Multitrack Drum Beat Detection

[Kind Of Loud]

I think I may have found as to why copying beats, from one track to another will not work. I never really noticed this before, because of how I use beat detection, but hopefully this will help others.

So we have our project open, and we want to copy beats. No edits, no nothing, Starting fresh.
So we analyze the "kick" and get our beats. We then show all the tracks we want our kick beats copied to.....Hit Command A select all......Bring up the copy beats command...Use the kick as the source track.....Hit apply...Boom..!! The kick beats are now copied to all the tracks.

But now let's say, we analyzed our kick for beats, but DID NOT copy them, like I described above. And now we decide we want to quantize certain sections of the drum tracks. Let's say, bars 1-8 need to be touched up. So.....

We highlight bars 1-8....Bring up the copy beats command, using the kick as the source. Hit apply, and........nothing happens. No beats are copied. OK......Try this.
Let's make a cut, for all tracks, at bar 8. We now have separate soundbites for 1-8. Select them all, and bring up copy beats. Again, using the kick as the source. Hit apply, and......Nothing again. What gives..??

There's two problems in both scenarios, that I think is happening.
When we highlight bars 1-8, or any other section, for that matter. There's no way to tell DP, what section we want to use to copy beats. When the copy beats command comes up, it shows "kick". Not "kick / bars 1-8".
Same problem, with making a cut at bar 8. We've made new soundbites from the cut, but notice what is shown, in the copy beats command. Just "kick". Not "kick 1.0", our new soundbite.

So just remember, if you're going to be quantizing your drum tracks. Copy your beats, first thing in your project. Then you'll be able to work with all the tracks, OR just certain sections.

[rainmaker]

OK, I decided to make a video explaining my own method for quantizing drums in DP. It seems there has been a lot of confusion over the years of DP's capability with beat detection and quantizing of multi-tracked drums. So this video shows the way I have successfully quantized drums in DP for years. I hope it is of some use to those who haven't had much luck with it.

I apologize for the "Demo Mode" across the screen in the video but I don't intend on doing any more tutorials and the free trial for the screen recording program was just the ticket. It shouldn't interfere with the content of the video.

http://youtu.be/8us0jUiubDo

Thanks,
Rainmaker

[Tesionman]

OK, I decided to make a video explaining my own method for quantizing drums in DP. It seems there has been a lot of confusion over the years of DP's capability with beat detection and quantizing of multi-tracked drums. So this video shows the way I have successfully quantized drums in DP for years. I hope it is of some use to those who haven't had much luck with it.

I apologize for the "Demo Mode" across the screen in the video but I don't intend on doing any more tutorials and the free trial for the screen recording program was just the ticket. It shouldn't interfere with the content of the video.

http://youtu.be/8us0jUiubDo

Thanks,
Rainmaker

Great tutorial... although I do it a bit differently.
Anyway, one simple question... how do you scroll horizontally in the Sequence Editor without having to go to the horizontal scroll bar?
I've been wondering how to do that for ages...never saw anyone do it so I thought it wasn't possible.

cheers

[Shooshie]

Anyway, one simple question... how do you scroll horizontally in the Sequence Editor without having to go to the horizontal scroll bar?
I've been wondering how to do that for ages...never saw anyone do it so I thought it wasn't possible.

Not to speak for Rainmaker, but I scroll in any direction, in any window (that supports scrolling) using the Apple Magic Trackpad. Just touching the pad with two fingers enables me to scroll anywhere. Flick them rather hard, and it gives you enough momentum to go very far, even from end to end if the zoom is not outrageous.

You can also do it with the Magic Mouse. It's the mouse with a trackpad on top. One finger will do the trick.

To use the Magic Trackpad, you've got to commit to it for a week or two. Once you learn the gestures, you'll be hooked and never want to go back to another input device. (except for specialized items like Tablets for drawing) If you're using a recent MacBook Pro, the built-in trackpad is essentially the same thing.

I use 3rd party software for the Magic Trackpad called JiTouch. It enables me to customize gestures for each application, independently from others, plus it enables me to draw alphabet characters for additional commands in each app, or globally. It's easy to remember Q for quit, S for save, O for open, N for New, and so forth. You can make up your own, of course.

Anyway, that's the best scrolling I've ever seen.

Shooshie

[Tesionman]

Anyway, one simple question... how do you scroll horizontally in the Sequence Editor without having to go to the horizontal scroll bar?
I've been wondering how to do that for ages...never saw anyone do it so I thought it wasn't possible.

Not to speak for Rainmaker, but I scroll in any direction, in any window (that supports scrolling) using the Apple Magic Trackpad. Just touching the pad with two fingers enables me to scroll anywhere. Flick them rather hard, and it gives you enough momentum to go very far, even from end to end if the zoom is not outrageous.

