Yes. Also gravitas pointed out something I missed with the record option. Both he and rs also mentioned using the internal flexi for small loops which also makes sense. I still have the 8 track module too whcih helps
I have like a super appreciation for dRambo. At first it was just easier and more inspiring to work in than the iOS Daws,Then I started to see its utility as both standalone and also auv3 within a daw, and Finally I sort of understand why when you get hit with the dRambo bug it changes your views of daw and workflow. Considering most things are done midi based dRambo is more important than ever but it excels in performance and live situations, and does with DAWs can’t (yet, as far as I know)
I just wish I could figure out the next level. I want to be able to tinker and build things like gravitas, ben, rs2000, zhoujing and so many of you guys
since I found dRambo, DAWs just seem like they can do a lot with audio but not as much with MIDI, like this software is truly a masterpiece. I would have to say 2022 was the year for iPad production with Drambo being the ultimate software.
On ABF some people think we have a little cult with our Drambo affinity but i think it’s only because those who dont “get it” aren’t giving it a chance. This is the ultimate software for iPad music production (indeed Mac/iOS)
I have to say, patchstorage has never been cooler. Almost every thing you can imagine is made
when you do a MIDI output modules, does it also send out velocity and parameter automation changes (like filter or envelope stuff) to the channel ? Or does it depend on the hardware+software ? I’ve only been able to send notes so far
i am going to keep trying with automation as Surface Builder has a auv3 type MIDI editor for the s1
i tried to get them to map but maybe it doesn’t work that way? That’s what I was using
now if you think it would be easier or better to use your method I will just use that; I have the chart right here so it’s just a little but if time to assign
I just wish I could figure out the next level. I want to be able to tinker and build things like gravitas, ben, rs2000, zhoujing and so many of you guys
What I do is pick a relatively simple synth that I like and that the signal flow is pretty plain, then try to recreate something like it in Drambo. You'll soon run into challenges, but they'll be smaller challenges than just trying to learn from scratch. Eventually an understanding of how things fit together begins to emerge.
I'm not talking about trying to recreate the sound necessarily, just the architecture, though trying to make it sound like the original is fun too.
Agreed, when the Drambo bug hits you, all of a sudden everything else takes a back seat!
Especially when you realize how immediate and easy it is to get things going. I always get a chuckle when I see folks over on ABF say that Drambo is “daunting, overly complicated, or even intimidating to wrap their heads around, or try to understand.” and at the same time, they’ll share a script driven patch they made in Mozaic lol (which I would have no clue how to make).
Drambo being a completely modular environment (even tracks themselves are modules), means it’s only as complex as you make it. The groovebox front end IMO is the most intuitive and flexible part of it, while the wealth of modular synthesis one can dive into can be anything from a simple synth consisting of a single oscillator and an amp/envelope generator, to a completely mind blowing modular beast that only the most mad musical scientists could dream up.
The best way to learn is to tinker away! There’s modules in the “Math, Misc, and Logic” sections that I myself wouldn’t have a clue how or where to use, but nothing is stopping me from trying them out, seeing where they’ll connect, and/or what effect they might have on something else. It’s all about experimentation, and IMO that’s the beauty of it. And if you don’t feel like experimenting with any of that, you don’t have to either.
Got a musical idea in your head that you just want to get jamming? Just throw one of Drambo’s included premade synths, or one downloaded from the very generous library of patches at patchstorage, Or, use your favorite AUv3 Synth, Effect, or MIDI processor (using alternative MIDI sequencers in conjunction with what Drambo has can be so much fun!)
I’ve mentioned it on the other forum before, but the more I learn about Drambo, the less and less I reach for AUM or anything else. Really, everything that one can do in AUM, can be done in Drambo. Complex MIDI routings; no problem. Creating audio busses and routing audio anywhere; no problem. Recording audio; the FLEXI sampler is called “FLEXI” for a reason, it’s super flexible lol, plus there’s the built-in Stem recorder which you can use also to record the entire thing, just parts, or use the audio export features to export particular patterns or an entire song. In other words, there’s plenty of ways to record audio.
edit: the one thing you _cannot do_ is use IAA apps inside Drambo like you can in AUM or Loopy Pro etc.
Drambo to me, is like Digital musical Lego bricks. And not a specific Lego Kit, but one of the universal kits where you can build anything.
