drum sequencing in cubase?

  • Thread starter Thread starter mancalledaerodynamics
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mancalledaerodynamics

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I replaced my old alesis drum machine with a vst drum sampler - battery. I was told I could program, pop/rock oriented songs using cubase as a sequencer. I don't understand how to do this. I can play/record live with my midi controller - but that's all I can do. I recorded 2 measures of my main pattern live with the midi controller, hit stop record at the end of the last beat, then tried to duplicate it so I wouldnt have to play it over and over, but the duplicated patterns arent lining up right, they start too soon it seems. Quantize has no effect on this or anything else I record. I heard so much about how I was in the dark ages with the old Alesis, but I need help learning how to use cubase and this software to do what I used to do realitivley easily: Program realistic drum patterns and fills without having to do it all in real time. Thanks for your help, I know Im just not grasping the concept here, and shudder to think I have to buy more software. I was going to buy reason but it seems to be mostly dance music oriented. The sounds are good in battery, but there is no sequencer to step record into, and I just don't get how cubase is a sequencer. Forgive my ignorance, any advice is appreciated.
 
Open your drum editor. What do you see? If your two-bar sequence is otherwise in time with itself, and not just aligned to the bar, then simply select all and drag it into position - each successive beat should line up too, if you played at the set tempo. From there, simply repeat that part that you have created as many times as you need.

Chris
 
when i record with autoquantize on the actual 2 measure pattern its fine, but I am not able to hit stop record early enough, so when I duplicate the pattern I record it is too long - there is silence between the last drum hit and the time it took me to hit stop on the transport bar, and the duplicated pattern doesnt piece together as an actual continuous beat. How can I end the pattern, or rather edit the ending of the pattern in the drum editor? Will I be able to construct beats like I did with a drum machine? It seems like I have to play the whole song live on the midi controler this way, which will be difficult, and limit the amount of fills and diversity in the actual drum part for the whole song. On the drum machine I had steps in the song mode, where I would arrange the various patterns I constructed. I had a lot of leeway to play around with them in this fashion, and would like to somehow do this with my new software. Once again, my ignorance is limiting my ability to make this jump into recording with my pc instead of my old 8 track. I appreciate your time.
 
okay, with snap to grid on I was able to shorten the actual midi track with the handle on the end of it. Duplicates perfectly now. I'm thinking, since snap to grid allows you to edit to an exact down beat, I can compose a punch of beats and fills, and arrange them at will in the actual track window, as I would various takes on a vocal track? Again, please excuse my ignorance but this whole interface is new to me. Any more tips on how to go about composing drum parts for rock/pop songs with cubase would be greatly appreciated. Do I have to make quantize decisions first, or can I adjust them later? If so, how do you go about making it feel more human? There are so many quantize settings, I'm not sure which one to adjust. Well, back to the manual for now, please reply if you can.
 
Check out the groove quantize feature - pretty cool and efficient.

Chris
 
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