16-Part Virtual Drum Instrument for DP

[lampfilmusic]

I'm looking to connect a MIDI drum controller (Korg PadKontrol) to trigger drum sounds in DP11.

There is the Model 12 drum module which comes with DP (see below), but this only has 12 slots for drum 'pad' sounds. My drum controller has 16 pads.

I could use Mach5 and assign drum sounds to 'piano'-type keys, but I'd rather work with a plugin that interfaces more intuitively with the drum controller.

Rather than spend an extra $300 (or so) on MOTU BPM for the extra four software pads, can anyone recommend a solution?

[bayswater]

Use two instances?

[Michael Canavan]

Algonaut Atlas
https://algonaut.audio

Multiple reasons:

First, they came up with a way to store the actual drum sounds in the patch memory of DAWs like DP, so it won't lose the kick sound years from now and you're not required to store the sound in the project.

Second, Atlas sorts all of your drum sounds by type automatically without needing tags etc. you can quickly look for similar kicks etc it's the best use of AI tech in music I've seen.

Third, Atlas has a simple but powerful phrase sequencer built in that allows for odd time signatures, it's nearest competitor with a similarity search AI cloud XO does not do but 4/4.

Fourth, I've been able to talk to the developer via tech support email in usually around 24 hours.

The negatives are similar to Model 12, it's one sample per slot, and you need to build a multi out setup in DP to get individual VST/AU effects and recordings of your drum parts. If you want multi sampled "real" sounding drums, Superior Drummer is the king of the block. I own NI Komplete which includes a half dozen multi sample layered drum kits for that type of thing.

[lampfilmusic]

Thanks Bayswater and Michael Canavan,

Using two instances of Model 12 is clever thinking, out-of-the-box!

Atlas2 has a mind of its own.

Superior Drummer sounds very rich.

Thanks for sharing guys.

[bayswater]

Not related so much to this particular situation but a general guideline from MOTU, is to limit any one instance of a VI to 3 or 4 MIDI tracks. So multiple instances of a VI is something you can put in the template. If you put them in a VRack they can be “powered down” until you need them.

[lampfilmusic]

Thanks Bayswater, that helps to optimize the setup.

I guess the 3-4 MIDI tracks per virtual instrument rule, does not apply to plugins such as Mach5.

[bayswater]

Thanks Bayswater, that helps to optimize the setup.

I guess the 3-4 MIDI tracks per virtual instrument rule, does not apply to plugins such as Mach5.

It does. In fact IIRC, it was with Mach5 the issue first came up. I use Falcon now, but still limit each instance to 4 MIDI tracks. The most current computers might not have the same limitations.

[Chandrasekar]

Have a look at Arturia beatstep. Has 16 pads
You can easily change channel and supports MIDI patch change.
Regards.

[Michael Canavan]

Thanks Bayswater, that helps to optimize the setup.

I guess the 3-4 MIDI tracks per virtual instrument rule, does not apply to plugins such as Mach5.

It does. In fact IIRC, it was with Mach5 the issue first came up. I use Falcon now, but still limit each instance to 4 MIDI tracks. The most current computers might not have the same limitations.

With Multi core setups it's essentially load balancing and it's easier on the OS if it can choose where the process runs.

I think a lot of this was due to some ways of setting up multis meant that the plugin was going to heavily tax one CPU, you can overload a single track even if you have a big multi core computer, so the logic is don't overload one instance of Kontakt, Falcon etc. it's not as costly as people think to run another instance. Plus the caveat to running multis is always going to be that plugins running on the aux or audio tracks processing instruments from the multi are going to run in Real Time and not Pre Gen. My rule of thumb with it depends on the sampled instrument, if it's not some heavily scripted thing like strings I run as many as I want, if there's heavy scripting 4 or 8 per instance.

[monkey man]

That's how I remember it too Michael.

In-short, this whole thing started with the discovery that each instance of a VI utilised a separate core.

Shouldn't be an issue these days, what with AS' ridiculous single-core performance, for instance.

[Prime Mover]

Wow, that's a blast from the past. I used it to write one piece, one of my very favorites, about 15 years ago, and never did again. I think it sounds fantastic myself, but it's very long in the tooth. I did exactly what baywater suggested and used 2 instances.