[MDrummer] Archive option explained

[elassi]

Having the weird plan to publish a drumset for MDrummer I ask myself what'd be the best option to export the single presets (Bass, SD, etc.) for convenient loading and storing by other users.

I came to the conclusion that the "archive option" is the way to go but there are questions left:

a) How will the resulting archive be integrated by the user? Seeking dirs and moving the files to this location?
b) Or will a custom drumset automatically be spread across the different drum types (Bass, SD, etc.) by importing the archive via the menu?
c) To make it even more complicate: How to handle example rhythms that may come with the final drumset?

Honestly I don't dare to try this myself at this point b'cause I don't want to end up a with a complete mess in my preset directories. So some preliminary information might be helpful to find my way.

[MeldaProduction]

The "archives" are there for this indeed. I'd suggest simply try (you can send it to me to info@meldaproduction.com and I'll check it works fine here). Basically the Archive should contain every resources required for the drumset - samples, multisamples etc. You should keep them in the default MDrummer installation folder, otherwise I'm not 100% sure what will happen (these will probably be placed into the installation folder, but... ).

About rhythms - these you have to store manually. You can theoretically do the whole thing different way:

1) Put all resources into MDrummer installation folder if you are having them elsewere.
2) Copy them somewhere else and delete everything except for MDrummer factory resources.
3) Share the whole folder as ZIP, so that everyone can just unzip and copy them to the MDrummer folder.

Sadly on OSX it will be problematic again...finder doesn't let you "add files when you move them", it would probably destroy the whole contents, so Apple users would have to do that one by one probably... but I say that's their problem, they actually usually don't mind doing these things for some reason . I'm way too lazy for that .

[elassi]

a) Ok, at this time all presets reside in their "official" location (besides the fact that I moved the whole factory lib to another HD since the initial setup). Furthermore there are no samples yet as I focus on the synth engine. This may change when it comes to percussion sounds.

b) The OSX chapter does not hurt me too much because it'll be a free set and thus a "take it or leave it" kind of thing.

c) Whilst checking other questions I found that it'd be better to provide a drawing.

In short: I'll come back to this topic.

[MeldaProduction]

Hehe very well

[goldglob]

Vojtech,
if I was to load elassi's archive successfully, would not my overall MD installation have to have the same path as his? EG: both on say windows 7 in the default location.

[MeldaProduction]

Yes, that's probably true.

[goldglob]

Vojtech, yes, I was thinking that if an archive contained a non factory sample, then the full path to that sample (whether inside MD or not) would be part of the data in the archive and if loading the archive on a different computer where that full path does not exist, the system will attempt to create that full path and copy the sample to it. Thus a problem if say elassi's stuff is on a drive letter that I don't have.

elassi, great idea, a few thoughts:
to avoid this 'full path' issue, perhaps rather than using an archive, you could save (publish) two things that would amount to the same thing as an archive but would have to be placed manually:
1) An 'elassi drumsets' folder containing one or more drumset files.
2) An 'elassi samples' folder containing any non factory samples you might have used.
Your instructions would be to place the 'elassi drumsets' folder inside MD's drumsets folder and to place the 'elassi samples' folder inside MD's samples folder.

Consider this: when you are creating your drumset, I can't see any reason to scatter (integrate) individual samples across MD's existing sample folder structure; you might as well just have them in the one 'elassi samples' folder inside MD's samples folder.
If I wanted to use your individual drums in other ways, or indeed if I wanted MD to include your individual drums in its generating process or drum designer function, then after loading your drumset, I would just save each of your drum types separately as a component...and actually I'd put them all in an elassi folder inside MD's components folder.

I have all my non factory stuff (songs, rhythms, drumsets, components, layers....everything) in my own folders within MD's structure. It just seems to make more sense than having them integrated at the individual file level because firstly, I can find them easily, and secondly, even though logic tells me that my stuff would be integrated in the event of having to do a fresh install, I worry about that, and like the idea of being able to find all my own folders rather than individual files in a backup of program data.

What do you think?

[elassi]

Thank you for your thoughts, goldglob.

The reason why I like to integrate my presets/samples in the official structure, wether they are published or private, is simple: whenever I'm looking for (say) a bass I have all of them available at one place and can scroll thru them to find a suitable one. Otherwise I'd have to jump from directory to directory which is already the case with imported samples (have a bunch of them imported from Battery for example). As you know there's already the difference between presets according to their type (Sampler, Synth) which - to me - is not too handy.

