Does "no programmed drums" really mean no programmed drums?

[digital1]

I had a question about this listing. Has anyone ever tried Superior, BFD, Addictive, etc. on a listing with this caveat and been successful? I've listened to some very authentic sounding programmed drums on this forum. Just wondering if I should give it a try...

ORIGINAL BLUES INSTRUMENTALS (In all styles) needed by a Music Library/Publisher for Film/TV placements and licensing. Open to all tempos. Compositions and arrangements must be solid. For Film & TV, evoking an atmosphere or mood is the name of the game - it's not just about competent playing! Nevertheless, instrumental performances must be top notch and sound authentic to the genre! (No MIDI tracks! No programmed drums.) Broadcast quality needed (great sounding home recordings are OK). We recently ran this as Dispatch listing #D1011209BL, so if you submitted to that listing, send in new material this time around. Please submit one to three instrumentals online or per CD. All submissions will be screened on a YES/NO BASIS - NO CRITIQUES FROM TAXI - and must be received no later than Tuesday, January 11, 2011.
TAXI # Y110111BL

[davewalton]

I had a question about this listing. Has anyone ever tried Superior, BFD, Addictive, etc. on a listing with this caveat and been successful? I've listened to some very authentic sounding programmed drums on this forum. Just wondering if I should give it a try...

ORIGINAL BLUES INSTRUMENTALS (In all styles) needed by a Music Library/Publisher for Film/TV placements and licensing. Open to all tempos. Compositions and arrangements must be solid. For Film & TV, evoking an atmosphere or mood is the name of the game - it's not just about competent playing! Nevertheless, instrumental performances must be top notch and sound authentic to the genre! (No MIDI tracks! No programmed drums.) Broadcast quality needed (great sounding home recordings are OK). We recently ran this as Dispatch listing #D1011209BL, so if you submitted to that listing, send in new material this time around. Please submit one to three instrumentals online or per CD. All submissions will be screened on a YES/NO BASIS - NO CRITIQUES FROM TAXI - and must be received no later than Tuesday, January 11, 2011.
TAXI # Y110111BL

It's all about realism. Obviously a drum loop (for example) is still a live player playing drums. He/she was just recorded before we recorded our song. It doesn't get any more "real" than a live player, regardless of when the drummer was recorded. The problem is when we let that loop run on for 162 measures... then it becomes pretty tiresome. The top sample/loop based virtual instrument drum packages are real players playing real drums (and recorded in great studios). All we have to do is to pick and choose our intro's, beats, fills, etc so that the entirety of the music track has a drum "life" of its own. Sometimes easier said than done.

For example, if a listing was looking for music in the style of "Aerosmith", it would be hard to get a better drummer for that than Aerosmith's drummer himself (Joey Kramer). Turns out he's got a 2-CD set called "Joey Kramer Drum Loops and Samples". That could either be used well and sound awesome in an Aerosmith-style track or it could be used where a single loop is played endlessly... and sound terrible. It's all in how we use it. You couldn't do better than the Aerosmith drummer himself to capture the sound of Aerosmith's drummer but that won't carry the day if those great, authentic loops aren't used well.

Probably the best compliment any composer can get is when a listing like this has the high-bar that it has for realism and we get our tracks through with virtual instruments and loops.

Now... having said all that... getting a great blues band together and playing/recording a track in a decent studio would be better and certainly easier than all the hassle of virtual instrument realism. But if all you have are virtual instruments... use them well and go for it!

[digital1]

Thanks so much for the quick reply, Dave. That gives me a much better perspective on what they are looking for in these listings.

[vikvik20]

IMO if it sounds real it is real =)

[guitarhacker]

I agree... they do not want something that obviously sounds midi and fake. This applies to drums and ALL other instruments as well.

If your drums and other instruments sound real, that's all they care about.