I want to use EZ drummer for my next project,Ive been using Beatcraft,but I need to step up. I've never used MIDI at all. How difficult will it be to pick up,something I can learn in days,weeks or months. Thanks
EZD Question-
- Thread starter Rupturemetal
- Start date
Razorjack
Bass Behemoth
EZD is a great piece of software, since you can obviously use a computer it'll take you a matter of minutes to get running with EZD and within days you will be making beats like the pros.
I looked up beatcraft as I had never heard of it and can see that it is a pattern based editor looking like fruity loops sort of.
Most people would use EZ Drummer inside their sequencer of choice using a drum grid editor/piano roll view
If you have never used that before, then try it now, depending on what sequencer you have, you will already have some sort of vsti/dxi available to load a kit into. Theres free samples available all over the place for you to learn how to program in the piano roll view.
You should learn the keyboard shortcuts for pasting patterns/repeating pastes, adjusting velocity, step programming etc. You might not use them all but at least you will be armed with the full knowledge of your host app for when you get ezdrummer.
You might also want to play with the destructive or non destructive midi editing capabilities of your sequencer which will enable you to randomize velocities and humanize timings etc, for metal you may find that bass drums are preferred to be quantized solidly, but randomizing velocity and then limiting and boosting will make it sound a bit more human. For snares, theres a bit more leeway to add some timing and velocity inconsistencies for 'flair'.
If you arent into programming your own beats at all, then ezdrummer comes with heaps, and the good thing is you can drag and drop them onto piano roll.
So if the included beats arent quite to your liking (and they likely wont be since the metal pack for it isnt out yet), then you can drag and drop the basic beats and add to them. Put some extra snares in, add double bass etc.
EZ Drummer sounds better for double bass if you use the Left and right hits, as has been discussed here at length by elephant audio in other threads.
You probably program your own beats in beatcraft already, so hopefully you have studied real drummers styles and beats to come up with some that sound like a real drummer, e.g. crash and snare on 1 is rarely done, crash isnt on an offbeat, most drummers 'push' the snare in aggressive sections etc.
However rules were meant to be broken.
Tom rolls are the hardest thing to get right, lots of guys will hook up a midi keyboard to get some feel into tom rolls, however pasting from ezdrummers fills might get you a good starting point for some fills, especially rolls with 'dotted' notes. Evenutally you should see some patterns that are common and recognise them in piano roll view for what they sound like before you hear them
good luck
Most people would use EZ Drummer inside their sequencer of choice using a drum grid editor/piano roll view
If you have never used that before, then try it now, depending on what sequencer you have, you will already have some sort of vsti/dxi available to load a kit into. Theres free samples available all over the place for you to learn how to program in the piano roll view.
You should learn the keyboard shortcuts for pasting patterns/repeating pastes, adjusting velocity, step programming etc. You might not use them all but at least you will be armed with the full knowledge of your host app for when you get ezdrummer.
You might also want to play with the destructive or non destructive midi editing capabilities of your sequencer which will enable you to randomize velocities and humanize timings etc, for metal you may find that bass drums are preferred to be quantized solidly, but randomizing velocity and then limiting and boosting will make it sound a bit more human. For snares, theres a bit more leeway to add some timing and velocity inconsistencies for 'flair'.
If you arent into programming your own beats at all, then ezdrummer comes with heaps, and the good thing is you can drag and drop them onto piano roll.
So if the included beats arent quite to your liking (and they likely wont be since the metal pack for it isnt out yet), then you can drag and drop the basic beats and add to them. Put some extra snares in, add double bass etc.
EZ Drummer sounds better for double bass if you use the Left and right hits, as has been discussed here at length by elephant audio in other threads.
You probably program your own beats in beatcraft already, so hopefully you have studied real drummers styles and beats to come up with some that sound like a real drummer, e.g. crash and snare on 1 is rarely done, crash isnt on an offbeat, most drummers 'push' the snare in aggressive sections etc.
However rules were meant to be broken.
Tom rolls are the hardest thing to get right, lots of guys will hook up a midi keyboard to get some feel into tom rolls, however pasting from ezdrummers fills might get you a good starting point for some fills, especially rolls with 'dotted' notes. Evenutally you should see some patterns that are common and recognise them in piano roll view for what they sound like before you hear them
good luck
Wow,thanks for that insightful explanation-I should be up and running in no time ,Thanks man!futurism said:
