MIDI Playback

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by DonaldM

I'll tell you why, Jack, (as I do this myself with MIDI drum tracks)...it makes things SO much easier to keep track of. The MIDI kick is on its on track, MIDI snare....etc etc. I find it way more difficult to edit a single drum kit part when all of them are on the same MIDI track. Probably my eyes getting older! Once you've got the parts down, commit to audio and hide/make inactive all the MIDI and VI tracks. Yeah, it takes a wee bit longer, but I find it so much easier to keep track of what's what!

For myself my thought is always why make things more complicated than they need to be? Even with my aging eyes (65 1/2 yo - bet a year of PT renewal I'm older than you ) everything on one track is no problem. I just open the track in the MIDI editor and have at it.

[DonaldM]

Originally Posted by musicman691

Even with my aging eyes (65 1/2 yo - bet a year of PT renewal I'm older than you )

Not by very much.

[amagras]

I'm older than you two

[adam79]

Originally Posted by DonaldM

I'll tell you why, Jack, (as I do this myself with MIDI drum tracks)...it makes things SO much easier to keep track of. The MIDI kick is on its on track, MIDI snare....etc etc. I find it way more difficult to edit a single drum kit part when all of them are on the same MIDI track. Probably my eyes getting older! Once you've got the parts down, commit to audio and hide/make inactive all the MIDI and VI tracks. Yeah, it takes a wee bit longer, but I find it so much easier to keep track of what's what!

Yes, finally someone gets it.

I don't even have a keyboard, so I need to open vmpk first to use my computer keypad. Hopefully we'll get another spot soon so I can just play real drums when writing. I hate midi, and my ridiculously primitive setup for it does not help

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by amagras

I'm older than you two

I never felt old until I was eligible for Medicare this year. Sure beats the alternative though.

[DonaldM]

Originally Posted by adam79

Yes, finally someone gets it.

I don't even have a keyboard, so I need to open vmpk first to use my computer keypad. Hopefully we'll get another spot soon so I can just play real drums when writing. I hate midi, and my ridiculously primitive setup for it does not help

There are some fairly inexpensive midi controllers out there that might suit you. MIDI is a powerful tool for music creation.

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by DonaldM

There are some fairly inexpensive midi controllers out there that might suit you. MIDI is a powerful tool for music creation.

But if adam is doing drum stuff you don't want a piano-type keyboard. Doing drums on one isn't easy. for example to get good rolls you should have two different keys mapped to the same drum hit in whatever vi you're using or some other way to get two keys to actuate the same drum.

[adam79]

Originally Posted by DonaldM

There are some fairly inexpensive midi controllers out there that might suit you. MIDI is a powerful tool for music creation.

Ya, especially buying a used one. I need to go to guitar center to see if I like the feel of those mini key units. I'm not really sure it's even worth going down that path because there's other equipment I need WAY more.. monitors being the big one. I'm sick of having to mix with headphones (Senheisser HD280 Pro) and a pair of Bose bookshelf speakers. I feel very limited and I'm pretty sure it's hindering my progress.

But to get back on track, is Structure Free, as the name implies, a free plugin? I found it's download page on Avid, which includes not just the plug, but drum libraries and everything. It doesn't say anything about a price.

I really like the Hydrogen drum VI. I tried it a few months back, but stopped using it.. it's a standalone app and can't be used as an instrument plugin (from what I remember).

Someone mentioned Drummic'a. I actually just discovered it the other week, but haven't had much of a chance to play around with it.

[t1mtnntgn]

i like you

[adam79]

Originally Posted by musicman691

But if adam is doing drum stuff you don't want a piano-type keyboard. Doing drums on one isn't easy. for example to get good rolls you should have two different keys mapped to the same drum hit in whatever vi you're using or some other way to get two keys to actuate the same drum.

I do that all the time. Sometimes I'll use two different, but similar, snare samples and peck away at the keypad for a surprisingly non-choppy fill.

When you say piano-type are u referring to using non-weighted keys for the drums, pads or both?