Perfect Drums User Manual

THE DRUMS4.2 Navigating Through Factory PresetsFirst thing you may wanna do, while working with the PerfectDrums sound lobrary is trying out the factory preset kits, whichcan be accessed by clicking on the appropriate drop-downmenu located at the centre of the Top Menu Section, that hasalready been reviewed in the chapter 3.2 of this document.As you can see there is a total of 6 factory preset kits in Perfect Drums, covering all the different variationsand mix of instruments, available in the bundled sound library.Walk through the presets to get yourself familiar with the sounds. You will instantly notice how fast the loadingis and that you do not have to wait until the entire kit is loaded to actually hear it. So you can change thepreset kits and individual instruments on the fly with no interruptions, clicks and pops that could have beencaused by the loading process. This became possible thanks to the Smart Instrument Loading algorithm,developed for the Perfect Drums software. What it does internally is it loads all the instrument “hard hit”layer samples first so you can already play the instrument/kit while the rest of the samples are loading inbackground.4.3 Selecting And Changing Factory InstrumentsWhen in the Drum Kit section of the Drums page, you can selectdifferent drum pieces by Right Clicking on the drum kit image.Alternatively you can also use a Alt Left Click combo for thispurpose. The selected drum piece will be highlighted in green.Another way to select a desired drum piece is to click on thethree drop-down menus located above the Quick Controls,Articulations and Kit Designer sections. This will show up the list ofall the available kit pieces.In order to hear the drum piece Left Click it on the drum kit imagein the main working area. You will see a tiny animation, indicatingthat it has been triggered.After the drum piece you are interested in is selected, you can see the list of it’s available instrument variationsin the Kit Designer section:To switch between the available instruments for the selected drum piece, Left Click on the instrument icon inthe Kit Designer section. The selected instrument will be highlighted in green.9THE DRUMS

THE DRUMSThe Audition button, located under the instrument icons enables you tohear a oneshot preview of this instrument. A good thing to notice hereis that thanks to the Smart Instrument Preview feature, implemented inPerfect Drums, the Audition of any other instrument will include all theMixer settings, levels and parameters of the currently used instrument.4.4 Saving & Loading Factory Instruments & KitsClicking on the little “gears” icon to the left of the Kit Designer sectionheader you can find a drop-down menu, enabling you to perform saving& loading operations for the selected instrument or the entire kit. Disablingof the selected instrument or the entire drum kit is done by choosing the“Clear Drum Kit” & “Clear Instrument” options appropriately.Please note that these operations will only affect the Perfect Drums factorylibrary instruments & kits. In order to save/load the kit containing bothfactory library and Sampler content please use the Combined Peresetsfound at the Top Menu Section.4.5 Quick Controls SectionAs you can see from the diagram below, the Quick Controls Section consists of three sub-sections.A. Instrument Master ControlsThis section contains master controls for the selected instrument: Level Knob controls the overall volume of the entire instrument.It also glows in green when the instrument is triggered S/M Buttons serve for soloing and muting the entire instrumentB. Instrument Sample Group LevelsThese knobs control the levels of all the instrument’s sample groups: Direct knob set’s the level of the close microphone sample group Overhead knob set’s the level of the overhead sample group Room knob set’s the level of the instrument’s room sample group Reverb knob set’s the level of the instrument’s reverb sample group FX set’s the level of the parallel processing sample groupC. Instrument Direct Bus ControlsIn Perfect Drums, in addition to the common Overhead, Room & Reverbbusses, every instrument has also got it’s own Direct Bus, where any ofthe instrument’s Sample Groups can be routed in order to obtain someextra controls. By default Direct and FX Sample Groups are routed tothis bus, thus having the following bus controls: Pan controls the position of the samples on stage S/M Buttons serve for soloing and muting Phase Button enables you to reverse phase Fader for controlling the output level VU Meter is there to help you keep an eye on your levels10THE DRUMS

