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Using Hydrogen to play DrumGizmo's DRS Kit

Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2016 4:10 pm
by mtemmerm
Hi everyone,

This is my first real post on this forum, I hope I can contribute something with it. Basically, I've created a 'dummy' drumkit for Hydrogen which feeds MIDI to DrumGizmo, allowing you to effectively program drum patterns in Hydrogen using DrumGizmo's excellent samples.

First of all: why did I do this? Well, I use, support and love Ardour to record and mix, I really like DrumGizmo and the way it integrates with Ardour (the mic setup rocks, mic bleed makes everything sound really real). I loathe, however, a piano roll to program drum patterns. Piano rolls were never designed for percussive stuff, it's not nice to look at or work with, etc. I love Hydrogen for drums though, it's really good at it and I've been able to create some really awesome drums with it in the past, the GM kit rocks! DrumGizmo is a LV2 plugin and doesn't 'work' with Hydrogen, too bad! Well, not anymore...

OK, how do you use it? Easy-peasy, you set up Ardour with DrumGizmo as per this excellent tutorial: http://libremusicproduction.com/tutoria ... zmo-ardour. I've also made an Ardour template once the setup was done, so I never have to do it again :). That's step one, to get DrumGizmo running use the DRS Kit (minimal) - I've still got to do the other sets (brushes, basic etc). Next, open Hydrogen and install the attached drumkit file and load it up. The drumkit is all set up to correspond with the DrumGizmo MIDI notes. Instrument mute grouping is also taken care of, so a closed hihat will mute an open one for instance. In Ardour, connect Hydrogen's MIDI out to DrumGizmo's MIDI in. Now, when you use the kit in Hydrogen, it will play the kit hosted in Ardour. From there you can record, mix, and do anything you'd like to do. If you record to DG's MIDI track, you can save the MIDI notes on the piano roll in Ardour. Or save the Hydrogen session. Or both.

The result: awesome drums coming in from Hydrogen straight into your Ardour session without using the piano roll.

Personally, I really like this setup, I'm still testing to see what I can improve, but it seems to me that this is as simple as it gets to get the desired result I was after.

I hope this helps someone who was looking for the same kind of thing. And if it does, let me know and motivate me to finish the other drumkits (brushes, basic, full, etc).

Cheers,
Michael

Re: Using Hydrogen to play DrumGizmo's DRS Kit

Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2016 6:17 pm
by sadko4u
You may try also LSP Schlagzeug plugin series. There you can build your own configuration of drums and save as the regular preset in the plain text file.
Then just put the plugin to the ardour's bus with MIDI input and enjoy.
More information here:
https://youtu.be/GsNfZ0TF-bk

Re: Using Hydrogen to play DrumGizmo's DRS Kit

Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2016 1:25 pm
by funkmuscle
@mtemmerm, thank you!! this is freakin' awesome.. I do love the bleeding mics from DG and hate piano roll for doing drums.

@sadko4u, yes your way is awesome too... thank you guys!

Re: Using Hydrogen to play DrumGizmo's DRS Kit

Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2016 2:52 pm
by CrocoDuck
Wow! That is what it was keeping me from diving into DrumGizmo any further! I guess I will give it a new try!

Re: Using Hydrogen to play DrumGizmo's DRS Kit

Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2016 3:06 pm
by mtemmerm
Great to hear some people are already liking it :) I'll put up the other DRS sets as well as soon as I get some time this week or more likely after the weekend, I want to start a project using the brushes myself.

Re: Using Hydrogen to play DrumGizmo's DRS Kit

Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2016 3:52 pm
by funkmuscle
as soon as I hit record.. I get no sound.. when Ardour is not recording, I get sound.

EDIT: fixed issue. From some reason the connection of DG to individual tracks in Ardour came unattached.

Re: Using Hydrogen to play DrumGizmo's DRS Kit

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2016 6:06 pm
by marcellendi
Hi Mtemmerm,

Somehow the midi mapping was lost when I tried to use your file. So I made some new ones for all the 4 drumkits.

Marcel

Re: Using Hydrogen to play DrumGizmo's DRS Kit

Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2016 12:09 am
by mtemmerm
:D :D :D :D :D :D :D

Marcel, I think you've won this week's Internet!

Awesome work man, thanks!

