I watched several vids on setup but none have actually recorded anything.
My first attempt at recording SD3..
I set up the kit to the various tracks/channels, they all play in each track and they play in time to my song just fine.
I set the MIDI source track to record and hit R (input echo is on) and it all seems fine except it is not leaving rabbit raisins (data) in the track. 
I'm intending on hitting (playing) the 8 presets for changes.
I'm missing a step here.

Drag the loops you want into the Track View (no need to hit record) or if you want to do it live you could use the Matrix. 

SD 3 is a drum sampler. You set it up by having a MIDI track outputting to it. If you are using a MIDI controller to trigger it via the MIDI track it needs to be set for this purpose. It should be on the same channel and you should play only those notes that are within the range of SD 3 drums. Often we us a drum maps to see the drums instead of notes in the PRV and also to map them to other notes more in keeping to the range of our equipment.  SD 3 has a limit on how many drums it can handle at one time. So its rang is small thus the range of your controller will also be small. You need to know which octave you should be in order to trigger the drums. 

As you hit each note on your keyboard you should see the meters respond. This tells you have a signal going in. 

You don't need to record yet until you are sure that you are getting sound. It should trigger the drums if you are using the right octave even when the transport is stopped. Only be sure that the right MIDI track is selected. It should have focus. You should hear the drums play.  

Ok I get the Beepsters method. Drag and drop and shift the loops around.
It seems counter intuitive that we can "play" along with the song, changing  loops from A to H smoothly with the mouse, all tempo coordinated, but you can't record that.

So I have a couple of midi input devices (Keyboard and DR880 drum machine) and I'd find what drum instrument is played by what key or pad, and use that to play the loop samples instead of the mouse for real-time input?

I don't know about the drum map yet but I'll look into it in the manual.
thanks
Glenn

Starting with the Beepster method.
I can't seem to drag and drop the loops from the Session drummer interface. Where do you drag from?
If not from the interfaces A to H pads, what the heck are those for? 

I went into the Groove monkey patterns and can drop those in, but there is a really limited selection and no turnarounds or fills (for blues)

I attached my drum machine and can play the SD3 individual drums from there but that would mean "playing the drums" one note at a time (Not a drummer) instead of playing loops so that can't be right either.

I'm thinking I must be approaching this whole real-time midi/loop thing from some fixed mindset. It can't be this complicated.

You can play/record the patterns loaded in A through H; they are mapped to MIDI note 27 (D#2) through 34 (A#2) on your keyboard or PRV

HTH

For each lettered pattern "cell" you select you'll see the .MID filename change in the MIDI field to the left. At the right end of that field is a note icon that you drag to take the pattern into the track area. I have to warn you, though, that the pattern you get by doing that is sometimes not exactly the one that is being played; there seems to be some indexing error between the pattern cells and the MIDI files.

If you want to compose by triggering loops, and recording that, you'll want to look into using the Matrix.

Ok thanks, that's useful.

brundlefly


For each lettered pattern "cell" you select you'll see the .MID filename change in the MIDI field to the left. At the right end of that field is a note icon that you drag to take the pattern into the track area. I have to warn you, though, that the pattern you get by doing that is sometimes not exactly the one that is being played; there seems to be some indexing error between the pattern cells and the MIDI files.

If you want to compose by triggering loops, and recording that, you'll want to look into using the Matrix.

Thanks Skook.
got it except certain instruments dont play
I guess i'm going to abandon this program and try the Matrix
It shouldn't be this complicated surely

scook


You can play the patterns loaded in A through H; they are mapped to MIDI note 27 (D#2) through 34 (A#2) on your keyboard

HTH

good (BTW I had to look up the pattern pad mapping in the help file)