Sonoma Wire Works - Support Forums

by **Izegrim** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 10:57 pm

Hi all,

I've been having loads of fun using RW. I used it primarely to record ideas and work out songs so I can show my band what they should sound like. For those example-tracks I've used REX2 loops that I really like. The REXplayer lets me load the loops fairly easy and I can go on with recording riffs and arranging parts.

Now, the time has come for us to record a demo. Unfortunately we cannot rehearse with the whole band because our drummer got injured. That means that to complete the 3 song demo, I will have to create the drumtracks myself. The cool thing is that I can modify my loops and arrange them with variations and fills in different software. But the downside is that I need very complex and huge programs like Reason to make it work. RiffWorks is very simple and perfect for my rifflayers and vocals. I need something like that to make my drumtracks too. I have no clue how Reason works. I wish there was a more easy method to make the tracks with my own REX2 loops and samples.

What are my options? Please help me to get my drums ready.

Thanks a lot,

Ize

by **gatorjj** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 12:12 am

Ize, just a clarifiction question. Do you have the capability to create the loops in MIDI, and looking to turn them into REX2 files so you can use them in RiffWorks? Or do you need help creating drum tracks?

J.J.

by **Izegrim** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 12:50 am

Well, I think that I'm looking for an application that can handle a library of REX2 files so that I can put loops in a sequence to create a drumtrack. Furthermore, I need the flexibility to compose grooves myself with the samples I have that are from the same drumkit as my loops. In short, I want the drumtracks that I put under my RW songs to be more refined for production using the same loops as in the REXplayer but arranged and modified with a different piece of software using ReWire to put it under my riffs.

I am not really good with most programs yet, since RW is my first experience with creating music on pc. I hope that I don't confuse you ha ha, you see my English is ok but I'm not ready to express myself yet in the terminology that comes with the software for musicproduction. Please ask me more if I haven't given you a clear answer.

Ize

by **ShredRex** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 1:07 am

To me it sounds like you are describing Reason....the ability to create loops and/or drum tracks and keep a uniform sound. If you had a program like Reason you would be able to create the drum tracks using the re-drum computer and not have to make loops at all. This is something I have been messing with for the last while.......I know there are some other programs out there like Fruity Loops........and I am sure many other I have not heard of. But to me Reason is the best addition to RW I have found.

Yes it is expensive......but well worth it if you plan on recording on the PC. I can try to help as much as possible I have dabbled in loop creation......

by **Izegrim** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 1:22 am

Reason IS probably the sollution to what I want but the thing is that it has way too much to offer for what I really need. I have tried to create a track using Dr. Rex and the sequencer but to me there are so many buttons and options and I can't find a damn thing after hours and hours of clowning around. Also, I have bought thousands of loops in REX2 format that I want for the basis of my songs. They are good and with a little alteration and variations here and there, they will sound like a serious drumtrack. I am positively sure that Reason has everything to do this BUT it's way too complicated. I wish there was some kind of stand-alone app that could do just this, just like RW has such a simple layout and is yet pretty powerful.

I can give Reason a go. It confuses me thoroughly and I don't know where to start really (you know this probably but each time I think I'm on the right track getting something done, something weird happens and I can spend hours without getting it fixed). Have you been through all this too man?

by **ShredRex** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 1:44 am

Oh yeah man, trial by error............Reason is tough to get a handle on for sure. But well worth putting the time into.........trust me. You sound like me, 6-8 months ago.....LOL

I have yet to find a good program as easy to use as RW, that works with with RW to create just drums. If I could invent one I would.........and then I would be rich!!

by **hbursk** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 5:51 am

The easiest thing to do is use the REX2 files you have on your sample cds without trying to alter them. Load them directly into RiffWorks. If you want to program your own material or alter the REX2 loops, you'll need a program that can sequence MIDI, support the REX file format, and run as a ReWire slave.

I'm afraid the programs that do that all offer more than what you need. Your options are a full featured DAW like Sonar or a big rack of stuff like Reason.

There is a program called Drumcore that will load MIDI grooves, and act as a beat librarian. You can't really edit the stuff the way you'd want to, but you might have a bit more control than just loading REX files.

I don't know if it runs as a ReWire slave or not.

There are free tutorials on the Propellerhead website for Reason.

by **ShredRex** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 3:03 pm

Reason is painful..............it cost an arma nad leg........but in al actuality is worth it. Then you have to invest time into watching/learning using the tutorials and reading everthing you can.

