MDrummer workflow

[dark-i]

Ok, just to clear things up a bit.
From a different topic

I perfectly understand the main goal of MD, and I believe that's to make it as much like a real drummer as possible.

I did not understand this.
I saw MDrummer as similar to Geist and Motu Bpm with a rhythm generator and a different layout, It has everything these programs have and more, I just couldn't get my head around why your layout was cumbersome.
Now I know it is first: AI virtual drummer
Second: loop and beat maker.

I think your workflow is very very specific.

I have to disagree with this.
My work flow is not specific at all, many drum machines fit into my workflow, you might have to look at
Motu Bpm
Fxpansion Geist
Xfer Records Nerve (no sample browser)
to see the workflow I was trying to explain.

They are sample based, all with basic controls and a loop editor on one page. Maybe it's my wording that is causing confusion.

Most people wouldn't buy the "smaller" thing just because it doesn't have the synthesisers etc.

A lot of drum machines are either synthesiser or sample, not both.
eg.
Samplers see above

Synthesisers:
Sonic Charge MicroTonic 3
FXpansion Tremor
Rob Papen Punch.
All of these have basic controls, synth controls and loop editor on one page also.

FXpansion has 3 separate drum machines, a sampling drum machine, synth drum machine and 1 for acoustic drum production, from my reading they are all popular.

drag & drop samples from system explorer to a track in the loop editor, basically the same way you can drag & drop samples to drumset editor.

This would help my workflow issue but it would not solve it and probably not convince me to use it regulary. This was the first workflow issue I came across, having no solo, mute, volume, pan and drum pad and a few other bits in the one section is the full issue.

I think your are missing a big market in having just 1 drum machine which is over complicated for average loop and beat maker, you easily have 1 even 2 more drum machines in MDrummer, you should exploit it.

I hope I have helped you understand where I was comming from.

[MeldaProduction]

Ok, just to clear things up a bit.
From a different topic

I perfectly understand the main goal of MD, and I believe that's to make it as much like a real drummer as possible.

I did not understand this.
I saw MDrummer as similar to Geist and Motu Bpm with a rhythm generator and a different layout, It has everything these programs have and more, I just couldn't get my head around why your layout was cumbersome.
Now I know it is first: AI virtual drummer
Second: loop and beat maker.

Aaaaah, now I get it! Ok, you basically put it very accurately. The difference between MDrummer and all the other machines is the rhythm system. While these machines are simply "loop changers", there's really not much to edit. It just switches between loops when you press a key, so it needs the few loops, their possibilities are very limited, usually not even a shuffle, so the requirements for editing GUI are very limited. The sound engine in these machines is simple as well, just a sample and a few basic parameters. So of course you can put it all onto one screen (though I was just watching some images of Geist and it doesn't loop to me like the loop editor can be shown at the same page as the sampler, except for the factory browser, and in fact it has as many tabs as MDrummer).

Now my perspective: the use first loads some drumset and rhythm to start with. Then he thinks that maybe the rhythm should be different, so he goes to the rhythm generator and quickly creates something that fits his song. If he doesn't like some details, he goes to rhythm editor to fix it. Then he starts messing with the sound, searching for a better drumset to start with, then use drumset designer to get it better, and if he really wants to get deeper, then he gets into the drumset editor and does some magic.

Solution? Of course it would be ideal to make everyone happy. But at first you need to look at rhythm editor - it's big, but for what it does it cannot be any smaller, I personally tried many times . Now there are the collapsible sections, which makes editing loops easier, but we cannot get any smaller. Then look at drumset editor - it's even bigger and there's no way to make it smaller either. There's also no way we remove any functionality, of course.

AND you want to see both at once, correct?

Now we know that these cannot be any smaller and you want both. I see a potential solution - it would be possible to show one or more in a popup window. Basically there would be some button somewhere, which would move a whole tab (whichever, even more of them) into a popup window, so then you could arrange everything on your display, assuming it is big enough. It's not exactly easy to implement, but it's definitely a feasible solution, while creating a dedicated sample machine is not and makes much less sense to me. Does this make sense?

[elassi]

Honestly I don't see a point in re-designing MD into a drum machine that narrows (reduces) its features to become similar to other solutions on the market.

[MeldaProduction]

Exactly! Now the question is if the "popup" idea makes sense.

[edkilp]

Perhaps each tab could be optionally detached, or "floated" and be separate completely. Then it could be moved to a second monitor, if that's what the user has. I have 2 and couldn't be with just one anymore. Cakewalk Sonar can float the mixer, and Reaper can dock or undock almost every window. Maybe that would work.

A popup window could work, but then there's the question of what would it cover when it pops up?

[dark-i]

Honestly I don't see a point in re-designing MD into a drum machine that narrows (reduces) its features to become similar to other solutions on the market.

Yes I kinda agree. But having 2-3 drum machines focused on different idea's, for different people and styles, I don't see as a bad thing, either do Fxpansion, Native Instruments, Ezdrummer and maybe a few other's. Not to mention the amount of different EQ's from melda to suit different situations. People buy what suits them.

Exactly! Now the question is if the "popup" idea makes sense.

Yes it could work but just over complicating the issue when I am trying to simplify it and it would take up too much screen space.

Double click on a track to switch to drumset editor could probably be implemented

This implemented with a solo, mute, volume and pan on the tracks in the loop editor, might be a solution.

drumeditor.jpg

Volume and pan might not be needed as much, they are available in the drumset editor, but mute and solo would lessen the need to go to the mixer as much.
Maybe a mute and solo in the drumset editor also, just to solo the sound you are working on.

[elassi]

This implemented with a solo, mute, volume and pan on the tracks in the loop editor, might be a solution.

Why not mentioning pitch control? It's so essential that it's even provided in the mixer tab of MD (thus and afaik being a USP of Meld0rz Proud Action).

[dark-i]

Personally I would set pitch in the mixer to 0 and use the pitch control in the drumset editor, it gives more control and you can change the direction of the pitch. But yes, if essential and can speed up workflow it could be a good addition.

[elassi]

Personally I would set pitch in the mixer to 0 and use the pitch control in the drumset editor, it gives more control and you can change the direction of the pitch.

Changing it in the mixer leads to the according change in the drum editor. Check it.

It's one of the nifty details of MD.

[dark-i]

sorry to confuse things, but I should of said the Pitch Envelope in the drum editor, it is more versatile than the pitch control.

[elassi]

sorry to confuse things, but I should of said the Pitch Envelope in the drum editor, it is more versatile than the pitch control.

Ok, back to where we started: you said that you actually prefer to simply drag samples from Cubase's Mediabay at the moment, nonetheless you own and use several dedicated percussion plugins, right?

Edit: never mind.

[MeldaProduction]

Ok, I'm getting lost .

Anyway dark-i from your image - you seem to be mostly interested in mute/solo, but it's already there! Just right click on a track and select solo/mute track

[dark-i]

yep solo/mute, I spotted it in the menu yesterday after I posted, but would still like to see all these buttons in the loop editor if possible. Just means less clicking when editing.

[dark-i]

1 more thing, could the sample/pitch envelope be made collapsible to open up the sample browser in the drumset editor.

[MeldaProduction]

Well, I'll see about the solo/mute. I'm not so keen about that to be honest, because that would mean a wider track list, more cluttered GUI...we'll see.

About the collapsible panel - what you mean by that? There are tabs.