I think also once one embraces the modular nature of making music in Drambo, the better understanding of it it becomes.
There’s some that think they need hundreds of steps in a bar, or so many bars in a clip/pattern, that is, those who might be used to a long, linear horizontal timeline of a traditional DAW. We saw this when Atom 2 was being developed; I think it originally only went up to 16 or 32 bars, but people kept insisting that the dev (Victor aka Blueveek) make it a lot longer, so he did his best to accommodate everyone, even though he admitted that this strayed away from his original vision of a clip launching piano roll, and using instances of Atom to launch smaller Atom patterns, and actually suggested that people “embrace modularity” (I’m paraphrasing here, but this was pretty close) and just might have played a role in why he basically disappeared and never looked back.. couldn’t please everyone!
anyway, ughhh sorry for the wall of text and rather long winded post. I get excited talking about Drambo, plus I’m off today and have drank a whole pot of coffee lol
The only thing keeping me from AUM after all the ABF users telling me i should have it or how do i not have it is drambo…AUM s like a sandbox for AUV3 to me. Whereas Drambo is a sandbox for music. I mean you can make music and stuff in AUM form what I understand but its more or less for trying things out or making connections between other apps and there is no record (actually its like the stem record function i think right?). But drambo does everything you need and more that other things can’t, especially if you know how to build modules. It’s a modular sandbox for music making, and you dont need anything but drambo really. It’s cool to add in AUV 3 but you dont need it if you are good. For example you brought up IAA…..i dont know why Drambo doesn’t use it, but i wish it did for one or two apps but i can always use Flexi for a sample and import it. That’s the only limitation of drambo. I dont think the 16 bar is a limit because you can just move to the next clip.
For people who use generative drums, like Playbeat 3 and Octachron, how do you render a mix down? Do you just let it decide and randomly play the pattern, or do you change/check the rhythm per clip? (And there is no limit to the rows of clips right?)
I saw an app that routes IAA to Logic, I wonder if that would work for Drambo?
Anyway how do you guys tackle drums in drambo? For anyone who knows me by now, you know drums are my biggest problem with production in terms of making original/different patterns myself. Does octachron work well with the smart randomizer or just stick with playbeat 3?
@FearAndLoathing Although I do like composing drum patterns, the easiest way to get good drums are ready-made drum loops. You can still have a lot of variation using them by slicing them in Flexi and triggering the loops slice by slice.
How do you use EQ or limiters on incoming audio? I want to make sure what flexi is getting is properly tuned ….or is that not done? Do people usually wait till later to edit synth work?
also how do you guys balance your synths? I’m trying to keep it minimal, s-1+ bass + drums z+ piano or maybe strings , I want to be able to mix it well and master with Grand finale 2
how do you guys use processor or midi plugins for live work. You want to edit or capture ?
(and is there any app that Can route audio yet from IAA? The one I mentioned for Logic ?)
How do you use EQ or limiters on incoming audio? I want to make sure what flexi is getting is properly tuned ….or is that not done? Do people usually wait till later to edit synth work?
Other than making sure the input doesn't clip, I would never touch an input before it hits the recorder. I can't think of any reason to do that. Why do destructively what can be done non destructively later? You can always resample if you want to bake in FX.
I guess maybe if your goal is to capture good processed loops to drop into other apps, or to sell or something?
(and is there any app that Can route audio yet from IAA? The one I mentioned for Logic ?)
There are three apps I know of that can, with significant hassle and drawbacks, route audio from IAA. There's Sonobus, Wireless Audio AUv3, and Loopback from the KQ Voice Plugins suite. All require using a separate host such as AUM for the IAA app and the "transmit" side. All have latency to deal with. Of the three, Loopback has been the most successful for me. It's the only one I'd bother with any more. But to be honest? export and import is the better option IMO.
Of course, if you host Drambo AUv3 in a host such as AUM or Loopy Pro you don't have any of that hassle. You can route that IAA shit straight in. 😉
Don’t cut out AUM too soon. As @number37 suggests, an easy way to get IAA sound into Drambo’s samplers is to use an instance of the Drambo AUv3 in AUM. There you can record anything you like.
Alternatively, any kind of drum app that you could record a loop of (in AUM or elsewhere) can be loaded into Flexi as @rs2000 suggests.
