As for my drums sounding “dead,” yes they’re MIDI-controlled samples, and I had to tone down the velocity after I played them on my weighted keyboard, which I use as my MIDI controller. And I compress them a lot.
But I don’t see the need to make the timing sound less precise or make the dynamics fluctuate more to sound real when they’re not. That’s not important in synth pop.
In addition to my brother, my spouse is also a drummer and heck yes I get his approval on how my drums sound. 15/