Output "files" from Addictive Drums 2 or EZDrummer 2 into a DAW?

[buzzardwhiskey]

Yes, I now have EZ Drummer 2 feeding directly into a single MIDI stereo track on Reaper. I haven’t tried multiple MIDI tracks but I’ve watched the YouTube tutorial and it looks trivial enough.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by buzzardwhiskey

Yes, I now have EZ Drummer 2 feeding directly into a single MIDI stereo track on Reaper. I haven’t tried multiple MIDI tracks but I’ve watched the YouTube tutorial and it looks trivial enough.

Now that you mention it the setting SSD 4 drums up in Reaper and configuring channel routing was a bit convoluted (comparatively speaking ) but I mucked my way through.
But once done you should be able to set up a session template with the tracks all pre configured

For me with midi drum kits , multi track with ability to EQ and Compress each different drum and cymbal separately is a must have

[buzzardwhiskey]

Initially my plan was to use EZ Drummer to create a groove that would allow my band to practice with (our drummer is very very busy) and then to accompany the recording of my scratch guitar/vocals to start off the process. I'd thought I would just throw it out. But now I'm beginning to think about adding either the Americana or Traditional Country extension and just do "fake" drums for our next project.

[buzzardwhiskey]

Ok, my drummer is fired. Well, maybe not fired, but certainly less needed during the recording process. I download the Americana EZX last night and have been twiddling for hours. I barely slept.

The sounds are even more usable than the default pack. The grooves make nice starting points and the room is less active which is great for what we're doing.

[MikeBmusic]

Originally Posted by buzzardwhiskey

Ok, my drummer is fired. Well, maybe not fired, but certainly less needed during the recording process. I download the Americana EZX last night and have been twiddling for hours. I barely slept.

The sounds are even more usable than the default pack. The grooves make nice starting points and the room is less active which is great for what we're doing.

I mute the 'room' mic with any EZD set and use the same reverb convolution (ReaVerb) as I use on the instruments to put everything in the same 'room'.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by MikeBmusic

I mute the 'room' mic with any EZD set and use the same reverb convolution (ReaVerb) as I use on the instruments to put everything in the same 'room'.

I do basically the same thing, and with virtually every track I am going to use reverb on. I set up a single insert instance of my M7 on a parallel bus/aux track and send everything to it, with the percentage of send varying depending on the sound of the individual instrument, drum, and my voice.

[paulp1960]

Originally Posted by buzzardwhiskey

Ok, my drummer is fired. Well, maybe not fired, but certainly less needed during the recording process. I download the Americana EZX last night and have been twiddling for hours. I barely slept.

The sounds are even more usable than the default pack. The grooves make nice starting points and the room is less active which is great for what we're doing.

There is a great big list of those EZX expansions. I have the Latin and Rock! expansions and they are cool as well.

I do feel Toontrack have gotten more greedy as time has gone by. If you look at the EZ Keys piano products there are now 10 of them including about 4 upright pianos. They cost over £100 each which seems pretty steep to me.

[buzzardwhiskey]

Originally Posted by MikeBmusic

I mute the 'room' mic with any EZD set and use the same reverb convolution (ReaVerb) as I use on the instruments to put everything in the same 'room'.

Good idea.

[MikeBmusic]

Originally Posted by KevWind

I do basically the same thing, and with virtually every track I am going to use reverb on. I set up a single insert instance of my M7 on a parallel bus/aux track and send everything to it, with the percentage of send varying depending on the sound of the individual instrument, drum, and my voice.

I set up separate reverb busses for drums, instruments and vocals so that each is controlled under the same group/folder for overall volumes when I'm tweaking the mix.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by MikeBmusic

I set up separate reverb busses for drums, instruments and vocals so that each is controlled under the same group/folder for overall volumes when I'm tweaking the mix.

So that sounds like 3 verbs then. There are of course lots of ways to things, and while I certainly understand grouping things like drums , instruments and vocals for different group control of volume ( I like VCA's for that purpose )
But if the goal is having every thing in the same room/space reverb wise , I am not clear what volume control advantage your getting or why you would want a separate verb for each group ? Unless your sending to your verb - Pre Fader ?

