Drum Machines & MIDI

[Lead_Pipe]

I'm about to ask a very simple and newbie-style question...


I was wondering what is the best way to record my drums for some of my demos? I have an Alesis SR-16, and the drum sounds are very limited. I would like to try and use some sampled drum sounds and use the SR-16 as the trigger for the drums. I have a SoundBlaster Audigy Gamer card, and it comes with some basic SoundFont software. I was wondering how would I go about getting really good drum sounds, setting them up so that the SR-16 triggers them, and then ultimately recording the sounds digitally ?


I almost forgot to mention, I'm trying to do all this without spending any money.

Thank you for the help .

[James Argo]

You forgot to mentioned what medium you use for recording ? Do you want to record internally (eg. using soundfonts in Cakewalk, etc) ? or record the drums sound out of your PC to some external recorder ?

If you use some PC based multitrack like Cakewalk,

Please click this link...


Jaymz

[Lead_Pipe]

I'm assuming by medium you mean what's my ultimate destination for my drum audio ?

I am using Cool Edit Pro 2.0. I would like to have the drums as a .wav file, so I can then lay down guitar, bass, and vocal tracks separately on other tracks. Cool edit pro is not the greatest at handling midi input, this I know.

[AlChuck]

The SR-16 can be used just like a keyboard controller would be -- its pads send Note On messages just like a keyboard does.

You need a program that will host MIDI input and allow you to direct it to the Sound Font device on the Audigy. You say "Cool edit pro is not the greatest at handling midi input," but it doesn't have to be the greatest as long as you can do it. Don't use it so I don't know if it's workable or not.


So basically it's MIDI Out via a MIDI cable to the Audigy MIDI In. The MIDI messages coming in get redirected by the software you're using to trigger the Audigy's sounds, or sounds made by a softsynth, or sent out the Audigy's MIDI Out to any other external sound module.

[James Argo]

...What if I don't have any multitrack program, Jaymz ?

Okay, if you have SB Audigy (I have SB Live! DE 5.1 instead, but it would be very similiar... ) Go to your AudioHQ application <-- The one that comes with your Creative card's installation CD. Open it...

[James Argo]

Open the Soundfonts application ( 1 )

Click options tab. ( 3 ) Move the memory slider to reserve amount of memory for your loaded soundfont files.

Back to Configure Bank tab.

Select the bank reserved, and load some soundfont file ( 4 ).

Open Keyboard ( 2 )

Now, click options, and set your MIDI In (eg. SB Audigy MIDI In port), Audition Devices, and check setting Show bank and instrument names.

Hook your Alessis MIDI Out to SB Audigy MIDI In.

Play it... If everything is set up propherly, you should be able to trigger the soundfont by now... Don't forget to enable MIDI/Synth in your Windows Mixer...



Jaymz

[James Argo]

...how do I record 'em to CoolEdit, Jaymz ?

Simple

Open Windows mixer ( small yellow speaker icon, near clock on taskbar ).

Options --> Properties --> Recording.

Select MIDI as the source.

Open CoolEdit, set the routine for recording.

Record while the "Keyboard of AudioHQ" is still opened, by playing the Alessis to trigger soundfonts.

Hope it helps.


Jaymz