Looking for methods to create drums

[shosty]

I spent the last five years or so making music in renoise and have come to love the workflow, especially as it is essentially a big sampler and layering is very simple and easy. I tried to make a song in reaper recently but I found it very clunky and awkward to make drums.

Which samplers do you use? I tried with the built in one but didn't like it particularly. I would prefer to have all drums loaded in one sampler with each being output to its own track, and one lane of midi to trigger them. When I tried with the built in sampler I set it up so each sampler is on its on track limited to just one note and one midi track sending midi to all the sampler tracks. This wasn't ideal, it was a hassle setting up a new drum sound and just generally felt inefficient.

I've just realised that there is a multisampler in the LSP plugins which looks like it could be perfect, it has tons of instrument slots and each one has sub-slots so that should take care of layering.

I don't make rock based music so drumgizmo isn't very well suited.

What's your drum workflow and what samplers do you use, and how do you set it up?

[lilith93]

Take a look at these two videos

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RJD7aNzSmO8
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EFbXBCutQAw

It's also possible to route all the instruments from ReaSampler to separate tracks.

[Nixon]

Maybe this is silly but did you try redux ?

[shosty]

Originally Posted by Nixon

Maybe this is silly but did you try redux ?

It's a sensible suggestion but I haven't tried it. I'm sure it would be the best solution but I'm uncertain about purchasing it as I already own renoise and could just use that instead. I'm not trying to get away from renoise, I still love it, but wanted to see what it was like using a more linear piano roll based daw again.

I suppose I could use renoise and reaper at the same time and have one as the time master, will have to test that soon.

[lilith93]

Originally Posted by Nixon

Maybe this is silly but did you try redux ?

Does it work for you? Can you put notes with the keyboard into the pattern editor?

[Nixon]

Originally Posted by lilith93

Does it work for you? Can you put notes with the keyboard into the pattern editor?

Nope, I have the same problems with keyboard input but I somehow really dig the Renoise sampler and besides that Redux has no problem with midi input. I use Redux in combination with hackey tracky (https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=202382) and it comes somewhat close to that fun Renoise workflow.

[kytdkut]

Originally Posted by Nixon

Nope, I have the same problems with keyboard input but I somehow really dig the Renoise sampler and besides that Redux has no problem with midi input. I use Redux in combination with hackey tracky (https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=202382) and it comes somewhat close to that fun Renoise workflow.

thank you for this! it's fantastic

Also I don't have this issues you mention with Redux, I can use it perfectly, even the searchboxes work... I don't know how to help you though, any pointers?

[lilith93]

Originally Posted by Nixon

Nope, I have the same problems with keyboard input but I somehow really dig the Renoise sampler and besides that Redux has no problem with midi input. I use Redux in combination with hackey tracky (https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=202382) and it comes somewhat close to that fun Renoise workflow.

How do you use Redux then, with the mouse only? Thanks for the hackey tracky tip... I'll look it up.

[EpicSounds]

Originally Posted by lilith93

Take a look at these two videos

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RJD7aNzSmO8
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EFbXBCutQAw

It's also possible to route all the instruments from ReaSampler to separate tracks.

adding to this list, MPL's RS5K manager is essential if you want to build drum kits without disrupting flow.

https://reaperblog.net/2018/06/rs5k-manager/

edit - just realized this is the linux specific forum, and those scripts might not be available yet for you

[lilith93]

Looks pretty cool and useful!

It also seems to work in Linux Just have to figure out how to trigger the pads.
edit: ...and I think this is where the problem comes in ... maybe not (fully) compatible with Linux yet.

[Nixon]

Originally Posted by lilith93

Looks pretty cool and useful!

It also seems to work in Linux Just have to figure out how to trigger the pads.
edit: ...and I think this is where the problem comes in ... maybe not (fully) compatible with Linux yet.

I've tested MPLs script too but I have some problems with performance and gui offset I can't really narrow down. I did get the pads to work though.

[shosty]

Originally Posted by Nixon

I've tested MPLs script too but I have some problems with performance and gui offset I can't really narrow down. I did get the pads to work though.

Yeah, I've tried it as well and it sort of works but the gui doesn't seem quite right.

[Bri1]

What's your drum workflow and what samplers do you use, and how do you set it up?

^lolz-- i could yak on about that for a while but will spare u details because there is sooo many ways it can be done itb.
1 interesting way i found more recently was the ability to play drums with markers and take systems..
the idea is.. you insert 10markers over a drum beat,or series of hits.. play them of a keyboard trigger --- and record them.
even with static samples,fx can give variances.
user can switch out takes on the fly-for different drum kits etc cet tec. kk.
pretty whacky,but it worx m8+your actually doing the drumming yourself.

[shosty]

Originally Posted by Bri1

^lolz-- i could yak on about that for a while but will spare u details because there is sooo many ways it can be done itb.
1 interesting way i found more recently was the ability to play drums with markers and take systems..
the idea is.. you insert 10markers over a drum beat,or series of hits.. play them of a keyboard trigger --- and record them.
even with static samples,fx can give variances.
user can switch out takes on the fly-for different drum kits etc cet tec. kk.
pretty whacky,but it worx m8+your actually doing the drumming yourself.

That sounds pretty good actually, quite similar to how you can work with loops in renoise. Very interesting approach.

[Bri1]

That sounds pretty good actually, quite similar to how you can work with loops in renoise. Very interesting approach.

