KVR Audio

FlipMartian · Post by **FlipMartian** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 4:45 pm

I use Cubase (on Windows PC) and have done for a long while but I do wonder if there is an alternative... either cheaper or just more stable.

My drum tracks I like to create and edit in a proper drum grid editor - right back to my Atari ST days using a thing called Breakthru, I have preferred using a grid layout to do my drum tracks. I really can't get on with using a piano roll midi editor for drums.

Which non Cubase DAWs have a separate drum editor from the normal piano roll midi editor screen?

Thanks for any suggestions.

sockofgold · Post by **sockofgold** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 5:06 pm

Personally, I don't think anything in a DAW quite matches the awesome workflow of Cubase's Drum Editor.

I am pretty familiar with current versions of Reaper, Live, Logic, Studio One, and Reason, and none of them have a drum editor that can match it IMO--some have similar options in their piano rolls, but it's just not the same--there is something magical about that drumstick tool.

Maybe Samplitude? I have never even tried a demo of it, so I have no clue what kind of stuff it offers. I also haven't tried Sonar since probably version 7, and but I don't recall there being anything to match (the Step Sequencer is in a completely realm than Cubase's Drum Editor).

TL;DR: if you can't live without the Drum Editor, stick with Cubase. I was a Cubase user in SX2 era, and I just bought a new copy of 6 off of eBay today, so I am actually pretty excited to get to use the Drum Editor again.

FlipMartian · Post by **FlipMartian** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 5:59 pm

Thanks for the reply! Even if it wasn't quite what I wanted to hear!

I was hoping to hear about a few that I've missed; but maybe I haven't!

sockofgold · Post by **sockofgold** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 6:05 pm

FlipMartian wrote:Thanks for the reply! Even if it wasn't quite what I wanted to hear! I was hoping to hear about a few that I've missed; but maybe I haven't!

Don't forget: it is just my humble opinion, and it certainly shouldn't stop you from trying other DAWs if you REALLY want to switch. But in the 3-ish years I have been away from Cubase, the one feature I have always missed is the bad-ass drum editor.

CymaticCreation · Post by **CymaticCreation** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 6:11 pm

Never used Cubase (or any other big name host out there), so I can't say how satisfying it will be, but Zynewave's Podium does have a dedicated Drum Mode in the MIDI editor.

A couple of videos to help you get thee feeling of it:

How to set-up multitimbral drum vsts:

And the Drum Editor itself, from 0:40 onwards:

Add to that the Adjust Timing, and Velocity dialogs, and it is pretty potent imho.

As for the cheap part - it is, and actually there's a Free version as well.

All the Best

CC

carrieres · Post by **carrieres** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 8:22 pm

the drumrack in orion is just awesome !
http://www.synapse-audio.com/orioninstruments.html

deleted · Post by **deleted** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 8:40 pm

DELETED

Kriminal · Post by **Kriminal** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 8:42 pm

carrieres wrote:the drumrack in orion is just awesome !
http://www.synapse-audio.com/orioninstruments.html

+1

Kriminal · Post by **Kriminal** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 8:49 pm

Very delayed double post

memyselfandus · Post by **memyselfandus** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 9:01 pm

carrieres wrote:the drumrack in orion is just awesome !
http://www.synapse-audio.com/orioninstruments.html

Interested. What do you guys like about the drumrack in orion? Off to try it out in a bit.

Trakstar · Post by **Trakstar** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 9:15 pm

memyselfandus wrote:
carrieres wrote:the drumrack in orion is just awesome !
http://www.synapse-audio.com/orioninstruments.html
Interested. What do you guys like about the drumrack in orion? Off to try it out in a bit.

Its a very simple pattern based editor similar to the cubase and FL studio ones with some decent editing options. I use orion as a main sketch pad for getting ideas down faster than any other DAW I use. In fact I could finish the projects there and then, but I like bouncing the audio down to mess around with in a bit more detail in another DAW like X1.

Using in combination with orions drum machine is excellent as it has time stretch, start,end,pitch and a lot of other options.It also has 12bit reduction in 8.5 similar in vein to the SP1200 drum machine.

memyselfandus · Post by **memyselfandus** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 9:37 pm

Trakstar wrote:
memyselfandus wrote:
carrieres wrote:the drumrack in orion is just awesome !
http://www.synapse-audio.com/orioninstruments.html
Interested. What do you guys like about the drumrack in orion? Off to try it out in a bit.
Its a very simple pattern based editor similar to the cubase and FL studio ones with some decent editing options. I use orion as a main sketch pad for getting ideas down faster than any other DAW I use. In fact I could finish the projects there and then, but I like bouncing the audio down to mess around with in a bit more detail in another DAW like X1.

Using in combination with orions drum machine is excellent as it has time stretch, start,end,pitch and a lot of other options.It also has 12bit reduction in 8.5 similar in vein to the SP1200 drum machine.

Nice! just tried it. I like it a lot. is there a way to set it to 8th and 16th notes? I like how it updates the piano roll.

Trakstar · Post by **Trakstar** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 10:01 pm

memyselfandus wrote:
Trakstar wrote:
memyselfandus wrote:
carrieres wrote:the drumrack in orion is just awesome !
http://www.synapse-audio.com/orioninstruments.html
Interested. What do you guys like about the drumrack in orion? Off to try it out in a bit.
Its a very simple pattern based editor similar to the cubase and FL studio ones with some decent editing options. I use orion as a main sketch pad for getting ideas down faster than any other DAW I use. In fact I could finish the projects there and then, but I like bouncing the audio down to mess around with in a bit more detail in another DAW like X1.

Using in combination with orions drum machine is excellent as it has time stretch, start,end,pitch and a lot of other options.It also has 12bit reduction in 8.5 similar in vein to the SP1200 drum machine.
Nice! just tried it. I like it a lot. is there a way to set it to 8th and 16th notes? I like how it updates the piano roll.

I think its either the grid settings or quantize and it allows you to put how many beats for each bar, like if you want triplets you can put a row of 6 and they will play in time with the other bars with four beats. Check the grid settings and mess about.

memyselfandus · Post by **memyselfandus** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 10:13 pm

Thank you!

stonestreet · Post by **stonestreet** » Fri Jul 06, 2012 9:46 am

FlipMartian wrote:I use Cubase (on Windows PC) and have done for a long while but I do wonder if there is an alternative... either cheaper or just more stable.

My drum tracks I like to create and edit in a proper drum grid editor - right back to my Atari ST days using a thing called Breakthru, I have preferred using a grid layout to do my drum tracks. I really can't get on with using a piano roll midi editor for drums.

Which non Cubase DAWs have a separate drum editor from the normal piano roll midi editor screen?

Thanks for any suggestions.

I am confused... my versions of Cubase VST5 and SX1 both have drum edit page as well as a normal piano roll editor. sockofgold alludes to this. Is it just that you have not found it or am I just misunderstanding what you mean?

Mark.

DAWs With Drum Pattern Editors...