Have your bandmates ever threatened to replace you with fake drums? Whether it\u2019s because they want to save money in the studio or because they just think it\u2019s funny to taunt you, there\u2019s an unspoken perception that drummers aren\u2019t always necessary.<\/p>\n
Since gaining popularity in the ’70s and ’80s, drum machines (and any synthetic drum sounds that don\u2019t require a drummer to play notes in sequence) have been responsible for many elements that make modern music like hip hop and electronica sound the way it does.<\/p>\n
Luckily, these days the majority of artists opt to have a drummer for live performances, even in genres where the parts may have been programmed on the record. But amid all the quantizing, drum machines, and AI drum programming<\/a>, there still seems to be an unspoken fear of real drummers eventually being rendered obsolete.<\/p>\n This is not to say we should abandon drum machines or programmed drums entirely; they have a very real place and purpose in modern music and technology. But for those who are tired of the \u201cwe don\u2019t need you\u201d threats – real or in jest – here\u2019s why drum machines will never actually replace real drummers:<\/p>\n