Try this as a fun experiment when you get a chance:
Start up Drambo and add a Flexi Sampler to a track. Tap LOAD and go to the very bottom of the screen and tap the little blue globe icon right in the middle of the bottom row, which should open a web browser that takes you to freesounds.org (you may need to create an account if you haven’t yet already)
From there, do a search for “Drum loops” which should give you like a gazillion results. Use the filters to narrow your search by bpm etc. Once you find one you like, tap download and it will download and automatically load into the Flexi sampler, where as @rs2000 mentions, you can chop it up into slices, and trigger the individual slices if you like, or the whole loop, etc etc.
Also keep in mind that there is much much more than just drums and drum loops that can be found on that freesounds.org site, and you’re not limited to only that site! Any website that has sounds that you can download should work, and load right into Flexi using this method.
____
Then of course sometimes you’ll just want to compose and/or program your own drum tracks. You could even mix and match (using premade drum loops as described above, alongside programmed drums (like a deeper Kick for example) on an adjacent track.
Personally, I love using Hammerhead Rhythm Station, FAC Drumkit, or the Drambo Audio Unit itself inside Drambo. I love these three because they’re all multi-out, where I can process each drum sound individually.
With Hammerhead for example (and this is just how I use it), I’ll load it on the main track. This way, I can easily route each of its 8 channels to 8 dedicated tracks in Drambo (I’ll create/add an additional 8 tracks in Drambo just for Hammerhead) Then after I’ve chosen the drum sounds I want in HH, (which it comes with tons, and you can even load your own samples) using HH’s built in Sequencer, I’ll create my drum patterns. In HH, you can have up to 8 patterns. You’ll be able to switch patterns using Drambo’s main sequencer (use the C-0 C#-0 keys etc to switch patterns)
Then, on top of HH’s sequencer playing the drum patterns you’ve created, you can use Drambo’s main sequencer (C-1 and up) to add drum hits or fills and make your drum tracks as complicated and crazy as you wish.
Want to even further expand this capability? Just add an instance of Atom 2 before the HH instance on the main track, and you’ll have Atom 2’s full featured pattern capabilities and piano roll at your disposal! Either way, you don’t even need to use Hammerhead’s built in Sequencer, you can just use Atom (or Drambo) to sequence the drum sounds, or do both! Created patterns in Atom 2 will switch automatically by default, or by settings you specify (PC, note, CC etc)
You could even use an additional instance of Atom in front of the _first_ instance of Atom to trigger pattern changes within Atom that change the patterns in Hammerhead a different way, say every other 8 bar cycle for example, or every third cycle. The only limit is your imagination here! Patterns within patterns to change patterns? Patternception? lol 😂
_finishes pot of coffee_
It’s kinda like cooking isn’t it, really, there’s so many different ingredients and recipes, and you’re the chef!
You asked how people tackle drums. So there’s some food for thought…
Thx, very interested in the “load” technique from the web….there is a lot to use as you and rs2000 said and that’s an easy way to do it
i want to try your hammerhead technique ; I’m having trouble routing the different channels. How exactly do you open an instance of hammerhead, and then how do you make an instance of 8 output on another track? I know you have to click the little integral sign to assign them but I can’t see how to set up the main track if you don’t mind whenever you get a chance @Intrepolicious
You can try this for starters: create an 8 track default new project.
on the main track insert an au instrument with HH at the very beginning
go to each track 1-8 audio input and choose the corresponding output of HH (showing here track 1 although the connection isn’t flashing I hope you get the idea)
now you can create patterns in HH and play them in sync with drambo, while processing each individual track as you want
btw, I don’t know why outputs 1-3 don’t show the label, but it works regardless
Yes, exactly as @pedro describes above. Though I also create 8 more additional Drambo tracks just for Hammerhead (or _any_ multiout AUv3 app - FAC Drumkit has _16_ audio out channels for example.
you can even use tracks inside tracks to get more organized
btw, do you know what that 9th output is for? Can’t figure that out. I bought HH when it first came out, to support and for nostalgia, but I can’t say I use it regularly.
and @FearAndLoathing next you can start routing midi. There’s a whole lot you can do in that department as well.
Oh yeah, I know about the hidden sub track feature. I ended up crashing the beta version a couple times before I decided not to try that so much right now. I’ve read it’s an “in early development” feature, but yeah, that does help clean things up when you can collapse all your sub tracks under a single track.
