Helpful Replyhelp with superior drummer SDX

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joey90405
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February 20, 14 3:13 PM (permalink)

help with superior drummer SDX

hi, I need your help. i'm having trouble figuring out the output/input. what I mean is, I load SDX into a new project then I open the output list however if I select multichannel things are not what I want, so I like to route each mic to individual channels in sonar. what happens is things get mixed up when I select an output on SDX's mixer and in input on sonar. when I open the input for a channel I get something like s1-2 left s2-3 right s1-2-3 stereo. what I usually do is not use the sub kick, I just skip it then go to snare top etc. what's happening now is I've routed everything to sonar until I get to floor tom 1. no matter what combination output/input I use I can't hear it. does this make any sense?  what I really need to know is the easiest way to have each mic/drum in SDX to it's own channel in sonar.
thanks 

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#1
nick8004
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Re: help with superior drummer SDX February 20, 14 3:44 PM (permalink) ☄ Helpfulby Dan Gonzalez [Cakewalk] February 21, 14 9:59 AM
I just started working on this last night. Here's a video that explains it well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd32SkET8_Q
 
I also watched the one below, though I find it a bit less useful. It instructs you to do things more manually, which I don't think is necessary. Plus, it adds tracks that are the audio type, and I'm not sure why. But it does have some useful extra tips not contained in the previous video, like routing all of one drum type (kick, plus kick/effects or kick/mic) to one bus in the Superior mixer, then out to one track in Sonar.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ri1Wl9NOAoI
post edited by nick8004 - February 20, 14 3:53 PM
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bapu
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Re: help with superior drummer SDX February 20, 14 5:13 PM (permalink)
nick8004
I just started working on this last night. Here's a video that explains it well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd32SkET8_Q
 

Yup, that's about the way most do it.
 
Some like the SONAR mono vs stereo option as that lets sonar be in control of the panning of things like toms. 
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bitflipper
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Re: help with superior drummer SDX February 20, 14 5:49 PM (permalink) ☄ Helpfulby nick8004 February 22, 14 0:53 PM
Here's a tip: once you get it sorted, save the SD setup as a preset. It'll save a lot of manual finagling in future projects. Track templates take it one step further. Because SD is my go-to drum machine, it's included in my standard project template so it's just there when I start a new project. Later on, when I've got SD dialed in for a particular song, I'll save a preset with the name of the song I used it in, so that later on I can browse presets knowing kind of what they'll sound like.
 
My standard setup uses 5 busses within SD's mixer: kick and sub-kick to channel 1, snare top/bottom/compressed to channel 2, toms to channel 3, overheads to channel 4 and room mics to channel 5. I then mute any mics that aren't being used, such as the sub-kick or far room mic.
 
Each SD mixer channel is then routed to its own audio track, so altogether there'll be 5 audio + one MIDI track. These all go into a track folder for tidiness. SD's busses are all stereo, so if you want mono out just use one side of the output, e.g. output 1 only instead of outputs 1&2. I do this for both kick and snare (so I'm using outputs 1 and 3, respectively).
 
While I'm at it, I'll throw out a few other random SD tips...
 
Select "16-bit samples". They'll load faster and take up half the RAM. If you like, you can switch to 24-bit before your final export, but it won't change how they sound.
 
Start your mix with no room mics or bleed. It'll make your mix go quicker and use less CPU and RAM, allowing lower latencies while tracking. When adding bleed in, reduce the amount for kick, hi-hat and toms if you have a dense, busy mix, to improve clarity.
 
The built-in transient shaper is a hidden gem. Give 1-2dB attack boost on kick and/or snare.
 
The built-in compressor is a bit heavy-handed for my taste, but used on overheads can give you that white-noise cymbal wash of classic Beatles recordings. Also try compressing just the top or just the bottom snare mics for a wider range of snare sounds.
 
200Hz is the magic band for EQing snare. Boost it for a fat 80's sound, lower it for a crisper metal sound. Speaking of metal, the built-in equalizer works great for bringing up the kick beater for fast kick hits. For a fatter, deeper kick lower the velocity values in the MIDI track and turn up the volume. This is a good trick for big symphonic hits, too: very low velocities and crank the volume.
 
Use the envelope controls on a per-instrument basis to chop off ring times for toms. In heavier genres, you usually want the toms to sound tight, without a lot of ring to them. Once you do that you can boost the low end using the built-in EQ for a nice thick tom sound. The release adjustment is very touchy, so tweak it with the instrument soloed.
 
If RAM is getting tight (not a problem for everybody, but for me it is), select the "Cache" option. This will cause only those samples that are used to be loaded into memory, which will cut your memory usage way down. You do have to play the song all the way through one time to load the samples, though.
 
Forget the factory-supplied presets and don't get suckered into buying the add-on presets. They are all designed to make drum solos sound great, not to fit the drums into a mix. Their only value is to instruct you on how to use the built-in effects, which the presets tend to over-use. Put your EQ on the busses first, and only add it to individual instruments on as as-needed basis. There is no need to EQ every microphone.
 
The built-in effects are quite good, even if the UIs are a bit cramped. If you use them well, no other effects will be needed on the drum bus. I used to add a limiter and/or EQ there, but nowadays my drum busses are completely naked. The only things missing from the built-in effects suite are reverb and distortion. With the far room mics, reverb isn't needed with SD2 except for special effects. For distortion, I like to use a separate bus so I can automate how much there is. Distortion is especially good on snare, a little less on toms. My favorite distortion plugin for drums is Redopter from d16.
 
The only limitation for me with SD2 is lack of a full-sounding deep kick. The sub-kick doesn't do it for me, so I often layer a synth over the kick to give it some deep thump. Any synth can do it, but I like Zebra. SD2 also lacks basic percussion instruments, such as mallet cymbal rolls, shakers and tambourines, so Jamstix and Kontakt are frequent collaborators on drum tracks. Jamstix's percussion pack has a nice assortment of tambourines and shakers.
 
Part of my standard preset is pulling the toms in toward the center. I like them to have more natural-sounding panning. The default has them spread hard-left to hard-right. Those itty-bitty pan sliders are a pain, all the more reason to get them set once and save as a preset. 
 
OK, enough rambling. I forgot what the original question was...anyhow, it's time for breakfast.
 
 
 


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#4
nick8004
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Re: help with superior drummer SDX February 20, 14 9:30 PM (permalink)
Awesome tips Bitflipper! I'm just getting my feet wet with mixing, mics, bleeds etc. so this is a goldmine, and not stuff you'll find in the manual. I'm saving your whole post and will be referring to it as I spend more time with SD and delve deeper. It's an amazing program, I'm feeling like the only limit is my skills and imagination. Thanks again!
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jbraner
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Re: help with superior drummer SDX February 21, 14 7:24 AM (permalink) ☄ Helpfulby nick8004 February 22, 14 0:53 PM
Just to offer another viewpoint - I just use SD with one stereo buss. I don't use any of the Toontrack FX - I use the Superior Drummer bounce, import the WAVs into SONAR and use my own FX.
 
This gives me a seperate track for everything (which I route to SONAR busses), and all the bleeds (which are completely adjustable in SD) are included in the bounced files.
 
Everybody has their own way - but this is mine...

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