using libraries

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bassman59
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using libraries

Post by bassman59 »

Hi there
Brand newbie...
Can you use GrooveMonkee or similar libraries with DrumGizmo.
If so are the drum patches played on the current kit in gizmo.
I'm just not sure how it all fits together.
Appreciate your help.
Ed
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Michael Willis
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Re: using libraries

Post by Michael Willis »

You should be able to use midi drum loops with drum gizmo. What DAW are you using? The general idea would be to create a midi track, use drum gizmo as the virtual instrument, load the desired drum kit in drum gizmo, and import the midi loops into the track.
bassman59
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Re: using libraries

Post by bassman59 »

Hi Michael,
Thanks for your reply. That makes sense and clarifies it a bit for me.
I'm using Ardour 6.2.0 (think i need to update the version).
So If I set up a DG Drumkit in Ardour (multi mic) and import a loop from a Groove Monkee library, does it fill the multi mic setup instrument for instrument or is that different for different library vendors etc. I suppose its not guaranteed that every drumkit is mic'd the same way.
Thanks again for your help.
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Michael Willis
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Re: using libraries

Post by Michael Willis »

The midi files don't specify anything about multi mic setup, they will mostly just have events about which drum gets hit, when it gets hit, and how hard. There might be more stuff like panning controls or whatever, but I wouldn't count on drum gizmo interpreting midi continuous controls like that.

The multi-mic setup is entirely dependent upon how the drum gizmo kit was recorded. Each drum gizmo kit has up to 16 audio output channels, each one representing one of the mics. For example, the DRS Kit (the only kit with which I've actually made a song) was recorded with 13 mics, and as such gives you 13 channels of usable audio that you can mix how you want (the remaining three are silent).
bassman59
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Re: using libraries

Post by bassman59 »

Thanks again for replying.
I think my hope was to be able to import a loop from some vendors library into gizmo and see it as a multi mic set of tracks for mixing. Can that be done in some way.? A pro drummer's loop will always be better than anything I can do. I'm interested in rock / fusion type beats.
Thanks again
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Re: using libraries

Post by Michael Willis »

bassman59 wrote: Sat Feb 20, 2021 12:48 amCan that be done in some way.? A pro drummer's loop will always be better than anything I can do.
Yes, mostly out of curiosity I tried it with the free download from Groove Monkee. I got it working.

1. Create a midi track in Ardour
2. Select Drum Gizmo as the virtual instrument plugin.
3. Decide whether to have Ardour fan out the audio channels, or do the audio bus setup and routing yourself.
4. Open the Drum Gizmo plug-in, load the drum kit xml file and the corresponding midi map xml file.
5. Test the midi track with ardour's virtual piano keys, verify that you hear percussion banging about.
6. Import the midi files into the ardour midi track and arrange to your liking.

For step 3, I set up the audio busses and routing myself. I used the DRS kit, I made a stereo audio bus for the two overhead mics, another stereo audio bus for the two room mics, and then nine mono busses for all of the mics on the individual percussion pieces. I created a reverb bus, and set up a post-fader send from each of my percussion audio busses to the reverb bus. That way I can customize different amounts of reverb per kit piece.
bassman59
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Re: using libraries

Post by bassman59 »

Thanks Michael,
I'll try that especially the option on step 3.
The last thing I'd ask is about the midi files you import into the Adrour track and probably the bit that I am most unclear about. When a midi note is played, I get that the info is the drum instrument and associated velocity etc and is only trigger data for some other program or hardware.

This is what I'm not clear about:

1. Does the audio associated with that midi note correspond to the captured multimic recording associated with (say) the DRS kit ?

2. Are all loops configured the same, i.e if I buy a bundle of loops from Groove Monkee and use them in DG, are there configs to consider with respect to the way DG drumkits and Groove Monkee or EZDrummer kits are recorded like instrument order or mic order?

I really appreciate you taking the time to help me with this.
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