Layering drums...

Hayz · Post by **Hayz** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 1:33 pm

Does anyone know the best way to layer snare and kicks drums behind your existing drum pattern? With drum racks, would it simply be the case of draggin a second kick drum or snare into the current kit I'm using and then add that kick/snare to the same beat as the existing ones? I guess you'd then have to play around with pitch/velocity etc?

Any tips welcome!

Also still wondering if people use the consolidate function when addign random snares/hats etc to their drum patterns and if so why? I currently split the bar and dont' consolidate but wonder if there is any advantages to be had from consildating the clip after splitting?
Best wishes

Hayz

oddstep · Post by **oddstep** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 1:39 pm

with drum racks you could tranform the instrument (i'm guessing simpler) on a given drum pad into a rack- make the new drum hit a second chain on that same rack. tuning an' ting will be easy then.

Hayz · Post by **Hayz** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 1:54 pm

Womoma posted this

"Depending on how you construct these drum kits, you can layer multiple drum hits for one midi note.."

Can anyone give me an idots guide on how to do this please? I currently use a kit in drum racks to compose drum pattern, but would like to layer the snare and kick in the pattern with say electronic drum and snare underneath to phatten it up....

oddstep · Post by **oddstep** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 2:21 pm

1) open drum rack
2) double click on drum cell/pad of choice
3) right click on the instrument (eg 'kick 1' simpler)
4) choose group option
5) one of the rack buttons on the left hand side allows you to expand the rack view and see what chains are there. Click on this button
6) either drag instrument from browser to underneath the chain that's called 'kick 1' or right click in the space and choose create chain.

there may be some additional double clicks between stages 2 and 3 depending on how convoluted the drum rack design is. PMs Drum Machines is a frenzy of nested drum racks--- eventually you'll find the actual device that makes noises.

Hayz · Post by **Hayz** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 2:56 pm

Ok, think I might have cracked it!
I drag in a kit from Drum racks then double click on say the Kick drum, which opens up the chain for the kicks. I then dragged a kick drum from the browser into the chain window and then slected both kicks andright click group. THis then turn both kicks into a title "Drum Rack" They now play together...is this right guys? I can;t see "Multi" anywhere though... If so thanks very much!!!

oddstep · Post by **oddstep** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 3:21 pm

Sounds alright. Multi happens when you have nested drum racks

Hayz · Post by **Hayz** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 3:29 pm

sorry oddstep that is my fault, I changed my post while you were obviously replying sorry! Nowe that I have worked this out is there a way to edit the pitch/velocity of each grouped drum after they are grouped? Or does the editing/velocity etc need to be done before you group them? (I ask this because the grouped drums obviously appear as one midi note!)

Also, do people tend to use this method to layer drums or would it be simpler to duplicate the drum track and have a second drum track with different drum sounds?

abort · Post by **abort** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 3:33 pm

You could just do this the lazzy way and through that "dual shifter" plug in there.

...I'm joking but not really.

ok ok I'll stay out of this...

oddstep · Post by **oddstep** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 3:41 pm

yeah me too. this post editing can get well out of hand.

oddstep · Post by **oddstep** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 3:46 pm

once you're in a drum rack the midi note is c3 unless you change it manually. so all the tuning you carry out on the simpler is relative that note. I use this method because I want to minimise tracks for live performances.

Hayz · Post by **Hayz** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 3:49 pm

oddstep wrote:once you're in a drum rack the midi note is c3 unless you change it manually. so all the tuning you carry out on the simpler is relative that note. I use this method because I want to minimise tracks for live performances.

Hi Oddstep, so you cant group say three drum sounds as one midi note and then edeit the velocity of each individual drum afterwards?

oddstep · Post by **oddstep** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 3:59 pm

Because each group of layered sounds is being triggered by a single midi event there is no way of having different velocities for each layer component. I suppose that you could adjust the velocity sensitivity of each simpler. If you want the individual simpler components to have a range of velocities then it would be better to have them as separate pads on a drum rack and copy/paste the relevant notes in the midi editor.

Hayz · Post by **Hayz** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 4:23 pm

oddstep wrote:Because each group of layered sounds is being triggered by a single midi event there is no way of having different velocities for each layer component. I suppose that you could adjust the velocity sensitivity of each simpler. If you want the individual simpler components to have a range of velocities then it would be better to have them as separate pads on a drum rack and copy/paste the relevant notes in the midi editor.

Or I suppose simply duplicate the midi pattern from say drum track 1 and then use the different drums sounds for the selected notes...?

oddstep · Post by **oddstep** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 4:37 pm

yep. although the velocities would be the same in that case.

Hayz · Post by **Hayz** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 4:53 pm

Yes, but you could change the velocities on the new track...I've just been playing around with grouping drums in drum racks and to be fair (thanks to you and others help) it is awesome as I can group any drum sounds together and change the setting for each drum or add effects to each individual drum even when they are grouped right? This ahs to be better than duplicated the track....

Does anyone else group drum souds to play on a single midi note like this? Add effects toeach drum sound within the grouped drum sounds?