Why “drum” is being discussed
The most recent Hacker News stories and comments contributing to this topic's mentions.
To play devil's advocate here, there are plenty of examples where computers (or other kinds of non-human systems) create music in a way which human listeners don't expect. Anyon…
by fragilerock · Oct 22, 2026
Recorded on a synthesizer/loop machine by a person imperfectly hitting the pads, then repeated while two humans imperfectly sing and play instruments with the backing drum…
by wpm · Oct 22, 2026
Always appreciated this Beck song, that has what I assume is a programmed drum beat, for having a kick drum strike near the end of the loop that seems deliberately off the beat:…
by rdiddly · Oct 22, 2026
Being consistent, playing in time, and executing your parts is baseline competency for any serious player. At least it was. You don’t have to be a great player to attain those a…
by Slow_Hand · Oct 22, 2026
> Drum machines are instruments. Even if sequenced, drum machines are live instruments and they require skill. Only if played live via it's pads or hooked to MIDI drum triggers.…
by coldtea · Oct 22, 2026
I may be missing something here but most of the 2025 songs sound like they are clearly programmed drums. Die with a Smile sounds like the exception but I wouldn't discard the id…
by ssharp · Oct 22, 2026
Interest
Proportion of Hacker News items mentioning "drum" over time.
Mentions
Total number of Hacker News items mentioning "drum" over time.
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a percussion mallet, to produce sound. There is usually a resonant head on the underside of the drum. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the thumb roll. Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years. Read more on Wikipedia