This article from Sound on Sound magazine dissects James Brown’s I Feel Good to learn how we can add real feel to programmed drum beats.
… the timing of each instrument in a live performance constantly changes from section to section, so a fixed one- or two-bar groove template will only ever provide a certain amount of live feel. Using a selection of grooves for different sections of a single part, on the other hand, will be likely to humanise and enliven your material much further. I’ve found that hi-hats in particular benefit from slight variations in groove, as these help maintain the interest of the listener.
While a drum machine thumping at 130 BPM is great for dance tracks, rock musicians wanting more life in their programmed drums will be interested to learn that the tempo in I Feel Good swings between 153 BPM and 136 BPM.
Tags: drums
