Got The Gear, Got The Tunes, Need A Clue, Do I need a sampler, or is DP4 enough? Options

[davidmacneill]

I stopped recording my pop tunes ten years ago, way back when Performer's first name wasn't "Digital". Now I'm back with loads of new songs to record, using a new 1.25Ghz PowerBook G4 with 1GB of RAM, a fast Weibetech 200GB external FireWire drive, a Tascam FW-1884 control surface/audio interface, M-Audio KeyStation 49e MIDI controller, Digital Performer 4.12, DrumsOnDemand sample libraries I and II, a Rode NTK for vocals, an AKG C451B for my Martins, and a Shure SM-58 for my Tele through my old Boogie.

I'm rarin' to go, but I'm conceptually stuck and can't begin until I get one thing straight: Do I need a software sampler, like MOTU's MachFive, to sequence my DrumsOnDemand loops so that they'll sound natural, or can I do just as well assembling them in DP4?

I'm one of those kind of people who has to have all my tools laid out before me before I can start a creative project. I don't want to have to redo all these rhythm tracks with some other piece of software three months from now.

~ David MacNeill