Drum programming? So many options I'm confused.

[Glenn Mitchell]

It's time I got into drum tracks for my songs.
I've been improvising real-time with the MBR but it's not visual.
There are so many options I'm more than a bit confused.
I will get back to the MBR programming within the unit itself as one option, and I know there is a sheet that would help with that, but my thrust has been to try and get it all onto a computer because it's visible and you can use the mouse and keys.

Audacity has a new version out (1.3.10 beta) that is much better  and great for general mixing but still not really designed for drums at the individual drum parts list level.

My options:
A. Using the Micro BR
1.Has anyone purchased the $30 Micro BR Drum arranger? My trial ran out before I had a chance to get around to trying it.
2. Has anyone tried the BR 900 CD Rhythm Editor on the Micro BR? It looks like the perfect program but, not surprisingly, I can't get the MBR to connect to it. I don't know why I would have downloaded it other than someone somewhere said it might work on the MBR ?

B. Outside the Micro BR
1. Buy a complete drum set, a bunch of microphones, a mixer and then learn to play and record them.. Nah. Not going to happen.
2. Use the GR20 guitar synth for drums into the MBR. Again limited to real-time.
3. Use samples and premixed loops tracks (I bought 3 CD's of samples and loops and now only need some program to put them together)
4 Build them up from a samples parts list. Does anyone know of other inexpensive and reasonably simple drum arrangement programs?

Other than buying my Roland GR20 guitar synth,  (I don't use it for MIDI with its IN/OUT/THRU-just as a pedal.) I have not entered the world of MIDI because it seems so complex and probably requires a lot of expensive gear and a huge learning curve. I'm still a WAV kind of guy.
And in the end....
Am I wasting my time and should just go out and get a professional program such as Cubase or Pro Tools LE or Logic or ? and how the heck do you know which to buy? Do they even include a drum programmer?
Realistically I have to admit to myself I'm never going to be at the level of selling my MP3's or charging for recording others.
It's not so much the money at this point, the time it takes to learn is important too. I'd prefer not to waste a lot of it on a lot of wrong programs (tho you always learn something along the way).
So many questions, so little time
Thanks for listening.

[cuthbert]

...2. Has anyone tried the BR 900 CD Rhythm Editor on the Micro BR? It looks like the perfect program but, not surprisingly, I can't get the MBR to connect to it. I don't know why I would have downloaded it other than someone somewhere said it might work on the MBR ?

As I recall, the BR900 CD Rhythm Editor won't work with the MicroBR directly. Instead, you can build your drum track there and then export a WAV/AIF file that you can import into the MicroBR. Haven't done it yet.

Personally, I have trouble trying to build a drum track before a song is running or at least walking on its own. The MicroBR workflow of recording to a click track pattern, and then making an arrangement for it later seems to work better.

[launched]

As I recall, the BR900 CD Rhythm Editor won't work with the MicroBR directly. Instead, you can build your drum track there and then export a WAV/AIF file that you can import into the MicroBR. Haven't done it yet.

That's true - You have to export a wav (More like record a wav into Audacity while the drum machine is playing), and the process works fairly well. The onboard samples don't sound that bad - Typical Boss drum instrument sounds. You can even import samples, which is very convenient. I haven't posted anything yet, but have been playing around and will be using it for one of my songs in the near future.

You have to put the fake BR filesystem on a root drive somewhere, but 64 has the .zip file on his website, I think.

[Glenn Mitchell]

I totally agree with the process you describe.
Do a scratch track to a metronome or MBR drum track to ensure the timing and the format and then work up the bass and drums next.
I wasn't able to make the BR900 program do anything as it wanted to import a track from a USB connected device rather than some other directory and did not recognize the MBR. I'll look around on 64's site again. I'm probably missing a step.

record a wav into Audacity while the drum machine is playing

Ok I'm not sure how to do this? All I've done with Audacity is import preexisting wavs.

[launched]

I attached the fake br900 drive. To make it simple, just copy the folder to your C drive and the program will find it.

Then, you have to use audacity, or a similar DAW to record the playback.

There's more, but get that far and we can go from there.

[Glenn Mitchell]

Great. You responded while I was editing. Lol
Ok first problem. It's a zip file but it does not seem to have any folders. Do I make a folder to save this into? If so what name doe it need?

[cuthbert]

I opened it up and took a look. You can just ignore the import message.

From here you can load a preset, edit the beats in the pattern editor (create/delete, pan, choose instruments, load sounds, etc.), and then you drag your pattern into the arrangement editor below and line up patterns.

And Mark is correct - you have to play back your arrangement from the BR900 CD RE and record it someplace like Audacity - and then import the WAV/AIF into your MBR. Unfortunately no direct export.

[henwrench]

programming the micro BR spun me out for ages til I remembered that our far eastern cousins don't recognise 0 as a starting point, it's always 1. As you build your drum track, write it all down. if you want to, for practice, have a go at this, then you should have it cracked....
 Tempo 122
01: 001    314
02: 002    188
03: 010    194
04: 022    182
05: 030    188
06: 088    314
07: 039    194
08: 047    182
09: 055    188
10: 079    314
11: 080    032
12: 092    188
13: 108    327


      I hope this makes sense.

                                        henwrench

[cuthbert]

It took me a while to get my head around Boss BR arrangements. But now, I love 'em!

Just wish I had a little more control over them (pattern drum sound, level, etc.), but it's all in the shiny silver box now, innit?

[launched]

Great. You responded while I was editing. Lol
Ok first problem. It's a zip file but it does not seem to have any folders. Do I make a folder to save this into? If so what name doe it need?

You just copy the Roland folder to the root of your c drive. (C:\Roland) The program will then find the folder and treat it like it was connected to a BR900.

Then do what Cuthbert said.

programming the micro BR spun me out for ages til I remembered that our far eastern cousins don't recognise 0 as a starting point, it's always 1. As you build your drum track, write it all down. if you want to, for practice, have a go at this, then you should have it cracked....
 Tempo 122
01: 001    314
02: 002    188
03: 010    194
04: 022    182
05: 030    188
06: 088    314
07: 039    194
08: 047    182
09: 055    188
10: 079    314
11: 080    032
12: 092    188
13: 108    327


      I hope this makes sense.

                                        henwrench

And to be funny, henwrench - The MBR has never made sense to me. I've come close to denting a wall with it. But I do love the little thing.