Sorting out MIDI drums

[JD01]

Hey, [mention]Tadpui[/mention] [mention]Bubba[/mention] and I have just both installed the free version of Slate Drums 5.5 to see if we like it and could do with a bit of help getting it sorted out. We both decided that YOU were the person to help us!

To start with I have my current EZ Drummer set up like this:

Drum Buss Setup.JPG

Basically, I don't use any of the compression, reverb or extra ambiance that EZ Drummer offers. I just send the dry drum tracks to the individual tracks noted above (Kick, Snare, Toms, OH). Then I can adjust volume, EQ and panning of each piece in Reaper. I can also send each kit piece individually to my "room verb" track which is just a an impulse set 100%wet, 0% dry.

Do you know how I set this up with slate drums? I had no idea what I was doing when I tried to set this up with Slate.
The slate mixer looks like this:

Slate Mixer.JPG

Seems like I have far more control over the kick, snare and toms in Slate which is good, although I think the OH controls are crippled in this free version. That being said, if I like it and can get it set up how I want I'll be happy to buy it. I've heard that [mention]Armistice[/mention] uses Slate and he gets good results.

Also, anyone have an opinion about Slate vs Superior Drummer? I will be upgrading to one of them.
An advantage of superior for me is that its likely that the MIDI map from EZ to Superior will be the same so that old MIDI Programming will work with Superior.

[Armistice]

That's starting to look like the Addictive Drums interface. I gave up on them. Whenever I add a multitrack VSTI it asks me before the interface even opens whether I want all the individual tracks or a stereo feed.

If you didn't get asked, then you got a stereo feed send and that may just be part of the crippleware "feature" set. At the bottom of the interface window you can see all the tracks are going to "out 1 st". That's where you'd see the individual stereo and mono track out numbers.

Did it ask that question?

And it does show a separate track for the overheads for the kick drum on display so perhaps clicking in the routing area there will give you the track routing
options?

There's no mixer in SSD4. It's a crap interface, but who needs another set of gain controls to play around with? Or if there is I've successfully avoided using it.

Also, what's the routing preset thing in the left column?

[WhiskeyJack]

[mention]JD01[/mention]

See below. Looks fairly simple. Tut is for SSD4 but I can't see it being much different in SSD5. I stand to be corrected having never touched it ever.

[BBvideo=560,315]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CF0JBXaI4o[/BBvideo]

[JD01]

@JD01

See below. Looks fairly simple. Tut is for SSD4 but I can't see it being much different in SSD5. I stand to be corrected having never touched it ever.

[BBvideo=560,315]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CF0JBXaI4o[/BBvideo]

Ah, it didn't do that automatically and it didn't work when I tried it... I didn't try that hard mind you.

[JD01]

That's starting to look like the Addictive Drums interface. I gave up on them. Whenever I add a multitrack VSTI it asks me before the interface even opens whether I want all the individual tracks or a stereo feed.

If you didn't get asked, then you got a stereo feed send and that may just be part of the crippleware "feature" set. At the bottom of the interface window you can see all the tracks are going to "out 1 st". That's where you'd see the individual stereo and mono track out numbers.

Did it ask that question?

And it does show a separate track for the overheads for the kick drum on display so perhaps clicking in the routing area there will give you the track routing
options?

There's no mixer in SSD4. It's a crap interface, but who needs another set of gain controls to play around with? Or if there is I've successfully avoided using it.

Also, what's the routing preset thing in the left column?

Yeah - I tried sending them to different tracks and got fuck all. Crippleware? Maybe.. cripple-user? Probably - I'll see if Bubba does any better with it.

I'll see what Superior have to offer.

[Armistice]

That's starting to look like the Addictive Drums interface. I gave up on them. Whenever I add a multitrack VSTI it asks me before the interface even opens whether I want all the individual tracks or a stereo feed.

If you didn't get asked, then you got a stereo feed send and that may just be part of the crippleware "feature" set. At the bottom of the interface window you can see all the tracks are going to "out 1 st". That's where you'd see the individual stereo and mono track out numbers.

Did it ask that question?

And it does show a separate track for the overheads for the kick drum on display so perhaps clicking in the routing area there will give you the track routing
options?

There's no mixer in SSD4. It's a crap interface, but who needs another set of gain controls to play around with? Or if there is I've successfully avoided using it.

Also, what's the routing preset thing in the left column?

Yeah - I tried sending them to different tracks and got fuck all. Crippleware? Maybe.. cripple-user? Probably - I'll see if Bubba does any better with it.

I'll see what Superior have to offer.

I read the blurb about it and it said it didn't do that - and there's evidence that there's an overhead track there. What's showing in the right of the mixer, when you get scrolling?

[Armistice]

Some info here...

https://www.reddit.com/r/Reaper/comment ... els_now_i/

[Armistice]

OK, so there is a mixer in SSD4 - which I've managed to ignore ever since I got it.

But if you click on the track routing at the bottom it gives you the options to route anything to anwhere. I assume SSD5 is the same, even for the free version?

SSD4.png

[Bubba]

Yes, I don't think the various ways of operating this software are made very transparent. A lot of pre-existing knowledge seems to be assumed. My friend Adam, who works semi-professionally as a studio owner, tells me he uses Slate drums as an ordinary stereo mix track until he has finished all his tracking, then routes out all the drum tracks he is going to use to separate tracks at mixdown time. I shall pump him for more information on this tomorrow night after work.

[Armistice]

It's not so bad. Assuming it's somewhat like SSD4 - which it appears to be - I can help you with most of it.

[Tadpui]

Oh man, I haven't used SSD for a few years now. The interface always ticked me off, so I moved to Superior Drummer. I love the kit sounds in SSD but that interface is so atrocious that it put me off of it. I've been meaning to give that freebie SSD5 kit a try though.

It looks like Armi got right to it, that drop-down menu at the bottom of each channel is what you're after!

[JD01]

It looks like Armi got right to it, that drop-down menu at the bottom of each channel is what you're after!

I'll try it again later... I think the sending is disabled in this free 5.5 version though.

[Armistice]

Oh man, I haven't used SSD for a few years now. The interface always ticked me off, so I moved to Superior Drummer. I love the kit sounds in SSD but that interface is so atrocious that it put me off of it. I've been meaning to give that freebie SSD5 kit a try though.

It looks like Armi got right to it, that drop-down menu at the bottom of each channel is what you're after!

Isn't it though, complete with the faux rock, or whatever it is, finish? Awful. Hopefully the 5 version is better, having learnt from their mistakes. And hopefully resizable.

I'm an interface designer - more sensitive to this shit than most!

[Bubba]

It looks like Armi got right to it, that drop-down menu at the bottom of each channel is what you're after!

I'll try it again later... I think the sending is disabled in this free 5.5 version though.

The version is meant to be fully-featured, you just don't get many kits or samples.

[JD01]

I'll try it again later... I think the sending is disabled in this free 5.5 version though.

The version is meant to be fully-featured, you just don't get many kits or samples.

I think the control of the overheads is "greyed out".
I hope to get back on and have another play at lunch.