Baritone Guitars + Getting Real Drum Sounds (Without A Drummer)

Hey Gear Nerds!

Welcome back to ELECTRIKJAM, your no-BS HQ for tone-chasing, riff-slinging, and DIY recording without the fluff.

If you're tired of scrolling through 40-minute YouTube rants just to find out what gear actually works, you're in the right damn place.

This week’s jam: low-tuned guitars, why I use them (and you should too), and real-sounding drums without having to know or use an actual drummer.

Let’s go…

A BARITONE GUITAR IS NOT JUST FOR CHRISTMAS; IT’S ALSO GREAT FOR DARK COUNTRY MUSIC & DOOM…

Looking for that low, cinematic twang? Want something that sounds like it belongs in a desert standoff scene, right before everything goes to hell?

You need a baritone guitar in your arsenal.

This guide breaks down:

• The best baritone guitars for that brooding country sound

• What makes baritones different from just tuning down

• Affordable options that sound anything but cheap

Think spaghetti western meets doom riff.
Read the guide → Baritone Guitars for Dark Country

WHY I USE BARITONE GUITARS (AND PROBABLY ALWAYS WILL)

In this breakdown, I get into why I reach for my baritone before a standard guitar most days, and how it helped kill my writer’s block and dial in a signature sound.

Inside:

• How baritones changed my songwriting

• Why they’re more versatile than you think

• Why most players sleep on them (and why you shouldn't)

If you’ve ever hit a creative wall, this one’s for you.
Read the take → Why I Use Baritone Guitars

My Go-To Royalty-Free Drum Plugin (As A Guitarist That Hates Programming Drums)

I’ll be honest: I’m a guitarist first, a songwriter second, and a drum programmer... somewhere around eighth on the list.

For years, I used EZdrummer because it was the path of least resistance. It looked slick, had lots of presets, and worked okay once I figured out how to jam parts together.

But over time, I found myself spending more time dragging and chopping MIDI files than actually writing songs. That’s not ideal when you're just trying to write music, not become a full-time beat detective.

So I ditched EZdrummer.

Now I use Yurt Rock. And if you’re like me, a guitarist with home studio ambitions but limited patience for MIDI gymnastics, this might be the drum solution you didn’t know you needed.

What Is Yurt Rock? And Why Should You Care?

Yurt Rock isn’t a plugin in the traditional sense. It’s not a virtual drummer or a fancy UI-based beat maker.

Instead, it’s a massive collection of drum loops, samples, and MIDI grooves, recorded by real drummers in pro studios. You just download the packs you want, drag them into your DAW, and boom—finished-sounding drums with zero hassle.

Here's what sets it apart:

• Real performances, not programmed beats

• Full song sections (intros, verses, choruses, fills) in loop form

• Organic, human feel with no over-quantizing or robotic grooves

• Royalty-free and DAW-friendly (no weird formats, just WAV + MIDI)

Why I Ditched EZdrummer (And Don’t Miss It)

I’m not knocking EZdrummer, it’s great if you enjoy building kits from scratch and programming velocity layers. But that’s not my thing. I just want drums that sound real and get me writing fast. Here’s where Yurt Rock won me over:

1. No MIDI Programming Required

I don’t enjoy piecing together fills with note editors or trying to “humanize” a stiff pattern. Yurt Rock gives you actual performances—played by killer drummers—already arranged by song section. I can drag a chorus groove straight into Reaper and it just works.

2. Everything Sits Right In The Mix

The first time I dropped a Yurt Rock loop into a track, I expected to have to EQ or compress it like crazy. But nope. It sat perfectly with my guitars, even in rough demos. These loops are already processed enough to feel finished, without sounding overcooked.

3. It Speeds Up Songwriting Big Time

Some days, I’ve only got an hour to record ideas. Yurt Rock lets me build a full drum track in minutes—intro, verse, chorus, fill, repeat. I’m not scrolling through MIDI packs or dialing in snare tunings. I’m just writing.

What Makes It Different From Other Sample Packs?

Most sample libraries feel stiff or overly polished. Yurt Rock leans organic which makes a massive difference to the end product when you're done. I like that the tracks have an airy, organic quality to them.

I showed my buddy a couple of rough cuts of some tracks I was working on and he asked me who the drummer was. That literally never happens with programmed MIDI drum tracks. You just cannot get them sounding natural.

Who This Is Perfect For

If you’re:

• A home studio guitarist tired of MIDI drum programming

• Writing indie, alt-rock, funk, cinematic, or lo-fi style music

• Working in Reaper, Logic, or Cubase and want plug-and-play drum tracks

• Looking for royalty-free drums that sound like a session player, not a robot

Check out all the drum packs here. I’ve been using this for 18+ months now and it has been a complete blessing in my home studio.

I positively HATE programming drums, so this feels like mana from heaven.

Peace.

Richard