Export Track as MIDI file gains extra time when imported into Digital Performer,

[James Sunny Jim White]

My issue is: I write a track inEZ Drummer 2 as plug in, dragging grooves from the “browser” libraries, and when the track is  completed I export it as a MIDI file. I do this so I can further edit AS MIDI to fit my songs.  I construct it using “Follow host” for the tempo. When I import that “saved as a midi file” from my desktop into an existing Digital Perform project with the same tempo as he track was created, there is some sort of drift. Meaning that by measure 15 or so all the beats are starting to hit behind their measure bars, and the further into the file it goes, the worse the timing becomes until it will be half a measure off.

Am I doing some setting incorrectly? Shouldn’t EZD2 export the midi information set to some sort of timing grid that will be constant?

Any help will be appreciated. Again, I like to tweet the MIDI after importing, but it just seems to be drifting so much it’s a royal pain to go clean it all up. I have used EZD for about four years with no other issues, and it seems like this has only happened in the last year, or since the last update?

James

EZdrummer version: 2.1.8
Operating system: macOS High Sierra (10.13)

Topic

[MrFun61]

Not sure what your DAW is (Studio One or Logic Pro, I use both), but typically you can simply drag and drop the the entire constructed set from the EZD instrument track directly onto the track in the DAW where you have assigned EZD. The you can then separate out each drum piece into separate tracks from there.If need be, Quantize within the DAW.

EZdrummer version: 2.1.8
Operating system: macOS Catalina (10.15)

[John]

Hi,

I haven’t used DP in ages but as MrFun61 writes, the most common way to get your MIDI on the EZdrummer 2 track in DP would be via drag-and-drop from the EZD Song Track.

My main DAW is Pro Tools and there you can decide whether a track should be tick-based or sample-based; is it the same in DP? If you would put MIDI on a sample-based track and have tempo changes on the timeline, or a different tempo in the MIDI file compared to your Project timeline, there should be deviation.

If you attach the exported MIDI to a post here we can check if the MIDI is OK.

BR,
John

John Rammelt - Toontrack
Technical Advisor

[James Sunny Jim White]

Thanks for your reply. I am using Digital Performer, and if I were to quantize individual drum tracks, late in the song things would be off by as much as a quarter note, and it just gets weird. lol I also want to keep the feel of the original EZ tracks. Thanks!

[James Sunny Jim White]

I haven’t tried the drag and drop method, but only exported the track as a MIDI file. I think your insight about tick vs sample-based may be hat the issue is, and I’ll look into that today. But having said that, I would think that matching the EZ drummer clock to the host should set that and keep drift from happening. “Should” being the operative word.  Also, there were no tempo changes in the song(s).

 

Thanks for your reply! It’s getting my brain working on the issue in another direction.

 

James

[James Sunny Jim White]

I’ve uploaded a MIDI file that was exported from EZ Drums. When I open it in my DAW (Digital Performer) after about 10 bars the drift is noticeable. If someone could also open this in their DAW and just have a look, I would appreciate it. Let me know if it’s doing the same thing in your set up.

Thanks for any response. And, this is just an example file. I found a MIDI file on line of Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” and was messing with putting reggae drums (EZ DRUMS) to it instead of the straight ahead ballad rock. The tempo of the found midi track is 126bpm.

 

I also noticed that my late night typing skills sucked at the title of my thread. Should read “Export Track As MIDI File”.. It was late, running on little sleep, and the dog ate my homework.

[James Sunny Jim White]

Here is another track I worked on tonight. Dragged from the 70 BPM mid tempo push library, strung together for 111 measures. I have the host set at 7bpm and the tempo in EZ drummer at 76. Seems straight forward to export the track as a midi file to my desktop, import it into my Digital performer and have it line up all nice and neat. No such luck. there are almost a full measure at the beginning of each “variation”. Please, somebody import this into your program and have a look.

I also just grabbed and dragged the midi track into an open midi track in DP, with the exact same result.

What gives? Any ideas?

Thanks! James

Drums-as-MIDI

[John]

Hi,

no matter how I import this MIDI file, I can’t get it to not line up as expected, i.e. I switch on the metronome and listen through it and all hits are where you’d expect them to be with standard 4/4 beats.

It must be some setting within DP, I’m afraid and I am not sure where I should point you. I have skimmed through the DP User Guide and not found anything yet. You write that there are no Tempo changes and if your Audio is recorded to the same tempo as your Conductor track is set to, it shouldn’t be possible for the MIDI to drift/not sync.

Hopefully someone with more DP skills will chime in.

BR,
John

John Rammelt - Toontrack
Technical Advisor

[MrFun61]

Switch to Studio One

[jodac]

Same problem.  Used to work.  Something has changed. Saving as a midi file and importing and well as the drag and drop method both are slamming terribly.   DAW DP, mac 10.14.6

EZdrummer version: 2.2.1
Operating system: macOS Mojave (10.14)

[pete townshend]

Test

EZdrummer version: 2.2.2
Operating system: macOS Monterey (12)

[pete townshend]

I’m on DP 11 and often have the same issue. I know this is coming VERY late, but this is to do with the exported MIDI “Chunk” being a different length to the track. (The end times are different). Import the MIDI file (drag into a chunk window) and check the difference in lengths, then use scale time to correct the length of the MIDI file.

EZdrummer version: 2.2.2
Operating system: macOS Monterey (12)

[pete townshend]

Discovered that my suggestion does not always work. Instead, on a tricky project, I just tried exporting the EZ drum MIDI to Ableton LIVE, then exported it from there, into a DP MIDI track and that works fine. No idea what’s happening on other occasions.

EZdrummer version: 2.2.2
Operating system: macOS Monterey (12)

[pete townshend]

Here is the exact process I used to get MIDI export from EZ Drummer to work properly in Digital Performer 11.

1. Export EZ Drummer MIDI file. Be careful to give it an obvious name.
2. Highlight entire DP project.
3. Export entire project as MIDI file. (It must be highlighted to see this option)
4. Shut down DP.
5. You should now have TWO related MIDI files on your desktop (or w.h.y) One for drums, one for the sequence with tempo map etc.
6. Open LIVE
7. Drag both files into MIDI tracks – accepting the option to include tempo etc.
8. Now export just the drum track (with a new name so you don’t confuse it with the one you just exported from DP) as a MIDI file.
9. Shut down LIVE and open DP
10. Drag the drums MIDI file from LIVE into a MIDI track in DP.
11. Voila!

This seems to work every time. If you don’t have LIVE it MAY work to do the same stunt with LOGIC, FL w.h.y. I haven’t tested it. It seems EZ is not exporting a tempo map DP can read on the first import of the MIDI file, but can read it when it’s been sent to a less complicated DAW. (Sorry MOTU, DP sometimes shows its age. I’ve been using it since 1985!!!)

EZdrummer version: 2.2.2
Operating system: macOS Big Sur (11)

[Author]

Replies