Emu XL-7 & MP-7 User's Group

Thank you, that is very useful information! I'm still finding
controlling everything from cs quite challenging. I'll try it as soon
as I lay my hands on my cs.

On 19/01/2011, stimresp <stimresp@...> wrote:
> Hello All,
>
> Following-on from the discussion about Kick drums (Yahoo XL-7 group), I
> revisited my template patch, made some changes, and uploaded the result in
> the files section in case anyone is interested (Filename:
> JH_Sine_Kick_empty.zip).
>
> The patch is in proteum xml format so you will need to fire-up this editor
> to load it. http://www.emigr8.me.uk/music/tools/proteum.htm
>
> I have left the instrument layers blank so that it <should> work for you.
> For a start, just put a sine wave on layer 1 and your favourite kickmap on
> layer 2. Of course you can use the transpose function on layer 2 to change
> samples.
>
> The patch works on 2 levels:
> 1. A sinewave linked to pitch envelope - 12 of the front knobs are dedicated
> to controlling this Sine so that you can easily produce 808ish kick drums
> with a solid fundamental, tuned to your needs.
>
> 2. A Kick map layered below, crossfadable with HPF and pitch-controllable.
> This opens-up enormous possibilities for designing your own unique kicks.
>
> The two layers can be blended using just the front panel knobs, and are
> tuneable together and in the contect of you kit/pattern/song. In this
> scenario, the Kickmap provides the attack, and the sine adds a good
> satisfying thud and/or residual sub-bass trail. I have gotten very good
> results using this patch - and not just for kicks.
>
> Here's what the knobs do.
>
> Knobs A-L control the Sine:
>
> A = LP filter cutoff
> B = Pitch envelope amount
> C = Pitch envelope speed
> D = Release time (Pitch and Amp envelopes)
>
> E = Attack time of the sine (important for layering)
> F = Sample start / phase (for phase matching and 808-ish clicky attacks)
> G = Sine pitch up
> H = Sine Pitch down
>
> I = Velocity response of amp/filter/fine pitch (if sequenced well and
> automated, perfect for ghost notes)
> J = Humanisation / Randomisation amount (mapped to fine pitch, sample start)
> K = LFO amount - creates a subtle pitch wobble in the sine tail. LFO
> (synced, with variation) rate follows the Amp envelope.
> L = Crossfade between layer 1 and layer 2.
>
> Knobs M-P control layer 2:
>
> M = Sample start/Phase
> N = HP filter
> O = Pitch up
> P = Pitch down
>
> Getting Started:
>
> Put a sine on layer 1 and a Kickmap on layer 2. Ensure the filter (A) is
> open and the crossfade (L) is all the way to the left so we are hearing only
> the sine. Set the the Pitch env amount (B) to 12 o clock and slowly bring-up
> the envelope speed knob (C) to about 3 o clock . Adjust the decay (D) - but
> don't over do it!
>
> Using just these three knobs you can get a decent selection of sine kicks,
> however we are limited here by the envelopes (see note below), not only
> because they are linear/slow, but you may be able to discern a slight pop on
> the attack. You can attentuate this by carefully adjusting the pitch
> envelope parameters and filtering the result. Alternatively you can
> accentuate this artefact by changing the sample start time/phase (F) which
> introduces a clicky attack to the sine. Tune the sine using knobs G and H.
>
> Now crossfade (L) to 12 o clock so that the Kicklayer is audible. In most
> cases, layering will cause fequency and phase clashes, which can undermine
> the fundamental and thus the solidity of the whole Kick. To get a nice clear
> sound, use the filters (A and N) for frequency seperation and carefully
> adjust layer 2 sample start point (M). You might want to introduce a small
> amount of attack on the sine (E) and adjust the pitch of layer 2 (O and P)
> to make everthing fit. With a little work you can get anything from soft to
> pumping bass drums - and you can control the Attack and Thump amounts
> realtime using the crossfade knob (L).
>
> Knobs I-J introduce Velocity sensitivity, Humanisation and an LFO wobble on
> the sine tail. Used sparingly they can give pleasing micro-variations to
> your patterns.
>
>
> Note about envelopes: The proteus module envelopes are linear (aren't they?)
> and so not really suited to creating those convinvcing super-punchy sine
> pitch drops. You can come close (e.g. gain4x-envelope) but this only
> accentuates the attack 'pop' of the sine pitch envelope. This nearly drove
> me crazy - at some envelope settings the pop is noticeable enough to cause
> an undesireable doubling effect on the attack. To remedy this, play a little
> with the pitch envelope settings, and if necessary, use the filter to remove
> any residuals. When layering, adjust the attack and sample start times so
> that the samples are more phase-aligned. For layer 2 I left the factory
> envelopes on, so there are no such artifacts, and so layer 2 is more suited
> to provide the punchy attack (plus, the stock kick samples usually sound
> good anyway, but many can do with the extra balls provide by the sine :).
> The stock drum samples respond quite well to extreme pitch changes. Even a
> tiny amount of sine can make a huge difference to the feel of a kick ion a
> pattern (check the relative contributions by crossfading between the two
> layers (Knob L).
>
>
> Taking it further:
>
> - It's a good tip design your drums, not in isolation, but in the context of
> the kit and pattern in use. It's best to run a test pattern while tweaking.
> I use C1 for Kicks - keyboard transpose is off for the sine layer - you can
> of course transpose this up or down to fit your needs.
>
> -Once you are comfortable with the sine, try a square wave instead for
> crunchy 8-bit-ish kicks. When you start trying other samples you enter
> interesting territory.
>
> -Play with the envelopes - especially pitch (Aux) envelope shape to creates
> different sweeps and whoops.
>
> -On the sine layer, turn on keyboard transpose and put a tom map on layer 2
> = Tunable toms!
>
> -Replace the Sine with a noise or cymbal sample with a long tail, and put a
> snare map on layer 2. Change filter on layer one to bandpass and you have a
> nice snare template. Same for hihats, or indeed almost any perscussion type.
> Adding a filter envelope with a little resonance can give good results too.
>
> - think of a drum, any drum.
>
>
> The advantages of doing it this way:
> - immediate hands-on control over key drum parameters means you can fit the
> kick nicely to a running kit/pattern.
> - You can use the same presets for different songs and you can record
> knobs-tweaks on the fly to make you kits come alive. Combine this with
> automation tracks and X-mix and you have entire kits that can change just by
> activating your automation track (see tip C at
> http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/xl7/message/19791). I haven't tried
> this yet, but I will next.
>
> etc. etc.
>
> Of course you are free to adapat and improve this patch - if you come-up
> with something interesting, or if you do it another way, please share it!
>
> Cheers,
> J
> 19/1/2011
>
>