Drum Loops

[mnelson100]

I am new to Waveform. I'm running the free version. I'm not going to buy anything until I know if it's going be my audition replacement. I'm trying to find a replacement to Adobe Audition which I have been using for many years. When I go to a drum loop and put it in a track it doesn't play. When I add a plug in then it sounds like a keyboard or something other than a drum. This is a foreign interface for me and I don't understand it. I have viewed the tutorial videos and chatted with the bots, but nothing seems to help me get it.
Can someone help me? I can hear the drum loop, but when I add it I can't hear it any more?

Thanks,
Mark

[pough]

I know it's hard to use something new and foreign. We've all been there. So when you're describing the things that you're doing, you will need to either be extremely descriptive or - better yet - give us video or screen captures. You're probably doing something that doesn't make sense to do, but your words say that you're doing things that make sense.

What thing exactly is the drum loop? Is it an audio clip? Is it a MIDI clip? Is it a Waveform preset? Waveform has special presets that include previews, but may not actually work in the free version (because they include some paid-for things as a part of the preset). I don't know. I've never used the free version and I also never use the Waveform presets.

What's the plugin? There are thousands of those. How can we know what should happen when a mystery thing is added?

Which track are you adding those things to? Sometimes people add instruments to the Master track and then things go wonky.

[mnelson100]

Ok, The loop I'm trying to add comes with waveform. This one is called stepclip:hiphop#6 when I go to it's folder it tells me that it's a tpkpreset file whatever that is. This is the case with all of the included drum beats. I can hear it when I choose it, but not when it's in a track. I did add a loop that was a .wav file and it plays as expected.

I usually just play the drum tracks in, but I thought for my test song on waveform that I would just loop it in, but that has caused me a lot of problems. I'm hoping that actually recording tracks comes easier. I have checked a sample vocal and guitar track and they seem to work ok. I'm not yet familiar with editing those tracks, but if I don't want to waste too much time if waveform isn't going to work for me.

[Sweeto-k]

Ok, The loop I'm trying to add comes with waveform. This one is called stepclip:hiphop#6 when I go to it's folder it tells me that it's a tpkpreset file whatever that is. This is the case with all of the included drum beats. I can hear it when I choose it, but not when it's in a track. I did add a loop that was a .wav file and it plays as expected.

I usually just play the drum tracks in, but I thought for my test song on waveform that I would just loop it in, but that has caused me a lot of problems. I'm hoping that actually recording tracks comes easier. I have checked a sample vocal and guitar track and they seem to work ok. I'm not yet familiar with editing those tracks, but if I don't want to waste too much time if waveform isn't going to work for me.

If you use a step clip you will need to load the drum sampler found under waveform instruments in the plugin folder.onto the track you drag the stepclip onto.
It only comes with 2 presets either a 909 or 808 youll need to select one of those to hear any sound
You can however drag drum sounds onto each individual pad if you have any in your library of samples.

Search "waveform step clips" on you tube and there are a couple of videos

[pough]

This one is called stepclip:hiphop#6 when I go to it's folder it tells me that it's a tpkpreset file whatever that is.

A Step Clip is pretty much another form of a MIDI Clip - just formatted for drum patterns. What that means is it outputs MIDI note information, not audio. You will need to also add a plugin instrument on that track for the Step Clip's output to trigger audio in the plugin. Unless you're planning on installing a 3rd-party drum plugin, use the Micro Drum Sampler that comes with the free version.

The previews for Step Clips are MIDI routed through a very basic General MIDI synth, I think.

[pough]

Oh, by the way. This isn't related to your question, but we generally recommend that you open up the Controls Panel at the bottom of the UI into what we like to call "Useful Mode". It has a lot of very useful context-dependent information and controls. Quite a few of your "how do I do X" questions will be answered just by selecting something and then looking at the Controls Panel. You can click on the up-arrow at the bottom left or press F11.

[Watchful]

I wonder how many times Pough has given that advice. It should almost be a sticky.

[mnelson100]

Ok, The loop I'm trying to add comes with waveform. This one is called stepclip:hiphop#6 when I go to it's folder it tells me that it's a tpkpreset file whatever that is. This is the case with all of the included drum beats. I can hear it when I choose it, but not when it's in a track. I did add a loop that was a .wav file and it plays as expected.

I usually just play the drum tracks in, but I thought for my test song on waveform that I would just loop it in, but that has caused me a lot of problems. I'm hoping that actually recording tracks comes easier. I have checked a sample vocal and guitar track and they seem to work ok. I'm not yet familiar with editing those tracks, but if I don't want to waste too much time if waveform isn't going to work for me.

If you use a step clip you will need to load the drum sampler found under waveform instruments in the plugin folder.onto the track you drag the stepclip onto.
It only comes with 2 presets either a 909 or 808 youll need to select one of those to hear any sound
You can however drag drum sounds onto each individual pad if you have any in your library of samples.

Search "waveform step clips" on you tube and there are a couple of videos

Thanks! That drag the drum sounds did it!

[mnelson100]

Thanks! That "drag the drum sounds" did it!

[Peter Widdicombe]

The "useful mode" really should be the install default on new installs of Waveform. It's easy enough to turn off (and on) , but if you don't know about it (i.e. new to Waveform) it makes life difficult. Then by the time you have enough tracks you need the screen space back, you know how to turn it off (or whether you'd rather scroll and keep the useful stuff handy all the time...)