padpimps The DownBeat Kit Operation manual

Table of Contents
Overview 3
The Articulations 5
The Mic Mixes 7
The Vintage Mix 8
The Seventies Mix 8
The Modern Mix 8
Install: MPC X, Live & Akai Force 11
Install: MPC Software 13
MPC Renaissance & MPC Studio 15
MPC Expansion: What’s Inside? 17
Cycle Kits vs Velocity Switching Kits 17
Sound Patches 18
Demo Sequences & Patterns 19
Preview Loops 21
Legacy MPC Information 23
Legacy Program File Formats 23
Further Resources 25
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Overview
The Downbeat Kit features a fully multisampled 1963 Ludwig Downbeat acoustic
drum kit, with 24 different articulations recorded over multiple dynamic levels
using 12 positional mics. All sounds have been mapped to MPC programs and
are compatible with all MPC models ever made, as well as the Akai Force.
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The Downbeat series is famed for its unrivalled colour, tonal projection and
chunky, warm vibe. Perhaps the most famous proponent of Ludwig Downbeat
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series was The Beatles’ Ringo Starr, who is often seen pictured with a set
sporting an 'Oyster Black Pearl' finish (ours was the Champagne Sparkle).
The full kit was recorded at MU Studios, Sheffield, UK and consisted of the
following 8 unique instruments:
•Kick: 1963 Ludwig Downbeat Kick Drum 20” x 14”
•Snare: !1965 Ludwig LM400 Supraphonic 5x14 snare drum
•Rack Tom: 1963 Ludwig Downbeat Rack tom 12” x 8”
•Floor Tom: 1963 Ludwig Downbeat Floor Tom 14” x 14”
•Hi Hat: Meinl 15" Byzance Hi-Hat Medium
•Crash: Meinl 18" Byzance Medium Crash
•Crash: Meinl 20" Byzance Medium Crash
•Ride: Meinl 22" Byzance Medium Ride
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The Articulations
Most instruments are provided with a number of different articulations to reflect
the many ways the instruments can be played by a drummer - for example the hi
hat has six articulations; a closed hat (centre hit), closed hat (edge hit), fully
open, half open, pedal open, pedal closed.
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In total there are 24 unique drum articulations, each recorded with up to 4
different dynamic levels and with up to 4 round robins to capture the natural
timbre variation of the original kit. The articulations we recorded are as follows:
1. Snare Centre – snare hit in the dead centre of the skin
2. Snare Edge – snare hit to the edge of the skin
3. Snare Rim – the skin and snare rim hit together simultaneously
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4. Snare Cross Stick – tip of the stick rests on the skin, shaft brought down on
the rim, creating a dry click sound.
5. Snare Flam – Quick double snare hit
6. Snare Drag – very short snare roll
7. Snare Multiple Bounce – stick allowed to bounce up and down on the skin,
producing a long, mellow snare roll.
8. Snare ‘Stick on Stick’ – one stick laid across the skin, the other strikes the
stick to produce a fat, bead snare sound
9. Snare ‘Wires Off’ – Centre skin hit with snare wires disabled (no rattle)
10. Floor tom – centre hit of floor tom
11. Rack tom – centre hit of rack tom
12. Ride Bell – hit on the ‘bell’ on the ride cymbal
13. Ride Centre – hit at the centre of the main portion of the cymbal
14. Crash 18” – centre hit of an 18” crash
15. Crash 20 – centre hit of a 20” crash
16. Crash 18 Choke – Short cymbal hit, produced grabbing and holding the
cymbal immediately after hitting it.
17. Hi hat closed edge – edge hit of a closed hi hat
18. Hi hat closed centre – centre hit of a closed hi hat
19. Hi hat Open full – hitting a fully open hi hat
20. Hi Hat half open – Hitting a half open hi hat, creates more of a ‘sizzle’
21. Pedal hat closed – played by engaging pedal without striking the hat
22. Pedal hat opening - disengaging the pedal from fully closed while striking
the hat to capture a more dynamic ‘opening’ hat sound.
23. Kick Isolated – Kick drum recorded in isolation to the rest of the kit
24. Kick (with kit bleed) – kick recorded with the rest of kit present so snare
rattle and vibrations from other instruments are present
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The Mic Mixes
The kit was recorded using a combination of 12 different microphones; Electro-
Voice HM7 (Kick), Yamaha Sub Kick Mic (Kick Sub), Sure SM57 (snare 'over'),
3 x AKG C414 (snare 'under, rack & floor toms), 2 x Neumann KM 84
(overheads), 2 x Coles 4038 (additional ribbons), Neumann U87 (room mic 1),
AKG PCC170 (room mic 2)
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Having mics in so many different positions gave us the flexibility to create
multiple ‘mic mixes’ in post-production, each one using different permutations
and combinations of these microphones to give very different kit sounds.
The included mixes do not feature any additional FX or processing, the difference
in sound is achieved entirely by selecting different mic stems for mix down.
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The Vintage Mix
This is a classic 2 microphone mono mix that consist of two ribbon mics placed
directly at the front of the kit, with one mic near the kick drum, the other nearer
the snare. The resulting mix gives a distinctly early 60s/late 50s vibe, with less
emphasis on the hats and cymbals (as to be expected by the lack of overheads).
The Seventies Mix
This is a classic 4 mic mix often used in 70s funk, with two narrowly panned
overhead mics (placed above the left and right cymbals), a ‘close’ snare mic and
a close kick mic. The resulting mix produces a very fat, dry and direct sounding
kit.
