Noob, Pro Tools, Drum Track

[vernplum]

Hello - hope you can help me please.

I bought an M-Audio Fast Track as I want to start recording some stuff. It came with Pro Tools M-Powered Essentials.

I'd like to build a drum track and have been consulting the web but to no avail. Some places mention 'ezDrummer' as a plug-in for Pro Tools as the way to go about it which I can't find under any of my menus.

Do I need to buy and upgrade to the full version of M-Powered? Is there a way to use my existing setup to create drum track for free?

T.I.A.

Vern

 

[kongwee]

You mean drum sampler?My Protools M-power don't allow me to save project, so can't help you as I don't bother to use it. If you upgrade full M-Powered, I think they will give you some BFD stuff. Of cos some other soft synth to do more than just general Midi stuff.Noted that Protools support RTAS plug-in only.

 

[vernplum]

No - not a sampler - I guess it would be a sequencer.

 

[Cheez]

Are you intending to sequence a drum track using a plugin, or are you intending to record a drum track (audio)?

Ezdrummer/Superior Drummer, are drum sampler plugins. They are RTAS compatible. Have you already bought it an installed it? Your M-powered essential should be able to do midi - and hence you should be able to sequence drum tracks using Ezdrummer. If it doesn't support plugins, you should still be able to use the virtual instruments that come bundled with the software. I believe they should have drums in it.

 

[vernplum]

By 'record a drum track (audio)' I assume you mean to mic up a real drum kit and record it? No - I won't be doing that.

I want to sequence a drum track with a plug-in. Hmm - I did some rooting around - there do not appear to be any drum instrument plug-ins. Thanks - I will continue to explore.

 

[vernplum]

Ok - i figured out what to do. I had to create a new instument track then assign somethng called "Structure Essentials" to it. This has multiple sound patches, including some drum kits.

Thanks for all your suggestions.

Vern

 

[kongwee]

FYI, normally BDF or ezdrummer or whatever instrument that use audio wav file to build, normally we call it sampler rather than virtual instrument or instrument plug-in. It is technically not correct, but what we spread around.

 

[Cheez]

A virtual instrument is technically any plugin that lets you play as an instrument, or what we call a VI or VSTi. For Protools, of course, it's RTAS rather than VST. It comes in various forms - a synth (or what we call a softsynth) or a sampler (ie a softsampler). Softsamplers nowadays are way more complex than when it first hit the market in the late 90s. Then, it was purely a playback sampler letting you adjust a few parameters. Today, it's modeling and many things included, such that it's no longer a pure playback sampler. We still call them softsamplers, but the line is now more blurred than before.

In the market, people usually refer VIs as strictly plugin instruments - you plug in and it plays it's own set of patches. Many VIs are really softsamplers. However, the term "softsamplers" had been used to refer to engines that load 3rd party or native sample formats (like Kontakt, PLAY, Vienna, ARIA and what have you). Most of these are also not strictly only playback samplers. So you see, the line gets really blurred.

 

[vernplum]

Ah ok - this is getting clearer now - appreciate you both taking the time to explain.

I was under the impression that a sampler was a device that you can record your own sounds into for use in your composition.

Cheers

 

[Cheez]

Also correct. There are three types of samples: loop, phrase, and multisamples.

Phrase - a phrase is recorded (sampled) - hit a key and it plays back that phrase.
Loop - basically the same except that it keeps looping that particular phrase/sample
Multisamples - multiple notes of an instrument is sampled and is spread across the keyboard. Therefore, you'll be actually playing that instrument note by note when playing your keyboard.

You either play what's already sampled, or you can actually sample it yourself.

It can be a hardware or software.

 

[Akira-Portnoy]

woa.. now i got it. Thanks cheez. that was quite an elaborate answer..