Toontrack EZ drummer Users - PLEASE HELP!

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John
Member Since: May 06, 2007

I am currently having some issues with editing drums in EZdrummer. I am not using any kind of external midi controller (yet). So I am simply using the Piano roll in my DAWS. I am using Acid pro 6 with the latest D update package.

When I drag and drop a midi clip in from EZdrummer, it plays great and everything. However, sometimes when I drag and drop a beat, the beginning kick drum will be missing, and I have to zoom in on the file, and drag backwards to get the kick drum to play. I am not sure why this happens. I can easily fix it with the zooming in and dragging backwards, but from the EZdrummer video, I should have to do this.

Another real pain is when I open Acid's midi piano roll to edit things so I can get a cymbal crash in where it needs to be, instead of putting the cymbol crash in for just one kick drum hit, it puts the cymbal crash in everytime throughout the beat.

Example:
If I have a 1-2 beat that goes kick snare kick snare with a closed hi hat playing with it, I will attempt to make one of the closed hi hat sounds a crash. I'll move only 1 of the piano roll notes but when the clip plays back, the cymbal crash hits every time instead of just that one spot. And because of this, I have to put in a second midi clip for those thin crash hits, and even a third if I want a bigger sized crash hit. So my cymbols are on a totaly seperate track then my main beats.

Any thoughts and suggestions on how to fix this issue?

John

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Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002


Sep 30, 2007 12:32 pm

One thought on the dragging and dropping issue is that you might not have the snap set to measure. This will allow you to drop it right on the measure mark.

On the cymbal issue, I am wondering if you have it set to drag/copy the note. And when you drag that one not it drags them all.

John
Member
Since: May 06, 2007


Sep 30, 2007 12:49 pm

The only snapping options I can seem to find is to just turn snapping on or off. Even when turned off I have this issue...?

If I start a barand new project, insert a midi track, and turen on easy drummer, most the time the first drag and drop is fine. After that, the first drum it on any other drag and drop is missing. And it will end one hit late.

Example:

If it is a beat that is kick snare kick snare, it will start with the snare, not the kick. And its suppose to end on the snare. But instead it ends on the kick.

It cuts off the first hit, and ends one hit late?

Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002


Sep 30, 2007 03:19 pm

There must be an offset that is turned on then. You do want to have the snap on to make sure they line up properly, but there is also a setting for offset that is probably turned on that is setting it back a full beat when you drop it into the track.

John
Member
Since: May 06, 2007


Oct 01, 2007 04:21 am

Thanks for the replies. I am still somewhat kinda new at this. I know my way around Acid pretty good, but I know squat about midi really. I am learing as I go along.

I look around tge settings and see if I can make since of all this.

Thanks!

Member
Since: Jan 24, 2006


Oct 02, 2007 01:17 am

Can't necessarily fix it but I can tell you why.

The first beat missing is related to the "humanize" option, if you look the beat actually begins slightly before the exact line of bar, with Acid and MIDI if the whole note is not within your selected track it ignores the note. That's why if you expand the clip backwards a touch you get the beat. Turning humanize OFF should fix this but a check of the Toontrack website shows that this is a known bug with no current solution


On question 2 I think this is what you are asking.

If you add say Groove 1 from EZD into Acid, then copy if 4 times, it's the same track, hence if you modify it then it modifies all 4. However if you drag the original EZD track in 4 separate times I think you get 4 separate loops so an edit to one will not effect the other.

John
Member
Since: May 06, 2007


Oct 02, 2007 03:31 am

Sweet post man. The drag and drop idea worked like a charm but I am still haning the missing beat issue wicth is cause offtiming issues when I edit. But yes, I was actualy copying the small beat and pasting it (or just clicking on the end and dragging it out to make it repeat...same difference), and dragging and dropping section by section fixed that issue. I'll keep plugging away at it. I have 3 PCs I am using these on, and it does it with all 3.. and all 3 have acid pro 6. So who knows.

I turned off the humanize feature to see if that would kill off the messing first beat/extra last beat, but it didn't. There maybe a setting in Acid needing changed, or maybe it is just an un-delt with bug.


Thanks for the reply though! I'll keep at it and see how it goes.

Member
Since: Jan 24, 2006


Oct 02, 2007 09:30 am

No what I said is that the missing first beat is a known bug. It's listed on their website , there is no workaround.

John
Member
Since: May 06, 2007


Oct 02, 2007 07:45 pm

Oh ok man. Sorry. It was 5am here when i read that... hahaha.

Thanks for the other part of the post though. It will still help me out.

Would you know anything about programming edrums or accoustic kits with triggers on EZdrumm through midi? I am clueless with external midi controllers right now. But I will have to tackle that very soon to record my next project.

Member
Since: Jan 24, 2006


Oct 02, 2007 08:56 pm

Not really. You have to route your MIDI out and then map the drums but I'm not sure what you really gain from that.

www.TheLondonProject.ca
Member
Since: Feb 07, 2005


Oct 02, 2007 09:34 pm

Check out drumagog and trigger that instead of midi ;)

John
Member
Since: May 06, 2007


Oct 02, 2007 10:12 pm

My last band use drumagog for the drums tracks. Not sure how it works exactly. Am I going to need drum mics? How is that set up exactly?

www.TheLondonProject.ca
Member
Since: Feb 07, 2005


Oct 02, 2007 10:30 pm

Basically you can use the cheapest mics you have. Close mic the kit. Each hit can be swapped out with drumagog hit. For example; the mic in your kick may not be that great but when you use drumagog you can swap it out for whatever kick you want. Hmm, could write for days about it really. Check out their site, they will describe it better than I can.

John
Member
Since: May 06, 2007


Oct 02, 2007 10:31 pm

Nevermind... thanks. I saw that you said to use the Triggers. No mics needed. Thanks a lot.

My last band used it and we had a great kit sound. Any ideas where I can get this plugin??? I know what it is capable of... we played metal music, and we actauly found a kick drum off a cd of one of our favorite bands that we used. One of the songs had a drum intro with the kick playing by itself. We used that for our kick.

www.TheLondonProject.ca
Member
Since: Feb 07, 2005


Oct 03, 2007 09:28 am

Everything you need to know about Drumagog can be found here;
www.drumagog.com/info.htm

Musical Philanthropist
Member
Since: Nov 11, 2004


Nov 01, 2007 08:46 pm

RockWood610,
Did you ever get your midi editing issue resolved? I think it's a setting in Acid. Pro Tools has a feature called mirrored midi editing where editing one region changes all of the same regions throughout the arrangement, not just the one your currently editing. As for the first beat cut off thing, as tonyico said, it's a bug. I usually just take the jog wheel back a little on playback.

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