So the 9th HH track is actually the 8th. With track 1 being the “main” HH output, and tracks 2 thru 9 are actually the multiout tracks 1 thru 8 (if that makes sense)
Good point. I t was for clipping but you’re right.
A limiter on the input may seem like an insurance policy against clipping from too high levels, but actually doesn't accomplish that purpose. In fact a limiter is actually introducing clipping - though hopefully in a "soft" and more musical way. Unless the limiter uses lookahead there will be some distortion. But lookahead requires added latency. Compression and limiting are essential sound enhancement tools but not for this purpose.
The important thing to understand is the place you're going to get clipping on an input is at the point that the signal is converted from analog to digital - specifically, at the interface. So, with too input high levels, the damage is already done by the time you get to the limiter.
You're unlikely to get clipping even if the levels are too high from a plugin synth input. There's no digital to analog conversion going on in that case and the host(s) should be processing at 32 bits resolution and free from distortion due to levels. In fact, the only place you will get distortion is from plugins that distort, intentionally or unintentionally with high input levels.
So if you think about it plugins not only don't help with the incoming signal, they will alter it where it wouldn't have been degraded in the first place.
Sorry if the long explanation is overkill. I know that it helps me if I understand how things work and where things like clipping happen and do not happen. There is so much conventional thinking still left over from the analog days that just doesn't apply anymore in the digital realm. I see it many times causing people to chase the wrong problems with their signal flow. Managing levels is good practice nonetheless.
Thanks for that explanation. I had no idea it could be counterintuitive…. I appreciate the depth and time you took to help. You are right: relics of the analog age lol but it makes sense what you said re: plugins not clipping unless pushed intentionally
The weirdest thing happened. All of a sudden the multi out no longer wants to make volume on the tracks. I dont know what I did, but I closed the session, opened a new one, and no matter what I do, it either outputs no sound OR only the last track ….
Any idea what I did? (I got a little overzealous trying different things with Pulse, Hammerhead and Beat Scholar)
The weirdest thing happened. All of a sudden the multi out no longer wants to make volume on the tracks. I dont know what I did, but I closed the session, opened a new one, and no matter what I do, it either outputs no sound OR only the last track ….
From Hammerhead?
That first Hammerhead output is "Master", meaning all channels combined. Outputs 2 through 9 are outputs are channels 1 through 8 in Hammerhead. Multi-Out plugins are confusing that way in their numbering in hosts.
You're probably getting the Master output mixed with your separate outputs. If so, mute the input from that first channel.
one other thing before I get back to music making:
can you make multiple sequencer modules on the same track but have the clip launcher launch different midi sequences?
to put another way: can you make sequence 1, 2 and 3 and then place them all in the same track, and then have the clip launcher play a different sequence when triggered by a note. Let’s say track 1 has sequence 12 and 3
@FearAndLoathing if you’re talking about the newer sequencer module, then yes, you can put as many as you like on a track and set them to “note mode” and they’ll only launch when their corresponding note gets sent to them.
thanks so much man! I love your posts. Fearandloathing is my name here and on ABF but when I started to post my music I asked Michael to delete the name (because as I told rs2000 and echoopera I didn’t want to have people confuse or think I’m doing “dual identity “ duplicity)
so we’re not the only ones I’m guessing!
i started here as FAL and then when I made music I made dream cartel …
So I asked if rs thought I should merge them but he didn’t seem to care lol hahah
Comments
Yes. Also gravitas pointed out something I missed with the record option. Both he and rs also mentioned using the internal flexi for small loops which also makes sense. I still have the 8 track module too whcih helps
I have like a super appreciation for dRambo. At first it was just easier and more inspiring to work in than the iOS Daws,Then I started to see its utility as both standalone and also auv3 within a daw, and Finally I sort of understand why when you get hit with the dRambo bug it changes your views of daw and workflow. Considering most things are done midi based dRambo is more important than ever but it excels in performance and live situations, and does with DAWs can’t (yet, as far as I know)
I just wish I could figure out the next level. I want to be able to tinker and build things like gravitas, ben, rs2000, zhoujing and so many of you guys
since I found dRambo, DAWs just seem like they can do a lot with audio but not as much with MIDI, like this software is truly a masterpiece. I would have to say 2022 was the year for iPad production with Drambo being the ultimate software.
