Old 04-15-2022, 11:22 AM   #1
AndyVirgil
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Default Electronic Drums to MIDI Separate Tracks

So, I live in an apartment now and can no longer record my acoustic drums. I would like to use an electronic drumset but have the option of putting each drum on its own individual track so I can change the sounds if I need to.

I went to Guitar Center to buy one with that ability, but I couldn't get any definitive answers on how to do this. I was told that any kit with a USB MIDI cable port would do the job, but the guy told me he's not too familiar with this kind of thing. Does anyone know for sure which electronic kits will work with Reaper, putting each drum on an individual track?
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Old 04-15-2022, 02:49 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by AndyVirgil View Post
So, I live in an apartment now and can no longer record my acoustic drums. I would like to use an electronic drumset but have the option of putting each drum on its own individual track so I can change the sounds if I need to.

I went to Guitar Center to buy one with that ability, but I couldn't get any definitive answers on how to do this. I was told that any kit with a USB MIDI cable port would do the job, but the guy told me he's not too familiar with this kind of thing. Does anyone know for sure which electronic kits will work with Reaper, putting each drum on an individual track?
With all the countless quirks and weirdness with digi drums you better be well-informed.

The two parts of digi drumming is the hardware (which dictates how pleasant it is to play, and how well your expressiveness is translated to digital), and the sounds (as part of the hardware, or as part of a separate vst plugin).

Personally, I use a vst plugin for sounds, and it's fairly common for vst plugins that the different sounds can be put on different tracks in Reaper.
Good to check out Superior Drummer (2 or 3), that gave me the best sounds and drumming experience I ever had.
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Old 04-16-2022, 02:02 PM   #3
dug dog
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Are you wanting to put the audio from each kit piece on a different track or do you want to split the MIDI data to different tracks?
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Old 04-16-2022, 03:21 PM   #4
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Are you wanting to put the audio from each kit piece on a different track or do you want to split the MIDI data to different tracks?
I’m wanting to put each kit piece on a different track.
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Old 04-16-2022, 04:07 PM   #5
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Ok I think I see what’s going on here.

I think most kits do just have a stereo AUDIO out when you are using the on board samples. I suspect there are some kits where there are specific audio outs for each piece but I don’t know which ones.

So, to me, the samples on even some of the really high end e-drum kits cannot hold a candle to drum software (Slate Digital Drums free edition if you are on a budget or Get Good Drums sound great to me). I think that’s why there is some confusion on your thread here. I’m under the impression that most people record the midi into Reaper and then use VSTi drums from there.
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Old 04-16-2022, 05:15 PM   #6
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I'm no authority on electronic drum kits but, as Puck mentioned, there are some with multiple audio outputs- the Alesis Strike is one that I'm aware of and it has 8 outs. Note that you will also need an audio interface that has 8 separate inputs if you want to go that route.
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Old 04-17-2022, 05:55 AM   #7
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I'm no authority on electronic drum kits but, as Puck mentioned, there are some with multiple audio outputs- the Alesis Strike is one that I'm aware of and it has 8 outs. Note that you will also need an audio interface that has 8 separate inputs if you want to go that route.
I found a special exception where you don't need an extra (at least) 8 channel audio interface.
The Roland TD-27KV has the capacity to send all the separate sounds through USB, so that would be a good solution for all needs in 1 package, without the need of a vst plugin or other extras.
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Old 04-17-2022, 09:04 AM   #8
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Thank you to everyone who has responded so far. I do have a Scarlett 18i20, which has 8 inputs, so I’m good as far as an interface goes. Everyone has made great suggestions that I will be looking into. Thanks again.
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Old 04-17-2022, 09:41 AM   #9
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I think you're looking at it the wrong way - use the kit to record MIDI and rely on software to play it back. The software you use for sounds (Addictive Drums, EZ Drummer, whatever) will all have separate outputs for each sound source you can assign to different tracks in Reaper.
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Old 04-17-2022, 08:53 PM   #10
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Just as Chip said

https://rolandcorp.com.au/blog/recor...-1-v-drums-kit

See section on recording MIDI

Then edit the MIDI notes

Then playback through VSTi drums using multichannel out

Doesn't have to be Roland. They should all have this functionality
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Old 04-22-2022, 04:18 PM   #11
AndyVirgil
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Thanks again to everyone that has replied. I got to talk to someone at Guitar Center about this and he said that most electronic drums have that ability. I'm thinking of getting an Alesis Nitro kit and he said that it'll work. Is it a simple process to hook that up using a USB to MIDI cable in Reaper?
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Old 04-22-2022, 04:25 PM   #12
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I don't think you'd need USB to MIDI cable. Just USB from the kit to a USB slot on your computer.
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