Doggiebox February 2005

doggiebox@lists.zygoat.ca

17 participants
33 discussions

Kit modification affects song patterns strangely
by Mike 10 Feb '05

10 Feb '05

I've been working on something with David's Ludwig kit and noticed some odd behavior that may or may not have been reported before. I suppose I could have missed this on the list at some point, but here it is anyway: ------------------ I have a song started with a two patterns established. In one example, there's a crash in the first beat of the first pattern. I copy the first pattern, paste it in at the end, making it the third pattern, and delete the crash because it doesn't belong in the third pattern. This is a commonly used time-saving editing technique that I'm sure most users perform. I hear something I don't like with panning and volume on the high hat, so I open the kit in the kit editor and adjust it to taste. I save the kit and close the editor. I go back to the song and save it for good measure. I re-select the newly saved kit to bring the volume and panning changes into my song. After re-selecting the newly saved kit, the crash I had deleted from the third pattern after pasting it, re-appears in the spot I deleted it from. ------------------- This happens with other drums too, not just the crash. I find it a little bit scary that I have to go back through my patterns and hope that I find all the little doggiebox droppings that I did not intend. The workaround is obvious: Do all kit editing before building a song. On the other hand... It seems like this *should* work correctly at some point. It's natural to want to be able to make slight adjustments to the kit as well as the song itself.

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An update on my OSX re-install
by Mike 09 Feb '05

09 Feb '05

I had posted a cry for help to the list a couple of weeks ago for input on OSX partitioning. My Mac had been literally crawling along and it was extremely frustrating. I'm happy to say that a clean Panther re-install, following an erasing of all partitions and making one big one, has done the job. Thankfully, I save all my emails and was able to locate my DB registration code!

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Re: Doggiebox Digest, Vol 20, Issue 5
by Dan Costello 08 Feb '05

08 Feb '05

> FWIW, I should point out that you can assign the same shortcut to > multiple instruments; hitting the key repeatedly should cycle through > all > of them. Wow. VERY cool depending on how you want to set up and use the shortcuts. Hadn't realized this. Thanks Ben! Cheers DC

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Re: [Doggiebox] MIDI Interaction with Roland SPD-S
by Sooz and Ken Boldt 05 Feb '05

05 Feb '05

Chris, Can the Roland send MIDI Start and Stop messages (along with MIDI clock, which I assume it can)? Recent beta versions of DB can be started by a MIDI Start message, stopped by a MIDI Stop message, and it will set it's tempo in response to MIDI clock messages. Note that these are MIDI Real Time messages and not MIDI time code (MTC). I have both a foot pedal and an external sound module (Solton MS40) that send start, clock, and stop messages, and DB responds to either unit. They're both connected to the Mac thru an M-Audio MIDISport 2x2 MIDI interface. BTW, the foot pedal, a Ploytec 34One, makes it easy to use DB to provide drum accompaniment for live performance - tap the pedal a couple times to set the tempo and then start playing on the next tap, when DB starts. You can even use the pedal to adjust the tempo while playing. Hope this helps. Ken Boldt > > On 28-Jan-2005 18:09, Chris Wicklas wrote: > >> I have read through past posts and haven¹t been able to find an answer to my > >> question. I¹m curious to know if there is a way for me have a Roland SPD-S > >> control the start/stop of patterns in DB. I am just a beginner when it comes > >> to MIDI, so forgive me if this is a simple question. > >> [...] > >> The Roland is currently connected to a 1ghz Titanium Powerbook via a USB to > >> MIDI controller. I can succussfully use the Roland to record drum parts in > >> GarageBand, so I know the connection works. I haven¹t tried it in DB yet.

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A glitch in IE5?
by adrian.delso＠btopenworld.com 05 Feb '05

05 Feb '05

Hokay, this is what happens: I've got a new (unsaved) Song open; I click on the "Drum Kit" button, (for reasons I can't quite recall - I think to assign keyboard shortcuts); the Finder window with all the kits opens and ...that's all she wrote. Almost all the dropdowns are greyed out; clicking on my original Song to make it the active window again just gives a warning tone, and in the end I have no option but to Force Quit, in today's instance, losing a complete Song structure of 100+ bars for a collaboration, I'm long overdue on. Am I doing something I should have spotted in the Help manual? If so, can someone please give me the page number! Thanks, atb Angry Adrian!

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Re: Doggiebox Digest, Vol 20, Issue 4
by Dan Costello 05 Feb '05

05 Feb '05

> > Date: Fri, 4 Feb 2005 17:51:12 +0100 > From: " H?kon Pettersen " <haakon.pettersen(a)tiscali.no> > Subject: [Doggiebox] 70s ludwig kit and key assignment. > Why can't I assign key shortcuts to the Ludwig kit? > I was trying to do that right now, and all went well until i tried to > save it. > A message box pops down that says "Couldn't save document." > So I can't assign keys in that kit? > haven't tried doing it with any other kit yet. I actually experienced that as well, from many kits, using the 1e4 build of DB. I was able to get around this by saving it as a different name (other than the original kit name-- I just added KB to the end). It let me save it after that, although I'm not sure exactly why. Ben? Help? Then I was puzzled when I went right into a song and they didn't work... but again, there's a trick. If you quit completely out of DB, then start up again, it should work. I think DB has to reload the kit to recognize the changes you've made, or something like that. Not sure. Ben?! Help?!? Another thing I've noticed with DB KB SCs. (ugh...) You sometimes can't use shortcuts to get directly from one drum type (ex. ride cymbal) to a VARIANT of that drum type (ex. bell ride). So, "ride" is (6) on the keypad, and "bell ride" is (7). I hit (6) to select "ride," but then if I hit 7 right after that, nothing happens-- DB won't let me select "bell ride" with a keyboard shortcut. However, I CAN select a different drum type (ex. bass drum) and then go BACK to a variant. (Or you can go into the drum kit and change the "type" name to something unique so DB doesn't see it as a variant anymore, but that sucks.) So, I have "ride" (6) selected. If I hit "bass drum" (0) it will switch to it, and THEN if I change to "bell ride" (7) it will let me switch to that. BEN?!?!? HEEELLLLP?!?!?!?!? > > Thanks! Håkon Pettersen, Norway Welcome to the group, Håkon! Cheers, DC