On ABF some people think we have a little cult with our Drambo affinity but i think it’s only because those who dont “get it” aren’t giving it a chance. This is the ultimate software for iPad music production (indeed Mac/iOS)
I just wish it recognized my Roland S-1
@FearAndLoathing
I just wish I could figure out the next level. I want to be able to tinker and build things like gravitas, ben, rs2000, zhoujing
Yeah I know, you’re not asking much, right?
Aim for the moon!
I have to say, patchstorage has never been cooler. Almost every thing you can imagine is made
when you do a MIDI output modules, does it also send out velocity and parameter automation changes (like filter or envelope stuff) to the channel ? Or does it depend on the hardware+software ? I’ve only been able to send notes so far
Your receiving device will respond to whatever you send out
via the Midi Output module however you need to send it stuff it responds to.
i.e Using the CC Gen (Multi) connected to the Midi Output module
and set to transmit to the S-1, assign the first knob to CC message 7.
CC message 7 is the standard for volume and then adjust the knob.
The volume of the S-1 should go up or down if it doesnt then it’s either
it’s not connected properly or it’s a different cc message for the S-1.
Have a read of the S-1’s manual and look for the Midi Implementation chart as there should be one.
It should provide a list of all of the cc messages that the S-1 responds to
and once the parameter is available for dRambo then you can automate it in dRambo.
Thanks
I got the volume working .
i am going to keep trying with automation as Surface Builder has a auv3 type MIDI editor for the s1
i tried to get them to map but maybe it doesn’t work that way? That’s what I was using
now if you think it would be easier or better to use your method I will just use that; I have the chart right here so it’s just a little but if time to assign
thank you
The volume suggestion was an example.
As you’ve got communication going, yes definitely add more cc messages
and then double tap the parameters you would like to automate
and create automation lanes for each one.
That’s what I do or I record automation using midi controllers.
The other thing to be aware of is that you can assign cc messages in the S-1 as well.
No worries.
@FearAndLoathing said:
I just wish I could figure out the next level. I want to be able to tinker and build things like gravitas, ben, rs2000, zhoujing and so many of you guys
What I do is pick a relatively simple synth that I like and that the signal flow is pretty plain, then try to recreate something like it in Drambo. You'll soon run into challenges, but they'll be smaller challenges than just trying to learn from scratch. Eventually an understanding of how things fit together begins to emerge.
I'm not talking about trying to recreate the sound necessarily, just the architecture, though trying to make it sound like the original is fun too.
Agreed, when the Drambo bug hits you, all of a sudden everything else takes a back seat!
Especially when you realize how immediate and easy it is to get things going. I always get a chuckle when I see folks over on ABF say that Drambo is “daunting, overly complicated, or even intimidating to wrap their heads around, or try to understand.” and at the same time, they’ll share a script driven patch they made in Mozaic lol (which I would have no clue how to make).
Drambo being a completely modular environment (even tracks themselves are modules), means it’s only as complex as you make it. The groovebox front end IMO is the most intuitive and flexible part of it, while the wealth of modular synthesis one can dive into can be anything from a simple synth consisting of a single oscillator and an amp/envelope generator, to a completely mind blowing modular beast that only the most mad musical scientists could dream up.
The best way to learn is to tinker away! There’s modules in the “Math, Misc, and Logic” sections that I myself wouldn’t have a clue how or where to use, but nothing is stopping me from trying them out, seeing where they’ll connect, and/or what effect they might have on something else. It’s all about experimentation, and IMO that’s the beauty of it. And if you don’t feel like experimenting with any of that, you don’t have to either.
Got a musical idea in your head that you just want to get jamming? Just throw one of Drambo’s included premade synths, or one downloaded from the very generous library of patches at patchstorage, Or, use your favorite AUv3 Synth, Effect, or MIDI processor (using alternative MIDI sequencers in conjunction with what Drambo has can be so much fun!)
I’ve mentioned it on the other forum before, but the more I learn about Drambo, the less and less I reach for AUM or anything else. Really, everything that one can do in AUM, can be done in Drambo. Complex MIDI routings; no problem. Creating audio busses and routing audio anywhere; no problem. Recording audio; the FLEXI sampler is called “FLEXI” for a reason, it’s super flexible lol, plus there’s the built-in Stem recorder which you can use also to record the entire thing, just parts, or use the audio export features to export particular patterns or an entire song. In other words, there’s plenty of ways to record audio.
edit: the one thing you _cannot do_ is use IAA apps inside Drambo like you can in AUM or Loopy Pro etc.
