Drum Rack - Multi-Sample w/ Velocity

[shaffer]

I can drop a bunch of samples on a pad - no problem. How do I control which sample is triggered based on velocity?

For example, I have 10 bass drum samples that I drop (w/ the apple key held down) on C2. Drum Rack adds the samples to the pad. But I can't figure out how to make each sample trigger separately based on the velocity.

Any ideas?

[onebluesphere]

I would really like to know that too.
There is a lot of people here who, for sure, now how to do it, if it's possible.
Any Help?

[jngpng]

Just set up your samples in an instrument rack with the velocity switching set up how you want it, then drag the instrument rack onto the drum pad you want to use.

[forge]

I cant believe I didnt notice this before - how weird!

what you could do is use a Velocity plug-in set to 'gate' mode on each chain and use the 'range' controls to specify what velocities you want it to respond to

but weird that it's not just the smae as the instrument racks

[longjohns]

Just set up your samples in an instrument rack with the velocity switching set up how you want it, then drag the instrument rack onto the drum pad you want to use.

[onebluesphere]

Just set up your samples in an instrument rack with the velocity switching set up how you want it, then drag the instrument rack onto the drum pad you want to use.

Thanks!

[shaffer]

Just set up your samples in an instrument rack with the velocity switching set up how you want it, then drag the instrument rack onto the drum pad you want to use.

Cool! Thanks! I was trying it the wrong way - adding the sample and then trying to create a MIDI Effect (GM Drum Map) to modify the velocity.


I noticed, in some instances, if the velocity does not overlap in the Instrument settings and the velocity of the note is on a boundry, that a note will not play. Is that correct; or is that a bug?

For example..
BD1 .. vel=[120..127]
BD2 .. vel=[110..119]

If the note is at 119, no sound will trigger.

Also, I wish the auto arrange (velocity ranges) feature could work backwards. My clips are named loudest to softest; and the auto feature works opposite. So, I manually have to go back and move the velocities around.

Anyway, thanks again!

[jngpng]

I noticed, in some instances, if the velocity does not overlap in the Instrument settings and the velocity of the note is on a boundry, that a note will not play. Is that correct; or is that a bug?

For example..
BD1 .. vel=[120..127]
BD2 .. vel=[110..119]

If the note is at 119, no sound will trigger.

No idea, I always crossfade my layers. Doesn't sound like the way it should work though.

Glad I could be of some help!

[longjohns]

I have had some trouble with similar things..


How does it work if you set the lower range to top out at 120? If a 120 note is sent, do both samples trigger?

[shaffer]

Just set up your samples in an instrument rack with the velocity switching set up how you want it, then drag the instrument rack onto the drum pad you want to use.

one other thing..

Do you know how to set the "Release" on all of the samples that are dropped on an instrument. My problem is that if the MIDI note is too short the sample will be truncated (Release is 50ms by default). So, I manually went to each sample and pushed the release to the max.

[jngpng]

Do you know how to set the "Release" on all of the samples that are dropped on an instrument. My problem is that if the MIDI note is too short the sample will be truncated (Release is 50ms by default). So, I manually went to each sample and pushed the release to the max.

Set the release how you need it on one of the samples then right click on the knob and choose 'Copy to Siblings'. Voila!

You could also set up a macro knob.

[Yfalmagne]

I know this thread is old, but after reading it I have just been trying to learn how do this exact and I think I've found an equivalent, if not better way using the sampler instead of instrument racks. This may not have been possible all those years ago but I'm pretty sure the sampler had velocity layering from the get...

Here's the process spelled out:

1) open an empty sampler (not simpler) into a track (or directly into a drum rack cell).

2)Navigate to your samples in the browser, click the first one, shift click the last one, (hopefully they are already named such that they appear in order in the Ableton browser) and drag them into the empty sample window in the sampler. You should see the message "_ of _ samples selected."

3)click the zone button to expand the upper controls section into the clip portion of the GUI.

4)Select the velocity tab

5)Ctrl - click (right click or Alt - click on PC) in the ranges area where horizontal lines are drawn and chose "Distribute Ranges Equally"

6)Rename your layered sampler patch appropriately (I.e., "Dirty Kick 1 (vel)") and save it to your Library. If you are in Ableton 10, you can color tag it as a kick, snare, etc

7) Now you can drag that preset into any drum rack cell.


I've broken down the steps for clarity; if you try it once you'll realize its actually quite fast, as long as your samples can be batch imported and automatically distributed. (same as w Inst. Rack)

Here are the advantages I see:
1) This method should save a bit of CPU power bc its one sampler instead of an instrument rack containing potentially dozens of simplers, which will probably end up nested in yet another drum rack. Its one less bobushka.

2) Because there is only one instrument handling the all of the samples, if you make changes to the Sampler's [GATE/TRIG}, ADSR, Filter, etc, they automatically apply to the entire velocity stack. There is the "Copy to Siblings" command (see following post), but I prefer not having to click that every time I make a change. This extra step may seem small, but it adds up and it a d can be a real drag if you are someone that ends up tweaking your samples after they are loaded into cells.

3) Personally I prefer to keep my drum sounds separate from instrument rack presets, but I suppose once I fully embrace the color coding system in v.10 that will become irrelevant.

Cheers!
Excited that I learned both ways to do this today and I hope that this post can help others too,
Yan-

P.S. Ableton Live desperately needs a feature for multiple takes and take comping, inside the track with no copy/paste/duplicate. Commands for "expand all takes" in a track like PT ("Playlists), Reason, Cubase, even Digital Performer had it back in the day. Then you can set the crossover points and simply click regions to create a composite file. I know Ableton isn't really marketed as a DAW for tracking, but this feature is literally all I am waiting for.

[tmoneygetpaid]

Heya,

Dug this thread up just now. I'm a total newcomer to Live.

I'm wondering if, in addition to having different velocities correspond to different samples, there is a way to have multiple samples cycled for each velocity range.

When I record drum samples, I record a handful of hits at a few different dynamics. The triggering software I use for drum replacement cycles between the hits so that it's not just repeating a single drum hit every time it's triggered. I'm wondering if there's a way to do this when I'm creating drum patterns in Live, too.

kudos

[pottering]

Heya,

Dug this thread up just now. I'm a total newcomer to Live.

I'm wondering if, in addition to having different velocities correspond to different samples, there is a way to have multiple samples cycled for each velocity range.

When I record drum samples, I record a handful of hits at a few different dynamics. The triggering software I use for drum replacement cycles between the hits so that it's not just repeating a single drum hit every time it's triggered. I'm wondering if there's a way to do this when I'm creating drum patterns in Live, too.

kudos

You can use the Random device (it also has an "Alt" mode), plus further "Racks within Racks".

https://help.ableton.com/hc/en-us/artic ... e-playback