Giving up on MDrummer

[Pjotter]

It is too complicated for me.
Manual has probably all the info, but not very helpful.
Getting answers on problems is limited.

I can't move forward with my music, because every time I have to figure things out in MDrummer.
Going back to basic drum kits.

MDrummer is probably good. But not for me.

[ggio77]

Hi Pjotter, check these tutorials:
https://www.meldaproduction.com/tutoria ... o/mdrummer

[Burillo]

you might want to try Jamstix instead. ironically, i find it way more intuitive to work with.

[AudioBabble]

EZ drummer from Toontrack is only a bit more expensive, but well worth it. If you really want to push the boat out then Superior Drummer 3 is its big brother, which I'm using at the moment and finding very intuitive and needs very little tweaking under the hood.

[AudioBabble]

That said, I'm working with the native sound packs... I can't speak to whether importing custom drum sounds is easy or not.

[Hexspa]

I think one thing about, not just Melda, complex software is that you might not need all of it. What I mean is you may just need a narrow subset of features. For instance, Melodyne: you can create your own scales or import Scala files but I haven't used that. Besides vocal tuning, I find it useful for accurately pitching samples as well as its excellent tempo mapping.

But sometimes a particular piece isn't working for you and that's understandable too. Lately, I've just been using single audio samples for drums - not 'played drum parts' - so I don't have much use for any virtual drummer.

One thing I'll add is maybe you can revisit it. That happened to me with reaper. The first time I tried it, I was totally lost. After a few other DAWs, here I am - happy as a canker sore can be

[garrettendi]

MDrummer is IMO the best sounding and most flexible drum VST there is, but I 100% admit it has a steep learning curve.

I like that though, as it means even after using it for four years, I'm still learning something new.

If it doesn't suit you, there are much simpler options, but maybe when you've used those for a while, revisit MDrummer with a fresh head, and more experience with drum VSTs!

[magmagwa]

Check out SD3, it is next level sample quality. Programming MD is a bear and it's drum preset patterns need expanding and categorization. Making your own "base rhythms" is so confusing, I did it, but the pain was not worth it. I could go on.

I have sympathy for the OP. MDrummer and Melda in general is poorly documented and a constant source of frustration for me.

I'm very glad they've turned to working on presets. In music software, the presets are as valuable as the software. They show you what can be done and act as a tutorial/manual.

Chandler has some MDrum vids that are great.


Chandler must be responsible for a LOT of Melda sales.

[Tyrs]

hehe MD might appear confusing, but once you get it you probably won't like to get rid of it. Take a break, give it later a try

[magmagwa]

I keep thinking of this thread because I just did a song with an mdrummer drum track. I spent all my time stripping out notes. As you go up the "complexity" scale it doesn't do anything very clever, it will add drums or cymbals. But not logically. So I got HiHat hits combined with rides and snares etc. such that it was just busy and not even realistically playable. So it sounded weird.
If you have windows or can tolerate an older version on mac, jamstix is awesome and very educational too.

[steve2KVR]

...if you are on mac there is always "Drummer/etc"...

[magmagwa]

By "Drummer" do you mean Logic Pro Drummer? If so, I agree, Logic Drummer is great. It does not get the credit it deserves.

[steve2KVR]

yes, I did...however when working on client projects involving "drum replacement/repair/etc" it's MDrummer all the way. Tried lots of others, nah those are not gonna cut it...hth.../s~

[PleaseAdvise]

Try Addictive drums 2, easy to work with and versatile. Superior 3 is better but you have to put more effort to make it sound good in the mix.
I wish I'd switch to Mdrummer but for a drum instrument to lack cymbal choke ability on an electronic drumkit...it might not be much but it's holding me back compared to alternatives.

[Faiky]

It is too complicated for me.
Manual has probably all the info, but not very helpful.
Getting answers on problems is limited. I can't move forward with my music, because every time I have to figure things out in MDrummer.
Going back to basic drum kits. MDrummer is probably good. But not for me.

Yes, I feel the same way. I can't argue with the sound, but the whole pattern stuff doesn't convince me and confuses me, as well as some other things in MDrummer. It seems very messy and not logically structured (here we go again). If you change a tab (source), the sample settings are deleted. Playing the patterns is not really comprehensible (at first sight). The mics can not be mixed in groups (eg all toms), I have to set the room mic 3x.

I wish I'd switch to Mdrummer but for a drum instrument to lack cymbal choke ability on an electronic drumkit...it might not be much but it's holding me back compared to alternatives.

Absolutely.
And that's the main reason why I can't stick with MDrummer.
I've switched to inserting multidrums into MSoundfactory. Here I can stop samples, no pattern or "how to stop the beat" or "what pattern is playing now" confusion.

I thought the automatic grovve generator would make it worth my while, but I can't get anything great out of it. So for me, just midi and everthing is under control.