Tweaking EZ Drummer MIDI Files

[rhardy11]

It is common to find an existing MIDI file that is close to what I need. If I want to add a single bass drum hit at a specific point, there is too much latency to use the record function in EZ Drummer (the latency makes “tap to find” MUCH less useful too). Typically, I drag a “block” from the EZ Drummer plugin into the MIDI track in Protools. I can easily tweak it with the mouse in the MIDI editor, but then what? I can’t drag it back into EZ Drummer? If I export the MIDI file, I get a MIDI file that is the entire length of the song, even if there are only 2 measures of MIDI drums. What I have been doing (which is extremely tie consuming) is:

1) Save the EZ Drummer block as USER MIDI in EZ Drummer from my SONG’s Protools session
2) Close my SONG’s Protools session
3) Create a blank DRUM Protools session with an instance of EZ Drummer
4) Copy the USER MIDI block that meeds to be tweaked into the DRUM Protools session
5) Tweak the MIDI file in the Protools MIDI editor
6) Export the tweaked MIDI file from the DRUM Protools session into the EZ Drummer USER MIDI Directory
7) Close the DRUM Protools session and open the SONG Protools session
8) Add the new tweaked MIDI block from USER MIDI into EZ Drummer

There MUST be an easier way? I wish I could use the mouse to tweak EZ Drummer MIDI blocks AND EZ Drummer “Tap to find” patterns.

Topic

[Scott Eshleman]

You can record the MIDI you’ve tweaked in your Pro Tools session back into the EZDrummer timeline
if you have EZDrummer instantiated on that Instrument track.

[onewayout_1]

Also this works in REAPER….We can hold CTRL & ALT (on PC) to drag retweaked midi file back into EZD2 and further work with it….

jeff

[rhardy11]

That almost worked for me Scott E. There are dead measures at the beginning and end of the recording. I trimmed them in the EZD2 timeline with the mouse AND the scissors (neither worked) and saved the block as user MIDI but the dead measures are not trimmed when I re-input the pattern back in. To record, I highlighted the 8 measure MIDI block in protools so it would not start early or end late, but it still recorded the extra measures.

[Nathan Rice]

@onewayout_1 said:
Also this works in REAPER….We can hold CTRL & ALT (on PC) to drag retweaked midi file back into EZD2 and further work with it….

jeff  

WTF??? Dude!! THANK YOU!!!! I’ve been searching for a way to do this for a looong time!!

[Nathan Rice]

@onewayout_1 said:
Also this works in REAPER….We can hold CTRL & ALT (on PC) to drag retweaked midi file back into EZD2 and further work with it….

jeff  

WTF??? Dude!! THANK YOU!!!! I’ve been searching for a way to do this for a looong time!!

[Graphicon]

@onewayout_1 said:
Also this works in REAPER….We can hold CTRL & ALT (on PC) to drag retweaked midi file back into EZD2 and further work with it….

jeff  

No Doubt!!! Crazy Cool!!! Thank you so much! Jeff’s The Man!!! I’ve been doing that whole runaround for a year now.

[onewayout_1]

Nice!

[rhardy11]

Geesh, I still can’t get it to work. Ideally, I’d like to drag a EZ2 block into protools, edit it and put it back into EZ drummer as a block, then save it to user MIDI. If I hold CTRL-ALT and start to drag the protools MIDI file, it does not go into EZ2, it just moves inside protools. I suspect I’m missing something simple. Here’s detail:

1) Dragging an EZ2 block into protools WORKS!
2) Editing MIDI in protools works
3a) Putting edited MIDI back into EZ2 works if I hit RECORD in EZ2 and play the MIDI file, but there is dead space at both ends.
3b) I cannot drag protools MIDI blocks back into EZ2 no matter what I try (any advice, because this would be great!).
4) After recording the edited MIDI back into EZ2, I get dead space at both ends. I can edit out the dead space, but if I drag the edited block into EZ2 User MIDI, the dead space is there. If I right-click on a block and “save to user MIDI” the dead space is also there, but the blocks are different. What’s REALLY WEIRD, in some cases, if I preview the block in the USER MIDI, it will play correctly, with no dead spaces, but the dead space is there when I drag it back into the timeline.

My EZ Drummer 2 install is up to date. Thanks in advance!

[John]

Hi,

not being able to drag back to the EZdrummer 2 plugin from the Pro Tools Timeline, is a limitation in Pro Tools and the AAX format.
IIRC, you could do it with RTAS plugins but that was, according to Avid techs, a loophole in the RTAS specs which they closed with the AAX architecture.

I think I have recorded MIDI, without getting empty space, from Pro Tools to EZdrummer 2 by selecting the region of the e.g. 8 Bars on the Pro Tools Timeline and deselect the loop play in PT, then record arm in EZdrummer 2 and hit spacebar.

BR,
John

John Rammelt - Toontrack
Technical Advisor

[Author]

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