Some questions for Superior 2 users

[ze kink]

I'm currently mixing an album and it's the first I'm really using Superior 2.0 on, meaning it's not just for demoing but the actual drums for the album. And I guess I have a few questions for more experienced users regarding workflow and stuff.

1) At which point do you generally bounce the drums?
2) How do you guys reduce the load while you're still trying different sounds, modifying the beats yet already mixing at the same time? As I'm getting CPU overload messages constantly myself, since Superior puts almost a full load on the other core of my CPU (other one though is paradoxically at practically no load at all)...
3) How do you output the stuff out from Superior when using it in the multichannel mode? I mean, what stuff in the Superior mixer do you put on which channels, since you only get is it 12 or 14 outs or something.
4) How much do you process inside Superior, if at all?
5) How do you treat the kick, which I seem to not really dig myself for metal stuff (I'm currently using the BD from DFHS and am going to use apTrigga2 for blending a sample when I find one I like)
6) How do humanize, and are all your hits at 127 velocity? Since I got the midi's for the drums without any velocity changes, and it currently sounds a bit too robotic. I think I'm not going to bother humanizing the timing this time around (and that'd be done in the DAW anyway instead of inside Superior I guess).

Feel free to chime in about other stuff you think is useful as well. Oh, and I'm using Logic BTW.

And yeah, I used the search and scrolled through a bunch of Superior threads, but I didn't seem to find the answers I was looking for there. And since I got the Superior 2.0 as an upgrade for DFHS, I didn't get a manual or anything, and so lack a clear picture of how to fully take advantage of the capabilities of the software.

Cheers!

 

[P-E]

1 : I bounce the drums when I'm sure of the kit I'll be using in Superior and when I'm certain I won't touch the midi ever again.
2 : No magic answer unfortunately, bounce other stuff, etc. (Doesn't seem like that much of a CPU hog compared to RAM usage to me though, which is why I use 16 bit)
3 : I'm okay with 14 outs. Kicks all at Out 1, other stuff separated. Whatever works, some times you'll use one mic, sometimes you won't.
4 : None at all for me.
5 : Replace it.
6 : Humanizing the MIDI by hand and using the humanizing in Superior (which helps but not that much).

Hope that helps!

 

[Ola Englund]

I'm currently mixing an album and it's the first I'm really using Superior 2.0 on, meaning it's not just for demoing but the actual drums for the album. And I guess I have a few questions for more experienced users regarding workflow and stuff.

1) At which point do you generally bounce the drums?
2) How do you guys reduce the load while you're still trying different sounds, modifying the beats yet already mixing at the same time? As I'm getting CPU overload messages constantly myself, since Superior puts almost a full load on the other core of my CPU (other one though is paradoxically at practically no load at all)...
3) How do you output the stuff out from Superior when using it in the multichannel mode? I mean, what stuff in the Superior mixer do you put on which channels, since you only get is it 12 or 14 outs or something.
4) How much do you process inside Superior, if at all?
5) How do you treat the kick, which I seem to not really dig myself for metal stuff (I'm currently using the BD from DFHS and am going to use apTrigga2 for blending a sample when I find one I like)
6) How do humanize, and are all your hits at 127 velocity? Since I got the midi's for the drums without any velocity changes, and it currently sounds a bit too robotic. I think I'm not going to bother humanizing the timing this time around (and that'd be done in the DAW anyway instead of inside Superior I guess).

Feel free to chime in about other stuff you think is useful as well. Oh, and I'm using Logic BTW.

And yeah, I used the search and scrolled through a bunch of Superior threads, but I didn't seem to find the answers I was looking for there. And since I got the Superior 2.0 as an upgrade for DFHS, I didn't get a manual or anything, and so lack a clear picture of how to fully take advantage of the capabilities of the software.

Cheers!

1. Never. I work using multitrack output. Works really good.
2. Try changing to 16 bit samples. That should help alot with the CPU.
3. I usually just have the 6 output busses in logic. Kick, snare, hihat, toms, OH, room.
4. Just a bit.
5. I replace all kick with aptrigga.
6. Don't give every hit 127 velocity. Try ranging around 124-127 and you'll be fine. Be more gentle with the cymbals and hihat.

 

[ze kink]

Bump!

It seems it's workable in 16-bit mode. Still wondering about the routing and stuff though, mainly I'm thinking if you're putting both snare top & bottom and all toms on same channels.

Changed the hit velocities to 120 and it seems like it's a little bit better, but I dunno. I'll mess around with it more.

Edit: Ah shit, it seems I've somehow been thinking there's far less outputs, but there's actually plenty enough, the multitrack output setting just doesn't use nearly all of them for some reason. Stupid me.

 

[ze kink]

I'll bump this instead of starting a new thread, since I only have one question anymore.

I'm not getting any sound out of apTrigga2 for some reason. The way I'm using it is I have a software instrument track in Logic, and apTrigga2 as the instrument. I copied the midi for the bass drum from the S2.0 midi track to the track with apTrigga2. What am I doing wrong? I just guess that it's better to trigger the samples from the midi instead from the audio, since I have that possibility. If I put apTrigga2 on the audio track of the kick, it works as it should obviously.

 

[digitaldeath]

Route the kick out of Superior to a track in your DAW and insert aptrigga on that track.
Adjust the dry/wet knobs to taste in aptrigga.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

My computer is beef, I don't bounce. I might freeze the intrument, but I dun bounce.

 

[ze kink]

Route the kick out of Superior to a track in your DAW and insert aptrigga on that track.
Adjust the dry/wet knobs to taste in aptrigga.

That's what I'm doing, but I'd rather do it with the midi track, since it would be 100% accurate for sure, since there's no bleed or anything else involved.

 

[mstone564]

I had problems with ApTrigga2 myself; try reading this because darthjujuu explained how to replace midi wonderfully:
http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/production-tips/623390-aptrigga2-question.html

 

[Ermz]

1) As soon as I've got the internal mixer balances right, and I'm sure the velocities are triggering the correct samples.
2) I don't mix with Superior in real time. Did it once - never again. Cubase doesn't need any extra help with crashing.
3) I make it like a real kit recording. Kick, Snare, Hats, Tom 1 to 5, OHs, Rooms.
4) None.
5) Never use it.
6) I usually jump between 120 and 127. Faster snare parts get lower velocities, and fills get even lower ones. Play it by ear. For slow sporadic hits 127 sounds rockin', but it gets old quickly if you overuse it.

Last track of Ola's I mixed is actually an example of all of the above: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/285689/Forum/Fortin Natas Song 8.mp3

Cymbals, Rooms and 50% snare are all SD2.0

 

[ze kink]

I had problems with ApTrigga2 myself; try reading this because darthjujuu explained how to replace midi wonderfully:
http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/production-tips/623390-aptrigga2-question.html

I actually searched about it before I made the post above, and essentially I'm doing it exactly like with the method darthjuju explained. For some reason, I get nothing in Logic when I do it that way. The midi just doesn't trigger apTrigga for some reason, though clicking the sample in the plugin window plays the sample as it should. There must be something silly I'm doing wrong.

 

[laszlozsolt82]

don`t want to start a thread so i will ask here, if the superior got the open groove function that Ezdrum had before, i can`t find that option and i realy miss it, i use to listen to the prefabricated midi loops when i am building up a drum track, and whit that groove thing it was less easy to work on a drum track

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

Update to Superior 2.2 ^^