pacificmHello,
I’m using SD3 with a DAW and want to play SD3 drums using my midi keyboard. How is that done?
Please advise.
Thanks!
José SanguinoA MIDI controller keyboard is not the best way to play Superior Drummer 3 or any other Drum VSTi. At least, if you intend to play “live” the way a drummer would do. Mainly, because each MIDI key is assigned to a specific drum articulation, and it’s hard to keep track of them all on a standard keyboard. Even if you used little stickers on the keys to identify them, it would be hard to play a beat with all of the nuances a drummer would adorn his/her performance with: different snare area hits, flams, different opening levels of the Hi-hat, playing the hi-hat with the tip or the shank of the drumstick… Almost impossible to keep track of everything on a MIDI keyboard. Sometimes the different articulations / hit types might be too far apart on the keyboard for the span of your hands to reach. – Do not think that owners of MIDI Drum Kits have it much better – Some MIDI drum kits allow for many articulations to be played on, say, the snare pad (by using different areas on the pad), and some others will give you just one articulation per pad (except the hi-hat, which may give you a few open/close articulations with the use of the pedal.
If you intend to record your own beats, grooves, etc, you might record one drum at a time using the keys (e.g. first the kick drum, then the snare, then the hi-hat different strokes…), by either using a different MIDI track for each drum kit item, all of them routed to Superior Drummer 3, or if your DAW allows you to do this, record MIDI overdubs in a loop and add a different instrument with each pass. (Cockos Reaper has a MIDI recording mode which would allow you to do this). WATCH OUT FOR MIDI CC AFTERTOUCH MESSAGES: When you keep pressure on a key after hitting it, a good MIDI keyboard will also send MIDI CC Aftertouch pressure messages. This is OK if you’re playing a synth instrument, and you have assigned the aftertouch pressure to, say, activate or intensify the vibrato. But with Superior Drummer 3, most of the times, MIDI CC aftertouch pressure messages will CHOKE the tail of your crash, splash or ride cymbals (that’s because most MIDI Drum Kits use it if you wish to stop a cymbal from sounding by pressing under it with your hand). You only have two options here: either filter out the MIDI CC Aftertouch messages coming from your keyboard (some DAWs allow you to do this), or rework your Superior Drummer 3 preset. When you choose a Cymbal on the main view, and on the right panel you have chosen “MIDI” in the “Default Box View” drop-down box above, you will be able to see a “Choke/Mute trigger” drop-down box for that selected cymbal. If you do not wish that cymbal to react to MIDI aftertouch message, enter that drop-down box and make sure “Aftertouch” is not glowing blue. Do the same for all the other cymbals if you do not wish those to be choked by MIDI aftertouch either. After that, SAVE your kit preset with a customized user name (if you don’t, you’ll have to go to the process of disabling aftertouch again). You’d have to do that with all of the kits / presets you wish to use, I’m afraid…
Good luck and good drumming.
pacificmThanks for your detailed reply. What I’m simply trying to do is be able to hit a note on my midi keyboard and hear a drum sound. What are the simple steps to do that? What I specifically want to do is play a cross sticks sound. I’m not really expecting to drum a full drum set sound – I’m not a drummer. I just want to be able to play a simple cross sticks or cymbal sound. So what are the steps to be able to do that? Thanks!
BradThanks for your detailed reply. What I’m simply trying to do is be able to hit a note on my midi keyboard and hear a drum sound. What are the simple steps to do that? What I specifically want to do is play a cross sticks sound. I’m not really expecting to drum a full drum set sound – I’m not a drummer. I just want to be able to play a simple cross sticks or cymbal sound. So what are the steps to be able to do that? Thanks!
Superior Drummer 3 version: 3.2.5
Operating system: macOS Big Sur (11)
If you want to trigger SD3 via a MIDI keyboard, through your DAW, insert SD3 as a virtual instrument on a track (an instrument track, for example in Pro Tools it would be a stereo instrument track) and if you have configured your keyboard as a MIDI input device in your DAW, pressing a key; C1 should for the kick drum for example (I think), should be all you need to do.
If you need more detailed information, it would probably help to let us know which DAW you are using. Some require you to activate/monitor output as in Studio One or record/arm the track. Depending on how you have configured Pro Tools it may just trigger when you have the track selected (highlighted).
Mac Studio M1 Max, RAM 64 GB, 1TB Drive, OSX 12.x/13.x and Windows 10 (VM)
DAW: Studio One Pro (always up to date)
DTX Express III (Extreme triggers), Nektar LX88
OWC Thunderbay Mini (4 X 1TB Sata SSD), Express 4M2 (4 X 2TB M.2 SSD), Envoy Express (1TB M.2 SSD)
Presonus Quantum, Faderport & Faderport 8
Black Lion Sparrow Mk2 A/D, FMR-RNP-RNC, MIDI Xpress 128, BM5A, KRK VXT4, Equator D5
2020 Macbook Pro 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD Audio(mobile rig)
Bear-Faced CowA MIDI controller keyboard is not the best way to play Superior Drummer 3 or any other Drum VSTi.
This is highly incorrect. One can use a keyboard very well to play any drum software. It is merely a different layout than MIDI drums and if one really wanted to get anal with the MIDI CC for the hi-hat rather than play the articulations on the keys, they can map either an expression pedal or a variable sustain pedal.
Just as Brad stated, it would be best to know which DAW you are using.
As well (as Brad stated) you would hit the key corresponding to the drum articulation that you want to hear. In the case of a cymbal, you would be best to click on the cymbal you want to play and open the MIDI Mapping property window and it will give you all of the MIDI notes that are mapped to the articulations of that cymbal. You would then hit the corresponding key on your keyboard to trigger the cymbal. That’s really all there is to it.
jord
pacificmI’m using Digital Performer 11.
Thanks for all of your great tips! I’ve got it starting to work. Next, I’ll look into more of the specific tips mentioned to fine tune it.
Thanks again!
Mark KingI play edrums but if I want to add a cymbal or percussion I don’t get out of my chair and go to my kit. I just play via a keyboard. If someone doesn’t play drums but does play keys then that is the easiest way.
SD3 with older sdx,s plus Rooms of Hansa and Death & Darkness. Cubase and wavelab current versions. Roland TD50x using all trigger inputs for triggering SD3 only. Windows 11 computer. Various keyboards and outboard gear as well as VST instruments. Acoustic drums: Yamaha 9000 natural wood and Pearl masters. Various snare drums. RME BabyFace Pro FS and Adam A7X monitors
Bear-Faced CowIf someone doesn’t play drums but does play keys then that is the easiest way.
This can apply to almost every non-keyboard midi controller. Unless I have a pad group set up in my Maschine controller for a specific kit piece articulation that I am looking for, I will quickly reach for my keyboard and play it there.
jord
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