Drum-Solutions for your Looper
After working for quite a while now with my BOSS loopers, I realised that the day will come, where the built-in drums will be no more satisfying for my needs.
So I was looking for a drum-solution in the internet, may it be hardware or software.
When watching videos of hardware-drumcomputers, it seemed to me that some basic knowledge of drumming is necessary to work with them (which I don't have at all).
Quickly I came across so called "VST-plugins", which can be used for synths and drums. So, what is a VST-plugin and how can I use it?
I learned that a VST-plugin needs a host-software, which loads the plugin and runs it.
So I looked for a simple VST-host software, and found "NanoHost" by tone2: https://www.tone2.net/nanohost.html
Searching for free drum-VST-plugins soon led me to "MT power drum kit": https://www.powerdrumkit.com/
After installing "MT power drum kit2", you will find the MT-PowerDrumKit.dll on your PC in the folder c:\program files\steinberg\VST plugins. Start NanoHost and load this dll - so this is all to start the MT-power drum kit2. You can click on the drums to hear them, you can listen to a lot of grooves coming with the plugin.
Well, that's already pretty cool - but how can I use this together with my looper?
Clicking Config / Midi-In Setting in NanoHost, I realized that one can input MIDI-data into the VST-plugin with a MIDI-input-device, like a keyboard.
Hmm... can I input the data from a MIDI-file here somehow?
Long story short - I found the following solution: I let a MIDI-File play with MIDI-Assistant, using the MIDI-Clock of the looper to "drive" the file. Instead of making the MIDI-data sound with Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth, I send the data to a virtual MIDI-port - this can be created with loopMIDI: https://www.tobias-erichsen.de/software/loopmidi.html
Then, I use this virtual MIDI-port as input port in the VST-host -> ready! The Midi-file starts/stops with the looper and plays in sync with it, the MIDI-file-data is sent to the VST-plugin and finally creates the drum-sound there.
The sound is created on the computer - you can send the computer sound directly to speakers, or send it to a mixer and mix it with the looper sound. Use the Latency setting to compensate any hearable offset between looper-rhythm and MIDI-file sound.
This is the final solution when using an RC-50 - sending the computersound into the looper in any way would lead to the sound being recorded on the looper, even when using AUX. Of course it is also an option to record a drum-loop on the looper, and use it as pre-recorded starting point for your performance.
On the RC-505, when connection the computer with the looper using an USB cable, this connection can be used for MIDI aswell as for Audio ("Sys: USB Mode" must be set to "AUDIO/MIDI" on the looper).
To send the computer sound of the VST-plugin into the looper, use Config / Audio Output Settings on NanoHost and select "ASIO: RC-505". This will send the VST-plugin's sound to the RC-505, independent of the computer volume ->
adjust the volume with "Sys: USB IN Level" on the looper. Any other Audio setting in NanoHost, like "DS: OUT (RC-505)" leads to higher latency, and the volume is controlled by the computer volume.
To avoid the sound from being recorded, set "Sys: USB Audio Routing" to "LINEOUT" on the looper - so we are ready to go!
Drums and looper sound are all delivered by the output of the looper, while the drums-sound plays independent of any recording.
(But of course it also an option to record a drum-loop on the looper with setting "Sys: USB Audio Routing" to "LOOP IN", and use it as pre-recorded starting point for your performance).
See the tooltips in MIDI-Assistant for details on adjusting the latency, or for details on any other setting in the MIDI-File group.
Which MIDI-Files to play?
You can download tons of free MIDI-drum loops in the net. Some of them play a piano sound when played with Media-Player - don't worry, they will create drum sounds when being sent to a drum-VST-plugin. I already added some MIDI-drum-grooves to the MIDI-Assistant download (see subfolder "Midi Files")
An easy way to get proper Drum-Midi-Files is to use GuitarPro-Files. If you don't own GuitarPro, you can use the free TuxGuitar-software to load GuitarPro-files. There are GuitarPro files out there for almost any song, check out https://www.911tabs.com/
If there is a Drumkit-Track in the GuitarPro-File, Mute (or Delete) all other Tracks and click File / Export / Midi File. If there is no Drumkit-track, try to find another GuitarPro-File - or try to find a ready-made midi-file, which you can import in Guitar-Pro. You can edit the track in GuitarPro/TuxGuitar to exactly match your looper-performance of a specific song.
-> Example: see "Nothing Else Matters"-Video: https://youtu.be/pZIqwRM3E5Y
-> The used Midi-file can be downloaded here: https://c.gmx.net/@334325735651023190/W3U92Ux-SVeDKX2rYq6jnA
(must be played at half-speed in MIDI-Assistant - looper is set to 3/4, MIDI-File uses 6/8 measure)
The Drumkit usually uses MIDI-Channel 10 and is exported in General Midi (GM) - that means, the mapping of Note-to-DrumSound corresponds to the General Midi-standard (see bottom of this page). So, this file can be played even with Media-Player .
When using a VST-plugin to play Midi-files exported with GuitarPro, make sure it is GM compatible, or the drums will not sound as desired - the wrong drums are played, or some drums are not sounding.
See below for some examples of GM compatible drum-VST-plugins.
Grooves from MT Power Drumkit2 can be drag/dropped into GuitarPro. Don't worry about the format there, or about the fact, that a piano track is generated - just click File / Export / Midi, and you get a Midi-File which can be played with any GM-compatible Drum-plugin.
