best way to run superior and EZdrummer in latest REAPER

[Donna]

I caved… I bought EZD2 even though I have superior.. dangit toontrack and their irresistible software!!!

Ok heres the issue
I have both and I want to host the kits in superior for the control, and for the SDX kits.

REAPER 4.76
I want to use EZD2 for the midi tools but not to house the kits.
I thought running and empty kit and midi out from EZD2 and creating a send to the superior track would be all I need.

If I do this previewing the midi works, and the timeline works. Any midi from the browser tab seems to work. But clicking any of the drums in the kit on the drums tab do not work even though the midi out light flashes. Also, any midi clips on the EZD2 track do not work to trigger sounds on the superior track.

It seems if I enable midi out in EZD2, it doesnt let the midi from any items on the track through.

I have also tried using the toontrack guide and put EZD (midi out enabled) in front of Superior drummer on the same track in the FX inserts. I get the same results

anyone else try this? Is it normal for the EZD to not act as a midi through from midi items?

The reason i want this workflow, is I want to compose chunks of midi in EZD then drag them out to the track. I cannot build entire track in EZD because it wont allow time sig changes nor individual hit edits. I would like to make rough arrangements in EZD and move to the track for fine tuning.

I guess I could drag the midi out to another track that has a send to the superior track..

The reason I dont want the midi on the superior track directly is because I want the drum folder collapsed during arrangement so the TCP is minimal. I want to only have one track outside the folder track for drums to put the midi on. This is why I would like the EZD2 track to be that track so I only have one track out of the folder for my drum arrangement (both using EZD tools and the piano roll in reaper).

Topic

[Scott]

I have the same setup as you. I’m using the latest Reaper and EZD2 and S2.

Here’s what I do:

– I create a new Instrument track (Track->Insert new virtual instrument on track)
– I select EZD2
– Reaper creates an instrument track with EZD2 as first insert.
– I go to the kit preset in that EZD2 and create an empty kit.
– I tick ‘Enable MIDI out’ in EZD2
– I insert S2 in that same Instrument track, in the empty insert slot below EZD2.
– I select a kit.

I then am able to use the EZD2 Song track and Edit Play style options.

Scott Sibley - Toontrack
Technical Advisor

[Donna]

Thanks for the reply.

I had tried this, and i tried again step by step.

This does allow me to use the song track and edit play style, but that’s not the problem.

I cant compose an entire song in the song track because of not being change time sigs, also I often need to move some hits around. So what I would want is to get song sections created and drag em out to the reaper track to finish in the piano roll. If i drag the clip out to the track, and remove it from the EZD2 song track, when I play the clip in reaper it doesn’t play.

It seems like EZD is not passing the midi from the track (midi clip) on to superior drummer

[Scott]

Ok.

Just bypass the EZD2 plugin in the chain to pass the MIDI from the MIDI track in Reaper through the sounds in S2. If you’re only using EZD2 some of the time and not using the Song Track much at all, this should be too much of a problem.

Scott Sibley - Toontrack
Technical Advisor

[Donna]

Thanks Scott

Kind folks on the Reaper forum straightened me out.

So turns out right click on the button in the fx window that has the outputs (top right, mine says 2/32) Reaper has midi out options. By default it is set to “replace midi” but by changing to “merge with midi bus” I get the desired effect.. now the piano roll works.. along with the EZD songtrack etc and I can collapse everything else into a folder track and have it nice and tidy.

This also makes it easier to stack multiple instances of EZD2 for time sig changes. I know many folks are talking about that.

Thanks

[Author]

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