Request for drum software with Alesis SR16-style switchinggrooves/variations/patterns A>A fill>B>B f

I used to work with my lovely Alesis SR16, perfect for easily getting
nice drum patterns to accompany my guitar playing. And the most
perfect thing in it has the foot control allowing for super-easy
switching between drum patterns (A, fill, B, B fill). Very VERY handy.
Very intensively used for live jamming!!!!

And now I am very surprised to learn that the brilliant drum software
EZDrummer does NOT have such facility. I then had put my hopes on Solo
and Player, but despite their suggestive names, No such functionality
is included.
Actually after checking the internet it appears to me that there are
NO drum software available that provides for such easy one-click
pattern switching!! Only Ableton Live seems to provide something that
come close to this.... Completely amazing.

Where can I find well-sounding drum software (as good as EZdrummer)
that provide a simple facility (like in the hardware SR16, check it
out!!!) that allows for 4 pattern "baskets"/"pads" that can be filled
with any of (e.g. EZ's) great drum patterns (grooves/variations) and
which pads/baskets can be selected through midi (incl. pedal) or at
least through a key on the computer keyboard (e.g. spacebar).

Dear designers, this easy switching between grooves/variations MUST be
an easy design thing for you and would immensely increase EZDrummer's
(and any of the other drum software) functionality in providing the
drums to a live jam session!!! Of course one should also be allowed to
save these choices of 4 patterns for the 4 pads so one can recall next
time, and one should be able to record the grooves/variations/drum
patterns automatically on the fly....

So Toontrack and other software designers, for you to start: design a
simple programme (like Toontrack Solo and Player, or within these)
with 4 "pads"/"baskets" that the user can fill with any of the grooves
and variations in EZdrummer (drag&drop) and let the user assign a midi
key (e.g. keyboard sustain pedal) to switching between pads (A > A
fill > B > B fill > A etc). Remember that (like in SR16) the fill
needs to come in ( read: replace the A or B pattern) immediately at
the press of the assigned midi key and for the remainder of that
pattern/variation! Also if the midi key remains pressed until after
the end of the fill, the next pattern is again the previous pattern,
so instead of A > A fill > B, one would get A > A fill > A... simple
isn't it. If you're not sure, read the SR16 Reference Manual
downloadable on the internet.

You would do a huge favour to many of us musicians!!!!

_____________________________

Wim
Nairobi
musician
W7, Cubase 5, EZdrummer

Re: Request for drum software with Alesis SR16-style switching grooves/variations/patterns A>A fill>B>B fill

Long before I stumbled upon Cubase ( I started at VST3.6), I used the
even older Alesis HR16 and MMT8 sequencer. Great gear from the 80's
....we used them live and also for studio demos.

I'm not sure that the likes of EZ Drummer are really kitted out to do
what you want . Although leagues ahead of the old Alesis stuff, the
current software beatboxes are primarily designed for pc recording and
not for live jamming. A different game altogether.

If you like the SR16 that much..well better the devil you know...LL


On Tue, 18 May 2010 23:19:07 -0700 (PDT), Wim Eising
<> wrote:

>I used to work with my lovely Alesis SR16, perfect for easily getting
>nice drum patterns to accompany my guitar playing. And the most
>perfect thing in it has the foot control allowing for super-easy
>switching between drum patterns (A, fill, B, B fill). Very VERY handy.
>Very intensively used for live jamming!!!!
>
>And now I am very surprised to learn that the brilliant drum software
>EZDrummer does NOT have such facility. I then had put my hopes on Solo
>and Player, but despite their suggestive names, No such functionality
>is included.
>Actually after checking the internet it appears to me that there are
>NO drum software available that provides for such easy one-click
>pattern switching!! Only Ableton Live seems to provide something that
>come close to this.... Completely amazing.
>
>Where can I find well-sounding drum software (as good as EZdrummer)
>that provide a simple facility (like in the hardware SR16, check it
>out!!!) that allows for 4 pattern "baskets"/"pads" that can be filled
>with any of (e.g. EZ's) great drum patterns (grooves/variations) and
>which pads/baskets can be selected through midi (incl. pedal) or at
>least through a key on the computer keyboard (e.g. spacebar).
>
>Dear designers, this easy switching between grooves/variations MUST be
>an easy design thing for you and would immensely increase EZDrummer's
>(and any of the other drum software) functionality in providing the
>drums to a live jam session!!! Of course one should also be allowed to
>save these choices of 4 patterns for the 4 pads so one can recall next
>time, and one should be able to record the grooves/variations/drum
>patterns automatically on the fly....
>
>So Toontrack and other software designers, for you to start: design a
>simple programme (like Toontrack Solo and Player, or within these)
>with 4 "pads"/"baskets" that the user can fill with any of the grooves
>and variations in EZdrummer (drag&drop) and let the user assign a midi
>key (e.g. keyboard sustain pedal) to switching between pads (A > A
>fill > B > B fill > A etc). Remember that (like in SR16) the fill
>needs to come in ( read: replace the A or B pattern) immediately at
>the press of the assigned midi key and for the remainder of that
>pattern/variation! Also if the midi key remains pressed until after
>the end of the fill, the next pattern is again the previous pattern,
>so instead of A > A fill > B, one would get A > A fill > A... simple
>isn't it. If you're not sure, read the SR16 Reference Manual
>downloadable on the internet.
>
>You would do a huge favour to many of us musicians!!!!
>
>_____________________________
>
>Wim
>Nairobi
>musician
>W7, Cubase 5, EZdrummer

Thanks for this support response. The likes of EZdrummer would even so
much more useful for home PC/mac recording if they had this easy-
switch-patterns function! lovely songwriting with a groovy drummer,
laying a first take down with good drum grooves that allow for fills
and chorus variations to make it immediately sound pretty good!
So, what do you think, how can we get these programmers to include
such functionality in their EZdrummer software and alike?
By the way, I got an interesting response from Alesis: they were very
keen to develop a SR16 software (standalone and/or VSTi plug-in),
including the SR16-style easy switch pattern functionality. I can't
wait.....
Wim