*) Basic settings for playback using a VST-plugin:
1) Start loopMidi;
when you start it the first time, create a virtual port (using the + button at the bottom) - this port will be already there when you start again:
2) Start NanoHost and load your VST-plugin;
Choose the desired Audio output in Config / Audio Output Settings (Speaker or ASIO):
Choose the loopMIDI port in Config / Midi In Settings:
3) In MIDI-Assistant, select to playback MIDI-Files with the loopMidi port
4) load a Midi-File with MIDI-Assistant
Click Start/Stop on the looper to hear it play, or push "Start Sendtable" (even if the Sendtable is empty). The MIDI-file settings are stored when you click "Save". When you start performance on the looper, the file starts playing. Hold mouse over each setting to get additional information in the appearing tooltip:
*) Some free GM-compatible drum-VST plugins:
- MT Power DrumKit2
This is GM compatible by default, no changes necessary.
Sometimes there is no sound at the first try, so just make the selections in the Config-menu again, or try again after a restart.
You can drag/drop grooves into GuitarPro . Don't worry about the format there, or about the fact, that a piano track is generated - just click File / Export / Midi, and you get a Midi-File which can be played with any GM-compatible Drum-plugin.
- Jamstix
- Start NanoHost and load "jamstix4.dll"
- Set the MIDI-input mapping from "Jamstix" to "General MIDI 2":
- cool Plugin, free version comes with lots of Drum-Kits; single drums can be clicked and the volume adjusted (saving not supported in the free version)
- Sforzando
https://www.plogue.com/downloads.html (on the page, move down to Sforzando download)
- Sforzando comes as Standalone and as VST
- Just drag-and-drop *.sf2 soundfont-files onto the main-screen, and select the instrument you want to use
- Many Soundfonts are GM-compatible, like the very cool "GiantSoundfontDrumkit", which can be downloaded here:
https://www.zanderjaz.com/downloads/soundfonts/drums/
- I used Metal-GTX guitar soundfont for sforzando to record the sound of my Ocean-Etude-Video; the output is dry and without distortion -> I sent the output into a guitar-effects-board to get delay and distortion as needed. The soundfont can be downloaded here:
https://sfzinstruments.github.io/guitars/metal_gtx
Tip: to change the volume of single instruments, click "Open in Text Editor", find the desired instrument in "region_label" and add an entry "volume=" (or change it, if it is already there). A value of 0 is standard, -5 is a bit less loud, 5 is a bit more loud. Save the file and start over - just experiment what fits for you, I tried values of up to 20:
- Cakewalk SI Drums
https://downloads.bandlab.com/cakewalk/setup/CakewalkSetup.exe
Comes with the installation of Cakewalk by Bandlab - just check "Studio Instruments" when asked what components to install.
After the installation, you will find some SI-plugins ("Studio Instruments") in the "c:\program files\Cakewalk\VstPlugins"-folder: SI Bass, SI Drum Kit, SI-Electric Piano and SI-Strings. Load "SI-Drum Kit.dll" into NanoHost, and you are ready to go.
The plugin is GM-compatible by default and comes with 35 drum kits, which can be loaded by clicking the "PRG >" button and select "Load Program". Clicking the label next to the button, where the current drumkit "default.prg" is displayed, also opens the drumkit selection. Adding reverb (at the right-hand side) makes the drums sound very cool.
The main Cakewalk-program has many functions, for example it can be used for editing midi-files.
- Drummica
https://www.sennheiser-service.com/drummica
If you are not afraid of registering and installing 3 huge installation packages (Native Access, Kontakt Player, Drummica), all together about 4,5 gigabyte, you can give this a try.
The free version stops after 15 min of usage!!! So you have to restart the plugin each 15 minutes, or buy a full version of Kontakt Player.
Drummica comes with a lot of small drum-midi-files, some of them are quite cool. But they have some strange MIDI-mapping and can only be played correctly with Drummica.
Standard GM-files are still played correctly by Drummica.
- Start NanoHost and load "Kontakt.dll"
- Doubleclick "DrumMic'a! 1_0.nki" after selecting Files / Instruments:
- Click "Search filesystem" when there is a message that a certain file is not found
- Select "omni" as Midi-Channel:
- Select "Mixer" and step through the various presets:
*) Options if you want to play more tracks from a MIDI-File (e.g. Drum-Track and Bass-Track):
1) Use one VST-plugin for the Drum-Track, and another one for the Bass-Track (both using loopMidi-port as Input-Port)
- Start a Drum-VST with NanoHost.exe, open "Config" - "MIDI Filters" and check all channels except Channel 10 (which is the GM Channel for the Drumtrack).
- Start another instance of NanoHost.exe and load a VST-plugin which plays Bass-sounds. Open "Config" - "MIDI Filters" and check all channels except the Channel of the Bass-Track (usually Channel 5 for MIDI-files created with Guitar Pro; just try out some channels until you get the desired Track).
2) Use VirtualMIDISynth as alternative to Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth
The default synth for MIDI-File playback on a Windows-computer is Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth. You can install VirtualMIDISynth as an alternative - it can be used by MIDI-Assistant as device for MIDI-file playback, it can also be used by Windows media player as default synth for playing MIDI-files.
Download and instructions can be found here: http://coolsoft.altervista.org/en/virtualmidisynth
Many so called "Soundfonts" are available for download to be used in VirtualMIDISynth, so you can have many different sounds for ALL instruments when playing MIDI-files (of course also for the Drums).
*) Using a real Drumcomputer
Of course you can also use a real hardware-drumcomputer as target for the MIDI-file. Use a USB-to-Midi interface, select it as device to play Midi-files with (see MIDI-menu), and connect it with your drumcomputer.
If you want to play patterns of the drumcomputer itself without loading a MIDI-file, just check the "Clock"-checkbox in the MIDI-Thru settings (MIDI Assistant - MIDI-Menu) to sync the drumcomputer with Start/Stop and Clock-messages from the looper.
*) General Midi Key-Note-DrumSound Mapping:
General MIDI defines 48 drum sounds, with each being allocated to a separate MIDI key.
Note that MIDI channel 10 is the drum channel.
