Hi, I've been using this program for quite some time, and I love the flexibility and the user interface. But, the sounds and the mixed output never sound convincing in recordings, so I picked up EZDrummer and the Drumkit From Hell Expansion. The sounds are amazing, but there is no programming interface, and programming in piano roll is monotonous and takes up too much time. I was wondering if anyone had successfully used RR as a way to program loops/songs for midi export? Also, I was wondering if anyone knows where to find some more realistic cymbal and tom sounds. Thanks in advance, and thanks for this awesome program.

hey, this site has some good sounds, but you will have to dig deep into the long list, there are a lot of preview sounds before you download them.

What do you mean by "not convincing"? I find that the mixdown is very realistic when it comes to sound and ppl who listen to my songs wonder wether its a real drummer or a program.

I've exported RR songs into midi to import them into guitar pro (tab maker) and works just fine, the only thing you need to do is when you add new drum sounds, you also need to check the midi file (like when adding a new crash, check to see if the midi is set to crash and not woodblock). I haven't tried do import the midi in EZdrummer simply because the sound of RR is perfect for me.

Yo can program EZdrummer & DFH in cubase or sonar (or any other DAW) but how to do that, you'll have to ask someone else

Hope to have helped....

The problem with the sample based drums for me is always the toms and cymbals always have either too long or too short of a decay so when there is a fast roll, or notes close together, the consecutive hits don't sound natural. I tried exporting midi, tried changing the midi note that is output by each instrument, but there is a limited number or sounds to select from(unless there is an update to the program with more options) but I Want to be able to program cymbal chokes, tom rolls, etc, and have them sound convincing. thanks for the reply.

If you're referring to the midi sounds, then i think it has to do with your soundcard (or soundchip on your motherboard) since -if i recall correctly- that piece of hardware determines the midi's. Also i think i've read somewhere that there are downloadable midi sounds to install on your pc but i don't know for sure.
If you mean the sounds from RR itself, then you could easily shorten them in any audio-editor (prefferably a good one since some sounds have various bitrates etc) and then either change them or add to your drumkit.
I have 3 cymbal chokes in my custom drumkit, check here, or you can cut them yourself to your own liking by using the method described above.

When creating fast rolls with toms (up and down) the result sometimes sounds as if there was a flanger on it, you can try to adjust the panning of the toms (don't forget to clone them in your drumkit) and then they sound a bit less "in space".

gunpointlecture wrote:

Hi, I've been using this program for quite some time, and I love the flexibility and the user interface. But, the sounds and the mixed output never sound convincing in recordings, so I picked up EZDrummer and the Drumkit From Hell Expansion. The sounds are amazing, but there is no programming interface, and programming in piano roll is monotonous and takes up too much time. I was wondering if anyone had successfully used RR as a way to program loops/songs for midi export? Also, I was wondering if anyone knows where to find some more realistic cymbal and tom sounds. Thanks in advance, and thanks for this awesome program.

Not sure if you still need help, but I've been working on this for the past couple of days and I finally got it to work.

How to convert Rhythm Rascal into EZ/Superior 2.0 using MIDI.
credit: HaloOverHead

Programs I use:

Rhythm Rascal
Superior 2.0
Sonar 7 PE

Step 1)
Open up Rhythm Rascal and load a previous pattern or create the drum patterns
that you want to use in Superior 2.0 or EZ Drummer.

Step 2)
Once you are done loading or creating your drum patterns go to "Options -> Midi"
Make sure the MIDI drum channel is 10, then change the "MIDI format file" from:

"1: Each drum pad in a separate track (default)"
to
"0: All events in single track". Click Apply then OK.



Step 3)
Once you've changed the MIDI format in Options go to tools and choose the
"Export to MIDI file" option.



Your file is now in midi format.

Step 4)
Notice that when you click each pad (Bass Drum, Crash 1, etc.) there is a drop down
menu with the Name, File, Volume, Pan, Mute, Color, and MIDINote information.



Now we want the MIDINote information because we are going to be matching these MIDINotes
to the MIDI Notes for Superior 2.0.

In short here are the MIDINotes for the default drum kit (minus the Fear Redo):

Piece MIDINote

Bass Drum 35
Snare 40
Tom-High 50
Tom-Mid 48
Tom-Low 47
Hihat Open 46
Hihat Closed 42
Ride 1 51
Ride 2 53
Crash 1 49
Crash 2 57
Crash 3 52
Splash 55

Step 5)
Now that we know each MIDINote we are going to match each of these notes with the corresponding
Superior 2.0 MIDINote value.

