drum machines vs real drums

My early session career spanned the era of the first drum machines: LinnDrum, Oberheim DMX etc...  In fact I was involved with Simmons Electronics on the development of their drum sequencer she SDS6.  For quite a large part of the 1980's I programmed drums almost as much as I played them.  I remember all kinds of dire predictions that "drums were dead" and "the age of the drum machine is here" and other such omens of disaster for drummer everywhere.  The funny thing is, we didn't disappear!

As with any new fad, it eventually reached an equilibrium.  In fact I would say things started to come back the other way.  In an attempt to stop everything from sounding the same (which was the case with a lot of 80's Synth-driven Pop music), people started adding real drums on top of synth sequences.

In fact there was a lot of work for those of us who were able to play in time with clicks and sequences,  and I really started to get a lot of session work, overdubbing drums onto existing tracks. Nik Kershaw's first album, Human Racing,  was almost entirely finished (using an Oberheim DMX as "drummer") before the producer (Peter Collins) and engineer (Julian Mendelsohn) decided it was feeling a bit "stodgy" and Julian persuaded Peter to draft me in to play drums on top of the existing tracks.  This somehow breathed a new lease of life into the album. At one point in the sessions, they were curious as to WHY real drums 'felt' better than the beautifully programmed drum machine.  So Julian ran a few tests, and this is what he discovered.

While the drum machine kept perfect time, and was totally locked with the sequenced synths, there were also a number of guitar parts, as well as real bass on a lot of the tracks.  These were played by humans (mostly Nik, actually), and had a natural tendency to push ahead of the sequenced instruments in places (like going into choruses, for instance).  When Julian analyzed my drums, he discovered I was subconsciously going with the minute timing differences:  I would play behind the beat in the verse, then push slightly into the chorus, falling back in the next verse.  Now we are talking milliseconds here,  but it made all the difference.  In fact the real drums became the interface between the (unmovable) sequences and the ever-shifting human beings on each track.

Even today, with all the amazing advances that have occurred in drum machines and sequencers, I maintain there's still nothing quite as dynamic or inventive as a REAL drummer.  And I STILL get lots of work "replacing" sequenced drums.  Until artificial intelligence is perfected, I reckon I still have a gig!
So all you aspiring programmers out there,  Have at IT!  But keep my web site  address on hand, in case you need me to add some inspiration!

Essential
Wouldn't It Be Good
Human Racing

Drum Programming Basics (Ultimate Beginner Tech Start Series)
Complete Guide to Synthesizers, Sequencers, and Drum Machines

Alesis SR16 Drum Machine
iDrum 1.7
Toontrack EZdrummer Multi Layer Drum Sampler