drums help needed please

[feaker]

Hi. I have a Roland 770 I use as a sort of metrodome to start my songs. I then try to use my roland TDK-6 electronic drums for roll, fill etc. It is not working. I can not drum period! I am looking for i guess what you would call a plug-in. I am very technologically declined and was wondering if anyone could suggest sometning for me. I have Cakewalk Studio 2 and can't even get the sessions drummer to work. I have been trying to copy and paste all my my drum beats that don't line up and it is driving me nuts.(more nuts) Thank you Paul

[ibanez468]

Paul,Do you have your 'Snap' feature on? That should help line things up correctly. I don't have Cakewalk Studio 2, but I can't imagine it being too much different than Sonar 5 Producer's Edition. Look for the 'snap' button, and see if you can activate it. When you paste something, it should 'snap' to any measure you paste it to. What is it about session drummer you can't get to work? Are you not seeing the interface? No sound? Have to be a little more specific.ibanez468

[feaker]

Hi Ibanez. I have to have one of those step-by-steps help approach to succeed (old dogs...new tricks) and cakewalk's sucks. I thought by purchasing a new system, I might study the manual and get something to work. I tried to get the session drummer to work, but like my first date, I couln't even get to first base. I need instructions like: right click on the track....right click on midi.....have another beer.....etc I do use the snap feature and most other functions are not a problem. I called Musicians Friend and the Guitar Center, but there are so many to chose from it would be nice to have someone just say I use..... thanks Paul

[aimusic]

Hey Paul,You're recording the audio output of the drums into cakewalk correct? for audio, Ibanez is right in looking for the Snap feature, the other option you have is to buy a vsti like Fxpansion BFD2.0 or EzDrummer and connect the Roland's to your pc via a midi cable. Basically that means you can turn on the quantize in your cakewalk (a little function which helps out of timed notes be put into what the computer thinks is the right timing) and record the drums as midi notes (the great thing about that is you can move the notes around and change their velocities to suit your track perfectly) and then use the vsti on the midi track.Things like BFD and EzDrummer are excellent sounding pieces of software.Hope this helps and if not... I hope it was a read that made sense...Take CareBradP.S. I use BFD2.0 with Alesis Dm5-Pro drums and Reaper as my Daw, so not sure which buttons you have to press in cakewalk

[ibanez468]

Paul,I too at one time thought cakewalk sucked (sometimes I still do), but the more I screwed around with it (I forced myself) the better I got at using the dang thing. And I also found that a few other DAW's are not that much simpler either (Cubase LE is a bit sophisticated as well, Traction 2 was alot easier, ACID Pro 5.0 seemed the easiest of all).Hard for me to give you step-by-step, as I don't know what the screen looks like, or what choices are available. Have you run the VST configurator, or your plug-in mananger? Do these options even exist in your top menu named 'Tools'? In Sonar, I can run these to make sure the plug-in is even available to be used. Then I can load up a track, and choose what plug-in I want to use on that particular track. Does session drummer show up as something you can choose on any given track by getting the track properties to show up? You should be able to choose what plug-in you want (if it's available) by taking a look at the track properties, and choosing what you want to use for that track.Thing is, if you can't get the Session Drummer to work properly, purchasing another plug-in probably won't help. I would think session drummer is a part of the cakewalk program, and you should be able to get something out of it. Keep at it, and see if you can get session drummer to work first, before you spend more money, because you'll still have the same problem if you do, I would think.I know how difficult it can be to get the midi stuff going, but ya' gotta keep at it. Sounds like perhaps something is not set properly in order for you to get the desired results. Again, I can't say what that is without seeing something. Is there somewhere I can go online that you know of where I can see a screenshot of cakewalk studio 2? I tried looking, but I'm not sure if I'm looking at the same thing you have or not.ibanez468 PS -- I'll PM you a screenshot of what mine looks like, and perhaps you can tell me if yours looks similar. Maybe that'll help some.

[feaker]

Man. You guys have takin so much of your time to help. Blows me away. I did see sessions drummer listed in my studio 2, so I assume it can be accessed. For example, my track one(on a finished song) is just a metrodome beat, kick,snare,kick snare. I didn't know if you apply the session drummer over the top of that pattern or place it on another track and they try to match it for tempo and position. The more I see here tells me that I will simply,(like you said) wade through this until I get it right.aim, the BFD is appropriate, because it is a (big f%%%%% deal) to me:)EZDrummer sounds good as well.I retired from 30 years of school teaching and age 48. My wife pointed her fingure at me and said "we have plenty of money to make it, but if you want toys, you have to work". I have worked the last 11years and have a lots of money for toys, so now i buy what I want. You see, I will study and read what you posted until I can figure it all out. Hell, I don't even know what a DAW is Thanks again for the great suggestions. peace Paul

[ibanez468]

Paul,DAW stands for Digital Audio Workstation, if I'm not mistaken.I-468

[steveha2865]

If it gets too frustrating trying to sort things out it might be worth posting to your local edition of craigslist.com and pay somebody a nominal fee to come over to your house. An experienced audio person/producer could probably set you on the right path in just an hour or two. It might save weeks or months of thrash and get you moving ahead much faster than any other method. There are a lot of people who can help.

[feaker]

Steve That is a great idea, but I live in the UP of Michigan (not the lower mitten) and it is very remote here. I would be thrilled to get someone here to help. I have checked into the local schools but can not find any classes being offered. It was the same when I first cranked up cakewalk. Struggled for quite some time. I will check craigslist today. thanks Paul

[hummingbird]

Rather than buying drum samples/loops, I'd suggest looking into EZ Drummer or Addictive Drums. Assuming you have a DAW that supports them.