Now open up Sonar 7.0 PE New -> MIDI Only (or Normal) Project file (call it whatever you want).
Now, assuming that you have the VST plugin for Superior 2 in the right place, go to
"Insert -> SoftSynth -> vstplugins -> Superior Drummer"



A folder with a MIDI file should now be available.

Step 6)
Before we drag and drop (or import) our MIDI file we need to make a new drum map.



On the output MIDI track click the output file drop down menu. In here you will see several options,
choose Drums Map Manager. Click the "New" button (located underneath the text "Drum Maps used in Current Project").
This will give you a new drum map.



Now click on the other "New" button (located next to the text "Notes:" and under the text "Settings for DM1").
This will give you a new note. Now for the default Rhythm Rascal drum kit there are 13 pieces to the drum kit
(14 if you include the Fear Redo), so you will need to click "New" 13 times for the 13 different pieces/"Notes".

Now then under the "Out Port" column there will be a list of MIDI outs, click on any of them to get the drop down menu.
Now while holding "Control + Alt" select "Superior Drummer".

Now that our MIDIOut is now "Superior Drummer" we can name each Note and assign it an "In Note" value. So, by using the MIDI Notes
given above, we can change the "In Note" and "Name" values to match our Rhythm Rascal default set.

Now we need to figure out the corresponding "Notes" on Superior 2.0.

Step 6)

In Superior 2.0 (or EZ Drummer) there should be a question mark ("?") somewhere in the main menu (i.e. next to the settings tab in
Superior 2.0). Click it and scroll down to the current setup you are using (i.e. N.Y. Avatar) and click "MIDI Layout".

A .pdf file should open up with a list of keys and a list of drum names assigned to those keys. Right down the corresponding number
assigned to each MIDINote assigned to the drum part you want to use. For instance here is mine:


Piece MIDINote

Kick:
Kick 36

Snare:
Center 38

Rack Tom 1:
Center 48
Rack Tom 2:
Center 47
Floor Tom 1:
Center 43

Hats:
Open 46
Hats:
Closed 42

Ride 2:
Bow 89
Ride 4:
Bow 101

Cymbal 1:
Crashed 27
Cymbal 2:
Crashed 28
Cymbal 3:
Crashed 29
Cymbal 4:
Crashed 30

Now we go back into Sonar 7 PE and change the "Out Note" to match the corresponding drum piece in Rhythm Rascal:


RR Name SD Name In Note Out Note

Bass Drum Kick: Kick 35 36
Snare Snare: Center 40 38
Tom-High Rack Tom 1: Center 50 48
Tom-Mid Rack Tom 2: Center 48 47
Tom-Low Floor Tom 1: Center 47 43
Hihat Open Hats: Open 46 46
Hihat Closed Hats: Closed 42 42
Ride 1 Ride 2: Bow 51 89
Ride 2 Ride 4: Bow 53 101
Crash 1 Cymbal 1: Crashed 49 27
Crash 2 Cymbal 2: Crashed 57 28
Crash 3 Cymbal 3: Crashed 52 29
Splash Cymbal 4: Crashed 55 30



And That's it!

Now all you have to do is drag and drop your MIDI file (that you exported from Rhythm Rascal) into your MIDIOut track in
Sonar 7 PE and you have your drum tracks done!

Now I'm still figuring out how to use the mics and my own kit this way, but this will get you started for now.

If you need anymore help just let me know.

P.S.
Sorry about the shotty pictures lol. Also indentation isn't working for me so whatever.

very nice tutorial!! Haven't tried it yet (mainly because i don't need to use it like that), but it shure looks right to me.

Thanks! I'm not sure a lot of people who will use it, but I hope it's useful. The same idea could be transferred across Guitar Pro, but that's a different story for a different time.

HaloOverHead, your tutorial helped me a lot in sonar. I appreciate all the time you put into it, and I doubt I'm the only one who used it. I just wanted to add for any Pro Tools users, your best bet is to simply go to the drum kit in the right frame, and change all the written out notes (Acoustic Kick/Electric Snare are defaults) to whatever midi notes your plugin uses with the numbers of the notes(Addictive/eZdrummer kits). If you have any extended kits you've made or anything just save them under new names so you know what's remapped and it should be very simple to have your midi files flow into your plugins smoothly. I wish I would have played with Rhythm Rascals options enough to realize you can do that, it's been days that I've been trying to figure this out, since for some reason there is no midi mapping in Pro Tools (at least not Pro Tools LE). Thanks again, HaloOverHead. Your tutorial helped tremendously.