I want some way of adding drums to my playing.

Godlykepower

...I’m only a bedroom guitarist, but I’ve got quite a sweet setup that I’d like to incorporate some sort of drums into.

I’ve got a cracking pedalboard going into the front of my amp, and a Ditto X4 going through the FX loop.

I’ve seen the SDRUM and BEATBUDDY pedals, which I quite fancy, but is there a preference to choose one over the other? Is there some other alternative I should consider?

It needs to be quite simple. 

Beexter

Zoom G3 has drum backing but maybe too simple. 
Boss BR80 has a lot of drum backing tracks and of course there's the Digitech Trio or Trio Plus.

Godlykepower

Definitely not interested in a multi FX unit, but recording my “songs” is something I’m considering in the not too distant future.

I used to own a Boss BR1180 studio thing some years ago, which was awesome, but the drum sounds all sounded very same-y. I quite like this idea of a stand-alone drum thing that ‘learns’ what you’re playing....then I could record all that at a later date when I’ve decided how I want to go down the recording route.

Any first hand experience of the Trio pedals? What’s the difference between the Trio and Trio+?

blobb

Trio+ has a built in looper and some extra drum styles. It's what you are looking for.

Godlykepower

blobb said:

Trio+ has a built in looper and some extra drum styles. It's what you are looking for.

Even though I already have a Ditto X4 looper?

MagicPigDetective

Godlykepower said:

blobb said:

Trio+ has a built in looper and some extra drum styles. It's what you are looking for.

Even though I already have a Ditto X4 looper?

The looper on the Trio will be in sync with the drums and bass; the Trio+ wil do what your looking for, if you can get on with it

Godlykepower

What do you mean “if I can get on with it?”

what would be be the reason I wouldn’t get on with it?

Strangefan

Trio all the way or the sdrum, you will love em 

blobb

Sorry, I meant - for what you said you wanted - Trio / Trio+ will give you that i.e. realistic sounding drums (and slightly bizarre sounding bass, which can be hilarious at times). I run Trio all the time, sometimes I use a looper in front. Syncing is tricky but you can make it work if you get the timing right. 99% of the time it will drift eventually though. I'd rather have the built in looper if I'm honest. You can send the drums / bass out to an audio interface and guitar to your amp. I don't really bother setting up songs though, it's just such a great tool for jamming over and coming up with ideas. I then record separate tracks and use SD2 with Vdrums if I want to actually put something together. Horses for courses.    A whole world away form where I started out, with a microphone and pots/pans for drums.

Here's me pi**ing about with it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJrQIGMyoCA

Godlykepower

I rather like that ^^

MagicPigDetective

Godlykepower said:

What do you mean “if I can get on with it?”

what would be be the reason I wouldn’t get on with it?

Some people just don't like the sounds it makes, purely a subjective thing.
Out of intetest, what kind to things do you do with the Ditto X4, I've fancied one for a while

mrkb

Having just jammed for 45 minutes straight after playing the Stones Miss You chord progression into my TRIO+, I’m a happy Trio+ owner. After 20 mins on the RnB setting I changed the drums to another style, made the bassline the most complex one and started up again! I love it!

Godlykepower

MagicPigDetective said:

Godlykepower said:

What do you mean “if I can get on with it?”

what would be be the reason I wouldn’t get on with it?

Some people just don't like the sounds it makes, purely a subjective thing.
Out of intetest, what kind to things do you do with the Ditto X4, I've fancied one for a while

I’m only an average player and I find having a looper quite useful for learning different things.
I like to make up chord progressions (I sometimes don’t even know what I’m playing, just some random combination of strings and notes) and then layer lead type stuff over the top of that.

I’m clueless when it comes to theory (I’m entirely self-taught at guitar) and can easily find myself getting stuck in a simple rut - e.g I’ll play an E minor arpeggio, and then a B minor, and repeat forever, and just ‘solo’ endlessly around the 7th or 12th fret, ultimately doing the same old boring stuff over and over. My looper is quite useful for me if I want to experiment and see what it sounds like if I soloed at the X fret - I’m learning what sounds shit, and what doesn’t. I’ve no idea WHAT I’m playing, or WHY it sounds good or bad...but I’m having fun, which is the only reason I play guitar.

I really love it, but a better player would get a lot more from it.

gretschthumper

I use an SDrum synced to a JamMan Solo XT, plus a couple of fs3x footswitches - the beauty of the Sdrum is that you tap in the basic kick+snare rythmn you want, and it comes up with a chorus and bridge + fills to go between them. You can then record your verse/chorus/bridge loops on the (synchronised!) Jamman and switch between using the footswitches …

mistercharlie

Do you have an iPhone, iPad, or a Mac? Try the Drummer in GarageBand. 

lukedlb

Plugged in my new trio plus yesterday and an hour later I’m playing srv pride & joy. I’m impressed. Bass and drums into the hifi, guitar loops with all fx. Not having played in a band context for more than 20 years, instead only bedroom playing, I have to remember the maxim of less is more. Time keeping exercises too.  
I am convinced this is what you want. Get a used one and you’ll be selling the ditto soon after. 

mrkb

gretschthumper said:

I use an SDrum synced to a JamMan Solo XT, plus a couple of fs3x footswitches - the beauty of the Sdrum is that you tap in the basic kick+snare rythmn you want, and it comes up with a chorus and bridge + fills to go between them. You can then record your verse/chorus/bridge loops on the (synchronised!) Jamman and switch between using the footswitches …

How do you connect them? Do you send the guitar through both and into the amp? Does it matter if the SDRUM or jamman is first? Is it mono?

Flink_Poyd

Being on a budget (car tax, MOT and insurance in Feb) I've been looking for a Trio (not +). They seem to be discontinued on most sites apart from Thomann https://m.thomann.de/gb/digitech_trio_band_creator.htm

or secondhand on that evilbay place. 
Is anyone still using one of these? Any updates for the unit or issues to look out for?

ICBM

Godlykepower said:

Definitely not interested in a multi FX unit, but recording my “songs” is something I’m considering in the not too distant future.

I quite like this idea of a stand-alone drum thing that ‘learns’ what you’re playing....

Godlykepower said:

Is there some other alternative I should consider?

It needs to be quite simple. 

A drummer.

Godlykepower said:

What do you mean “if I can get on with it?”

They’re usually fine in my experience.

It’s singers that are the problem .

gretschthumper

mrkb said:

gretschthumper said:

I use an SDrum synced to a JamMan Solo XT, plus a couple of fs3x footswitches - the beauty of the Sdrum is that you tap in the basic kick+snare rythmn you want, and it comes up with a chorus and bridge + fills to go between them. You can then record your verse/chorus/bridge loops on the (synchronised!) Jamman and switch between using the footswitches …

How do you connect them? Do you send the guitar through both and into the amp? Does it matter if the SDRUM or jamman is first? Is it mono?

1: Jamsync, a stereo mini jack cable which is entirely independent of the audio link. It sends midi clock, start, and stop commands
2: yes, but it has 2 mixer outs, so you can send L&R drums to a mixer  seperately from the guitar sound if you want. If nothings plugged in to those it all comes out the "amp” socket in mono.
3: if you're not using the seperate drum outs, you'll want the Jamman first so you don't record the drums as well.

Flink_Poyd

I appear to have won a Trio on Ebay. A big thankls to being on holiday and drinking Bulleit Bourbon