monospace
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monospaceThere’s also a Core Library update to 1.2 but no information anywhere about what’s in it. Are you going to publish the release notes?
E-drummer. eDrumIn trigger interface with various Roland trigger pads. MacBook Pro (mid-2015); MacOS High Sierra; Logic Pro X 10.4.8. Superior Drummer user since 2009.
monospaceHow can I set the MIDI channel to 10 when I export an SD3 track to a MIDI file?
You can’t. MIDI files don’t have channel information, that’s something you assign in software and/or hardware during playback.
E-drummer. eDrumIn trigger interface with various Roland trigger pads. MacBook Pro (mid-2015); MacOS High Sierra; Logic Pro X 10.4.8. Superior Drummer user since 2009.
monospaceTotally as an aside: I sometimes get frustrated with the exact opposite: trying to get as soft a sound as possible with SD3. I play edrums, and I always limit snare and toms to around 110 of velocity, because to me, the samples are crazy loud and aggressive above that level, even with an optimized trigger module. Even when you play as softly as possible, the samples are louder than what you would get on a live acoustic set. Ultimately, that’s just a limitation of electronic drums and software, no matter how phenomenal SD3 is. What I do is, I fix it in post.
E-drummer. eDrumIn trigger interface with various Roland trigger pads. MacBook Pro (mid-2015); MacOS High Sierra; Logic Pro X 10.4.8. Superior Drummer user since 2009.
monospaceYou can also stack them. No processing required and you can design what you’re looking for.
Bingo. This is what I do when I want to get a heavy sound. It’s kinda counterintuitive because this isn’t something you’d do with an analog kit, but damn if you can’t get some crazy aggressive sounds by stacking.
E-drummer. eDrumIn trigger interface with various Roland trigger pads. MacBook Pro (mid-2015); MacOS High Sierra; Logic Pro X 10.4.8. Superior Drummer user since 2009.
monospaceIf you just need something to trigger SD3, I highly recommend getting an eDrumIn trigger module. It’s been out for a year and gets updated frequently, but already out of the box it’s the best triggering module I’ve ever used, highly customizable, easy to use, and works with pretty much any pad you throw at it. Lots cheaper than a decent Roland module, especially if you won’t be triggering any onboard sounds.
Notable features: three-zone triggering, hotspot suppression, and positional sensing on any mesh pad (not just snare). Three-zone triggering (including bell) on any cymbal pad, using a single cable. Support for split cables. Support for Yamaha triggers. Bank switching. Last but not least: by far the best hihat implementation you’ll ever experience.
https://www.audiofront.net/eDrumIn.php
Discussion over at VDrums.com: https://www.vdrums.com/forum/advanced/technical/1215866-edrumin-let-s-talk-about-it
E-drummer. eDrumIn trigger interface with various Roland trigger pads. MacBook Pro (mid-2015); MacOS High Sierra; Logic Pro X 10.4.8. Superior Drummer user since 2009.
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Thanked by: Art NmonospaceYeah, your module’s factory presets will have MIDI note numbers assigned to its built-in sounds. That’s why I suggested creating your own presets, where you can assign mappings that correspond to the note numbers inside of SD3. That way you can still use your module as a standalone, just switch over to one of your own presets when using SD3. And as I explained earlier, it makes sense to create multiple presets for use with different kits/configurations/expansion packs within SD3. Within the SD3 ecosystem, MIDI mappings appear to be fairly consistent, but it’s inevitable that some packs (especially the “monster kits” such as those in Metal Foundry) deviate from the SD3 standard.
I’m a big believer of fixing things at the module first. So I prefer to change MIDI mappings on the module rather than in SD3, but if I need to, I would do it in the E-Drum Settings before I do it on the actual Drums screen. Same for trigger settings such as sensitivity, threshold, curves and the like. Always make sure your triggers and module are dialed in optimally before resorting to tweaking the software. Don’t be afraid to tweak those pad settings even after you’ve selected a Roland pad preset; even two nominally identical pads can have radically different response characteristics.
If you have multiple AUX inputs that are used consistently (i.e. AUX 1 is always a splash, AUX 2 always a cowbell, etc.) it might make sense to map them according to the GM Drum Map. You should have fewer mismatches between Roland kits.
I turn off Local MIDI to avoid having the module trigger its own sounds when I play SD3. Theoretically this helps with reducing latency, but I don’t know that it matters much if you have a recent module. At any rate, that’s a global setting, so if you still play the module’s own sounds as well I’d just leave it on.
