Edit a drummer’s performance

Edit a drummer’s performance

There are a number of settings in the Drummer Editor that affect the drummer’s playing style. These settings are located to the right of the presets area.

Figure. The right side of the Drummer Editor.

You can edit the complexity and loudness of the performance, mute and unmute drum kit pieces, and choose whether a pattern is played on the toms, cymbals, or hi-hat. You use the percussion icons to turn on different instruments, and you can choose between different variations for the drum and percussion pieces. You also have the option to play half time or double time for kick and snare.

Adjust the complexity and loudness of the performance

  • Drag the puck to a different position in the XY pad.

    Figure. XY pad in the Drummer Editor.

The farther right you place the puck, the more complex the sound becomes; the higher you place the puck, the louder the sound plays.

Choose a pattern variation for acoustic drum or percussion instruments

  • Select an instrument, then drag the slider to the right of the instrument to choose an increment. You can also click a specific increment.

    Figure. Drummer Editor showing acoustic pattern variation controls.

    In some cases, you can select more than one instrument in a category.

Choose a pattern variation for electronic drum or percussion instruments

  • Select an instrument, then drag the slider to the right of the instrument to choose an increment. You can also click a specific increment.

    Figure. Drummer Editor showing electronic pattern variation controls.

    In some cases, you can select more than one instrument in a category.

Mute or unmute a drum or percussion instrument

Figure. Muted and unmuted kit pieces in the Drummer Editor.

  • To include the piece in the performance: Click the piece so that it’s selected, or unmuted.

  • To remove a piece from the performance: Click the piece so that it’s dimmed, or muted.

Use a half time or double time variation for acoustic kick and snare drums

  • Choose 1/2 or 2x at the right end of the Kick & Snare slider.

    Figure. Choosing double time variation for kick and snare.

Edit fills and swing settings

  • Reduce or increase the number and length of fills: Drag the Fills knob downward or upward.

    Figure. Fills knob in the Drummer Editor.

    You can click the lock to prevent any changes to the fills setting when switching presets or drummers.

  • Adjust the shuffle feel of the currently playing pattern: Drag the Swing knob vertically.

    Figure. Swing knob in the Drummer Editor.

    You can click the lock to prevent any changes to the swing setting when switching presets or drummers.

  • Determine whether the swing is based on eighth notes or sixteenth notes: Click the 8th or 16th button.

    Figure. Eighth and sixteenth buttons.

Edit other acoustic drum performance settings

  • Click the Details button, then do any of the following:

    Figure. Feel knob, Ghost Notes knob, and Hi-Hat knob in the Drummer Editor.

    • Drag the Feel knob to the right to have the drummer play ahead of the beat or to the left to play behind the beat, or sloppy.

    • Drag the Ghost Notes knob to adjust the level of ghost notes—syncopated snare and kick hits—in the beat.

      Note: The presence of ghost notes depends on the chosen drummer and the complexity setting.

    • Drag the Hi-Hat knob to adjust the degree to which the Hi-Hat is opened and closed during the drum performance.

      Note: This is only relevant if the hi-hat is selected in the drum kit representation.

Edit other electronic drum performance settings

  • Click the Details button, then do any of the following:

    Figure. Humanize knob, Evolution knob, and Complexity Range sliders in the Drummer Editor.

    • Drag the Humanize knob to generate drum patterns that are not perfectly quantized, making the performance more realistic, or human.

    • Drag the Phrase Variation knob to determine the amount of rhythmic change that occurs over the course of several bars within a region.

    • Select the Auto-halftime checkbox to have Drummer regions generated in half time, if the project tempo is a multiple of the preferred tempo.

    • Drag the Complexity Range sliders to offset the complexity of individual kit pieces against the XY pad.

    • Click the drum or percussion instruments to mute the complexity offset setting of individual kit pieces.

Any changes or selections you make in the Drummer Editor affect only the selected region, not the entire track. The selected region is regenerated in the following situations:

  • Region timing is changed when adjusting the Swing and Fills knobs.

  • Fills are regenerated when adjusting the XY pad or the Fills knob.

  • Accents and systems are regenerated when adjusting the XY pad or the kit piece variations.

  • Percussion is regenerated when adjusting the XY pad or the percussion variations.

You can also refresh the selected region, without editing any region settings, to play back a subtly different version.