MIDI Drum Tracks

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Vatche
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2015/09/28 18:59:46 (permalink)

MIDI Drum Tracks

Is it possible to explode MIDI drum track (Ch10) pitches into multiple MIDI tracks in MC7?
I like to separate each drum part into its own track so I can control and add FX to the audio.
I like to avoid duplicating manually and deleting irrelevant pitches/notes. This will take ages.
 
Thanks in advance.
#1

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    scook
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    Re: MIDI Drum Tracks 2015/09/28 19:26:17 (permalink)
    The Event Filter MFX can control what is sent from a MIDI. Use on multiple tracks to filter out unwanted dat or with a virtual MIDI cable to record a part of a MIDI track to other tracks.
     
    SONAR uses a scripting language called CAL to split notes to tracks but MC7 does not support CAL.
    #2
    Vatche
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    Re: MIDI Drum Tracks 2015/09/28 19:32:01 (permalink)
    Thanks for the info.
    I was hopping for easier approach, but I guess I can filter notes, record the audio to a new audio track for each drum part. Then I will have multiple audio tracks for the drums. At least for kick and snare, so I have better eq and compression control on them.
    I guess I need to upgrade my old SONAR X1 to X3 soon...
     
    P.S. It takes one right-click in PreSonus Studio One to 'explode pitches to tracks' for any MIDI instrument track.
    post edited by Vatche - 2015/09/28 19:42:32
    #3
    scook
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    Re: MIDI Drum Tracks 2015/09/28 19:41:20 (permalink)
    It can be one click in SONAR too, if you elect to map the script to a shortcut or command button. It has been a feature since before SONAR. X1 supports CAL. Upgrades to X3 are no longer sold. It has been replaced with a new version of SONAR.
     
    There is no need to filter MIDI if you are just going to bounce straight to audio, just solo the kit piece in the drum synth assuming the synth does not have multiple audio outputs.
    #4
    Vatche
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    Re: MIDI Drum Tracks 2015/09/28 19:51:00 (permalink)
    I have a MIDI file song imported to MC7.
    I have MIDI connection to my musical keyboard.
    I can play the MIDI song with MC7 and my musical keyboard plays all the instrument parts. All good.
    I just need to separate the drum notes so my musical keyboard can play each drum part, so I can record it on separate audio tracks, just like recording a real drum with multiple microphones, except one drum part at a time.
    I might just try it with filtering notes for now.
    #5
    Vatche
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    Re: MIDI Drum Tracks 2015/09/28 19:52:08 (permalink)
    I guess I can always use the virtual drum kit and separate the audio output to multiple audio tracks.
     
    #6
    robert_e_bone
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    Re: MIDI Drum Tracks 2015/09/29 02:22:14 (permalink)
    For whatever the worth - I keep all drums midi data on a single midi track, and then use a separate audio track for each kit piece, the various buses and track routing assignments to send toms cymbals, etc, to their bus, a parallel compression bus, and a stab at relative levels - ALL of that gets saved in the track template, and with just a small number of mouse clicks it can all be loaded up into a project.
     
    Each individual drum kit piece can have its own effects by inserting them to the kit piece's audio track, OR the effects can be inserted to for example the Toms Bus, to affect all the toms with only 1 instance of each effect, and the same holds true for the other grouped tracks for the other buses or again the individual audio tracks.
     
    But in ALL cases, for the above, it still works with a single midi track.
     
    Would that work for your needs?
     
    Bob Bone

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    #7
    Vatche
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    Re: MIDI Drum Tracks 2015/09/29 02:53:25 (permalink)
    Thanks Bob, that is exactly how I do it (with my other DAW) and it only makes sense to do it that way, to have full control of the drum set.
    My question was, how would you 'mute' all except single drum kit piece? so only say, the kick drum is played, recorded to a new audio track, then play the snare only and record that onto a new audio track? and so on.
    That was the only reason to explode the MIDI drum track.
     
    In PreSonus Studio One, I can explode the drum track 'pitches to track', then I have new 6 or 7 midi tracks (depending on the number of key notes used) that are individual drum kit pieces. Than it is matter of solo-ing each and playing MIDI, recording audio. It makes it easy to even edit some of the MIDI data for added variation of the composition at certain parts of the song.
     
    I think we are talking about the same thing, but in 2 different angles. .
     
    Wish I could right click on the piano roll and solo/or mute all notes on the timeline of a piano key...
    #8
    scook
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    Re: MIDI Drum Tracks 2015/09/29 09:00:57 (permalink)
    Vatche
    Wish I could right click on the piano roll and solo/or mute all notes on the timeline of a piano key...


