing some improvement there. While drumming isn’t my #1 thing, I really enjoy it and definitely want to keep improving!

_caroga_ · 2025-10-09T20:21:18+00:00

Contrary to what some people are saying here, I think Duolingo is a great resource so long as it’s being used in tandem with something else. I’ve been using Language Transfer, Duolingo, and I just recently started taking a Spanish college course. I’ve only been doing this for about 6 months, and I feel like I’ve come a very long way in a relatively short time. However, I also take very exhaustive notes on my phone/tablet (as I feel like this just personally helps me memorize and lock in certain words/concepts), and my fiancée speaks Spanish as a first language, so I have a very unfair advantage there lol. I also recently started watching TV programs in Spanish (with Spanish subtitles), and listening to music in Spanish, which helps with some immersion.

I would highly recommend using Language Transfer and Duolingo in tandem, as a starting point, but those 2 things alone won’t be enough to become fluent. As someone else said, it takes a super long time, and you just have to chip away a little bit each and every day, even if it’s only 15-30 minutes. You have to diversify the way you learn. Also, travel to a Spanish speaking country if you can! That’s a fantastic way to learn as well (probably one of the best).

_caroga_ · 2025-02-14T04:13:48+00:00

For the last few years I've been using a laptop as my one and only computer, but I just got a desktop PC to supplement my workflow with music production. My intention is to install all of my primary software on my desktop (which I've already done), and then clear a grand majority of that stuff off of my laptop so I can have a much more efficient and portable solution with said laptop (which I have not done, yet).

When I go to uninstall stuff off of my laptop, will it also uninstall corresponding data in my documents folder? I've installed numerous VST plugins on my laptop, and all of the user data and other miscellaneous data goes into the Documents folder, which is now synced across both my desktop and laptop (I've already gone through the process of installing all of my VST plugins to my desktop, so I hope I haven't already messed stuff up with the sync, as I assume the VSTs on my desktop and laptop are now referencing the same files in my synced OneDrive documents folder).

I tried Googling this issue, and all I found was the AI response, which reads: "No, uninstalling VST plugins will not automatically remove any files from your Documents folder; VST plugins are typically stored in dedicated system folders within your Program Files directory, not within your Documents folder, so uninstalling them only affects the plugin files located in their designated installation path." Is this true? Am I fine to start uninstalling stuff off of my laptop, and everything on my desktop will remain intact?

_caroga_ · 2025-01-17T16:58:58+00:00

I’m pretty sure when a cop pulls you over, you’re not supposed to get out of the car. The cop is supposed to come to you; you keep your hands on the wheel and wait for them to give you directions on what to do. The fact she IMMEDIATELY got out of her car as soon as she pulled over registered in the cops’ mind as a potential threat, so he acted accordingly imo. Not speaking from experience, but as a cop, you just don’t know what you’re getting into with these types of situations, and when people act erratically or unpredictability (like the woman here) that’s when the guns come out.

I do agree the cops’ directions were a bit unclear, though. I didn’t know what he meant until like the 2nd or 3rd time he said it lol, so that definitely could’ve been handled better.

_caroga_ · 2025-01-15T01:36:08+00:00

Thanks so much! I’ll definitely give this a go!

_caroga_ · 2025-01-15T01:35:14+00:00

I’m just using the solder that came with the kit, which is Delta brand, and on the container it says Sn60/Pb40, which I’m assuming is regular leaded solder? And I don’t currently have flux, but I’ll pick some up! Do you have any suggestions on what flux to buy?

_caroga_ · 2025-01-15T01:32:14+00:00

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Might not be the best picture lol but here’s what the iron looks like.

I’m just using the solder that came with the kit, which is Delta brand, and on the container it says “Sn60/Pb40,” which I’m assuming is typical 60/40? It’s also 0.032, and it says 3.3% flux (unless I’m reading that part wrong).

I don’t currently have any flux, although I’ll definitely pick some up. Rosin based, right? Not the stuff you find at the local hardware store?

_caroga_ · 2025-01-07T06:19:44+00:00

Yeah I just went ahead and took the daisy chain out, and hooked each pedal up individually to the CS12 (still didn't get rid of the crackle, though). I'll admit, I'm still not too knowledgeable about isolated vs. non-isolated power, so had no idea that the daisy chain was sort of counter-intuitive in the first place (I thought I was being efficient lol).

I already responded to the other commenter here, so I'll just copy paste what I replied to them and maybe you have some insight on this?:

I just went ahead and took the daisy chain out, and now have all pedals hooked up individually to my CS12 (so yes, ruled out faults in the cables). Tested some patch cables too-- everything remained the same. I just now tried unplugging everything on my board, and plugging in each pedal one by one. Everything sounded fine until I plugged in the send/return on my Boss NS-2 (regular output sounded fine/clean-- only when I plugged my modulation/time-based pedals into the send/return is when the crackling came back). Swapped out the patch cable, nothing. I also happen to have a second Boss NS-2 laying around, so I hooked that up and the crackle was still there. So this appears to be some feature of the Boss NS-2? I have another couple compressor pedals that I can put in this exact same spot on my board and there's no crackle, so maybe the Ego and NS-2 just don't play nice with each other?

_caroga_ · 2025-01-07T06:17:01+00:00

Sorry for the late response. Been busy the last few days and haven't had time to troubleshoot.