THE DRUMS4.6 Articulations SectionArticulations Section contains the list of available articulations for the selected instrument, as well as theMIDI notes, assigned to them and the individual level controls. You can also tell Perfect Drums to pick up thenote for any articulation by pressing it on your keyboard. This is done using the MIDI “Learn” buttons.A. Articulation NamesThe articulation names are listed in this field.B. MIDI Note Assignment/MIDI Learn ButtonsTo assign a note to the current articulation just left click in the MIDI notefield and move the mouse up or down to find the needed note. Notes,that are already used by other instrument’s articulations will be marked as“red”, thus indicating that they are busy. Perfect Drums will use the nearestavailable note in that case.To pick a note from your MIDI keyboard, press the “L” button so it is active.Then press the note on your keyboard, you will see the note changed inthe MIDI note field. When you are done, press the “L” button again todeactivate the learn function.C. Articulation Volume KnobsUse the individual articulation’s volume knobs to fine tune the levels.4.7 Global Mappings MenuThe Global Mappings Menu contains the mapping matrix of all the instrument’s articulations for both factorylibrary and Sampler instruments.All the notes operations are done the same waythey are implemented in the Articulations menu.In order to save or load theGlobal Midi Map presetuse the little “gears” iconat the top of the GlobalMappings window. Youcan also clear the entiremap from there.Whilst we find thedefault Perfect Drumsmidimapverycomfortable, we havealso created a bunch ofmidi maps, based on some of the populardrum VI’s out there. So if you got used to anyother product’s mapping, feel free to try it!11THE DRUMS

THE SAMPLER5 THE SAMPLER5.1 Working With Perfect Drums SamplerThe heart of Perfect Drums is it’s unique, never seen before Intelligent Sampling Engine, open for every user.It enables you to create your own fully featured multi-sampled drum instruments in just a few mouse clicks.As you can see from the picture above, the Sampler page consists of four sections. Quick Controls andArticulations sections migrated here from the “Drums” page and perform exactly the same tasks. At the centerof the working area you can find cute click sensitive Pads, which represent the16 instrument slots, availablein the Sampler. The pads also give you a visual feedback about what particular instrument is currently beinghit. You can select the instruments by Right Clicking on the appropriate instrument pad. Alternatively you canalso use a Alt Left Click combo for this purpose. Of course, you can also select the instruments using thedrop-downs found above the Quick Controls, Articulations and Kit Designer menus. The selected instrumentwill be highlighted in green. And finaly, the Kit Designer section here is where all the fun begins.12THE SAMPLER

THE SAMPLER5.2 Quick Controls SectionThe Quick Controls Section found in the Sampler has got exactly the same controls and functionality, asthe one found on the “Drums” page.A. Instrument Master ControlsThis section contains master controls for the selected instrument: Level Knob controls the overall volume of the entire instrument.It also glows in green when the instrument is triggered S/M Buttons serve for soloing and muting the entire instrumentB. Instrument Sample Group LevelsThese knobs control the levels of all the instrument’s sample groups: Direct knob set’s the level of the close microphone sample group Overhead knob set’s the level of the overhead sample group Room knob set’s the level of the instrument’s room sample group Reverb knob set’s the level of the instrument’s reverb sample group FX set’s the level of the parallel processing sample groupC. Instrument Direct Bus ControlsIn Perfect Drums, in addition to the common Overhead, Room & Reverbbusses, every instrument has also got it’s own Direct Bus, where any ofthe instrument’s Sample Groups can be routed in order to obtain someextra controls. By default Direct and FX Sample Groups are routed tothis bus, thus having the following bus controls: Pan controls the position of the samples on stage S/M Buttons serve for soloing and muting Phase Button enables you to reverse phase Fader for controlling the output level VU Meter is there to help you keep an eye on your levels5.3 Articulations SectionThe Sampler’s Articulations Section has also migrated from the “Drums” page, giving you the same functions.A. Articulation NamesPerfect Drums’ Sampler let’s you use up to six articulations per instrument.The articulation names are listed in this field. Renamable by double-clicking.B. MIDI Note Assignment/MIDI Learn ButtonsTo assign a note to the current articulation just left click in the MIDI notefield and move the mouse up or down to find the needed note. Notes,that are already used by other instrument’s articulations will be marked as“red”, thus indicating that they are busy. Perfect Drums will use the nearestavailable note in that case.To pick a note from your MIDI keyboard, press the “L” button so it is active.Then press the note on your keyboard, you will see the note changed inthe MIDI note field. When you are done, press the “L” button again todeactivate the learn function.C. Articulation Volume KnobsUse the individual articulation’s volume knobs to fine tune the levels.13THE SAMPLER