    That would require a drum map. Drums maps are not supported in MC7. The features you want (exploding MIDI and Drum Tracks) are in all versions of SONAR. The only way I know to mute/solo all of one note value in a MIDI track in MC7 is the step sequencer. If your drum track is already laid down, it is possible to convert the clip to a step sequencer clip and mute/solo from there.
     
    Or work from the audio tracks. If you are working with a synth with a stereo output like SI-Drum, turn the volume off on each kit piece in the synth except the one you want to record.
    #9
    Vatche
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    Re: MIDI Drum Tracks 2015/09/29 19:09:30 (permalink)
    scook
     
    That would require a drum map. Drums maps are not supported in MC7. The features you want (exploding MIDI and Drum Tracks) are in all versions of SONAR. The only way I know to mute/solo all of one note value in a MIDI track in MC7 is the step sequencer. If your drum track is already laid down, it is possible to convert the clip to a step sequencer clip and mute/solo from there.
     
    Or work from the audio tracks. If you are working with a synth with a stereo output like SI-Drum, turn the volume off on each kit piece in the synth except the one you want to record.


    Thanks for the extra info.
    I did try the step sequencer, except it only goes up to 18 bars, as I think it is designed to loop.
    If I do decide to use SI-Drum, then it is easy as muting each pieces output volume as you suggest. But I want to use my external KORG keyboard for the sounds and not VST Synth/Sampler.
     
    Or duplicate the drum midi track and manually explode by deleting appropriate notes. The long way..
     
    Thanks again for all the help.
    #10
    57Gregy
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    Re: MIDI Drum Tracks 2015/09/30 15:04:04 (permalink)
    What I do, and it's a little involved (and others probably do it a faster, easier way) is:
    In the Piano Roll View (PRV), you click on the drum name or piano key note of one of your drums. That should select all the notes of that drum sound.
    Back to the Track view, right-click and select Edit>Copy. That should copy only the selected notes.
    Paste them into a new MIDI track.
    Do this for each drum in the drum track.
    Set each new track to a different channel. Go to Preferences>MIDI>Instruments and assign all the channels you need for the drum kit to General MIDI Drums.
    That should give you all your drums on different tracks, using different channels and playing back through your keyboard.
    Mute or Archive the original drum track.
    Note: I'm using an ancient program and some of the stuff I do may be accessed differently in MC 7.
     

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    #11
    Vatche
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    Re: MIDI Drum Tracks 2015/09/30 17:23:41 (permalink)
    Thanks Greg,
    That is exactly what I did and it works great. A bit of a process, but I only need to do it once.
     
    Now, back to recording my song.
    #12
    robert_e_bone
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    Re: MIDI Drum Tracks 2015/10/01 23:08:51 (permalink)
    Vatche
    Thanks Bob, that is exactly how I do it (with my other DAW) and it only makes sense to do it that way, to have full control of the drum set.
    My question was, how would you 'mute' all except single drum kit piece? so only say, the kick drum is played, recorded to a new audio track, then play the snare only and record that onto a new audio track? and so on.
    That was the only reason to explode the MIDI drum track.
     
    In PreSonus Studio One, I can explode the drum track 'pitches to track', then I have new 6 or 7 midi tracks (depending on the number of key notes used) that are individual drum kit pieces. Than it is matter of solo-ing each and playing MIDI, recording audio. It makes it easy to even edit some of the MIDI data for added variation of the composition at certain parts of the song.
     
    I think we are talking about the same thing, but in 2 different angles. .
     
    Wish I could right click on the piano roll and solo/or mute all notes on the timeline of a piano key...


    Just mute the desired audio tracks or solo the audio track for the one kit piece you wish to hear.  Even though all drums are present in the midi track, if you mute all of the separate audio tracks except perhaps the kick drum, you will only hear the kick drum actually playing.  I do this all the time, and never ever never nope nuh uh no way do I ever have to split out any drum midi data in order to accomplish this.  Since each drum kit piece is routed to its very own output channel in the drum synth, and then there is a separate audio track set up to pick up the audio from a single kit piece's output from the drum synth, then I have complete and total control over the audio for each drum kit piece, through all of those audio tracks, and that includes effects and solo/mute, etc...
     
    I hope that helps, 
     
    Bob Bone
     

    Wisdom is a giant accumulation of "DOH!"
     
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