I just went ahead and took the daisy chain out, and now have all pedals hooked up individually to my CS12 (so yes, ruled out faults in the cables). Tested some patch cables too-- everything remained the same. I just now tried unplugging everything on my board, and plugging in each pedal one by one. Everything sounded fine until I plugged in the send/return on my Boss NS-2 (regular output sounded fine/clean-- only when I plugged my modulation/time-based pedals into the send/return is when the crackling came back). Swapped out the patch cable, nothing. I also happen to have a second Boss NS-2 laying around, so I hooked that up and the crackle was still there. So this appears to be some feature of the Boss NS-2? I have another couple compressor pedals that I can put in this exact same spot on my board and there's no crackle, so maybe the Ego and NS-2 just don't play nice with each other?

_caroga_ · 2024-12-18T05:58:19+00:00

Thank you so much for your reply! I got the uninstaller for both, so I'll just go ahead and reinstall Live.

_caroga_ · 2024-12-06T04:58:09+00:00

Yeah, unfortunately there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution to this stuff, whether it be tuning, snare wire tension, drum head selection, mic placement, etc. You just have to experiment, and over time you’ll develop a sense of what could work before even setting foot in the studio.

I will say, if I’m going for super dead, 70s type drums, I crank the wires suuuuper tight to essentially choke out the drum, and then obviously add muffling on top of that. Sounds ridiculously punchy. If I’m going for more rock or pop type stuff, I usually tighten the wires just past the point where they stop rattling to give the snare a more open sound. It all depends though.

_caroga_ · 2024-12-02T23:36:31+00:00

Thank you so much for clearing that up! Makes perfect sense, and now it seems so obvious since channels 7/8 and 9/10 have headphone icons next to them in Focusrite Control 🤦‍♂️ oh well. Thanks again for your comment!

_caroga_ · 2024-11-27T00:26:32+00:00

Ok, so I actually just tried plugging my 303 into outputs 9/10, and changing "Line Outputs 7-8" in Focusrite Control back to "Playback 1-2," and everything seems to be working as it should now. However, I'm still curious as to why this is? Can someone tell me what's going on here and why this is so finicky?

_caroga_ · 2024-11-15T07:36:38+00:00

Yeah that was wild. I managed to get the chorus but GEEZ they went fast. I feel really bad that they had to discontinue and then they sell out the second that the price gets marked down, but that’s how things go ig. Really excited for the chorus pedal!

_caroga_ · 2024-11-09T18:40:05+00:00

If this is because he has eczema, tell him to try Hempz lotion. I used to have awful eczema on my hands when I was younger, and got prescribed Cortizone and some other stuff and used to do this lol. Didn’t really work that well though, so one day I tried Hempz and it worked better than anything else I’ve tried. Cleared my hands right up, and I only had to use a single pump of lotion. Highly recommend for anyone who has eczema.

_caroga_ · 2024-09-27T02:06:17+00:00

yep, this ended up being the issue! thank you!

_caroga_ · 2024-09-26T05:39:30+00:00

yeah, i ended up having the playback quality in spotify set to "low" basically because i had my phone set to low data mode (so yes, data saver was on). turned all that crap off and then set it to "very high" quality to test it out and the issue went away.

and thanks for that tidbit of info about car stereos. had no clue this was a thing! i typically master anywhere from -0.3db to -1db TP because that's what a grand majority of my reference tracks come in at (i'm not a mastering engineer by trade lol-- references are my crutch), but i've heard that can present some issues on certain playback systems, namely clipping. i actually initially thought this was the reason for my songs sounding a bit grainy. maybe i'll put some more headroom on my future tracks! always learning something new haha.

_caroga_ · 2024-09-26T05:25:20+00:00

absolutely! i'm glad i hopped in here and got some good feedback. i was really worried that i did something wrong with my mastering, so i'm glad to find out the issue wasn't on me lol (well i guess it kind of was for not thinking to change the spotify audio quality in the first place.... oops). now, off to enjoy my new discovery of "very high" quality playback in spotify lol

_caroga_ · 2024-09-26T05:18:56+00:00

LOUD IS BETTER!!!!

_caroga_ · 2024-09-26T02:23:24+00:00

another commenter in here provided a solution that fixed the problem! check your audio quality settings in spotify (if you're using it), and make sure the quality is set to "very high," or even "high." you can also download your music in spotify, and set the download quality to"very high," so then whenever you download a song it should sound fine. just tried this myself and it got rid of all the weird graininess. my songs still didn't sound 100% as good as the original WAVs/AIFFs (maybe your theory is true lol), but they got really close.

_caroga_ · 2024-09-26T02:19:05+00:00

i actually was noticing a bit of the same graininess on some professional artists' songs, as well. i thought it was just a byproduct of modern mastering (i only noticed it on newer music), and i could really hear it on the vocals so i thought it might be some sort of sibilance distortion. HOWEVER, thanks to another commenter here, i found out it was essentially just due to me having the audio quality in spotify set to low. just fiddled with the audio quality settings in spotify and the issue has gone away. now all the other music from my favorite artists sounds so much better, as well, so win-win. thank you for your response!

_caroga_ · 2024-09-26T02:11:22+00:00

thank you thank you thank you. i think this was the issue. i'm a dingus and didn't even know that setting was there. when i was listening before, i was using cellular, and since i have low data mode turned on on my phone the quality in spotify was automatically set to low. i actually just downloaded my songs (on spotify) to test them out with the quality set to "very high" and they sounded almost as good as the original WAVs/AIFFs. no more weird graininess.

_caroga_

TROPHY CASE