But it is worth the time and money if you are serious about recording on the PC and want that kind of control and freedom.

by **Izegrim** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 2:37 pm

@hbursk
I took a look at DrumCore 2 and it looks like something that meets my demands for creating a drumtrack with my REX2 library. It's also quite expensive and I suspect it's mainly the content you pay for. And that's just what I already have. I'm gonna do some research on it and keep an eye on the other topic that handles DrumCore and RiffWorks.

@ShredRex
I do want to learn Reason but my situation is as follows. My RL drummer is injured and we need to produce a 3 song demo before the end of January. Time is my enemy in this. I know I have everything I need to create and mix the tracks in RiffWorks and it will sound good enough to send to the public pubs here. I just need to have a little bit more freedom on the drums and as it looks right know, I'm not gonna get that done with Reason.

by **Izegrim** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 12:25 pm

Alright. Help me out. Am I right that I'm looking for a 'sequencer'? Is that how a program is called that is able to arrange loops in a particular order so that it becomes a drumtrack?

And is there a simple, lowcost sequencer available that handles REX2, ReWire and is able to cut and paste slices or REX2samples so that I can make a basic drumtrack and when it's ready I can finetune some fills or nuances in the track?

I'm sorry to bother you guys with my noobish questions but you are really the only ones I can turn to since I know that a lot of you also appreciate easy-to-use software like RiffWorks.

by **gatorjj** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 3:10 pm

Izegrim, to clarify I think what you want to do is this (correct me if I'm wrong!):

- You have REX2 drum loops you like that you want to use in RiffWorks
- But, you want to tweak them and use them either as new REX2 loops or in a Rewire device for RiffWorks

If I have that right, Ableton Live 6 might do all this, but I don't know for sure and I don't know if I'd call it "simple" or "low cost." The complexity comes from trying to chop up existing REX2 files and essentially resample them.

If you were building the drum tracks from scratch with a sequencer it would probably be a lot simpler. Reason does this nicely and has great drum sounds. For low cost you might try Reaper (search on Google) which I think's only $40 and looks like it might do both MIDI sequencing and Rewire now. You might also need a drum VSTi for it, there's several free ones you can dig up (try http://www.kvraudio.com). I don't have any experience with it but it's worth a shot.

If it's just 3 songs you might be better off having somebody sequence what you need and turn them into REX files. ShredRex has done some nice REX loops in the past and using somebody like him might be the best use of your money for this project. You might shoot him an email and see if you and he can work something out.

J.J.

by **Izegrim** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 11:49 am

Hi there,

You got it right man. Appearantly, Beamoflight has the same problem as he says in his recent post:

Beamoflight wrote:Im constantly seeing a need for changing drum beats after I record a regular riff.
Sometimes Ill change from theInstant drummer to a rex file... The problem surfaces when I want to add a fill into the riff. It seems obvious that we need some alternate way to change the number and length of rex files within a given riff after its recorded.. This would give us some much needed flexibility to compare and change stuff on the fly without always having to unload the whole song bar so we can mix 2 or several rexfiles to a riff, and then on top of it all, having to re-record again...

Hopefully you guys can work this into the upcoming update.

Beamoflight

That's it. A loop keeps looping until a riff is over. In the process of recording ideas I think the REXplayer is awesome and I record single riffs of 4/4 or 6/8 or whatever. But when I record songs to make them sound more cohesive I record complete verses, chorusses and so on in each RW-riff.

Later this week I'll be over at an ex-bandmate's house and he has a rather sophisticated homestudio. He said that Cubase or Sonar might have the features that I'm looking for so I'm gonna give it a try there.

by **gatorjj** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 2:20 pm

Izegrim, I've never messed with REX files in Cubase but I know they can be imported and tweaked there. I don't know if you can tweak them there and re-save them as new REX loops, or if at that point you are committed to finish the project in Cubase. Let us know what you find!

Cubase has a lot of capability but can get complicated if you're not used to it. I think I'm used to it but it always finds a way to throw me a loop especially on things that have tempos. Definitely not as simple as RiffWorks!

by **Izegrim** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 8:32 am

Yeah, I found that out for myself man. I have been testing both Sonar 6 and Cubase but Cubase is not my cup of tea. I have used Cakewalk Guitar Tracks in de past myself and was delighted to see that Sonar has a similar interface. There is still so much that I don't get but I don't mind. At least I can do some stuff with it.

I can build drumtracks using primarely WAV-files that I've exported from ReCycle. It's very cool to do this but now I need a way to use Sonar in ReWire mode in RiffWorks. Cool thing is that I can hook up my PODxt Live to my buddy's computer and authorize RiffWorks that way so I can experiment. Downside is that RiffWorks and Sonar don't recognize eachother as a ReWire device on his computer. Is it that they are not compatible, or do I have install issues or something?

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