[MikeBmusic]

Originally Posted by KevWind

So that sounds like 3 verbs then. There are of course lots of ways to things, and while I certainly understand grouping things like drums , instruments and vocals for different group control of volume ( I like VCA's for that purpose )
But if the goal is having every thing in the same room/space reverb wise , I am not clear what volume control advantage your getting or why you would want a separate verb for each group ? Unless your sending to your verb - Pre Fader ?

Yes, 3 reverb buses running. I'm sending the tracks to the reverb buss post-fader - individually, not as a group.. So if I bump the group volume of the drums (for example) up or down, I want the reverb for them to be raised or lowered at the same time.

[buzzardwhiskey]

Here's a first attempt at a groove to back up Wayfaring Stranger we'll be covering on our next CD. It's just a starting point but it sure is fun.

Sorry about the 20 seconds of click track going in. I'm going to mute the clicks eventually but they're very useful initially.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by MikeBmusic

Yes, 3 reverb buses running. I'm sending the tracks to the reverb buss post-fader - individually, not as a group.. So if I bump the group volume of the drums (for example) up or down, I want the reverb for them to be raised or lowered at the same time.

I see I am guessing in Reaper it is a more complex process to setup group VCA's then group busses ? So to clarify you are putting the reverb on the Drum bus itself , or are you making a separate reverb buss that's outputting to the drum bus ?

[buzzardwhiskey]

Originally Posted by KevWind

I see I am guessing in Reaper it is a more complex process to setup group VCA's then group busses ? So to clarify you are putting the reverb on the Drum bus itself , or are you making a separate reverb buss that's outputting to the drum bus ?

Setting up all the normal groupings, folders, routes, sends, parallel channels and so on within Reaper is about as close to straightforward as I've seen. With a modicum of practice doing any of these of nearly trivial.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by buzzardwhiskey

Setting up all the normal groupings, folders, routes, sends, parallel channels and so on within Reaper is about as close to straightforward as I've seen. With a modicum of practice doing any of these of nearly trivial.

Hey if your happy with Reaper that's all that matters Not trying to get into a DAW fight here and I suppose everybody is different and it of course depends on ones definition "straight forward " as well as what someone has actually "seen" ......

However honestly my experience (with Pro Tools, Reason, Reaper, and now Studio One 3 Pro ... (in order of amount of time having been used) has been very different.

I have used Pt for 13 years so obviously that is my reference for comparison. And relatively speaking most of those actions in Reaper involve more steps and are more complex (and uses the least intuitive language) than in either Pro Tools or Studio One

For just one example .. Lets say you have 8 drum tracks one for each instrument in the drum kit.. To set those 8 drum tracks as a group and route them to a group bus/aux track in Reaper (if I remember correctly) you have to first make a Drum Bus track, and then open up the routing window for that track, and then find the correct option for routing a send , then select the input and output for that track. Then you have to go to each of those 8 tracks and individually one at a time change the output to the new drum bus input.

To set up a VCA for that group in Reaper you have create the track , go into the track routing matrix select all the drum tracks , select them to be slave tracks then select the VCA track to be the master for those tracks. And unless the fixed in the latest 5 version when you move the VCA fader it does change the level But does not actually move the faders on the group tracks ( which is a very nice visual reference as to what it is you are actually doing

In PT you also make a bus/aux track , then click and select a bus pair, then shift click to highlight the 8 tracks and option click any one output in the 8 tracks select the bus and all are routed to the new bus track, takes about 5 to 8 seconds
Same thing for A VCA

In Studio One it is even quicker and simpler you shift highlight the 8 tracks, right click and select "Create Bus track for selected tracks ) and click . All 8 are auto routed to the new Bus , takes about 2 to 4 seconds literally.. very impressive
Same for a VCA

Now none of these things are a monumental problem in scope, and for certain session/project/song ... templates, renders much of this a mute point. And I'm certainly not suggesting it as a reason to not use Reaper. But
there is a reason that the download for Reaper is the smallest of any of the more full function DAWs.... And that is because it has the least amount of coding already built in for simplifying complex or repetitive actions.