Melda DreamMachines (free for some, deal for others)

[Fleer]

Great to have you back, Chandler. 
Love your vids, highly recommended. 

[Zolton]

17 minutes ago, Fleer said:

Great to have you back, Chandler. 
Love your vids, highly recommended. 

Huge second to that. Anything I've learned about MSF tinkering (limited by my free time and functional brain cells) is thanks to the Chandler video library.

[Brian Walton]

32 minutes ago, Chandler said:

Thank you for the shout out and the interest in the instruments I've made. 

 

The Taiko instrument from that video is included in MSF and can be used in the LE version. There are only a few things I've shown that haven't been made into instruments and added. 

If you're wondering about the preset names, different people named them. Bones was created by me and I generally try to use more simple practical names, but other people are different. 

If anyone has questions I'll try to help, but I'm a little busy recently so it might take a few days.

Thanks Chandler.

Where exactly is the Taiko instrument?  I'm on v16.0.  Did it get renamed to something other than Taiko?

 

[Zolton]

58 minutes ago, Brian Walton said:

Where exactly is the Taiko instrument?  I'm on v16.0.  Did it get renamed to something other than Taiko?

Based on the image for the instrument, the sound, the possible options (and the helpful and descriptive preset names!), my first guess would be Cinematic Percussion:

Compared to the video, the routing under the hood looks fairly different, though, so I'm not sure. Either some of the modules have been swapped out, maybe to make it more flexible, or maybe it's a different beast entirely.

 

[Starship Krupa]

Oy vey. I had to go through some serious hassle to even get these Dream Machines playable on my system (I documented my flailings in Meldaproduction's forum).

Then once I did, I discovered that each "Dream Machine" only has 6 sample slots. They each can hold 2 samples, but only ones of similar type, like you can have 2 different hats or 2 different kicks or 2 different toms in the same slot. Then to use them, apparently you have to write automation to switch back and forth between the two samples. There's no note choking that I can see either.

Now correct me if I'm wrong, but the freeware Sitala has 16 pads, each with individual outputs, and can load any sample you want. You can also do things like trim the sample, reverse it, whatever. So IMO, if you're going to sell me a single shot sampled vintage-style drum machine, it has to do at least as much as Sitala would with the appropriate samples loaded into it. Otherwise you're just trying to sell me a nice vintage sample set with a lame player.

Here's a review I wrote on the Meldaproduction forum. Caveat emptor on this one (there was someone who said that with an MSoundFactory drum machine there was "no way around" having only 6 slots because MSF only has 6 outputs. Which started a mini discussion around how hard it would be to add a couple of outputs to MSoundFactory to accommodate this. Uh, suuuure, it's not possible for different notes to go to the same virtual output?) Since I wrote it it occurs to me why not just have all 12 sample slots able to be triggered by MIDI notes, that would at least put it in the ballpark of other drum machines that have 16 slots. Breaktweaker is the only one I can think of that only has 6 slots. I own Breaktweaker, I've used Breaktweaker, and Dream Machines is no Breaktweaker.

....

I got a license for MSoundFactoryLE partly because of excitement around this, but add me to those disappointed to have only 6 slots in each "machine." I didn't read closely and figured that some of the "pads" would be doing double duty.

As a programmer of beats, for me the minimum for usability is 8 slots, each with their own MIDI note. Preferably with choking between hi-hat slots, and individual level and pan controls for each slot. The reason for this "minimum" is that the classic drum boxes had at least this variety of sounds. If I'm trying to program something to sound like a DMX, 808, or Six Trak, it won't sound like one without at least 8 slots (some might say more). You can't program "My Adidas" or "Posse on Broadway" with 6 slots (although you might be able to do "Blue Monday"). The most basic freeware pad samplers can do this.

Unlike others who have contributed to the discussion so far, I don't need 8 individual outs. I don't think there's "no way around it" at all. The number of outputs has nothing to do with the number of note slots; some MSoundFactory instruments have 88 notes and only 2 outputs.

Doubling up a couple of outputs is fine, closed and open hats and hi and lo tom (or whatever) can share outputs; it's not like my beats aren't going to work if I can't separately process my closed and open hats (or toms). Automation can take care of that if it's really necessary.

Lots of people use their DAWs' step sequencers to make beats, that's especially important in the absence of an internal sequencer (as with Dream Machines). It's impossible for users to program in sample changes via automation while we're using our step sequencer. I have to have access to all of the different sounds I'm going to use while I'm creating the beats. If I have to use automation to be able to use kick, snare, claps, OH, CH, and hi and lo toms, I'm just going to reach for another instrument, maybe load the samples up in Sitala or something.

I'm a drummer, the head guy at Meldaproduction is a drummer. Just as I come up with beats on the fly when I'm playing my "real" kit, I often (usually) come up with them on the fly when I'm programming them. I even sometimes program them by recording "key drums" in real time with my left hand on the General MIDI drum keys. Can't do that unless my sounds are all mapped to notes, not being switched with automation. That would be like having to record myself playing the hats closed and then overdubbing myself playing them open.

My request is, at the minimum, allow independent triggering of "Sample A" and "Sample B" via MIDI notes. Maybe a mode switch for "trigger Sample B via MIDI note?" That would take it over my usability threshold. More flexibility in which sounds can be mapped to which slots would be nice, as would hi hat choke.

None of it seems terribly out of reach for virtual drum machines hosted by a synth engine that (I presume) can recognize, respond to, and output 127 MIDI notes. An 8 sample drum machine with 6 assignable outputs seems possible, and surely no threat to MDrummer. I don't even usually use individual outs on my drum machines, virtual or otherwise; as long as the drum machine has individual pan and level controls I'm fine.

[Brian Walton]

9 hours ago, Zolton said:

Based on the image for the instrument, the sound, the possible options (and the helpful and descriptive preset names!), my first guess would be Cinematic Percussion:

Compared to the video, the routing under the hood looks fairly different, though, so I'm not sure. Either some of the modules have been swapped out, maybe to make it more flexible, or maybe it's a different beast entirely.

 

I thought that might be it also until I played it.  Didn't sound like what Chandler was getting to me though it might be in the same genere.

I thought Chandler's was more Natural and dynamic than this one.

[User 905133]

I remember doing Chandler's Taiko modelling project.  I thought it was a tutorial to teach us how to create our own presets. Was it one that he posted the final version he did?  

[Chandler]

On 9/15/2022 at 11:02 AM, Brian Walton said:

Thanks Chandler.

Where exactly is the Taiko instrument?  I'm on v16.0.  Did it get renamed to something other than Taiko?

 

I'm sorry it looks like it isn't in there. I'll send it over ASAP or ask about it if it is being added. I guess I was confused and it isn't included. It should be in the need update(hopefully).