Drambo to me, is like Digital musical Lego bricks. And not a specific Lego Kit, but one of the universal kits where you can build anything.
I think also once one embraces the modular nature of making music in Drambo, the better understanding of it it becomes.
There’s some that think they need hundreds of steps in a bar, or so many bars in a clip/pattern, that is, those who might be used to a long, linear horizontal timeline of a traditional DAW. We saw this when Atom 2 was being developed; I think it originally only went up to 16 or 32 bars, but people kept insisting that the dev (Victor aka Blueveek) make it a lot longer, so he did his best to accommodate everyone, even though he admitted that this strayed away from his original vision of a clip launching piano roll, and using instances of Atom to launch smaller Atom patterns, and actually suggested that people “embrace modularity” (I’m paraphrasing here, but this was pretty close) and just might have played a role in why he basically disappeared and never looked back.. couldn’t please everyone!
anyway, ughhh sorry for the wall of text and rather long winded post. I get excited talking about Drambo, plus I’m off today and have drank a whole pot of coffee lol
TLDR; Drambo is F%#@ing amazing!
Are you kidding? Great post! It makes me feel less like I’m the only one not still mind blown on here .
The only thing keeping me from AUM after all the ABF users telling me i should have it or how do i not have it is drambo…AUM s like a sandbox for AUV3 to me. Whereas Drambo is a sandbox for music. I mean you can make music and stuff in AUM form what I understand but its more or less for trying things out or making connections between other apps and there is no record (actually its like the stem record function i think right?). But drambo does everything you need and more that other things can’t, especially if you know how to build modules. It’s a modular sandbox for music making, and you dont need anything but drambo really. It’s cool to add in AUV 3 but you dont need it if you are good. For example you brought up IAA…..i dont know why Drambo doesn’t use it, but i wish it did for one or two apps but i can always use Flexi for a sample and import it. That’s the only limitation of drambo. I dont think the 16 bar is a limit because you can just move to the next clip.
For people who use generative drums, like Playbeat 3 and Octachron, how do you render a mix down? Do you just let it decide and randomly play the pattern, or do you change/check the rhythm per clip? (And there is no limit to the rows of clips right?)
I saw an app that routes IAA to Logic, I wonder if that would work for Drambo?
Anyway how do you guys tackle drums in drambo? For anyone who knows me by now, you know drums are my biggest problem with production in terms of making original/different patterns myself. Does octachron work well with the smart randomizer or just stick with playbeat 3?
@FearAndLoathing Although I do like composing drum patterns, the easiest way to get good drums are ready-made drum loops. You can still have a lot of variation using them by slicing them in Flexi and triggering the loops slice by slice.
How do you use EQ or limiters on incoming audio? I want to make sure what flexi is getting is properly tuned ….or is that not done? Do people usually wait till later to edit synth work?
also how do you guys balance your synths? I’m trying to keep it minimal, s-1+ bass + drums z+ piano or maybe strings , I want to be able to mix it well and master with Grand finale 2
how do you guys use processor or midi plugins for live work. You want to edit or capture ?
(and is there any app that Can route audio yet from IAA? The one I mentioned for Logic ?)
How do you use EQ or limiters on incoming audio? I want to make sure what flexi is getting is properly tuned ….or is that not done? Do people usually wait till later to edit synth work?
Other than making sure the input doesn't clip, I would never touch an input before it hits the recorder. I can't think of any reason to do that. Why do destructively what can be done non destructively later? You can always resample if you want to bake in FX.
I guess maybe if your goal is to capture good processed loops to drop into other apps, or to sell or something?
(and is there any app that Can route audio yet from IAA? The one I mentioned for Logic ?)
There are three apps I know of that can, with significant hassle and drawbacks, route audio from IAA. There's Sonobus, Wireless Audio AUv3, and Loopback from the KQ Voice Plugins suite. All require using a separate host such as AUM for the IAA app and the "transmit" side. All have latency to deal with. Of the three, Loopback has been the most successful for me. It's the only one I'd bother with any more. But to be honest? export and import is the better option IMO.
