Recording - April 2011 - 38

WaveMachine Labs Drumagog

expected functions. Note that with some host applications there may be issues with auditioning the sounds, as some host architecture may not permit a plug-in to generate its own audio with the transport stopped. (In Logic, it is necessary to have the channel record-enabled to use the Play button to audition samples.) In addition to the sample display, the mid-window zone can be switched to show dynamic groups or software settings for latency, ducking, MIDI functions, auto HH threshold, dynamic tracking and timing (see Figure 2).

Then there’s a slider called Transient Detail that helps Drumagog analyze the incoming waveform so as to not double-trigger on incoming notes. Also, a setting marked “Resolution” sets a minimum interval before Drumagog can trigger again. With creative use of these controls, I was able to get Drumagog to create a perfectly timed four-on-the-floor kick drum for an unquantized loop that didn’t have one. Behind the beat: the Gog file The secret to making Drumagog deliver a clean, authentic drum re-performance lies in the Gog file, an array of sample groups organized by dynamics, articulation and playing hand. Regardless of a sample’s actual volume, it will be played back at a level matching the incoming trigger level. (Note: reducing the Dynamic Tracking amount will even out the volume levels of the replacement drum.) If there is more than one sample available for each volume level, Drumagog will choose between them at random. Samples can also be designated as left- or right-handed hits; during playback, the plug-in will recognize rapid passages and alternate these left and right strokes where a drummer would have to. Also, samples can be arranged according to articulation (“position” in version 4 and below). Articulations can be used to separate drum edge hits from center ones, or open from closed hi-hat. Drumagog comes with an extensive (4.4 GB) library of Gog files. According to WaveMachine Labs’ Matt Werner, these sounds are a combination of third-party libraries from providers such as Farview Recording and MoReVoX, but version 5 introduces Gog files recorded and created in-house: the Smart Studio series, which is specifically designed to take advantage of version 5’s new ambient/room samples feature. The kits ranged from hard rock drums to brush jazz sounds with a few electronic hits for good measure. Stepping through the library, I was pleased to note that the replacement sounds focused mostly on clean, unadulterated samples that gave the impression of swapping a drum out rather than replacing it with an electronic or highly processed substitute. This made it easy to find workable and naturalsounding replacement sounds, rather than trying to work with heavily compressed, gated and processed samples which stand out in stark contrast to a live drummer’s kit. Many sounds come with multiple mic options, offering the choice of a Shure SM57 or AKG D12, for example. For the sounds which have ambient/room samples, the blend can be controlled with a

volume slider (see Figure 3), allowing the user to match the amount of room ambience to the rest of the kit if desired. You’re not limited to the sounds within the proprietary library. Drumagog reads WAV, AIF, SND and SD2 files, which can either be used directly or assembled into a Gog file. Unfortunately, Drumagog 5 can no longer export the individual samples in a Gog file (for use in a sampler, for example); according to Werner, this is due to copyright concerns from the third-party sound suppliers.

Figure 3: Room samples can be blended in to match the original kit’s ambience—or create a whole new effect. Working with Drumagog I tested Drumagog on an Apple Mac Pro computer (8-core 2.26 GHz Xeon) running Logic Pro 9 as host application. I began by taking some Logic song files with live drums and inserting Drumagog as an audio plugin on these tracks, starting with the snare. Although the original sound wasn’t bad at all, I was able to quickly find a Gog file that took it to a whole new level, and the results were pure magic. The track sounded clean and natural, like the drummer had just replayed the part on a different snare. Since the hi-hat was on the snare track, I found myself using the “Stealth Mode” option which allows the original track to come through when not being triggered. One recurring issue I dealt with is that for most drum tracks, a single sensitivity setting won’t work throughout the song; there will always be a soft spot where a grace note gets lost, or a busy part where it double-triggers. However, this was easily addressed with automation. All the Drumagog parameters are automatable in Logic, and it worked perfectly, although it was necessary to “draw” the automation rather than recording mouse-initiated plug-in movements. [WaveMachine Labs couldn’t reproduce this, and says that recording automation with the mouse should work well in Logic.—Ed.] The kick was easier to replace, as the bleed-through from other drums was minimal. The pitch control, which had a wide usable range, was clearly an asset here as it allowed the drum to be set to a frequency which complemented the fundamental of the song well. The timing with Auto-Align 2.0—an option which aligns the samples based on psychoacoustic properties rather than waveform shape— was generally impeccable, although on occasion switching it off worked better.