^heh--tbch-i do not know renoise 1 single bit--my bro played with it years ago though and liked it i think..anyways--time marches on...
as time marched i've played around with a lot of kit itb--but am still sticking firmly with reason.
for me it gives ultimate control,flexibilty,simplicity+creative potentials even more so now--a lot of the native devices got a clever upgrade which made them all sampling units except a few--(dr.octorex not included=strange) but- that was a smarter move from ph i believe.. the flow is very very nice and uncomplicated, until it is made complexicated!. check the nnxt>




^that unit looks and acts really nice for me-- very versatile sampler if 1 can actually be bothered to programme it-- it's exactely the same for all the other modern devices,units--they most all come presetted,but beyond that--the real strengths+powers lay in the user inputs+outputs {imo}


even though the nnxt is great i would still say reason has the wikkedest drum module ¦ kong ¦ >


unit is very powerfull-- it contains both a nn nano+ a nurse rex>> + per pad fx etc-- fuk awesome m8's-- find it hard to be matched tbh.
^ both great for loopers and layering librarians.
but that's not reaper's...sigh---reaper could show strengths in dsp knowledge making an awesomer newer unit__ooh er...

linux?? wtf's that? lolonthefloor.

[shosty]

Originally Posted by vitaminx

I honestly did not find anything remotely as good as Renoise for drums on Linux - nothing beats that tracker interface for me.
It just so convenient when it comes to drum layering, phrasing, keyzones, etc.

What I am starting to experiment with are two things:

1. Running Renoise together with Reaper: using Renoise as rhythm machine and for synths, and Reaper for all recorded stuff, like guitars, voice, bass guitar, etc. - and then also using Reaper for mastering.

2. Compose and mix everything in Renoise, then render down the tracks and import them into Reaper, then using Reaper as pure mastering tool.

But I have no real opinion yet, as I just started to get into Reaper.

Yeah same here. The problem I have is that I tend to group things in renoise so it becomes difficult to export each track to mix in reaper. I have lots of vocals files to edit and mix so I have to use something like reaper/ardour though so perhaps option 1 is best. But then I have tons of processing happening in both so will of course start pushing cpu.

I also thought that writing purely in reaper might be interesting because swing/groove is a bit weird in renoise but I haven't found reaper to be all that much better in that respect.

Originally Posted by Bri1

^heh--tbch-i do not know renoise 1 single bit--my bro played with it years ago though and liked it i think..anyways--time marches on...
as time marched i've played around with a lot of kit itb--but am still sticking firmly with reason.
for me it gives ultimate control,flexibilty,simplicity+creative potentials even more so now--a lot of the native devices got a clever upgrade which made them all sampling units except a few--(dr.octorex not included=strange) but- that was a smarter move from ph i believe.. the flow is very very nice and uncomplicated, until it is made complexicated!. check the nnxt>


^that unit looks and acts really nice for me-- very versatile sampler if 1 can actually be bothered to programme it-- it's exactely the same for all the other modern devices,units--they most all come presetted,but beyond that--the real strengths+powers lay in the user inputs+outputs {imo}


even though the nnxt is great i would still say reason has the wikkedest drum module ¦ kong ¦ >

unit is very powerfull-- it contains both a nn nano+ a nurse rex>> + per pad fx etc-- fuk awesome m8's-- find it hard to be matched tbh.
^ both great for loopers and layering librarians.
but that's not reaper's...sigh---reaper could show strengths in dsp knowledge making an awesomer newer unit__ooh er...

linux?? wtf's that? lolonthefloor.

I started making computer based music with reason v1 so I can appreciate how good it is. I think I moved to ableton at about reason v3 or v4 but so I don't know if I would use reason if I were to write music in windows. Reason was always amazing for the soundsets it had and the great gui and routing possibilities but for me ableton was much more valuable for the fact that you could play the composition but also mix/edit it in a linear fashion. It's not really an option for me now though, I would definitely consider it if they made a linux version but I'm not prepared to move to windows. For us linux users Reaper is a massive win but perhaps with that and bitwig it will make other companies consider it more seriously. Admittedly, we are still behind windows in terms of choices but the gap is closing all the time and for me the gains that windows has are not worth it, especially when I am so comfortable in renoise - I would probably still use it even if I had the choice of linux native reason and ableton.

[Bri1]

^yis--it seems the devs also have a favour towards linux for some better reasoning..i can see how it could be an efficent system if embraced by more users and made more friendly and useable--dunno..
again cockos literally could have their own hand crafted dsp music only system--who knows what appears on the eventuals horizons!!
we reach a tipping point in knowledge,culture and tech,which is exciting for me...we...heheh.

[vitaminx]

Originally Posted by shosty

especially when I am so comfortable in renoise - I would probably still use it even if I had the choice of linux native reason and ableton.

I bought Redux today!
Redux + Reaper = <3

[tufb]

Originally Posted by shosty

What's your drum workflow and what samplers do you use, and how do you set it up?

As someone who came from a DAW with native step sequencer and sampler, I asked myself the same for several years. If the goal is using a vanilla Reaper with little else (say, on Raspberry Pi). Reaper's piano roll is already a powerful enough step sequencer, so I wrote a script that converts MIDI notes to REAPER items. Includes basic sample mapping. Link/Doc is in the signature.


(Apologies for shameless self-promotion.)