do sound cards auto pan MIDI drums

[Rock Star 87]

i'm using a santa cruz sound card with the internal synth (i know) and cakewalk pro audio 9 (the most updated version) and i have a song with 9 drum tracks. i have a huge problem with the way that the drums are panning. they are on the same channel, but they're all set to 64. i'll pan them after i record to them individually to audio. some of the drum elements (such as both ride cymbals, tambourines, and a couple other elements) seem to want to pan to the left or right. i'm sure i could deal with that, but i want to have full control of my song in mixing. do soundcards automatically pan drums a certain way, and if so, can i turn off that setting. i want everything to be panned dead center until it's been recorded to audio and i'll fix it in the mix, as they say. someone please help this man with a million questions. thanks.

 

[James Argo]

Damn! I made a long reply, but then again the server was too busy. It's gone now, and I have to re-type again... hhmppfffhh....

Let's see now...

i'm using a santa cruz sound card with the internal synth (i know) and cakewalk pro audio 9 (the most updated version) and i have a song with 9 drum tracks.

Not bad, buddy. Despite the limitation, you can do something, yet not everything with them...

do soundcards automatically pan drums a certain way, and if so, can i turn off that setting.

Yes, I bet soundcards automaticaly pan drums a certain way. It's not someting that you can turn off and on. I know it doesn't sound good for you, but you must live with it

i want everything to be panned dead center until it's been recorded to audio and i'll fix it in the mix, as they say. someone please help this man with a million questions. thanks.

I'm not sure about Santa Cruz, but things would be different if you use soundfonts, where you can edit the sound the way you want it to sound. It's great that Santa Cruz has it's own MIDI engine (which most pro soundcard doesn't!), but as I always said, nothing beats Creative cards when it comes to internal MIDI thingee. I think for your demand, you have an options to use softsynth (sampler), external MIDI device, or use soundfonts. Softsynth means you need to upgrade your PA9 and buy decent softsynth (probably need computer upgrade too!), external device means... you know.. expensive, while soundfonts cost you the SBLive! card for 30 bucks. Vienna will do soundfont editing for you.

Another option you ask? Yes... just record using Santa Cruz the way it is. Make sure you record each drum part in stereo. You can pan 'em in the mix!


Jaymz

 

[Rock Star 87]

is the audigy any better than Live. i mean i know it's newer, so there will be some better features, and i'm returning this santa cruz shit saturday, and that will leave me with $60 to spend. there's about a thousand different audigys. what the best i can get for that price. hehehehe. i just thought of something. if i was a real prick, i would register for the $30 rebate and then return the card and get the rebate. hehehe, i don't think i would be justified, but hey, OJ got away with it.

 

[James Argo]

I got my Audigy SE for ~$50. It has Firewire connector. Before you get one, -since you're aware, that there's many type of Audigy- make sure it supports soundfonts. Some people says certain type doesn't support soundfonts ( ). I have both Audigy SE and SBLive! DE5.1. I'd preffer SBLive! since I didn't hear any difference between two in MIDI part, yet it's cheaper (~$30). FYI, I recomend these card as the best for MIDI only! Serious audio recorder will need better card! Good luck, Rock Star


Jaymz

 

[drstawl]

I think your main "MIDI" question is unrelated to the quality or features of a particular soundcard. Percussion in MIDI is just handled that way. In a particular "drumset" which includes 128 patches representing individual percussion instruments the PAN is part of the patch so that a GM composer could switch drumsets and have the snare end up wherever the snare is relative to center in a two-mic stereo mix in *that* set.

If you want to fart around with moving individual percussion instruments around in the stereo field, record them individually as MONO tracks and mix them in as desired.

 

[James Argo]

If you want to fart around with moving individual percussion instruments around in the stereo field, record them individually as MONO tracks and mix them in as desired.

It's true, doc. But deciding which channel should we record (L or R out of "already stereo" patch) is sometime confusing. We can take L as MONO on regular patch, but drums? It's somehow different. Some toms panned hard L, while the other is hard R.

Meanwhile, not all sample recorded using two mics (stereo). Some of them were taken mono, and panned before canned into the patch. ("Panned before canned"... yeah sure... gees, I love how it sounds ). So, taking only L part (and pan center in the mix on further stage) will sound different than taking both channel. However, I believe it's not an absolut theory. Which way ever sounds better to you, then take it please


Jaymz

 

[Rock Star 87]

i got the song mixed down and it's in the clinic getting reviewed now, so i just panned the MIDI till it sounded centered and panned as audio. i don't like any mono tracks, and james is right on the reply. anways it's all worked out now and good is good. thanks.