Recording MIDI with Alesis D4 - advices please

[TwilightFire]

Hi everybody!

I'm in the process of starting the recordings of my band's first LP and, to save some money, we decided to record MIDI drums on our own and just outsource the humanization process.

The idea is to record my drummer playing his acoustic drums with everything triggered + MIDI cymbals, using his Alesis D4 into my Tascam US-144.

I tried to record at home (just tapping the triggers to see if it works) and, after enabling the midi I/O's in Reaper, everything seems to be OK.

I would just like to know if there are any specific things I should pay attention to when starting the recordings, in order to have the tracks prepared the best way for the external guy.

Like: Should I enable "Quantize track MIDI recording"? If yes, what value should I select (1/8, 1/16, 1/32, etc.)?
Any other particular settings in Reaper to enable/disable?


Many thanks in advance!!

 

[AntonioPetrole]

I would just make sure the trigger settings on the D4 are set correctly as far as velocities and everything. The D4 is super versatile as far as that is concerned. Other than that it's just a matter of recording it and editing

 

[bryan_kilco]

We have a D5 I think at the practice space. Never used it. Had weird luck trying to get Ddrum triggers to actually trigger properly and haven't really had time to screw around with them and waste valuable practice time.

Let me know how it works out!

 

[Mashreef]

bryan u mean latency problem?

 

[bryan_kilco]

Noticeable latency between the time he hit the kick drum and the time the sample came thru the PA.

Also, sensitivity/retrigger problems. He could never get it to trigger accurately and would always be missing hits or flamming hits.

 

[waltz mastering]

I would just like to know if there are any specific things I should pay attention to when starting the recordings, in order to have the tracks prepared the best way for the external guy.

I'd look into getting as much separation with as little bleed as possible between the individual acoustic drums and consider triggering later.

The d4 has voltage to midi triggers, so it's pretty easy if you can get clean gated acoustic sounds as your source and can also use any drum replacer down the road. Also try to blend the samples with the acoustic set for a more natural sound. 2c

 

[AboutBlank]

This unit sucks and it is shure more work to set it up correctly than just triggers into pres...

Worked with it and it was a pita, many mistriggers and stuff.

I would just work with triggers...

 

[TwilightFire]

Mmm yes I think it could create more problems that way...

Anyway - my drummer has been using the D4 for a while now for gigs and rehearsals and he never had a problem with it.
So I think it is already set up correctly as fare as sensitivity etc. Not sure what you mean roflsaurusrex by "setting up the velocities"... I could not find a specific setting for that (even if I just had a fast look)... I think it will have to be adjusted in the DAW, if needed?

What about the automatic quantization? Would you guys select this option or just record as it is played and then let the external guy re-adjust the hits (which I think he would need to do anyway, because if automatically quantized I think it would sound too robotic?)?

Thanks!

 

[TwilightFire]

I found this statement online, related to the same matter: "You do not want Quantize track MIDI recording or Quantize notes-off checked.
MIDI is not a perfect recording method, but the differences between what you play and what you record should be almost imperceptible."

If true, I think I should deactivate the option and let the external person work on the MIDI track as it was played.

 

[Skaldir]

Like: Should I enable "Quantize track MIDI recording"? If yes, what value should I select (1/8, 1/16, 1/32, etc.)?

You can't just set it on automatic. You can't just select one quantization that works on all the beats. You have to set up the quantization later fitting to the beat the drummer is playing . That can change every few bar and having triplets and whatnot. The person that does it needs to have some knowledge about beats

 

[TwilightFire]

You can't just set it on automatic. You can't just select one quantization that works on all the beats. You have to set up the quantization later fitting to the beat the drummer is playing . That can change every few bar and having triplets and whatnot. The person that does it needs to have some knowledge about beats

Ah Ok, I understand. It makes perfectly sense, indeed.

Thanks man!