Time signature follow DAW?

[Brick Fist Pow]

I have a song with many time signature changes. Can SD3 follow DAW time signature changes? I want to use SD3, but making these changes manually is very time consuming. When arranging/ editing in my DAW, the timeline quickly gets out of sync in SD3. It’s impossible to keep jumping back and forth every edit between DAW and SD3 to keep things in sync. If this is not a feature, I suggest it be added asap.

Superior Drummer 3 version: 3.1.4
Operating system: Windows 10

Topic

[John]

Hi,

 

the plugin should not get out of sync but time signature changes are not transmitted from hosts to plugins, only tempo.

Having ‘Follow host’ enabled and inserting the time signature changes on your Song Track is the way to go.

 

BR,

John

John Rammelt - Toontrack
Technical Advisor

[Henrik Ekblom]

Note that you can export a MIDI file from Logic and import the time signature changes from that file in SD3. This is found in the Track menu > Import Time Signature Changes from MIDI File…

Henrik Ekblom - User Experience Designer
Toontrack

1

Thanked by: John

[Brick Fist Pow]

John, are you saying that all DAW’s are unable transmit time signatures? Is it possible to do the opposite, and have DAW follow SD3 instead? I shouldn’t have said, “out of sync”, everything is in sync, but the timeline in SD3 doesn’t match the timeline in Reaper, unless I add the correct time signatures in SD3.

Neither suggestions are ideal though. They both create a lot of extra work for me. I forgot to mention the song is still a work in progress, and nothing is committed. Everytime I make an edit in Reaper, I go back to SD3 and change it manually so both timelines match. This makes experimenting very difficult, and my workflow slow. If the song was finished being written, that would make things alot easier. I would manually make the changes 1x and be done with it. In my case I’m doing this what seems like hundreds of times. I’m jumping back and forth so often, that I’m spending the majority of my writing session making sure SD3 and Reaper timelines stay matched. It’s easy to screw up the midi in SD3 doing it the way I have been.

Here are how many steps/ clicks I’m going through to give you an idea:

1. Make time signature change in Reaper.
2. Open SD3
3. Go back to Reaper and press play to find the correct place in SD3 timeline.
4. Go back to SD3 to Zoom out and select all midi that comes after my edit, and slide it to make sure the timeline stays matching.
5. Make SD3 edit.
6. Go back to Reaper and press play to make sure everything sounds correct.

You can see how time consuming this can become vs having it automated, and how quickly 6 steps can get multiplied when I’m doing this all day.

Superior Drummer 3 version: 3.1.4
Operating system: Windows 10

[Mark King]

Why don’t you have the midi in Reaper then? That’s what I do with Cubase but maybe it’s because reapers midi editing is not that advanced as cubase is.

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

[Brick Fist Pow]

I dont want the midi in Reaper because SD3 has better editing features.

Superior Drummer 3 version: 3.1.4
Operating system: Windows 10

[Henrik Ekblom]

Brick Fist Pow wrote:

John, are you saying that all DAW’s are unable transmit time signatures? Is it possible to do the opposite, and have DAW follow SD3 instead?

Unfortunately, the VST standard doesn’t allow plugins (such as Superior Drummer) to tell the DAW what time signature it should use. In fact, the plugins can’t control anything – the DAW controls what the plugins should play.

There is a technology that may change this, called ARA (developed by Celemony). Unfortunately, it’s not supported by VST instruments, but we are keeping an eye on that technology and it can hopefully be implemented in the future!

Henrik Ekblom - User Experience Designer
Toontrack

• This post was modified 6 years ago by Henrik Ekblom.

1

Thanked by: Brick Fist Pow

[Garry Stubbs]

ARA and Presonus. Which is why Studio One has the best implemention of this technology at this time.

[Author]

Replies