Basics - EZDrummer Midi into Cakewalk

[Scott Kendrick]

I've been working on this for hours, searching youtube, searching this forum and I can't get basic things to work. Sometimes they miraculously work but then I don't remember how I did it.

Essentially what I"m trying to do is take a midi file recorded with EZDrummer, pull it into Cakewalk for editing - eg. copy and paste sections played well, delete stuff not played well, and then render out to a final audio track using the EZDrummer kits (unless there is a better sound drum kit in Cakewalk).

Importing EzDrummer midi

- I open ezdrummer, drag and drop it into cakewalk. This seems to work

Playback - NO SOUND

When I play the track, I see some lights flicker suggesting the track has content but no sound is playing. At some point I solved this in another project but I have no idea. I think I have to assign the track to use the Ezdrummer instrument, but I don't know how to do this. If you have recommendations please provide step by step.

Splitting the track in to song sections - e.g. Verse 1, Chorus, Bridge, Verse 2

I'm assuming I want to do this when the midi track is assembled as one rather than when I split into separate instrument tracks?

Changing the instrument used for a single midi track

After I split the combined midi into individual tracks, how do I take the hi-hat for example, and assign it to a different sound hi hat?

 

Sorry for all the questions. I have a ton of experience with software and media editing in apps like ACID and VEGAS, but just can't wrap my head around these DAWs. I have tried several. Thanks in advance

[Bapu]

The MIDI track that you dragged the data to must point to the EZDrummer Audio Track(s).

Using SI Drummer as n example, look for the O drop down list and select SI Drums (Or EZDrummer in your case);.

[Zaquria]

5 hours ago, Scott Kendrick said:

I've been working on this for hours, searching youtube, searching this forum and I can't get basic things to work. Sometimes they miraculously work but then I don't remember how I did it.

Essentially what I"m trying to do is take a midi file recorded with EZDrummer, pull it into Cakewalk for editing - eg. copy and paste sections played well, delete stuff not played well, and then render out to a final audio track using the EZDrummer kits (unless there is a better sound drum kit in Cakewalk).

Importing EzDrummer midi

- I open ezdrummer, drag and drop it into cakewalk. This seems to work

Playback - NO SOUND

When I play the track, I see some lights flicker suggesting the track has content but no sound is playing. At some point I solved this in another project but I have no idea. I think I have to assign the track to use the Ezdrummer instrument, but I don't know how to do this. If you have recommendations please provide step by step.

Splitting the track in to song sections - e.g. Verse 1, Chorus, Bridge, Verse 2

I'm assuming I want to do this when the midi track is assembled as one rather than when I split into separate instrument tracks?

Changing the instrument used for a single midi track

After I split the combined midi into individual tracks, how do I take the hi-hat for example, and assign it to a different sound hi hat?

 

Sorry for all the questions. I have a ton of experience with software and media editing in apps like ACID and VEGAS, but just can't wrap my head around these DAWs. I have tried several. Thanks in advance

With all due respect, you are going about this the wrong way around. There are no need to split/separate your midi into different tracks, the best way is to use the Multichannel output option with Ezdrummer.

To do this, simply insert Ez-Drummer from the Browser Instrument tab. Double click on Ez-Drummer, and from the "Insert Soft Synth Options. Check the following boxes: Midi Source, Synth Track Folder and All Synth Audio Outputs: Stereo". and click the OK Button.

This will insert a Track Folder, 16 Instrument tracks and a Midi Track. Double click on the first Instrument Track to bring up the EzDrummer interface and select the Mixer tab. From the MIXER tab, you can select the Multichannel option by clicking on one of the Selection pull-down box (for example: right above where it says 'Kick' which is an orange colour). Selecting the Multichannel option will output each Drum part to its own Instrument Track.