You can also do it with the Magic Mouse. It's the mouse with a trackpad on top. One finger will do the trick.

To use the Magic Trackpad, you've got to commit to it for a week or two. Once you learn the gestures, you'll be hooked and never want to go back to another input device. (except for specialized items like Tablets for drawing) If you're using a recent MacBook Pro, the built-in trackpad is essentially the same thing.

I use 3rd party software for the Magic Trackpad called JiTouch. It enables me to customize gestures for each application, independently from others, plus it enables me to draw alphabet characters for additional commands in each app, or globally. It's easy to remember Q for quit, S for save, O for open, N for New, and so forth. You can make up your own, of course.

Anyway, that's the best scrolling I've ever seen.

Shooshie

Thanks Shooshie! I don't have a Trackpad.

I just figured it out! Can't believe it after all this time! I decided to explore once more experimenting though key commands/combinations, etc... and......
Holding the shift key while using the mouse wheel does the trick! So f*cking simple! Duhhh!!
Well... better late than never!

cheers

[rainmaker]

As far as the scrolling, yep, just my magic mouse scroll wheel. Give it a flick in the direction you'd like to go and it takes you there. Always faster than having to cruise your pointer over the the scroll bars and click.

And Tesionman, what do you do differently in terms of quantizing drums? I'd love to know in case I can add any tips or tricks to my own method.

Thanks,
Rainmaker.

[Tesionman]

And Tesionman, what do you do differently in terms of quantizing drums? I'd love to know in case I can add any tips or tricks to my own method.

I actually don't go through the create kick and snare track, copy beats, etc...

- I group and select the tracks, then Create Beats from Soundbites(Ctlr+B) and choose the kick track in the dropdown menu. I adjust the sensitivity to catch every hit and click apply.
- Then I do the same for the snare track.
- Sometimes I do the same to the hihat track in certain HiHat heavy sections. (and the tom tracks in tom sections)
- I quantize to the necessary note value and then fill the gaps just like you did in your video.
- I listen if theres any deformities and apply crossfades. Thats it.

I never had problems.
Keep in mind that I don't frequently quantize my stuff. And when I do its only if a certain section or fill that I feel could've done better. But many times I prefer to redo it than correct it.

cheers

[Kind Of Loud]

I actually don't go through the create kick and snare track, copy beats, etc...

- I group and select the tracks, then Create Beats from Soundbites(Ctlr+B) and choose the kick track in the dropdown menu. I adjust the sensitivity to catch every hit and click apply.
- Then I do the same for the snare track.
- Sometimes I do the same to the hihat track in certain HiHat heavy sections. (and the tom tracks in tom sections)
- I quantize to the necessary note value and then fill the gaps just like you did in your video.
- I listen if theres any deformities and apply crossfades. Thats it.

I never had problems.
Keep in mind that I don't frequently quantize my stuff. And when I do its only if a certain section or fill that I feel could've done better. But many times I prefer to redo it than correct it.

cheers

Good tip, using just the "create beats from soundbites" command, and not having to copy beats. I've been doing, roughly the same thing, not copying beats, and just dragging the scissors tool across the track, with beats. All the tracks, get sliced the same. Same as your method.

I think as far as copying beats... This is where a lot of the confusion and frustration comes from, as far as quantizing drum tracks. It's a step, that doesn't need to be done. As long as the prep work, as I call it, has been done in the Waveform Editor, to tell DP, what beats you want it to work with.....Then it's just a matter of slicing up the tracks. No need to copy those beats to other tracks.
Well I guess you would need to copy them, if you want to quantize, using the "beats within soundbites". But I've never gotten, decent results, quantizing drums tracks, doing things that way.

[Tesionman]

Good tip, using just the "create beats from soundbites" command, and not having to copy beats. I've been doing, roughly the same thing, not copying beats, and just dragging the scissors tool across the track, with beats. All the tracks, get sliced the same. Same as your method.

I think as far as copying beats... This is where a lot of the confusion and frustration comes from, as far as quantizing drum tracks. It's a step, that doesn't need to be done. As long as the prep work, as I call it, has been done in the Waveform Editor, to tell DP, what beats you want it to work with.....Then it's just a matter of slicing up the tracks. No need to copy those beats to other tracks.
Well I guess you would need to copy them, if you want to quantize, using the "beats within soundbites". But I've never gotten, decent results, quantizing drums tracks, doing things that way.

Yeah... I think there is no need to copy beats. And you can do it in about half the time it take to go the Copy Beats route!
Ohhh.. I forgot to mention... Yeah, when quantizing multitracks.. always choose "Soundbites" and not "Beats Within Soundbites" in the Quantize dialog box or everything gets F*cked up!

cheers