Advice needed: Bouncing each piece in a kit as audio

[Andrew Viking]

Hi,

As the title says I’d like to bounce each individual drumpiece (from a clean kit with no effects on it) as separate audio files so that I can mix them afterwards.

Is this possible from the mixer or do I have to assign each piece of the kit to a separate channel in the DAW first?

Thanks!

Superior Drummer 3 version: 3.2.4
Operating system: Windows 10

Topic

[José Sanguino]

Both. I use Cockos Reaper. When I load up SD3, Reaper gives me the choice to either use just one stereo output pair (1/2) or 16 pairs (1/2, 3/4, 5/6…) up to the 32 channels SD3 allows. If you choose all the outputs, then, in SD3’s mixer section, you can send each single mic channel strip to one of the outputs mentioned above. You just have to go to the bottom of each strip and in the “output” line choose one of the output pairs. You can also create buses there. For instance, the default kit uses three different mics for the Kick drum, and therefore three channel strips in the mixer (kick in, kick out, kick sub). If you choose “Bus 1” for those three kick mics, you can mix them to taste to get the kick sound you are aiming for. The Bus 1 strip will be created at the right end of your SD3 mixer window. Choose one single output (ex. 1/2) for that Bus, and you’ll get the mix of the three clean kick mics in a single track in your DAW. The same goes, for instance, for top/bottom snare mics, etc. You can send them to a bus (Bus 2, for instance), mix them to taste and send that Bus to output 3/4 in SD3, and at the same time, to the 3/4 output track in your DAW where you will get your bounced clean sound.

Superior Drummer 3 version: 3.2.4
Operating system: Windows 10

[Andrew Viking]

Great advice, thank you. I will try just that.

Is it possible to build the whole song in one track in the DAW and then when the drums are finished create the different buses and assign them to separate tracks for bouncing?

I guess I want to avoid having to actually create the drum parts in several different tracks as it’s so more convinient having all drumpieces in one track =).

[José Sanguino]

The MIDI notes for the whole song can, of course, be together in one single track (SD3 VSTi instrument track, for instance). When loading your instrument, you can create all of the output audio tracks at first (as I told you before) but YOU DO NOT HAVE TO use all of them, just ONE (the ones unused will not receive any sound – you can mute them if you like for the time being, or even “hide” them from sight if your DAW allows it (You can do that in Reaper in the Track Manager Window – a track can be muted and hidden from view both in the track window and in the mixer window – In reaper, a muted track uses no system resources (no CPU power or RAM). So, if you want to start with just one output, inside SD3’s mixer leave the “output” buttons for each mixer channel strip in the mixer assigned to outputs 1/2. That way, you don’t have to create the buses until you feel your drum track is complete. Then, you can start creating your buses you feel you need (e.g. set all the Kicks mics strips to “Bus 1”, all the snare mic strips to “Bus 2″… – The moment you choose a Bus number in the mixer as output for one strip, the bus strip is automatically created at the right end of the mixer. You don’t have to create, for instance, one bus for all toms, but you can if you feel like it. You don’t need a bus for the Hi-Hat, because it will take up just one output anyway, since there’s only a mic on it. Then, unmute the rest of the output tracks in your DAW and inside SD3’s mixer window, set the Output of the buses to SD3’s outputs (1/2, 3/4, 5/6…) and the single channel strips (e.g. Hi-hat to 7/8). When everything’s ready, now you can bounce the output, unload your SD3 VST when finished to save up system resources and there you have it: Now you can start adding EQ, FXs, etc to each bounced track and create automation in your DAW audio tracks.

Superior Drummer 3 version: 3.2.4
Operating system: Windows 10

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Thanked by: Andrew Viking

[Andrew Viking]

Solid info man, thanks a bunch.

Cheers!

[Author]

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