Lastly, the BT-1. It has built-in crosstalk reduction abilities, which newer Roland modules allow you to bypass, to get a smoother trigger response. If your module doesn’t have a setting for the BT-1, this discussion over at VDrums.com might be helpful.
E-drummer. eDrumIn trigger interface with various Roland trigger pads. MacBook Pro (mid-2015); MacOS High Sierra; Logic Pro X 10.4.8. Superior Drummer user since 2009.
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Thanked by: metrosuperstarmonospaceIf you re-assign the MIDI mapping on the Drums tab, you’re only applying that new mapping to the currently loaded kit. You can save that kit as a User Kit (in SD3 that means the collection of drum parts, mappings, and mixer settings currently active), but you’re going to have to do the same thing all over again when you load a different kit.
If you do it in the MIDI In/E-Drum Settings it’s “global” because you’re changing the way your MIDI input translates to an instrument at the input level. The trick is to be aware that SD3 uses a standard MIDI map (based on the more generic General MIDI drum map) in which each articulation uses a fixed MIDI note number. (Most expansion packs use that same mapping, but especially some of the older SD2 expansions can be slightly different.)
Now, if you know, for example, that Tom 1 in SD3 always uses MIDI note 48, and Tom 2 is 47, and Tom 3 is 45, and you only have one rack tom (like I do), a clever way to quickly change the sound you’re triggering is to not change the MIDI mapping inside of SD3, or go through the trouble of “re-learning” that sound, but to do it on your trigger module! So, on your module, you would create a couple of User Kits/Presets in which your racktom trigger pad plays MIDI note 48 in one, 47 in the other, and so forth. Name them something useful like “Rack 1, “Rack 2”, etc and you can change what sounds you trigger in SD3 by simply changing the preset on your module. (All modules will allow you to change the MIDI assignment for a trigger, consult your manual to see how to do it on yours.)
Be aware that many expansion packs have different drum layouts than the default SD3 kits, so it makes sense to create User Kits on your module that match those expansion packs, and name them accordingly. Changing the User Kits on your module is much quicker than “relearning” mappings every time you load an expansion pack.
A wireframe in SD3 simply means that no instrument is currently loaded in that instrument slot (which is a MIDI mapping!) SD3 is smart enough that when you hit a trigger that would normally be assigned to that note number, it will play the next adjacent, loaded sound. So if Tom 1 isn’t loaded and you hit a trigger pad assigned to that MIDI note, it will play the next tom that is loaded (and display the orange icon on the wireframe). Same with floor toms, cymbals, etc.
Lastly, my cowbell setup is a bit different. I use the cowbell that came with the “Avatar” default drumkit from Superior Drummer 2. (As far as I can tell, Future Hit instruments aren’t playable from an e-drum kit, they’re meant for MIDI programming. Someone correct me if I’m wrong.) So I click “Add Instrument->Search For Instrument…” and load the cowbell. It shows up inside a small rectangle at the top left. The MIDI Mapping box on the right shows that the note number for the cowbell is 95, so that’s what I change the BT-1 to in my trigger module. I then save that as a preset on my module and as a User Kit in SD3.
E-drummer. eDrumIn trigger interface with various Roland trigger pads. MacBook Pro (mid-2015); MacOS High Sierra; Logic Pro X 10.4.8. Superior Drummer user since 2009.
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Thanked by: metrosuperstar and gearnerdmonospaceI don’t disagree that having a Learn button on the Drums tab would be useful. Superior Drummer 2 had that, and I used it quite a bit. There is a “Learn” functionality hidden in the MIDI Mapping sidebox though. But you first have to select an articulation, then use the pulldown menu next to that articulation in the Mapping box, then select “Learn note…” The difference is that it only applies to your currently loaded configuration, not global like the MIDI In/E-Drum settings.
In your situation, what I would do is not load each additional instrument as a “new instrument” that then needs to be assigned or “learned”, but rather I would right-click an already loaded part that has a MIDI note already assigned, then “Search for instrument” and replace the existing instrument. That way you don’t need to relearn MIDI notes. You can then save those new configurations as User Kits. If you only swap out a few elements and not an entire kit, this will load quite quickly.
I don’t play covers all that much, but I do set up different User Kits for different playing styles, i.e. a more jazzy kit and a more heavy kit. I might have a cowbell on the BT-1 in one, and a splash in the other. Or a different ride for each kit, or racktom, etc. But they’re not geared to specific songs, just to different genres.
