Tips for how to make programmed drums sound more authentic?

[TLovato]

Hey guys! I'm new around here

Whenever I submit to the listings on here that ask for music like rock, indie, blues, jazz, etc (music that needs a drum kit) I usually submit music that uses Logic's drummer tool, which programs a drum track from a MIDI kit.

However 9 times out of 10 when I submit this music, it gets returned for "the instrument samples sounding too dated". I know they're talking about the drums and not about guitars/bass/vocals because all of that is organically recorded by myself. The only sampled instruments are the drums.

How do you guys mix your programmed drums to sound more believable? Any recommendations regarding plugins or things of the like? Thanks!

[BradleyHagen]

First of all...Logic Drummer is a nice writing tool, but it is not a full pro drum sample program..... I would look into the Toontrack stuff (Superior Drummer 3, EZ Drummer 3) Or Slate Digital SSD or a couple of others... You want kits that have many micing and room options, as well as quality samples..... Another trick is to get your drums OFF OF THE GRID. Nothing gives away fake drums like perfectly quantized drums. And lastly, make sure the velocities are not all the same..no drummer on earth hits the snare drum exactly the same every time. Same goes for articulations - If you have 4 different snare hits, use them all.
These are tips that have helped me, hope it helps you1 Best of Luck!

[eeoo]

Yup, velocity changes and not being super locked to the grid help a lot as well as throwing in little variations throughout rather than just repeating a static loop. And of course most important of all is that it grooves with your arrangement.

[TLovato]

Thanks for all the advice guys! I will take all of this into account!

[BradleyHagen]

What eeo said as well...... Just throwing in a different kick or crash from verse to verse for example, makes a huge difference too.... You know how drummers are, they never have the discipline to play ANYTHING the same throughout, so just mimic that! (sorry guys!)