How can you lengthen inserted midi item?

[supercoupe]

Still new to recording, I’m using EZD2 in Reaper, and by following videos I’m able to write a custom drum pattern (the standalone just doesn’t have an exact pattern). One way I saw was to create a track with EZD2 as the VST then choose an area on the grid that a midi item will go.

I can create the pattern I hear in my head, but my problem is I can only create patterns to the length of the midi item block I created. I can copy/paste the block to lengthen it, but any changes I make in one block changes all of them.

Which approach do you experts think is best?

1. Choose a huge area on the grid so I know I’ll have enough room to create patterns? (But this will be achingly slow)

2. Create a complete “song” in the EZD2 standalone that is “kind of close” to what I’m going for, then copy that to Reaper then make my changes?

3. Create the song in Reaper one drum part at a time (I only have my PC keyboard at the moment).

Thanks in advance

 

Operating system: Windows 10

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[Erik]

I think this may be a Reaper question, more than one directed at EZdrummer, but I’ll give it a try.

If you right-click the midi item (in Reaper) you want to make longer, under Item Settings, what happens if you de-select “Loop item source”? Do you get the behavior you want then?

Other than that, having multiple midi items isn’t a problem for a drum kit, so you can do either of the three options you posted. I would personally drag midi straight from EZdrummer into the instrument track and copy-paste however many I wanted (instead of dragging them out/extending them [in Reaper]), and then edit the items I want to add fills or change articulations.

Tip: You can edit Play Style in EZdrummer if you drag the clip into the song track before moving the midi into Reaper.

Erik Berglund — Toontrack

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Thanked by: supercoupe

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