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70s ludwig kit and key assignment.
by Håkon Pettersen 05 Feb '05

05 Feb '05

Hello, this is my first entry to the list, hope I'm doing it correctly. I have a couple of questions. First one, why can't I assign key shortcuts to the Ludwig kit? I was trying to do that right now, and all went well until i tried to save it. A message box pops down that says "Couldn't save document." So I can't assign keys in that kit? haven't tried doing it with any other kit yet. Second, Is it possible to get hold of the icons of the ns_kit? If i am to make my own version, it would be a lot easier if I had the icons. Thanks! Håkon Pettersen, Norway

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"D'oh! 4/4 rock beat again!?!" syndrome
by Dan Costello 03 Feb '05

03 Feb '05

>> On 02/02/2005, at 6:21 PM, adrian.delso(a)btopenworld.com wrote: >>> if you write songs, >>> then I would strongly recommend that you always write your drum >>> parts, >>> afresh every time. Strongly agree. Especially if you want the song to have its own groove... and a big part of the defining characteristics of a groove is how well the bass and other instruments interact with a drum track. My feeling is that if the drum track is a stock beat, the whole song will either fit it and sound stock as well (which is OK if you WANT that... but don't settle for it if that's NOT what you want), or fight against it (in a bad way) and be mushy. I understand the speed concerns, though... something else upon which I'd like to comment later. And yes, I agree with Carl that programming published drum TABs can be educational... as long as it's used for good, not for evil. Learn from them, then build your own that fit your songs even better. Three suggestions to get away from the typical 4/4 rock beat: 1. Switch a snare drum hit with a bass drum hit in the same place (or two) all the way through the pattern, or just leave one out. (ex. instead of "bass- snare- bass- snare" each measure, try "bass- bass- bass- snare" or "bass- snare- snare- bass" or "bass- .....- bass- snare" etc.) 2. Write lines two bars at a time. So instead of each measure being basically the same... "bass- snare- bass- snare" think in terms of a longer pattern to be repeated: "bass- snare- bass- bass snare- bass- bass- snare" 3. Expand each measure within DB (creating more subdivisions of each beat), and put the bass drum ANYWHERE but beat THREE. "B / / / S / / B / B B / S / B /" "1 / / / 2 / / / 3 / / / 4 / / /" Hope this helps. DC

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doggiebox -> reason
by Eric Davila 03 Feb '05

03 Feb '05

newbie question!! anyone have any experience/tips/tricks for loading doggiebox drum MIDI into reason's drum computer? it is fairly easy to load the MIDI file, and it seems like some of the drums even load up, but it seems to be doing strange things like muting drums where it would be triggering them and such. i love the doggiebox sequencing interface, but would like some more control over the final sound. -eric

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Speed of input?
by Dan Costello 03 Feb '05

03 Feb '05

On Feb 2, 2005, at 10:00 AM, Carl wrote: > (And since I have anything but unlimited time to > spend on my music hobby, time-saving is extremely important!) A couple pre-saved templates can save startup time-- sort of like blank manuscript paper or TAB sheets. Save a 4/4 template (and a 3/4 and a 6/8 and a 5/4 or whatever else you commonly use) with four blank bars, fully expanded out so you don't have to go through these steps each time you start a new song. Most music notation programs have keyboard shortcuts (of widely varying effectiveness) and I grew very comfortable/dependent on this in college. I've found that taking the time to set up an ergonomically "realistic" keyboard shortcut pattern for my DBkits saves a LOT of time on input (much less mousing around), and I can build a pattern (or at least the framework, without a lot of special hits or odd drums) almost as fast as I can type anymore. I use the numeric keypad* for most setups: 0 as the bass drum (with . as a variant, like a feathered bass hit), 5 as the snare (and 2 often as a regular snare variant, like cross-stick or rimshot), 4 and 1 as open and closed hi-hat (sometimes 7 in there as well if I use a sizzle hat a lot in a pattern), 6 as ride, 3, + and - as toms, 7,8,9 as cymbals, and =, /, * as anything else regularly grab (like cowbell, wood blocks, stick clicks, etc.). You don't HAVE to assign a key to every drum... but... If you use a much more complex kit, I think the KB shortcuts can be set up for separate small and CAPS letters, although I've never tried it. That way you could just hold shift to switch to a variant. *Most of you that use your right hand for the mouse will probably find it easier to build your kit on the left side of the keyboard instead... I like having the snare on a key with a "nub" on it as a tactile reference, so that'd mean building around F or D depending on the style of keyboard you have. Just hit the shortcut key, click where you want it, then hit the shortcut key for the other drum, click where you want it, etc. Very economical mouse movement involved. Also, this lets me use my keyboard as a basic drum pad, because when you hit the shortcut key it plays that drum's sound... especially useful when trying to play along or transcribe a beat from a recording. "Oh, that's 55 33 ++ -- 0 5 "... (name that fill!) Again, I hope this is helpful to y'all. DC

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Doggiebox February 2005