What is the drum machine/program of choice for top quality death metal these days? I've always used Fruity Loops because I am well versed in the interface and I can use my own samples, but I'm kind of looking for something even easier to use. It gets to be a pain using that little playlist in Fruity when you're making a crazy ass death metal song. Sometimes, my eyes literally pop out of my head and I have to shove them back in with the a spoon. Any suggestions? You'll be saving a fellow metal-head's vision. Thanks.
Try LeafDrums It costs money but get a decent filesharing client first and it's suddenly free (by magic!)
If you're looking to use your own samples then I'd check out the Akai trigger pad, or the M-Audio trigger finger pad. Just interface 'em with your comp, map out your kit and pound away.
I got a Boss DR-670 and it's pretty good, but I think I will be making the move to Drum Kit From Hell shortly.
I used an Alesis 16 for year, but using a keyboard to entry into Pro Tools and then tweaking stuff there has gotten much better results. Using Drumkit From Hell through Kontakt for sounds.