Also check the DSoundTool instructions.
These instructions are based on the hints from this thread and from personal experience. The output is a .dsnd file that can be used in 2Box DrumIt module.
Required software: Superior Drummer 2, DSoundTool.
Steps:
- Use DSoundTool to export a midi file.
You can use any note, any channel. Since the maximum supported number of samples in one wav file by DrumIt module is 99, use a combination of number of samples (vertical) and the times you will loop the midi file (horizontal), which is less or equal to 99. For example, using 49 samples looped twice will result in 98 samples per file. The "number of seconds between samples" needs to be set based on the length of the sound samples. 5 seconds is a good option but it really depends on whether you want to cut the samples with long decay, like toms or cymbals.
This file will be used to play the drum instrument in Superior Drummer or rather the EZ Player PRO.
- Set up the instrument and options:
- Open Solo and choose SD. In the main window ("Construction") right click an instrument, eg snare, to select it. Blue highlight indicates selection.
- Instrument panel, set Articulation, eg Centre Hit maybe for a snare, or eg Closed Tip for a hat.
- Voice & Layer, Layer Limits, choose "Unlimited".
- Humanize panel, deselect Random; the other options can be selected.
- Mixer view, PAN section, make sure that the panning of the sounds that you want to record is centered.
- Tune up the instrument to sound how you want it, for instance:
- Play around with "Envelope" (on right side of the Construction window).
- Use EZ mixer or go to Mixer page, tune in ambient levels, overheads, etc.
- Set up MIDI mapping
- Open EZplayer by going to Grooves in the toolbar.
- In top half of EZPlayer window, browse to locate the midi file.
- Make sure you can play it, and get some sounds coming out. By default the SD randomizing function(s) are on - the number of samples, the dynamic range, the amount of variation at a given level, these are all things we're all going to want to decide for ourselves further on.
- Instrument panel, activate "Learn" - and now the next midi note it receives will be assigned to the currently selected instrument (sweet!).
So click "Learn" then shift to EZPlayer and play the midi file for just the first note. Now in the Instrument section bottom right you should see that the KEY for the chosen sound is now whatever note the midi was playing.
- Record and bounce the .wav sample
- In Superior Drummer, activate the Bounce view, select 24 bits, "Bounce through Mixer" and click on the big R, which should become red.
The "bounce thru mixer" option gives you 2 channel file for the selected instrument only. Otherwise a bunch of files for the whole kit will be generated.
- In EZplayer click on Play, and wait until the complete midi file has played. The midi file will loop if you leave it playing. This can be used to create multiple horizontal layers (several hits at the same velocity).
- Once done, check that you have recorded a number of samples (in window next to R button).
- When finished, click again on the big red R in the bounce dialog and click on "bounce", and select the directory to which the wave file is saved.
- The wave file that contains the recorded samples is named "Out_1+2.wav"
- Create one-hit samples [deprecated with the newer DSoundTool versions]
- Do this only if the sample tails are being cut off. This is more apparent in long sustained sounds like ride and other cymbals.The new version of DSoundTool and the MIDIs it generates are much better now so this step might not be needed.
- Very important to raise the volume at your mixer in Toontrack Solo though. Raise the volume so you get close to max volume on the hardest hits. I just raise the 2 band Mixer in Toontrack Solo. In Toontrack Solo, click Show Mixer. It displays in a separate window. If your volume on your hits is not high enough DSoundtool tends to cut off the tails. This was due to determining and cutting off the silence, as marked in Notes section.
- Use Extract Regions with Sound Forge so all the individual hits are separated. Then use DSoundtool to build all the separate hits to a dsnd.
- Generate .dsnd files
- When that's done locate the WAV and use DSoundTool to create a file as per instructions.
- You don't need to have 99 layers to make a good sound, try just with 60 layers max, 24 bits, 37khz or 38khz (with this sampling value, you will be able to pitch the sound up with the module, not if you use 44Khz. The 2box editor recognizes differents sampling values).
- Number of samples: 20 to 33 hits on cymbal bells, 33 to 49 hits on cymbal edges, 49 hits on bows, 33 hits on most HH transitions, 9 hits on Foot Splash.
- You might want to set Velocity Control (Mapping tab) such that in-velocity 124 is mapped to 127 as shown in the picture above. In my experience this results in a little bit more dynamic dsnd sounds. You can experiment what sounds best.
- Note that you should record at a high volume level. If samples are recorded at a too low level, DSoundTool might miss the lowest volume samples, or they might get truncated. You do not have to worry about clipping at too high volumes; the Superior Drummer bounce function will automatically take care that no clipping occurs.
- .dsnd files are 16 bit samples, so if the original wave file is 24 bits you lose 33% in size.
- If there is silence between the samples, DSoundTool will cut this away. So if there is a lot of silence, the dsnd file will become much smaller.
- the 2Box editor is now also capable to create multizone sounds.