Do you split your drum parts into separate MIDI tracks?

[sharke]

It's funny, but I've always programmed my beats in the piano roll in one MIDI track. I guess that early on I figured that it would be easier to move whole patterns around the arrangement like this.

But just recently as an experiment I decided to split kick, snare, hats and toms into their own MIDI tracks to see how it would affect things in terms of arranging workflow...and I cannot understand why I never did this before. Immediately I find myself with way more freedom to experiment, auditioning different hat patterns with different snare patterns on the fly, whereas before I'd be far less willing to experiment, given that I'd have to copy and paste patterns around the piano roll. The bottom line is that I'm finding it far easier to arrange drum parts, and far more likely to put the effort into creating variations.

It's gotten me into wondering if this is the most common way to work with drums (if you're not using some kind of sequencer like Maschine or Geist, that is). I really have no idea since I'm one of those people who learns haphazardly by trial and error without paying that much attention to how other people are working.

[planetearth]

I find myself with way more freedom to experiment, auditioning different hat patterns with different snare patterns on the fly, whereas before I'd be far less willing to experiment, given that I'd have to copy and paste patterns around the piano roll. The bottom line is that I'm finding it far easier to arrange drum parts, and far more likely to put the effort into creating variations.

Before piano roll view was widely available in sequencers, I used to split the drum parts into different tracks for more control when quantizing and adjusting velocities. With Sonar, I'd gotten away from that in the past few years. That said, your point about being able to experiment with different hi-hat, snare or kick patterns has me re-thinking this!

Still, when mixing and matching hi-hat, snare and other drum patterns, you have to be careful that you're not asking your "virtual drummer" to hit too many drums at the same time.

The next time I reach for a MIDI drum part, I'll remember to split it out into separate tracks, just for this purpose. Thanks!

Steve

[coquillo]

I like to keep the midi as a single track but split the audio.

[ghettosynth]

I like to keep the midi as a single track but split the audio.

Yep, that way it's not big deal to filter out the parts that you want to change up and add other, e.g. top, parts. The problem with splitting them all up is that it makes them more difficult to work with as a cohesive unit.

[DNeal]

I usually have each element on a separate track as well, then group all the drums into a bus so I can compress all the drum elements.

[4damind]

I split similar drums like all kicks, all hats, all snares. Except percussion like Bongos, Toms etc. This gives me a better workflow for programming transitions and stuff where normally only some sounds and not all are involved.
Cubase has the option to edit a folder like a group, this is very usable for this kind of workflow, so you can edit all midi parts similar if they are not split.
But I don't use this very often, because I program my drums directly in Geist in pattern and song mode and move them later to midi tracks for fine tuning.

[sharke]

The problem with splitting them all up is that it makes them more difficult to work with as a cohesive unit.

That's what I always thought too, but it turns out that it's not too hard to just lasso all the parts and move them around as one. Alternatively, you can work like this: have all the parts on separate tracks in the experimentation phase, then bounce them all to single MIDI clips for the song arrangement phase.

[sharke]

Before piano roll view was widely available in sequencers, I used to split the drum parts into different tracks for more control when quantizing and adjusting velocities. With Sonar, I'd gotten away from that in the past few years. That said, your point about being able to experiment with different hi-hat, snare or kick patterns has me re-thinking this!

I'm using Sonar too. Actually one of the things I initially hated about Sonar turned out to be quite useful for quantizing drums. That was the lack of a "MIDI merge" recording feature a la Pro Tools etc. When you record, say, some hats over a kick on the same track, it creates a new clip for the hats instead of recording them into the kick clip. So if you want to merge them into the same clip you have to select them both and "bounce to clip." I thought this was a pain in the ass until I realized it was totally useful should you want to quantize your parts separately before bouncing them.

Still, when mixing and matching hi-hat, snare and other drum patterns, you have to be careful that you're not asking your "virtual drummer" to hit too many drums at the same time.

Oh yeah, you have to make fine adjustments after you put parts together. For this though, I just open them all in the same piano roll. So you get the best of both worlds...the flexibility of having each part on a different track, with the convenience of being able to edit them all as one coherent drum part.

[Tricky-Loops]

The problem with splitting them all up is that it makes them more difficult to work with as a cohesive unit.

That's what I always thought too, but it turns out that it's not too hard to just lasso all the parts and move them around as one. Alternatively, you can work like this: have all the parts on separate tracks in the experimentation phase, then bounce them all to single MIDI clips for the song arrangement phase.

How do you bounce the individual MIDI clips to a single MIDI clip? I don't know anything about Sonar, I'm using REAPER...I know how to bounce them to audio, but to MIDI?

I rather like to have every drum element in an individual track so that I can process them with different effects. Then I group them together in sub groups (for example all "Kicks") and main group ("Drums").

Because I cannot process a hi-hat with the same EQ & effects as the kick, and so on.

If I would have something like Geist, I could process them all in one MIDI track, I guess...

[sharke]

The problem with splitting them all up is that it makes them more difficult to work with as a cohesive unit.

That's what I always thought too, but it turns out that it's not too hard to just lasso all the parts and move them around as one. Alternatively, you can work like this: have all the parts on separate tracks in the experimentation phase, then bounce them all to single MIDI clips for the song arrangement phase.

How do you bounce the individual MIDI clips to a single MIDI clip? I don't know anything about Sonar, I'm using REAPER...I know how to bounce them to audio, but to MIDI?

In Sonar, you just select two or more clips and then select "bounce to clip." If the clips in question are directly on top of each other and impossible to select individually, then right-click-lassoing them will select them all.

It's been a long time since I've touched Reaper so I'm not sure how to achieve the same, but I do recall something in the project settings called "item mix behavior" or something.

I rather like to have every drum element in an individual track so that I can process them with different effects. Then I group them together in sub groups (for example all "Kicks") and main group ("Drums").

Because I cannot process a hi-hat with the same EQ & effects as the kick, and so on.

If I would have something like Geist, I could process them all in one MIDI track, I guess...

I do the same, I route the parts to different audio tracks. Sometimes. Other times (when I'm feeling lazy) I just leave them all in the same track and mix them in Battery...

[V0RT3X]

I like to keep the midi as a single track but split the audio.

same

[abovethoughts]

I like to keep the midi as a single track but split the audio.

same

Is it possible to explain how to do this ? In reaper ?

[bjporter]

Cubase has a cool feature where you can see all midi overlapping, so there's no need to put things in the same track. That way you can easily see snare + bass midi, or perhaps hi hat + lead + organ + kick, and no fuss.

Just hold down shift and select midi tracks.

Cliff Notes:
No - use multiple.

[sharke]

Cubase has a cool feature where you can see all midi overlapping, so there's no need to put things in the same track. That way you can easily see snare + bass midi, or perhaps hi hat + lead + organ + kick, and no fuss.

Just hold down shift and select midi tracks.

Cliff Notes:
No - use multiple.

I should think most DAW's have this feature in their piano roll? In Sonar at least, you can bring up a track selector which enables you to select the tracks which will be viewed in the piano roll.

[bjporter]

Cubase has a cool feature where you can see all midi overlapping, so there's no need to put things in the same track. That way you can easily see snare + bass midi, or perhaps hi hat + lead + organ + kick, and no fuss.

Just hold down shift and select midi tracks.

Cliff Notes:
No - use multiple.

I should think most DAW's have this feature in their piano roll? In Sonar at least, you can bring up a track selector which enables you to select the tracks which will be viewed in the piano roll.

I imagine so - it's basically like doing it all in one midi track if need be - more freedom.

Nice to see OP break out of the chains a bit