E-drummer. eDrumIn trigger interface with various Roland trigger pads. MacBook Pro (mid-2015); MacOS High Sierra; Logic Pro X 10.4.8. Superior Drummer user since 2009.
monospaceAnother trick I learned, albeit way too late (after 11 years of e-drumming): you can create User Kits on your module and assign different MIDI notes for a certain pad in each. So, if like me, you have one physical rack tom and two floor toms, you can assign your rack tom to SD Tom 1 in one user kit, and to SD Tom 2 or 3 in another. Everything else stays the same. Then all you need to do is select your User Kit on your module to play whichever tom you want. Quick and easy. (And of course this is by no means limited to toms.)
E-drummer. eDrumIn trigger interface with various Roland trigger pads. MacBook Pro (mid-2015); MacOS High Sierra; Logic Pro X 10.4.8. Superior Drummer user since 2009.
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Thanked by: cristobal romeromonospaceThis exists. Go to Settings -> MIDI in/E-Drums… and select an articulation. Click the “Learn” button. Hit a trigger, done.
E-drummer. eDrumIn trigger interface with various Roland trigger pads. MacBook Pro (mid-2015); MacOS High Sierra; Logic Pro X 10.4.8. Superior Drummer user since 2009.
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Thanked by: cristobal romero and metrosuperstarmonospaceI do agree that what you’re suggesting is eminently reasonable. I tend to play mostly with my own presets, and barely touch the ones that came with the program because when I do I need to re-route everything. That’s a shame because there’s some good stuff there to play and to study. It’s just too much of a bother most of the time. A global config, even if you could only “lock” your main outputs, would be very useful.
E-drummer. eDrumIn trigger interface with various Roland trigger pads. MacBook Pro (mid-2015); MacOS High Sierra; Logic Pro X 10.4.8. Superior Drummer user since 2009.
monospaceAny kit that has all the instrument slots loaded would be a good starting point.
My personal favorite is the Premier Genista, but that doesn’t have a Tom 3. You could load in one from another kit, though. I didn’t bother since my physical edrum setup has one racktom and two floortoms. I first spend a good amount of time getting my triggering and velocity mappings just right. Second, I enable bleed on all microphones and only use the near room mics, which gives me the most realistic sounding experience from a drummer’s perspective. I then create busses for kick, snare, hats, and toms, and route those to the outputs I need.
Stuff like EQ and compression is added on a per-kit basis, as needed or desired, when I swap out kit pieces. I then save those configurations as user presets, all based on my initial setup.
Of course, if my physical situation ever changes (say I add a new trigger pad or a different audio interface) I would need to update all my user kits, or start over, but in the absence of a global config option this still is the most efficient method for me.
E-drummer. eDrumIn trigger interface with various Roland trigger pads. MacBook Pro (mid-2015); MacOS High Sierra; Logic Pro X 10.4.8. Superior Drummer user since 2009.
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Thanked by: MBI (Ian)monospaceEdit. I guess I can just build my own kit and then change sounds as required and save as.
That’s how I have been doing it. Even in standalone. My audio interface has 8 output channels, and I use 1&2 for my main monitor, and 3&4 for my headphone mix. I’ve set up bussing to make this work, and it turns out it’s just easier/quicker to replace drums and cymbals rather than recreating my routings every time.
Another benefit is that this way you can create a mixer template with bleeds, panning, EQs, compressors and other miscellaneous processing and just load in the instruments you like, tweak it a bit, then save it as a user preset.
E-drummer. eDrumIn trigger interface with various Roland trigger pads. MacBook Pro (mid-2015); MacOS High Sierra; Logic Pro X 10.4.8. Superior Drummer user since 2009.
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Thanked by: MBI (Ian)monospaceThe problem is that you still have to select which drum you want to preview first, which then triggers it at 127. Ouch!
When you right click a drum, it doesn’t play, but then you have to click out of the context menu first.
Sometimes all you want to do is quickly click a few drums on your screen to hear how they sound together.
The preview pad is definitely useful, but not in this particular scenario.
It should be trivial to add a global preference for the interface volume.
E-drummer. eDrumIn trigger interface with various Roland trigger pads. MacBook Pro (mid-2015); MacOS High Sierra; Logic Pro X 10.4.8. Superior Drummer user since 2009.
monospaceI too would like this option.
Previewing at 127 does not give you an accurate impression of what a drum or cymbal would sound like in a normal work flow.
E-drummer. eDrumIn trigger interface with various Roland trigger pads. MacBook Pro (mid-2015); MacOS High Sierra; Logic Pro X 10.4.8. Superior Drummer user since 2009.
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