THE SAMPLER5.4 Global MappingsThe Global Mappings Menu in the Sampler is also similar to the one found on the “Drums” page andcontains the mapping matrix of all the MIDI notes, assigned to the Sampler instrument’s articulations.All the notes operations are performed the same way they are implemented in the Articulations menu.In order to save or load the Global Midi Map preset use the little “gears” iconat the top of the Global Mappings window. You can also clear the entire mapfrom there.14THE SAMPLER

THE SAMPLER5.5 Kit Designer SectionThe Sampler’s Kit Designer Section is where you are about to spend most of the time while creating yourinstruments. As you can see it is subdivided into three different sections.A. OverviewThe Overview Section contains basic instrument settings and options. Name is used for renaming the instrument. Articulation serves for selecting the instrument’s articulation. There isa total of six available articulations per instrument in Perfect Drums. Choke Voicing. When set to “ON”, this feature stops the currentarticulation’s samples when the other ones are triggered. This is neededwhen working with closed hihat or muted cymbal articulations. Whenset to “OFF” full samples are allowed to play out. Sample Group is there for selecting the instrument’s sample group (ormicrophone group). There is a total of five available sample groupsper instrument’s articulation in Perfect Drums. Of course you are freeto use any combination of them when creating your instruments. Direct Group may be used for the close microphone samples Overhead Group may be used for the overhead mic samples Room Group may be used for the room microphone samples Reverb Group may be used for the Reverb samples FX is an extra group, that may be used in any other case Dynamic Layer represents the three available dynamic layers for yourinstrument’s hard, medium and soft hits appropriately. Velocity Range fields set the MIDI velocity ranges, used for the threedifferent dynamic layers. The first filed sets the value, where the softhits end and the medium hits start. While the second filed sets thepoint, where the medium hits end and thus the hard ones start.B. Sample List SectionThe list of samples, used in the selected Dynamic Layer is shown in this section. A total of eight samplesmay be used per dynamic layer in Perfect Drums. To add or remove a sample use the individual “ ”/“” buttons. To add or remove multiple files at once use the “Import All” and “Clear All” buttons. Selectsamples by left clicking. You can rearrange samples in the list by dragging them with the left click. Eachsample has also got it’s own “Play”, “Phase”, “Solo” and “Mute” buttons as well as the level fader.15THE SAMPLER

THE SAMPLERC. Envelopes SectionThe first thing you may probably notice in the Envelopes section of the KitDesigner is a detailed waveform of the selected sample file. To zoom-in thevaweform view use the right mouse click and move to the right. To zoomout use the right mouse click and move to the left. To scroll horizontally useleft mouse click and move left or right.But the main purpose of the Envelopes section is in giving you acess toa collection of useful controls and modifiers, appliable to every singlesample, used in the instrument. They can be considered as is a kind ofslightly modified AHDSR envelope filters, you can find in some othersamplers out there. In Perfect Drums we have adapted them to better fulfillthe drum sampling applications. So you got five controls, which are asfollows: S - Sample Start adjust’s the sample’s starting point E - Sample End is there for adjusting the sample’s ending point A - Attack Time set’s the attack time of the selected sample D - Decay Time let’s you control the selected sample’s decay tail DC - Decay Time Curve enables you to finetune the decay tensionBy clicking on the little “gears” icon, found at the Envelopes Sectionheader you can get the envelopes operation drop-down menu, whichlet’s you copying and pasting current settings to any sample, as well as toall the samples used in the currently selected Dynamic Layer. Of course,you can also clear current evelope settings from this menu.5.6 Saving And Loading Your InstrumentsWhen you are done creating your instrument, you can save it via theappropriate drop-down menu, accessable by clickng on the little “gears”icon, found at the Kit Designer header. You can also save the entire SamplerKit from there. Loading of the already created instruments and kits is alsodone from within that menu. Note, that when you load an instrument, it willbe loaded on the currently selected Sampler instrument slot.In order to clear an instrument or the entire kit, use the appropriate “ClearSampler Kit” and “Clear Sampler Instrument” commands.5.7 Exporting Portable FormatAs you may have already noticed there is an additional option in the Sampler’s saving/loading operationsdrop-down menu, named “Export Portable Instrument” (or kit). By saving your instrument as portable format,you get it packed in one solid file, that contains all the instrument’s samples and settings so you can easilytransport it or share with anybody else. Whilst the ordinary instrument file includes only it’s settings and loadsthe samples from the location, they were imported when creating the instrument, so you need to keep an eyeon this in order for the instrument to be loaded properly. You’ll get the list of missing “.wav” files and theirlocations if something goes wrong. Another thing to keep in mind is that you can not update, nor resave theportable instruments/kits. So make sure you got your instrument done before packing it as portable format.16THE SAMPLER

