Open your preferred DAW, for example Acoustica Mixcraft or Apple Logic. Double-click the desktop icon. Typically the workstation will open the most recent session. If this isn’t the session you require, click “File” and select “Open Recent.” If you want to start a new session from scratch, click “File” and select “Open New.”
Click “File” and select “New MIDI Track.” Name it “Drum Fill 1.” MIDI is the correct interface for programming drums. It is distinct from audio in that each note contains pitch and velocity data. You can change the sound, pitch and length of a MIDI note after recording it.
Open the pattern editor. The name of the pattern editor varies according to which workstation you use. For example, in Logic it is called “Ultrabeat Drum Machine.” In Reason it is called “Matrix.” Typically the pattern editor is located in the “Instruments” menu. The pattern editor is a grid; the vertical axis represents individual drums and the horizontal axis represents time, measured in beats. You create drum fills by plotting drum strokes on the grid interface. To the left of the vertical axis is a piano keyboard graphic, you can trigger each drum in real-time to audition it by clicking the piano key.
Assign a drum sound. Click “Instrument” or “Kit” on the pattern editor interface. Select a drum kit from the drop down menu. Audition the kit to make sure it sounds great by clicking the piano key graphic.
Play the track. If there is an existing beat, use that as a backing guide. If there is no existing beat, click the metronome graphic so you can hear a click.
Plot a series of MIDI events on the pattern editor interface. For an intense, regimented drum fill, plot a series of eight snare strokes. For a more relaxed fill, plot a sequence of two tom strokes, a snare strike and a bass drum kick. The main difference between programming a beat and a fill is that with a beat you leave space between MIDI events to create "groove" and repeat the same pattern. A fill is a busier, one-off sequence of MIDI events. Click on a grid square to assign a drum stroke to a particular drum at a particular point in the measure. Use your own preference and taste to build the fill. As the track plays, the pattern interface will loop around a four bar pattern. This lets you hear your fill in real-time.
Click and drag the “Pattern” box into the “Arrange” window. Drop it onto the “Drum Fill 1” MIDI channel, underneath the relevant measure. Use the horizontal axis in the “Arrange” window to find the correct bar. You can put your fill anywhere, but they typically occur on the fourth bar or a multiple thereof.