Drum Kit Designer overview

Drum Kit Designer is a software instrument plug-in that lets you build custom drum kits from a wide selection of drum sounds. It also provides controls that change sound characteristics for each piece in your kit. Further settings allow you to use different microphones and rooms to enhance Producer Kits.

Drum Kit Designer’s interface is divided into the following main areas.

Figure. Drum Kit Designer showing the drum kit, Exchange panel, and Edit panel.
  • Drum kit: Click a drum kit piece to play its sound and to open the Edit panel and the Exchange panel if exchange pieces are available for that drum type.

  • Exchange panel: Shows all drums that are available for exchange (you may need to scroll).

  • Edit panel: Shows settings that change sound characteristics.

Open Drum Kit Designer

Do one of the following:

  1. Choose a drummer from the Rock, Alternative, Songwriter, or R&B genre, or a software instrument track.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • In the Drummer Editor: Click the plug-in button (shows the default patch associated with the drummer) at the bottom of the drummer’s card.

      Figure. The Drum Kit Designer plug-in button in the Drummer Editor.
    • In the inspector or Mixer: Click Drum Kit Designer in the Drummer track’s respective channel strip slot.

      Figure. The Drum Kit Designer plug-in slot in the channel strip.
    • In a software instrument channel strip: Click the Instrument slot, then choose Drum Machine Designer from the pop-up menu.