THE MIXER6 THE MIXER6.1 Working With Perfect Drums MixerThe mixer is a big part of Perfect Drums. It was built to keep your drums in a perfect balance, giving you thefullest control over your instruments with unbeatable flexibility and capabilities.As you can see, the mixer page can be contingently split into several sections. Each instrument has got it’s ownchannel strip, giving you access to all of it’s controls. At the top you can find the instrument’s master volumeknob, mute & solo buttons and bleeding levels for all of the available sample groups. At the bottom you cansee the instrument’s Direct Bus controls, as well as the common Overhead, Room and Reverb busses to theright. Each bus provides you with some extra useful controls, such as Pan, Solo & Mute, Phase Reversion,as well as the output level fader and a beatiful fully scaled VU meter. The output section let’s you route theinstruments to an input track within your DAW. The unused controls or instruments are shown as “faded” fora better and more comfortable workflow. Thus an instrument with no FX samples will have the FX level knob“faded”, etc. Mixer Options Section enables you to switch the mixer view between the factory Drums andSampler instruments. The global perspective can also be changed from there, which gives you the option toreverse all the instrument’s pannings with just a single mouse click. AUX busses can be accessed by clickingon the appropriate option tab. The routings page reveals the fully customizable instrument’s internal routingsdiagram. Any instrument’s sample group can be routed either to it’s Direct Bus, the 16 available AUX tracks,or to the global Overhead, Room & Reverb busses, and can be then routed to one of the 16 stereo outputsto your DAW, thus giving you endless routing possibilities.17THE MIXER

THE MIXER6.2 Channel Strip OverviewThe channel strip is giving you access to all the instrument’s controls.A. Instrument Master ControlsThis section contains the instrument’s master controls: Level Knob controls the overall volume of the entire instrument.It also glows in green when the instrument is triggered. S/M Buttons serve for soloing and muting the entire instrumentB. Instrument Sample Group LevelsThese knobs control the level of all the instrument’s sample groups: Direct knob set’s the level of the close microphone sample group Overhead knob set’s the level of the overhead sample group Room knob set’s the level of the instrument’s room sample group Reverb knob set’s the level of the instrument’s reverb sample group FX set’s the level of the parallel processing sample groupC. Instrument Direct Bus ControlsIn Perfect Drums, in addition to the common Overhead, Room & Reverbbusses, every instrument has also got it’s own Direct Bus, where any of theinstrument’s Sample Groups can be routed in order to obtain some extracontrols. By default Direct and FX Sample Groups are routed to this bus, thushaving the following bus controls: Output Field let’s you route the instrument to the track within your DAW Pan controls the position of the samples on stage S/M Buttons serve for soloing and muting Phase Button enables you to reverse phase Fader for controlling the output level VU Meter is there to help you keep an eye on your levelsPlease note, that by default in PerfectDrums, the instrument’s parallel processingsamples (FX Sample Group) and closemicrophone samples (Direct SampleGroup) are routed to the Direct Bus. Whilst all the other sample groups(Overhead, Room & Reve

6.2 Channel Strip Overview 6.3 Mixer Options 6.4 Routings Page 6.5 Using AUX Busses 7 ADDENDUM 7.1 Perfect Drums Preset System 7.2 Perfect Drums Factory Instrument List 7.3 Perfect Drums Default MIDI Mapping 7.4 Perfect Drums In Your Mix 7.5 Sharing Your Instruments 8 TECHNICAL SUPPORT & CONTACTS TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 2 2 2 3 .