Going Digital
I have played percussion instruments for the better part of 30 years. About 10 years ago I took a leap of faith and went digital and have never looked back. I want to share the opportunities this decision has created for my musical career and help other musicians experience the enjoyment I get from creating and performing through digital percussion instruments.
Going Digital takes a little patience. Like a new instrument or a new technique, going digital takes practice to create the sound and experience you are looking for. First off, you will need a good instrument or controller to play sound samples. Their are literally millions of sound samples and sample libraries to choose from so selecting the samples to create your sound can be a full time job in the beginning. Technology keeps developing and digital percussion instruments keep getting more and more features to open up possibilities acoustic instruments cannot replicate.
Software will be your new best friend. A Digital Audio Workstation or DAW for short should be at the top of your list for learning. I prefer Ableton Live for performing in real time but Logic and Protools are also great choices. Audacity is a good place to start if you are looking for a free option. Ableton is a great starting point because the software includes synthesizers and instruments so you have toys to play with.
I enjoy creating songs with loops of different instruments. As a percussionist we learn how to play rhythm tracks and bass lines so it is a lot of fun to put them all together and create your own band so to say with the computer. Here is an old video demonstrating this. Sorry the sound is not perfect but I did learn how to do stereo sound after wards. Here is to always learning something new!