Re: Using Hydrogen to play DrumGizmo's DRS Kit

Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2016 1:26 am
by carlv
marcellendi wrote:Hi Mtemmerm,

Somehow the midi mapping was lost when I tried to use your file. So I made some new ones for all the 4 drumkits.

Marcel
Thanks.

How to use the files?
The original works fine on this end (very cool and thanks), but not clear as to how these should function.
When i try to open them i get an "Archive type not supported."

Re: Using Hydrogen to play DrumGizmo's DRS Kit

Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2016 10:33 am
by mtemmerm
carlv wrote:Thanks.

How to use the files?
The original works fine on this end (very cool and thanks), but not clear as to how these should function.
When i try to open them i get an "Archive type not supported."
Hi carlv,

you can unpack the file Marcel provided with the command 'tar xzvf h2drumkitfiles.tar.gz', which will unpack it to 4 .h2drumkit files, one for each DrumGizmo drumkit (full kit, not a subset like mine initially was).

Best regards,
Michael

Re: Using Hydrogen to play DrumGizmo's DRS Kit

Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2016 11:15 am
by marcellendi
Please let me know if they work correctly. My current PC is kinda old, so I could only fully test the ShittyKit. The rest only partly, but I think they should work.

The way to use it.
* Unpack the attachment (I can also provide a zip file if needed)
* Start up Ardour (I prefer to use the jack of Ardour, so it has to run before starting up H2)
* Start H2 (Hydrogen)
* Install the 4 kits in H2 (import library)
* Make sure midi is active in H2 (extra/properties/midi system)
* Load the kit you want to use in H2 (right click on the library below right and select load)
* Go back to Ardour
* Make a new midi track with the DrumGizmo plugin and select in the plugin the corresponding DrumGizmo kit and midimapfile
* Connect the midi out of H2 to the track
* Optional: Disconnect the audio out of HS from the system (not really nessecary because the drums don't produce sound from H2)
* Use the tutorial mtemmerm mentioned to set up the mixer. (I am planing to make the Ardour session templates for them in the coming days and will share them with you)
* And rock!

Again any suggestions are welcome. And thanks mtemmerm for the mute idea (i did overlook that option in my first attempt).

Re: Using Hydrogen to play DrumGizmo's DRS Kit

Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2016 11:20 am
by carlv
mtemmerm wrote: you can unpack the file Marcel provided with the command 'tar xzvf h2drumkitfiles.tar.gz', which will unpack it to 4 .h2drumkit files, one for each DrumGizmo drumkit (full kit, not a subset like mine initially was).
Michael,

Many thanks on all fronts, i soon figured it out right after posting. Too many late nights.... :P

Re: Using Hydrogen to play DrumGizmo's DRS Kit

Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2016 1:27 pm
by carlv
marcellendi wrote:Hi Mtemmerm,
... So I made some new ones for all the 4 drumkits.

Marcel
And Marcel thanks so much. They work like a charm.

Re: Using Hydrogen to play DrumGizmo's DRS Kit

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 8:16 am
by marcellendi
As promised also the templates for Ardour

So the complete manual

Installation drum kit files
* Unpack the attachment “ h2drumkitfiles.tar.gz” (right mouse click - > extract here)
* Open H2 hydrogen → open the 4 drum kit files with instruments > import library
* Make sure midi is active in H2 (extra/properties/midi system)
* Close H2

Installation Ardour templates
* Unpack the attachment “ templates.tar.gz”
* Save the templates with their directories in /home/-your name-/.config/ardour4/templates/ (this applies for Ubuntu 16.04)
* Ardour should be able to see them

The usage
* Open Ardour (do this before opening H2, so you can use Ardours internal Jack)
* Make a New Session using a template (don’t forget to tick it)
* Load drum kit and midimap in DG plugin
* Open Hydrogen
* Load drum kit (right click on the library below right and select load sound library)
* Check in Ardour if Hydrogen midi is connected to the DG track
* And rock!

Tip when recording use in Ardour Jack Sync instead of internal sync

Any questions or remarks. Don't hesitate to ask.

Re: Using Hydrogen to play DrumGizmo's DRS Kit

Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 2:06 pm
by mtemmerm
:D thanks for sharing Marcel, now let's rock :D

Michael