Of course, if you host Drambo AUv3 in a host such as AUM or Loopy Pro you don't have any of that hassle. You can route that IAA shit straight in. 😉
Good point. I t was for clipping but you’re right.
forget it then. I think I’ll cut out AUM and all the rest and just bounce some wav into flexi
thanks
@FearAndLoathing
Don’t cut out AUM too soon. As @number37 suggests, an easy way to get IAA sound into Drambo’s samplers is to use an instance of the Drambo AUv3 in AUM. There you can record anything you like.
Alternatively, any kind of drum app that you could record a loop of (in AUM or elsewhere) can be loaded into Flexi as @rs2000 suggests.
Try this as a fun experiment when you get a chance:
Start up Drambo and add a Flexi Sampler to a track. Tap LOAD and go to the very bottom of the screen and tap the little blue globe icon right in the middle of the bottom row, which should open a web browser that takes you to freesounds.org (you may need to create an account if you haven’t yet already)
From there, do a search for “Drum loops” which should give you like a gazillion results. Use the filters to narrow your search by bpm etc. Once you find one you like, tap download and it will download and automatically load into the Flexi sampler, where as @rs2000 mentions, you can chop it up into slices, and trigger the individual slices if you like, or the whole loop, etc etc.
Also keep in mind that there is much much more than just drums and drum loops that can be found on that freesounds.org site, and you’re not limited to only that site! Any website that has sounds that you can download should work, and load right into Flexi using this method.
____
Then of course sometimes you’ll just want to compose and/or program your own drum tracks. You could even mix and match (using premade drum loops as described above, alongside programmed drums (like a deeper Kick for example) on an adjacent track.
Personally, I love using Hammerhead Rhythm Station, FAC Drumkit, or the Drambo Audio Unit itself inside Drambo. I love these three because they’re all multi-out, where I can process each drum sound individually.
With Hammerhead for example (and this is just how I use it), I’ll load it on the main track. This way, I can easily route each of its 8 channels to 8 dedicated tracks in Drambo (I’ll create/add an additional 8 tracks in Drambo just for Hammerhead) Then after I’ve chosen the drum sounds I want in HH, (which it comes with tons, and you can even load your own samples) using HH’s built in Sequencer, I’ll create my drum patterns. In HH, you can have up to 8 patterns. You’ll be able to switch patterns using Drambo’s main sequencer (use the C-0 C#-0 keys etc to switch patterns)
Then, on top of HH’s sequencer playing the drum patterns you’ve created, you can use Drambo’s main sequencer (C-1 and up) to add drum hits or fills and make your drum tracks as complicated and crazy as you wish.
Want to even further expand this capability? Just add an instance of Atom 2 before the HH instance on the main track, and you’ll have Atom 2’s full featured pattern capabilities and piano roll at your disposal! Either way, you don’t even need to use Hammerhead’s built in Sequencer, you can just use Atom (or Drambo) to sequence the drum sounds, or do both! Created patterns in Atom 2 will switch automatically by default, or by settings you specify (PC, note, CC etc)
You could even use an additional instance of Atom in front of the _first_ instance of Atom to trigger pattern changes within Atom that change the patterns in Hammerhead a different way, say every other 8 bar cycle for example, or every third cycle. The only limit is your imagination here! Patterns within patterns to change patterns? Patternception? lol 😂
_finishes pot of coffee_
It’s kinda like cooking isn’t it, really, there’s so many different ingredients and recipes, and you’re the chef!
You asked how people tackle drums. So there’s some food for thought…
Thx, very interested in the “load” technique from the web….there is a lot to use as you and rs2000 said and that’s an easy way to do it
i want to try your hammerhead technique ; I’m having trouble routing the different channels. How exactly do you open an instance of hammerhead, and then how do you make an instance of 8 output on another track? I know you have to click the little integral sign to assign them but I can’t see how to set up the main track if you don’t mind whenever you get a chance @Intrepolicious
thanks
You can try this for starters: create an 8 track default new project.
on the main track insert an au instrument with HH at the very beginning
go to each track 1-8 audio input and choose the corresponding output of HH (showing here track 1 although the connection isn’t flashing I hope you get the idea)
now you can create patterns in HH and play them in sync with drambo, while processing each individual track as you want
btw, I don’t know why outputs 1-3 don’t show the label, but it works regardless
Thanks @pedro got it !
