So you want to export the individual instruments played in Superior Drummer as audio files? Easy! Here’s a step by step way to do it. For this tutorial, I’ll be using Cubase 5.

First, create a new empty project in Cubase, and after it opens, click on Devices/VST instruments, and select Superior Drummer:

Note that I’m not using the usual function of adding a VST instrument track; this is important. If you add a normal VST instrument track, you won’t be able to use SD’s multiple outs. Make sure to use this method.

When you add the instrument, Cubase will ask you if you want to create a MIDI track assigned to Superior Drummer – go ahead and click Create.

Now, in Superior drummer, click on the MIXER button, and in the mixer window, in the OUTPUT row, click the orange text which reads “Out ½” – the menu that appears will have many options; we want to select “Multichannel“.

Now, go back to your VST instruments panel in Cubase, and in the row for Superior Drummer, you’ll see a button next to the E button which is used to open the mixer window for the VST instrument. This is the outputs button. Click on it, and click “Activate All Outputs“:

Now that you’ve done that, look at your Cubase project window; you’ll notice that you’ve got multiple channels – one for each of the outputs in Superior Drummer:

Now, go back into Superior Drummer, and open your MIDI Grooves, and browse to the one of your choice:

Now, drag this MIDI groove onto the MIDI track that Cubase created for you at the beginning of this project, and the MIDI will appear in your project window pane. Click on the MIDI clip to select it, and then right click it; in the menu that pops up, select Transport/Locators To Selection:

Now, hit play on the Cubase transport. You’ll see that each of the tracks (as long as there’s an instrument playing on it) will be showing output:

It’s a good idea at this time to name those tracks to match those in Superior Drummer:

Now, let’s say we want to export the Kick to an audio wave file, so we can use it in other productions, or effect it with audio effects. Simple! Solo the Channel assigned to the kick drum:

If you’re playing back audio, you should only hear that kick drum now.

Now, click on File/Export/Audio Mixdown:

In the window that appears, name your track, select where to save it, and under the “Import into Project” heading, select “Audio Track“. This will create a new audio track with that Kick drum wave file on it; you can also import it into your Pool, if you wish.

When you’re done, hit “Export“, and exit the audio exporter when you’re done. When you go back into the project pane, you’ll see that you’ve got a brand new Wave file on a new audio track; this is your Kick drum!

You can repeat this process for all of the drums you wish to export and use as audio files, and then do with them what you wish!

I hope you found this useful. Happy drumming!

-Brian

EZdrummer WILL work with SNOW LEOPARD!

It is ONLY an “INSTALLER SCRIPT” issue on PHYSICAL MEDIA - AKA “Discs”.

The DOWNLOADABLE “Full” version installer WORKS!

If you login to your Toontrack account and DOWNLOAD the FULL EZdrummer installer…

… This WILL work!!!

NOTE: This download is roughly 600-800mb and will take a little while.

And then…

Also NOTE:

All EZX packs WILL install on SNOW LEOPARD

Superior Drummer 2 and All SDX packs WILL install on SNOW LEOPARD

My - insert Sampler Based plug-in here (Superior Drummer, Groove Agent, etc) - is causing my DAW to

• crash
  
• take 20 minutes to load
  
• Freeze the system
  
• makes the system sluggish or all of the above when opening the session….
  

Or as I’ll put it: “What exactly is happening with RAM in these larger sessions?”

First, before getting hot under that collar, try a little experiment.  Start a NEW session in your DAW, one that doesn’t have any tracks and isn’t coming from any templates.  Now create an instrument track and instance the ‘problem’ plug-in.  Chances are it loads just fine and now works.  So what is going on?  In a nutshell, you’re session is requiring either more RAM than your system has to offer, or is requiring more RAM than the application can allocate…. huh?

It’s like this…

Currently the most RAM an application ON A MAC can allocate is about 4.5 GB of RAM.   If your system has 4 GB or less of RAM to begin with, then you’ll be hitting that ceiling sooner which is obvious.  What isn’t obvious is that for folks who have 6 or more GB of RAM installed your DAW still can only access a maximum of about 4.5 GB of RAM. So every sampler instrument, Drum kit, orchestral library etc you insert in a session is going to take a small piece of the RAM pie until there is no more and then you’ll get the (read opening sentence)

Well that Sux.

Yes it does, but it’s not a new problem. It’s been with us all along and trust me when I say that today, these limitations seem almost minimal compared to where the technology has come from.  What is new however is the A) every computer can now accept a lot more than 4 BG of RAM, and B) the amount of brand new users who have never used a DAW, never used a Sampler, have never been exposed to the inherent limitations of these systems and have been sold a wonderful “yes you can it’s so easy” dream. Which means when reality hits it’s a shocker for most who really have no idea what’s happening ‘under the hood’

Yes Fine, but what can I do?

Someday in the not very far off future applications will become 64bit. What that basically means, in context of this Blog, is that the limitations of memory access are lifted. Native Instruments for example just released a 64 bit version of Kontakt 3.5 which is 64 bit.  Load as much into it as you have RAM for.  But in the meantime, you’ll need to keep an eye on your overhead.  Don’t load 6 instances of EZDrummer, Don’t load the Acoustic Grand Piano into your templates if you don’t play it. In the case of VSL, they created an application that loads the Vienna library into a second application in the background. This means you get 4.5 GB of RAM just for the orchestra library, and still get to keep 4.5 GB of Ram for whatever DAW you are running.  As long as you’ve got 10 or more GB of RAM to begin with it’s a great solution.

As a final caveat, keep in mind that the 4.5 GB limit I mention here does vary from DAW to DAW, It simply a maximum potential and does not necessarily mean 4.5 GB worth of samples. The DAW itself is taking up RAM and that will vary and some applications may max out at a maximum allocation of 4 or less.

It can be so complicated can’t it?

Toontracks, Swedish developers of award winning drum samplers, have generously provided OBEDIA with EZdrummer and Superior Drummer 2.0, two of their premier products, as prizes in a drawing exclusively for OBEDIA members. Both are RTAS, VST and Audio Units compatible and both run on Mac OSX and Windows. No matter your DAW of choice this will be an excellent addition to your system

Two lucky OBEDIA members get the chance of winning a great product from Toontrack! The drawing will take place on January 15th and is open to all registered OBEDIA members. Only one entry each registered member please. Enter now before it’s too late and get a chance to win one of these superb drum samplers.

Click Here to Enter