This is the kind of software programme that makes you feel good all day... You've got a software for audio & midi, you have some software synths, maybe some midi hardware, but you still need a drumbox to create your riddims ouside of the loops you're using....
Well here it is... and what an awesome software it is too !!!.... The loops it creates are absolutely fantastic man... they really kik.....plus you can import user samples into the software to add to the sounds.... This thing is FREE....and sounds as good as any drum box I heard with kikin' 44.1 audio !!!...phew !!!
Once you have created your patterns or song, you can then write it direct to a .wav file from where it can be exported to your sampler, sampler card, or to an audio track in your midi & h/d software such as Cakewalk to play with the track !
I did a couple of saves with the demo patterns... Perfect.... No distortion or anything.... Just a beautiful .wav of a wicked drum loop !!..... The programme comes with some great demo patterns..... everything from Jungle to hardcore
Ok... here's a few things I found out using the programme for a little while...(Hey !!!... I'm at work !!)... First, the drum box itself really needs no instructions.... You select the channel from 1 to 6.... then select the sound for that channel.... So in effect the channels equal sound select... the difference for this software machine, is that the channels or sounds are not fixed.... you can have 6 kik-drums if you like or 6 different sounds.... also sounds and channels are assignable per pattern.... Next, each sound/channel, has a volume, and a reverse function to give you the option to have that sound played backward, and also you can add distortion.... These features are brilliant, cos you can add wicked little reversed sounds, and also, you can add distortion to any sound which is wicked for getting evil hardcore kiks etc..
Ok....once you have selected a sound... then you programme it in just like with a 909 or 808, by lighting the buttons , each representing one beat of the bar.... Yes, You can specify how many measures make up a bar....and of course tempo.... If you want to you can chain all the patterns together to create a song.... or, you can export the patterns to .WAV file, and arrange them together with your sampler or h/d software...
When you go to export.....you can either select a pattern, then just hit export ("Stream to audio") and it automatically writes a .wav file to the dir that you specify.......or....You can select more than one measure and record it across as it plays....so then you can use the faders or mute buttons to punch stuff in & out as you record......
But.....as if that lot wasn't enuff for you, there's more !!.... Hammerhead also allows any of the selected sounds to be your own samples.... Included with the Hammerhead programme, is a utility called "Makebank.Exe", which allows you to create up to 6 user banks of samples which can be inputed into the Hammerhead programme....So you can add loops or individual samples as sounds, and input them into the patterns... and get this.. if you tick the "Stretch To Measure" checkbox next to a sample when it is imported into the drum box, it will speed up & slow down to fit the tempo as you adjust the tempo of the track or pattern.... Amazingly useful !!!!
Included with the programme, is a bank of sample loops which are utilised in the demo patterns....and what good demo patterns they are too !!......Check out the RA3 audio files I made of the exported .wav files demo patterns..... Excellent !!!
Well... what more can I say.... all exports are 44.1 mono files... you can copy and paste patterns around the composition, just like a real drum box.... even you can copy and paste an active sound in a pattern or the whole pattern with all the sounds active, so you can quickly grab the kik drum part from one pattern, and paste it to a new one, or copy the whole lot or anything in between.....
It's getting to the point where we aren't going to need any hardware sound units to make a cool track soon....and software artists like this are only helping to provide better sounds for us to use without having to spend a fortune... I mean this software is free !!!...... There are others like the Propellorheads posse, who are teaming up with companies like Steinberg to sell the soft for 200 quid !!... The author of Hammerhead says..."Hey, if you like it send me some money so I can go on to write updates like to make the programme clock to midi ..."
Now that would be 100% the best with midi clock... so hey !!.. send something if you like it huh ???... cos this coder is a genius man.... and also very generous!!... 100/10
Since this was written, Bram & Steinberg have released BEATBOX... It's ok.. but Hammerhead is pretty mcuh the same.. (i'd better do a page for BEATBOX..
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