It was nothing and thanks for the giggle at “little integral sign” 😉
Yes, exactly as @pedro describes above. Though I also create 8 more additional Drambo tracks just for Hammerhead (or _any_ multiout AUv3 app - FAC Drumkit has _16_ audio out channels for example.
you can even use tracks inside tracks to get more organized
btw, do you know what that 9th output is for? Can’t figure that out. I bought HH when it first came out, to support and for nostalgia, but I can’t say I use it regularly.
and @FearAndLoathing next you can start routing midi. There’s a whole lot you can do in that department as well.
have a safe journey!
Oh yeah, I know about the hidden sub track feature. I ended up crashing the beta version a couple times before I decided not to try that so much right now. I’ve read it’s an “in early development” feature, but yeah, that does help clean things up when you can collapse all your sub tracks under a single track.
So the 9th HH track is actually the 8th. With track 1 being the “main” HH output, and tracks 2 thru 9 are actually the multiout tracks 1 thru 8 (if that makes sense)
Drambo just sees them as 1 thru 9.
@FearAndLoathing said:
Good point. I t was for clipping but you’re right.
A limiter on the input may seem like an insurance policy against clipping from too high levels, but actually doesn't accomplish that purpose. In fact a limiter is actually introducing clipping - though hopefully in a "soft" and more musical way. Unless the limiter uses lookahead there will be some distortion. But lookahead requires added latency. Compression and limiting are essential sound enhancement tools but not for this purpose.
The important thing to understand is the place you're going to get clipping on an input is at the point that the signal is converted from analog to digital - specifically, at the interface. So, with too input high levels, the damage is already done by the time you get to the limiter.
You're unlikely to get clipping even if the levels are too high from a plugin synth input. There's no digital to analog conversion going on in that case and the host(s) should be processing at 32 bits resolution and free from distortion due to levels. In fact, the only place you will get distortion is from plugins that distort, intentionally or unintentionally with high input levels.
So if you think about it plugins not only don't help with the incoming signal, they will alter it where it wouldn't have been degraded in the first place.
Sorry if the long explanation is overkill. I know that it helps me if I understand how things work and where things like clipping happen and do not happen. There is so much conventional thinking still left over from the analog days that just doesn't apply anymore in the digital realm. I see it many times causing people to chase the wrong problems with their signal flow. Managing levels is good practice nonetheless.
Thanks for that explanation. I had no idea it could be counterintuitive…. I appreciate the depth and time you took to help. You are right: relics of the analog age lol but it makes sense what you said re: plugins not clipping unless pushed intentionally
The weirdest thing happened. All of a sudden the multi out no longer wants to make volume on the tracks. I dont know what I did, but I closed the session, opened a new one, and no matter what I do, it either outputs no sound OR only the last track ….
Any idea what I did? (I got a little overzealous trying different things with Pulse, Hammerhead and Beat Scholar)
@FearAndLoathing said:
The weirdest thing happened. All of a sudden the multi out no longer wants to make volume on the tracks. I dont know what I did, but I closed the session, opened a new one, and no matter what I do, it either outputs no sound OR only the last track ….
From Hammerhead?
That first Hammerhead output is "Master", meaning all channels combined. Outputs 2 through 9 are outputs are channels 1 through 8 in Hammerhead. Multi-Out plugins are confusing that way in their numbering in hosts.
You're probably getting the Master output mixed with your separate outputs. If so, mute the input from that first channel.
Ok thanks ; that’s what the guys meant^
one other thing before I get back to music making:
can you make multiple sequencer modules on the same track but have the clip launcher launch different midi sequences?
to put another way: can you make sequence 1, 2 and 3 and then place them all in the same track, and then have the clip launcher play a different sequence when triggered by a note. Let’s say track 1 has sequence 12 and 3
on clip line 1 can it launch sequence 1
clip line 2 launch sequence 2
clip like 3 launch sequence 3
by some key trigger in the transport?
thanks
@FearAndLoathing if you’re talking about the newer sequencer module, then yes, you can put as many as you like on a track and set them to “note mode” and they’ll only launch when their corresponding note gets sent to them.
Yes
thanks so much man! I love your posts. Fearandloathing is my name here and on ABF but when I started to post my music I asked Michael to delete the name (because as I told rs2000 and echoopera I didn’t want to have people confuse or think I’m doing “dual identity “ duplicity)
so we’re not the only ones I’m guessing!
i started here as FAL and then when I made music I made dream cartel …
So I asked if rs thought I should merge them but he didn’t seem to care lol hahah
Nice to meet you