Help: hi hat rolls in reaper?

[Noahjc]

So I've been searching YouTube, the forums, and digging into reaper looking for a way to easily do rolls with my drumset vst. I looked into the midi editor and I couldn't find any way to do it. Is there a way I can take a midi note and chop it into steps to achieve that note roll? Thanks for any help

[Noahjc]

I just thought of a way. I don't know how I just thought of it, I suppose I can increase the speed of a group of Hi hats or snares to get the roll effect, but I feel like there's an easier more proper way of doing it. If you couldn't tell, I'm very new to reaper and production in general.

[viscofisy]

One way is to just zoom in in the Midi Editor and experiment by drawing in notes as close together as you like. You can change the appearance of the note to a triangle (or a diamond) rather than the standard bar-shape if you want, as they're easier to work with in drum hits (due to the fact that what appears as a longish bar when zoomed in can all but disappear when zoomed out; and also that you don't need to specify note-lengths* or have them cluttering the gui when using drum hits).

You can draw in notes so close that they'll sound as one note.....obviously that's a wee bit too close .....
but click&hold and drag them out a bit until you're satisfied.

Depending on your drum software, you might want to mess around with varying the velocities and/or different hi-hat sounds within one roll (if available) in order to make it sound less machine-like.
__

Or you could find a midi loop with a suitable roll and cut&paste it.


*I just checked...you can select a triangle/diamond and right click to alter note length if you need to, apparently.

[Noahjc]

Originally Posted by viscofisy

One way is to just zoom in in the Midi Editor and experiment by drawing in notes as close together as you like. You can change the appearance of the note to a triangle (or a diamond) rather than the standard bar-shape if you want, as they're easier to work with in drum hits (due to the fact that what appears as a longish bar when zoomed in can all but disappear when zoomed out; and also that you don't need to specify note-lengths* or have them cluttering the gui when using drum hits).

You can draw in notes so close that they'll sound as one note.....obviously that's a wee bit too close .....
but click&hold and drag them out a bit until you're satisfied.

Depending on your drum software, you might want to mess around with varying the velocities and/or different hi-hat sounds within one roll (if available) in order to make it sound less machine-like.
__

Or you could find a midi loop with a suitable roll and cut&paste it.


*I just checked...you can select a triangle/diamond and right click to alter note length if you need to, apparently.

Thanks for the reply, I'll try out your method and see if I can manage. Sorry I'm very new once again, but how do you change the note shape exactly?

[viscofisy]

Not at my PC, but iirc it's in the View menu.

Check out the free downloadable User Manual, Chapter 13 ....13:14 and 13:15 deals with Midi Editor note shapes and how to draw in notes etc.

[viscofisy]

Here's a video that might help you get to grips with the basics of the Midi Editor

[Noahjc]

Originally Posted by viscofisy

Here's a video that might help you get to grips with the basics of the Midi Editor

Thanks a ton, I'll check it out when I get a chance

[Twangothan]

I have some Korg Nanopads which are cheap, work well and have a roll button. People have talked of the pads failing but mine has been fine. You just hold down the button, hit the pad and bingo, a roll of the associated sound is created!

[ivansc]

+1 and the beauty of the Korg system is that you can make the roll slower or faster, louder or softer by dragging your finger across the roll pad.

Also check out people like groove monkey, who sell MIDI loops. Pretty well guaranteed to have well programmed rolls in their range. PLus they are very cheaply priced! Win-Win!!

[mccrabney]

look into the Note Repeat JS effect, that's what i use. you can learn it to a CC and have it step between common divisions, or more interestingly, create multiple versions of this plugin and have them fluidly roll between divisions for some trap-esque hi hat rolls

[ivansc]

Forgot to say bear in mind that you really do need to have at the very least some variation in the hit strength, but ideally a rhythmic one like "wot a drummist duz".

[suleiman]

If you are starting out a song, set it to twice the tempo you want.

Then you have way more ease in programming double time hi hat rolls ( in MIDI editor ) in a half time song.