Figure 2: The mid-window area can be configured to show Samples, Groups, or in this case, Settings. On the far right, a row of on/off buttons engages or removes a variety of options: Dynamic Multisamples, Random Multisamples, Articulations, Left/Right Hand separation, Dynamic Tracking, Stealth Mode, Auto Align and Auto Hi-Hat Tracking. Adjusting the triggering Also new in version 5 is a visual triggering indicator (bottom left window). When the plug-in detects audio, it displays the drum hits graphically as spikes crowned by white circles on the trigger points, a display very familiar to anyone old enough to remember the video game Missile Command. Hits above the adjustable “sensitivity” line will trigger the Drumagog sounds, but those below the line will not. This makes it easy to set an appropriate triggering level for the part you need. For those situations where the triggering track is not so clean, perhaps riddled with noise or bleedthrough from another drum, a dedicated Trigger Filter section with adjustable Q provides a frequencydependent gate with hipass, lowpass, bandpass and band-reject filters to help zero in on the correct drum.
38
RECORDING APRIL 2011



Recording - April 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - April 2011

Recording - April 2011
Fade In
Contents
Talkback
Fast Forward
Blue Spark Microphone
Chris Cox Remixes Michael Jackson
MOTU BPM
FXpansion Geist
JDK Audio R20 Microphone Preamp, R24 Equalizer, and R22 Compressor
Reviewed & Revisited: Cakewalk SONAR X1
Slate Digital Trigger Platinum
Reviewed & Revisited: Synthogy Ivory II
WaveMachine Labs Drumagog 5.0
DAW Details
Readers’ Tapes
It’s Your Music—Know Your Rights. Chapter 13: The Role of the Producer—Part 1
Recording’s Showcase of Sounds
Advertiser Index
In The Studio
Recording - April 2011 - Recording - April 2011
Recording - April 2011 - Cover2
Recording - April 2011 - 1
Recording - April 2011 - Fade In
Recording - April 2011 - 3
Recording - April 2011 - Contents
Recording - April 2011 - 5
Recording - April 2011 - Talkback
Recording - April 2011 - 7
Recording - April 2011 - Fast Forward
Recording - April 2011 - 9
Recording - April 2011 - Blue Spark Microphone
Recording - April 2011 - 11
Recording - April 2011 - Chris Cox Remixes Michael Jackson
Recording - April 2011 - 13
Recording - April 2011 - 14
Recording - April 2011 - 15
Recording - April 2011 - MOTU BPM
Recording - April 2011 - 17
Recording - April 2011 - 18
Recording - April 2011 - 19
Recording - April 2011 - FXpansion Geist
Recording - April 2011 - 21
Recording - April 2011 - 22
Recording - April 2011 - 23
Recording - April 2011 - JDK Audio R20 Microphone Preamp, R24 Equalizer, and R22 Compressor
Recording - April 2011 - 25
Recording - April 2011 - Reviewed & Revisited: Cakewalk SONAR X1
Recording - April 2011 - 27
Recording - April 2011 - 28
Recording - April 2011 - 29
Recording - April 2011 - Slate Digital Trigger Platinum
Recording - April 2011 - 31
Recording - April 2011 - 32
Recording - April 2011 - 33
Recording - April 2011 - Reviewed & Revisited: Synthogy Ivory II
Recording - April 2011 - 35
Recording - April 2011 - WaveMachine Labs Drumagog 5.0
Recording - April 2011 - 37
Recording - April 2011 - 38
Recording - April 2011 - 39
Recording - April 2011 - DAW Details
Recording - April 2011 - 41
Recording - April 2011 - 42
Recording - April 2011 - 43
Recording - April 2011 - 44
Recording - April 2011 - 45
Recording - April 2011 - Readers’ Tapes
Recording - April 2011 - 47
Recording - April 2011 - 48
Recording - April 2011 - 49
Recording - April 2011 - 50
Recording - April 2011 - 51
Recording - April 2011 - 52
Recording - April 2011 - 53
Recording - April 2011 - It’s Your Music—Know Your Rights. Chapter 13: The Role of the Producer—Part 1
Recording - April 2011 - 55
Recording - April 2011 - Recording’s Showcase of Sounds
Recording - April 2011 - 57
Recording - April 2011 - 58
Recording - April 2011 - 59
Recording - April 2011 - 60
Recording - April 2011 - 61
Recording - April 2011 - 62
Recording - April 2011 - 63
Recording - April 2011 - 64
Recording - April 2011 - Advertiser Index
Recording - April 2011 - 66
Recording - April 2011 - 67
Recording - April 2011 - 68
Recording - April 2011 - 69
Recording - April 2011 - 70
Recording - April 2011 - 71
Recording - April 2011 - In The Studio
Recording - April 2011 - Cover3
Recording - April 2011 - Cover4
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