Drag and drop your Midi file (No need to split it) on to the Midi track which is inside the EzDrummer Track Folder. When you press play on Cakewalk, you should notice that the kick, snare and hi-hats etc play through their own instrument track. Doing it this way, you can treat the drums as you normally would if they were live. You can even freeze each part.

Hope that helps a little.

Edited May 2, 2020 by zaquria

[Scott Kendrick]

The way I got this to work was to add an instrument track, select ezd, then import the midi to that track.

I'm trying to follow what you @zaquria say above but I don't see Ezdrummer in the browser instrument tab, unless I'm looking in the wrong place.

@Bapu in the track drop down for [O] I don't see EZDrummer.

[Scott Kendrick]

sorry @zaquria for my last post... I'm making some progress.. didn't see I had my instrument list filtered for "t" which you can see in the screen shot. I do have ezdrummer in my list and was able to follow your instructions. Giving this a try. Next I need to figure out how to switch kits or drum sounds - assuming this is done through the EZD interface... still learning. Thanks

[Bapu]

Double click the small MIDI icon to the right of the 1. It should bring up the EXDrummer interface.

[Zaquria]

On 5/11/2020 at 9:52 PM, Scott Kendrick said:

sorry @zaquria for my last post... I'm making some progress.. didn't see I had my instrument list filtered for "t" which you can see in the screen shot. I do have ezdrummer in my list and was able to follow your instructions. Giving this a try. Next I need to figure out how to switch kits or drum sounds - assuming this is done through the EZD interface... still learning. Thanks

Glad my post was able to get you pointing in the right direction. :)

You can switch Drum Kits via the EzDrummer interface. Just click on the little Piano Icon next to the Track Number and that will open the EzDrummer Interface. When the EzDrummer interface is open, there is a big orange box (Next to where it says Menu), Click on that Orange box, and it should give you an option to select aonther Drum Kit.

This Video should show you how to mix and match different kit elements to make your own Drum kit. There are many video's on Youtube on the usage of EzDrummer 2.

This video is still relevent, even though it is on a different DAW.

 

[Scott Kendrick]

Question - the main mixer track/bus (?) for the synth doesn't seem to adjust the volume of the drums. Is there any way to turn the volume of the entire kit up or down without adjusting every track in the kit? Do you have to use the gain?

[lapasoa]

EZDrummer Midi into Cakewalk.

Have you ever thought to experiment in simpler things?

[John Vere]

If the audio track for the VST is not reacting to the volume changes then it is not assigned from the midi tracks. There is a MIXER you can use and it will have a master volume but the VST instrument track has the last say in level. Mute that track and if you still here the drums then you have something wrong. 

Here's a few tutorials a made that might help

 

https://sites.google.com/view/cactus-studios/home

Edited August 25, 2020 by John Vere

[Scott Kendrick]

Mute works, because muting the main midi track mutes all the above related tracks. Just to better explain my issue I've included a screen shot. Adjusting the Console mixer volume or adding a Volume Automation envelope  to track 53 does nothing. The volume slider on the console is even different than most - instead of -infinity to +6 it runs from 0 to 127 (second screenshot)... I'm sure there's something basic I'm not understanding. I have figured out a way around this which is assign all the EZDrummer tracks to it's own "Drum" master bus, then I can adjust volume on the master bus (or apply volume automation). But is that the right way? 

THanks

[John Vere]

Your screen shot shows me that you have instrument tracks for 16 Ezdrummer parts.  

Track 52 is a midi track. That is not the audio track for the EZ drummer VST so changing it's level might not do anything. .  Midi tracks generally do not seem to change the volume of the VST unless your track 53 contains CC 10 ( or 11) for that VST. I just tried this just to double check. Volume changes in my drum kits are made in the GUI mixer for each drum part and by the Audio track of the VST.  But I don't use simple instrument tracks, I use a dedicated midi track for each part and they are all assigned to the VST. 

I don't know where you created that midi track but it also seems assigned to EZdrummer5? the header seems wrong. 

 

Edited September 12, 2020 by John Vere