RealDrums (Live Drummer) – Review

Our rating:

By: Armin Heinrich

Version #: 1.0

Date Released: 2008-11-02

Developer:

Price: 1.99

User Rating:

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Drum programs seem to fall into two categories. One is just an opportunity to simply play with the sounds of a drumset. The other is taking those sounds and creating something rhythmically ongoing via a recording process that can be embellished. Both concepts present very nicely sampled sounds to work with.

This particular program is an example of the first concept. You can simply tap on the graphic picture of the part of the drumset you want to hear and it will sound.

There is a small "i" at the bottom of window that explains how the program works. There four main windows which includes snare drum, bass drum, open and closed hihats have some touch sensitivity. IF you tap on the lower portion of each of the windows you will hear the softest response. As you come up each window the volume will increase. The three toms are located on the horizontal center line. They have quite small tapping areas and are not touch sensitive. The two hihat windows do not interact with each other. There’s no way to "choke" the open hihat by using the closed hihat as exists in many drum modules. The top line has two crash cymbals on each end with a ride cymbal in the center.

Being a professional drummer for a very long time, I checked out playing along with songs from the iPhone/iTouch music library and it’s clear that tapping along while referring to pre-existing music causes a slight delay (Latency) which is quite apparent to a professional, but possibly not so much for someone who just wants to play drums along with some music.

This is a pleasant "play along" application if you enjoy playing drums as a hobby. I think in the future, being able to create and add to drum lines through a sequence recording process would greatly enhance this program.

RealDrums is a fun program for those who like to tap along with music that they enjoy! The digital drum sounds are very nice and the interface is fairly simple to understand. Since currently there’s no recording function you are limited to simply following pre-recorded music.

Quick Take

Would I Buy Again: Possibly
Learning Curve: The interface is pretty straight forward. Tap the "i" at the bottom of the window for the full instructions on the program. 
Who is it for: It’s a little bit like "Karaoke" for hobby drummers or someone who just wants to play drums along with music.
What I like: The digital drum sounds are very effective and pleasant for the user.
What I Don’t: Being able to rearrange the window to the user’s taste might be a useful addition. Linking up a volume control of the program with the iPhone/iTouch device would be very helpful. Currently the initial volume is quite low. Going into the music section of the iPhone/iTouch device to increase the volume to a higher level.

Final Statement: RealDrums is an interesting first step toward having some fun playing along with music in the  iPhone/iTouch device.  Maybe in the future they will add features that will make this program a bit more interesting for the user.