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Topic: EZDrummer upgrade |
Robby Springfield
From:
Viola, AR, USA
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Posted 30 Jan 2010 8:46 pm |
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I just upgraded my EZDrummer to Superior Drummer2. Well worth the price of the upgrade. The Avatar kit is the bomb. The mixer options are really great and comes with onboard processing. Makes me want to go back and re-mix all the stuff I've done...well, maybe it's not that good.
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Robby
www.power3productions.com |
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Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 31 Jan 2010 5:43 am
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Robby,
Would this upgrade allow me to get each drum on a separate track? Even with the EZDrummer bleeds turned off, it's just not possible to isolate the drums to separate tracks. Adding back in the compressed and room mics just blends them all back together again. I assume I would also be able to use the same expansion packs, Nashville and Jazz?
Greg |
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Bill Terry
From:
Bastrop, TX
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Posted 31 Jan 2010 9:50 am
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Hey Greg, I've used EZ Drummer for quite a while, and I've never had a problem with good iso with drums on separate tracks. Are you saying, even when they are assigned as a multi-timbral source, i.e. each drum/mic on separate mix channels, and all room mic sources off, that you still hear too much leakage? Or, just that there is way too much leakage when the ambient mics are on?
FWIW, I usually don't use much of the room sources. A little goes a long way for me, maybe that's why I've never noticed it.
Back on topic, I'm really interested in the upgrade to Superior, like Greg, I'd be interested to know if the expansion packs are portable upwards.
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Lost Pines Studio
"I'm nuts about bolts" |
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Robby Springfield
From:
Viola, AR, USA
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Posted 31 Jan 2010 10:03 am
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Greg,
You shouldn't need the upgrade to accomplish separating the drums out in EZD. I wouldn't use the product if it was only a stereo mix since I need to process individual drums. Open the EZD mixer and look for the little window towards the bottom of each channel strip. Right click,(PC), on that window and you will get a pop up that allows you to select "multi-channel". In Nuendo, this brings up EZD as individual virtual drum channels within the DAW itself. This allows for insertion of any processing on separate channels. Keep in mind that this method refers to running EZD as real time midi and not audio.
Making audio tracks is a bit more time consuming and I only do that now if the project has to go elsewhere other than my place. ProTools works a little different than Nuendo but the process is similar. The update to Superior Drummer makes this a whole lot easier by adding a bounce feature.
If you need separate audio tracks using EZD, one method is to mute everything except the drum you want in the EZD mixer, or your DAW if you have selected the multi-channel option, and export those drums as individual wave audio mix's. Make sure that no other audio is on in your DAW while doing this. You can then import the separate audio tracks back into your DAW. Repeat this process for each drum, kick, snare, ect, including the bleed mics if desired.
I hope this helps. You can always call me if you need to.
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Robby
www.power3productions.com |
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Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 31 Jan 2010 10:11 am
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Bill,
The toms come in as one channelbut each one is panned differently. If you use channel 5 for the toms, they will not pan left to right in the final mix unless you pick up the overheads or just use the stereo mix. I would prefer to bring each drum in separately and pan them as I wish. I also think the toms are WAY too boomy and wish that they could be tightened up.
Agree that sparse use ot the Room, Overhead and Comperessed is best as they add ambience and reverb of their own.
Greg |
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Robby Springfield
From:
Viola, AR, USA
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Posted 31 Jan 2010 1:02 pm
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Greg,
The toms are suppose to caome up on a stereo track. You can pan as you wish inside the EZD mixer to a stereo bus. Superior Drummer does separate each tom to it's own track in the interface mixer. The mixer in SD is far more advanced than EZD.
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Robby
www.power3productions.com |
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Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 31 Jan 2010 3:49 pm
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Robby,
I have been setting the EZD mixer to multi channel and importing them to Reaper as midi patterns which I then manually edit and save as needed. I then render some drums as single tracks and blend others as stereo to export to my AW-2400. When I import the Hi Hat for example, it comes in as a mono track. If I then pan that track either in Reaper or my AW-2400 or if I pick up the Overhead or Room channels, I then get the stereo pan back again.
What would you say are the primary benefits of upgrading to Superior?
Greg |
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Robby Springfield
From:
Viola, AR, USA
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Posted 31 Jan 2010 7:51 pm
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Greg,
I'm not sure if Superior Drummer would help the particular issue you are speaking of. It sounds like you have an issue where Reaper is not interpreting the data as it is meant to be. Each channel that you see in the EZD mixer is suppose to show up as a stereo channel in your DAW. EZD is designed to run as a virtual instrument within your DAW and should show up as the same set of stereo tracks that you see in the EZD mixer. The only time you should be seeing a mono track is if you chose to render/export each stereo channel as a mono file of audio. Either your work flow is not set up correctly or Reaper is not capable of seeing EZD as it is suppose to be.
You can read more about Superior Drummer from the web site but I will try and highlight some of the basics.
1. You get an expanded version of the mixer with more mics on the kick, snare, and bleed mics.
2. You get onboard processing with great plugins directly from within the SD mixer.
3. Each tom is now on a separate channel.
4. The bussing capabilities are much, much greater.
5. You can now bounce to audio directly from within SD.
6. You get the Avatar drum kit samples...great sounding kit!
7. Layered samples and the ability to design custom kits from any of the expansion pack kits.
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Robby
www.power3productions.com |
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Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 1 Feb 2010 5:46 am
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Robby,
After further investigation everything works ok in Reaper. I am getting all the EZD channels into Reaper as stereo tracks. The Reaper tracks are panned to center but apparently the left to right panning from EZD is preserved in the reaper sound files.
Thanks for the summary. It would be nice to be able to import drum sounds into EZD but they are easy enough to put directly into the Reaper midi formatter so no big deal.
Best cross over upgrade price I see is $229 right now to go from EZD to Superior so I have to weigh the benefits.
Greg |
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Ulf Edlund
From:
Umeå, Sweden
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Posted 9 Feb 2010 2:02 pm
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Superior is the no 1 choice for those who want all the functions, features, and workflow that you have when you work with a "real", complete drum recording. The sounds are raw (unprocessed), straight from the mics, and there is a built in mixer with a selection of special designed plugins that works very well.
The mixing, bussing and routing possibilities are virtually unlimited.
If you don't want all that perhaps you should look into some of the expansions for EZD instead. The "Vintage Rock" has a tighter sound and is one of my favourites. The cymbals are awsome.
There are some demos on the website.
http://www.toontrack.com/products.asp?item=9
All EZDrummer expansions works with Superior as well.
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1983 Emmons D10 SKH, Carter SD10, Nashville 112, Session 500, ProfexII, Lapsteels, GT-Beard reso, guitars of all kinds...
http://www.myspace.com/ulfedlund |
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