I'll try to be specific here.
1.First I'm not a drummer so live is pretty limited.
2.Next, I'm not into rap or techno sounds so I'm looking for "live" sounds. (Hope no one is offended)
3.I know nothing about MIDI and don't have a MIDI input device or whatever one needs for that. (except a GR20 midi guitar synth -which I couldn't get to work due to too much latency and took the cheapo MIDI interface back)
So far, I have taken the trouble to learn to use a Boss Roland DR880 which IMHO has great sounds and loops, is flexible and programmable and I now use it basically as a stereo track audio out to Sonar.

I have been simply programming a stereo track in the DR880 or selecting it's samples, exporting (recording) the stereo audio tracks and fills to Sonar, then cutting and pasting them there. 

It's fairly quick (compared to what I don't know?) and I get professional drumming loops to work with but, watching various instructional videos, I see how individual instrument tracks would be so much better than just a stereo mix in so many ways.

Would it be possible or advisable to get the various individual tracks into MIDI (somehow from my BR880? or other device?) rather than audio, and would therefore be able to choose from the samples in Sonar?

That's the extent of my knowledge- and the question is:
What do you suggest I learn in order to get individual drum/percussion tracks input?


I'm not afraid of a new Learning curve or even dropping the whole DR880 idea, but I see so many options on the forum (EG "Hate/love" session drummer discussions) that I know so little about that I'm catatonic on the subject for fear of spending hours and hours going down the wrong road.

Free is great of course but I really don't mind spending a few bucks ($250?) if it's an obvious choice for quality, flexibility, ease of learning etc.
Thanks so much guys.

Glenn

I would use the step sequencer to create drum tracks. Its ideal for that. 

Dude... pick up the FXpansion BFD Eco deal that's going on right now. It's only $50 and will do what it sounds like you want. It really is a great program and an awesome deal. I just bought it and it is perfect for me and I too am going for a "live" drum sound (although it is capable of all that other stuff too if you want). It does take a bit of learning though but the manual is pretty straightforward.

Glenn, if you're willing to spend a few bucks, you may want to consider an inexpensive MIDI controller to input your sounds one at a time from your Roland.  Or, use it to input sounds from Session Drummer along with your Roland unit for a wider palette of sounds.  Learning to use a softsynth, such as Session Drummer or a host of other drum plug-ins is quite simple, and could be learned in a few hours via any number of video turorials offered by CW.  The time spent would be well worth it in the long run.  But, if that doesn't appeal to you, if you can mute drums within your Roland, you can always record one drum at a time on separate tracks in X1.  Good luck, and I hope this helps.

And yeah... what John said if you don't want BFD for some strange reason. SD3 is pretty good for what it is and relatively simple to use. I'd recommend watching the Drum Production Master Class that is in the Sonar University links to get a better handle on things. Just remember that Seth is using an older version of Sonar so anything that is different in X1 is described in text at the bottom of the screen. Cheers.

Check out EZDrummer. Great sounding drums, nice price, expandable (with lots of great sounding kits), upgradeable (to superiour drummer if you want even more flexibility) packed with ready to use midi-drum-loops (recorded by a real drummer) right in the software ready to just drag and drop to your drum midi-track :)

Check out their videos and learn more :)
http://www.toontrack.com/products.asp?item=7 (EZDrummer)
http://www.toontrack.com/products.asp?item=30 (Superior Drummer)

I like using audio drum loops. If you have some you like, you can Groove Clip them and create a nice drum track in not too much time. 

But if I don't have appropriate audio loops for the piece, then I'll use Session Drummer with some MIDI drum patterns that I have. 

DR880

Beepster


And yeah... what John said if you don't want BFD for some strange reason. SD3 is pretty good for what it is and relatively simple to use. I'd recommend watching the Drum Production Master Class that is in the Sonar University links to get a better handle on things. Just remember that Seth is using an older version of Sonar so anything that is different in X1 is described in text at the bottom of the screen. Cheers.

I just tried the step sequencer with BFD Eco and it seems to work fine.
Trouble is it doesn't give you anything like the number of articulations that Eco offers so unless you can add them in the step sequencer it might not be such a good idea.

Yeah, Step Sequencer is cool for basic stuff but it is lacking for more complicated patterns. I kind of gave up on it. I would however use it if I ever wanted create more dancy, hip hoppy type beats.

Good question,  M_Glenn.   I actually started with a DR550(?) years ago with Sonar 1. It's been so long that I've forgotten the details of how I did it, but I think I basically programmed the drum track on the DR, played it, recorded the midi in Sonar, and used CAL script to split the midi note to separate tracks, then played them back one by one to the DR and recorded its audio out.  But I retired that approach a long, long time ago in favor of modern drum programs used in Sonar as VST instruments.

 There's BFD, as Beep said, Session Drummer, which comes with Sonar, and EZ and Superior Drummers from Toontrack which are what  I use, along with many other good ones.   Basically they solve the whole problem for you - just insert one as a soft-synth, tell it you want multiple audio track outs, and feed it from the midi track, either with loops (commercial or included), playing from an external controller, which could be the DR880 as far as I know, or the step sequencer (or piano roll) like John said. 

One of the perks of Midi is that you can be a terrible player, bang out the drum part on some pads, then fix it all up with Sonar's midi tools to get the timing and hits right before you ever go to audio. 

I'm not certain Session Drummer does multiple outs, but I bet it does, and you already have it with Sonar and could at least learn the ropes before deciding if you needed to move on to one of the other commercial offerings that many prefer - BFD, EZD/SD2, Slate, Battery, etc,

For me, the DR became obsolete pretty quickly after I moved into the drum-software paradigm and frankly,  I retired it.  I don't know what your motive is to use it,  but I suspect the stuff you're trying to do will be more difficult the more it has has to be part of the cycle - although as you get experience with MIDI, external controllers, sounds, loops, and softsynths, you should be able to work the DR into things, really, to whatever extent it is technically capable.

Not sure where you are in overall Sonar/production knowledge, but the tutorials on MIDI, step recording, and Session Drummer might be the way to get a lot of lightbulbs popping in your head without spending any money and pretty much just staying entirely in the Sonar box.   I think you'd be able to answer a lot of the qeustions yourself at that point, ad would have some new ones for the group here...