Session Drummer questions

[mjr]

I've been putting off finishing my recording because I don't have a complete understanding of the drum loops in CakeWalk Home studio.

I can use session drummer to create a loop I like, but I run into the following issues:

1. When I display the drum loop, it only goes to the end of the loop & stops. Whereas if I just leave it "invisible" it just continues to loop. How do I solve this?
2. Question: if I just assign a session drummer track to a midi track, will it be in my recording?
3. When I start recording the drums play immediately, I don't have time to start immediately playing along. How can I remedy this without using silence? If there's a way.
4. Is there a good "session drummer" tutorial anywhere?
5. How do I fade out a track?

On a semi-related note, once I get my CD finished, where can I go on the web to promo the CD? I was thinking about MP3.com & such, but I want to get as much exposure as possible, and also have traffic go to my website.

I'm fairly new to using CakeWalk. Beats the heck out of my 4-track, though.

 

[cstockdale]

I've been putting off finishing my recording because I don't have a complete understanding of the drum loops in CakeWalk Home studio.

I can use session drummer to create a loop I like, but I run into the following issues:

1. When I display the drum loop, it only goes to the end of the loop & stops. Whereas if I just leave it "invisible" it just continues to loop. How do I solve this?

not sure what you are describing here. the help file in cakewalk should clarify it

2. Question: if I just assign a session drummer track to a midi track, will it be in my recording?

yes, if you select the midi track and its associated audio track for mixdown...or click "apply effects" and it will write it to a track

3. When I start recording the drums play immediately, I don't have time to start immediately playing along. How can I remedy this without using silence? If there's a way.

I insert two bars of silence at the beginning of all my projects, just put in a simple click track for those two bars, and once all the tracking is done, delete the two bars

4. Is there a good "session drummer" tutorial anywhere?

I think it is in the cakewalk help file, or search here on "session drummer" there have been tons of threads about it, in fact I just entered "session drummer" in the cakewalk forum, and get 4 pages of hits.

5. How do I fade out a track?

use the fade tool, it is on the main toolbar. If you have the manual it sounds like you need to read some of the basics (no offense, but it is amazing how many people start clicking without reading), it is all covered in the manual, or go through the tutorial files, or get Cakewalk Power

On a semi-related note, once I get my CD finished, where can I go on the web to promo the CD? I was thinking about MP3.com & such, but I want to get as much exposure as possible, and also have traffic go to my website.

wrong forum for this....this is a whole massive issue in and of itself.

I'm fairly new to using CakeWalk. Beats the heck out of my 4-track, though.

spend a few days reading the manual. seriously, it helps enormously just to understand what cake can do. If you don't have the manual...check the help files, it is all in there.

 

[dachay2tnr]

1. When I display the drum loop, it only goes to the end of the loop & stops. Whereas if I just leave it "invisible" it just continues to loop. How do I solve this?

Sounds like you just have a single loop programmed into session drummer. Open Session Drummer and look in the area headed Song. You will see areas for Loop Count, Name and Length. Loop Count is the number of loops you have programmed (it probably says 1 now), and length is the number of measures the loop occupies. Double click on Loop Count and increase the number of loops (i.e., changing the loop count to 2 will give you twice the initial length, etc.).

BTW, I can't imagine what type of song you are creating that just uses a single loop for the entire song.



2. Question: if I just assign a session drummer track to a midi track, will it be in my recording?

If you are speaking about mixdown, the answer is no. You need to convert it to audio, or route it to a DXi to have it included in your mixdown.


3. When I start recording the drums play immediately, I don't have time to start immediately playing along. How can I remedy this without using silence? If there's a way.


You answered it yourself. Program a couple of measures of silence first, by choosing the silence loop.


4. Is there a good "session drummer" tutorial anywhere?


Dunno.


5. How do I fade out a track?

After you "print" the track to audio, put a volume envelope on the track, or use the fades that are included in slip editing.

 

[dachay2tnr]

Simultaneous post, cstockdale. Usually it's moskus who does that to me.

 

[cstockdale]

I am moskus ... for a brief second I was anyway...damn, now its gone again

 

[dachay2tnr]

I am moskus ... for a brief second I was anyway...damn, now its gone again

Mmmmm. I see the resemblence.

 

[moskus]

I am moskus ... for a brief second I was anyway...damn, now its gone again

Make a funky beat and repeat after me:

"I wanna be, I wanna be like Moooskus"

 

[cstockdale]

Make a funky beat and repeat after me:

"I wanna be, I wanna be like Moooskus"

I hope you got permission from my label to use those lyrics, I wrote that damn tune!