Another point is that I want to have all of them available for random kit generation. At the moment I'm still not sure if this is the case with the imported ones, to be honest. Are they part of the randomization? You'll know it, I think.

[goldglob]

Yes, organizing a library is a nightmare.. But taking it to extremes, would you want all your bass drum samples on your computer in one long list?
I do believe that (without the 'full path' problem), if I loaded your archive the samples would indeed appear on my computer in your preferred locations and everything would work. But would I want this? Take your imported battery samples for instance, isn't it better, at least to begin with, that they are all together?
Re randomization (generation), my understanding is that MD looks at components for this, not actual sources per se. If you wanted your battery samples incuded in randomization you would have to associate each sample with a drum type then save each one as a component. Bear in mind that if MD is looking for say a random ride, he is choosing from anything that has been saved as a ride type, he doesn't restrict possibilities to what is in his ride folder. So, say I've loaded your drumset, then I save each of your drum types into the one 'elassi' folder in components. Your ride component will qualify as a ride type and be included in randomization even though it's in the created 'elassi' folder and not in MD's ride folder.
And say in the future I'm looking for a snare..I remember that your snare was incredible..I can go straight to it!

[elassi]

taking it to extremes, would you want all your bass drum samples on your computer in one long list?

Actually: yes. When they are named properly (say: style, character) it's more comfortable for me. But I'm almost sure this is a question of individual habit/taste.

if I loaded your archive the samples would indeed appear on my computer in your preferred locations and everything would work. But would I want this? Take your imported battery samples for instance, isn't it better, at least to begin with, that they are all together?

That's a good point. Yes, usually one would like to separate third party presets for various reasons. Didn't think about that.

If you wanted your battery samples incuded in randomization you would have to associate each sample with a drum type then save each one as a component.

Bingo. Another good remark.

[MeldaProduction]

Actually I think samples are not that necessary. In MDrummer the components are relevant, they are kind of a generalization of any sound generation method, whether it is a sampler or synth.

And about drumset generator - you can actually control it a littler - go to Menu/Global settings. There you can specify keywords to look for or deny. So if you create "Elassi" folder in MDrummer/Drumsets/Components/Bass and put all your bass drums there, similarly for other components, and specify you want to use only them or prefer them, then MDrummer will prioritize / choose only your own components .

[goldglob]

..... So if you create "Elassi" folder in MDrummer/Drumsets/Components/Bass and put all your bass drums there, similarly for other components, and specify you want to use only them or prefer them, then MDrummer will prioritize / choose only your own components .

True, an 'elassi' folder within each of MD's existing categories (bass, snare, toms.. etc) would be an excellent way to organize things;
but just to clarify, if all elassi's components were in the one 'elassi' folder (MDrummer/Drumsets/Components/elassi), they would still be targeted and prioritized by the generator in the same way...the bass drum components for instance don't have to be in MD's bass category..yes?

But getting back to elassi's plan... to publish a drumset he would not actually need to be concerned with the saving of individual components..either on his end or the recipient's... the recipient would have elassi's list of drum types over on the left and his sources on the right and would be free to save and use them however he wished.. yes?

[MeldaProduction]

No I'm afraid. MDrummer doesn't open every component to check what it is, that would be extremely inefficient. It looks in MDrummer/Drumsets/Components/Bass for bass drums. But what is inside this is just up to you.

[elassi]

On a side note: Whenever one wants to combine different sources in MD there's no other way than to use components. Precisely: a sound consisting of both synth(s) and sample(s).

Conclusio: you won't find this patch in the 'usual' directories offered by selecting a sound source. You'll always have to open it via the "Load" button located above the drumset list. But how can one know that this particular patch even exists?

One day we'll have to talk about the general sound management of MD, me thinks...

[goldglob]

Thinking about MD leads to lots of sidenotes!

"But how can one know that this particular patch even exists?"
Save it inside Components/Bass/Elassi/Synth+Sample/...?

The synth + sample could be layers of one drum;
or indeed you could combine a synth component + sample component into one new component (a component can be more than one drumtype..Ctrl select in the list).
Note also that you can NAME instances of a drum type...and the NAMES appear in the mixer...you can have a Bassdrum1 TRACK in the RHYTHM simultaneously feeding Bassdrum1 TYPE with Synth NAME and another Bassdrum1 TYPE with Sample NAME....another way through the maze.
Is Vojtech insane?