MDrummer - Tell me it's not true!

[Tyrs]

Hi guys,

Few weeks ago I bought MSoundfactory and it turned out to be such an versatile tool, that I decided yesterday to grab the MDrummer (half the price offer ). Now after few hours of playing around I have noticed some serious lacks and it's hard for me to believe, that this plugin is such limited.

What I am missing on the first sight -

1. Multi-Parameters: The official Melda vids suggest, that this is a standard. And I even find them in some free plug-ins, why they are not available in a 250€ plugin??

2. Modulation (no LFOs, no Envelopes etc.) ... Why not?!? All today's plugins have LFOs!

3. "Show Window" Option - A necessery feature without which it's not possible to get a smooth workflow in the complex plugin. E.g. is the Rythm Generator / Loop Selector, where the work area is simply too small. This is the heart of the plugin and it should be well aranged. Currently it's not, because if you work with more than 5-7 samples you have to scroll or hide some features. Both is just inconvenient.

4. How to adjust Note Length / Sample Length per hit?? This is since at least 10 years the standard in every better Drum Machine I know! Here it is simply not possible and every hit plays always the full sample. Not acceptable in a drum plugin with this potential and price!

5. Triggering options - One midi signal makes the loop play forever.... This makes no sense, the loop should be played, as long as the MIDI signal is. The loop should start with the midi note and end with the midi note. The current configuration is extremley limited and should be available as an alternative option only.

I have noticed some other lacks, but the above are the biggest ones, which make the plugin unfortunatley not competetive.

I really hope the gaps will be fixed soon, so that MDrummer will become a plugin, which will allow smooth workflows and will open possibilities and not limit you. The potential is there!

BR,

Tyrs

[peejay123]

I think it was one of Melda's first plugins. I would absolutely love it to go through a revamp. It is missing some of the great features of the other plugins but I have a feeling it's too much of a beast to be easily upgraded, sadly.

It's still really good but just not up there with the others.

One not-so-great solution to the note length issue is to create layers, mapping velocity ranges to instances of the sample and adjusting the envelope in each instance. Does make a mess of your velocity/volume sensitivity though.

I think MDrummer is designed with a focus on being able to create realisitc beats quickly and easily. So if you want to use it like a classic drum machine (which I do), it provides some great benefits and unique features, but lacks some quite basic stuff like note length modulation or the classic Melda Mods and MPs etc.

[goldglob]

Maybe it's only because I have the Total Bundle but if in the mixer I click on the Add FX button for any drum I can add 'Modular' and from there add MXXX or MSoundFactory with all their modulators and Multi Parameters. I realize that's probably not what you're talking about but just thought it worth mentioning.

And you can open MDrummer inside MSoundFactory or MXXX and use their multiparameters and modulators to control quite a few MDrummer parameters. But I don't really know all the ins and outs of it.

Right click a tab (RHYTHM GENERATOR, DRUMSET EDITOR, etc) to have it in a separate expandable window.

Sample start/end available in envelope graph, but did you mean more than this? ...I'm not all that familiar with what can be done in other Drum programs.

[Tyrs]

Hi Peejay, hi Goldglob,

Thank you both for sharing your ideas and workarounds. In fact this won't fill in the general lacks, but I will for sure take advantage of your hints I am pretty sure, that MDrummer would become my all time favorite, when at least Modulation and Multi-parameters are enabled, but until then I regard my investement as frozen.

Is anyone oriented, if Melda is planning to provide the updates in MDrummer at all? And if yes, is the date known?

[DarkStar]

If Multiparameters and Modulators were added, then you would, I guess, want many more target parameters to be added too. At the moment these parameters are available (for automation in the host) and would be the available targets:



Adding more could be lots of work.

[Tyrs]

Hi DarkStar,
Indeed, this might be lots of work, but it would be worth it, wouldn't it?