The Modern Mix
This one uses 10 mics (all the microphones bar the vintage ribbons), with a close
kick mic, a dedicated kick ‘sub’ mic, snare ‘over’ and ‘under’ mics, two widely
panned overheads, two tom mics and two room mics. This produces a more
contemporary drum sound which is very open, detailed and more ‘live’ sounding.
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The Kit LaYOUT!
Each mix consists of 24 articulations mapped to the pads in an MPC program in
a finger-drumming friendly layout which follows the same fundamental layout
used in the other kits in this series. For 16 pad MPCs, Bank ‘A’ contains what we
feel are the ‘core’ articulations for the kit:
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Bank B contains the 8 secondary articulations:
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Install: MPC X, Live & Akai Force
The following instructions are suitable for installing the expansion in the MPC X &
MPC Live in 'standalone' mode, as well as the Akai Force (screen shots taken
from the MPC).
First download the zip file via the link provided after purchase and extract the
contents to any location on your computer. Enter the ‘MPC X-MPC Live-Akai
Force Edition’ folder and inside you’ll see a sub folder ‘The Downbeat Kit’ – this
is the folder we’re going to transfer to your MPC X/Live or Force.
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The factory-fitted internal drive on your MPC/Force is not externally accessible,
so let’s assume you have a USB drive called ‘MPC DATA’ connected to the USB
port on your MPC Live/X/Force (you can also transfer to an SD card or internal
SATA drive).
Connect your MPC or Force via USB to your computer and go to MENU and hit
the ‘MPC chip’ icon at the top of the screen (this is the 'Laptop' icon in the
Force); select CONTROLLER MODE ('COMPUTER MODE' in the Force). At this
point, your USB disk will appear as a removable drive in your computer.
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If it doesn’t already exist, create a folder called ‘Expansions’ in the root of your
disk - now copy the ‘Downbeat Kit’ folder inside this ‘Expansions’ folder. You can
now ‘eject’ the disk from your computer and in your MPC/Force, return to
‘Standalone’ mode.
Whenever that disk is connected to your MPC/Force, go to MENU > BROWSER
> Expansions and tap on the ‘Downbeat Kit’ thumbnail:
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All the available patches will appear on the right hand side of the screen (make
sure the PROGRAM filter is selected). If you have ‘AUDITION > AUTO’ enabled
(bottom right of BROWSER screen) you can tap a program file to hear a preview
of each patch before you load it. Double tap to load a kit into your project and
assign it to a ‘DRUM’ type track in your current sequence in MAIN.
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Install: MPC Software
The MPC Software expansion is fully compatible with MPC Software 1.9 or
greater. Locate the ‘MPC Software Installer.XPN’ file and drag & drop it directly
into the MPC Software UI from your computer’s File Explorer/Finder:
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Please note that an XPN file cannot be installed from the MPC Browser, nor can
it be installed by double clicking.
After dragging the XPN into the software UI you should see the following:
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Select ‘Import’ and once installed, open the Expansion Browser (‘X’ on your
keyboard for MPC Software 2.x, ‘shift & E’ for MPC Software 1.9), and click on
the ‘Downbeat Kit’ thumbnail to view:
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You will find all the kits within the ‘Programs > Kit > Downbeat Kit’ group.
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Single click the program to hear a preview (requires ‘Autoplay’ enabled).
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To load a kit, simply double-click the program or drag and drop it to a ‘DRUM’
type track in your MPC sequence.
MPC Renaissance & MPC Studio
If you use the MPC Renaissance or MPC Studio, there are generally two ways to
browse and load your kits. If you have installed the XPN expansion into the MPC
Software the expansion can be found in the 'user' expansion folder on your
computer:
Mac: #
Users > Username > Library > Application Support > Akai > MPC > Expansions
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Windows:#
C:\Users\All Users\Akai\MPC\Expansions#
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The folder will be called 'com.padpimps.downbeatkit'.
Alternatively go to the ‘MPC X-MPC Live-Standalone Edition’ folder and copy
the sub folder ‘The Downbeat Kit’ to the location on your computer where you
usually store the rest of your sound library (for example, the ‘Documents > MPC’
folder).
Hit the BROWSER button in your ‘blue screen’ MPC controller. Select the
PROGRAM ‘data select’ button. You can now access the instruments through
the standard Browser interface by navigating to the ‘The Downbeat Kit’ folder
location:#
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MPC Expansion: What’s Inside?
The expansion edition is made for the newer generation of MPCs such as the
MPC X, MPC Live and MPC Software (including its controllers such as the MPC
Touch, Renaissance and Studio). These expansions work in both MPC
Software 2.x and MPC Software 1.9. The kits are also fully compatible with the
Akai Force.
There are three mixes of the kit; Vintage, Seventies and Modern. Each mix is
provided as a ‘cycle’ kit and velocity switching kit. We have also created a
further 10 additional ‘sound patches’ that provide additional sonic variations of
the kit with FX, filters and other unique program parameters applied. Demo MIDI
sequences are also provided for each kit.
Cycle Kits vs Velocity Switching Kits
When you hit an acoustic drum it never sounds exactly the same; softer hits
sound different to hard hits, and there will always be slight differences between
hits of similar velocity.
If we capture those subtle variances in timbre as unique samples we can set up
each pad to play back one those samples each time it is hit, giving a very
realistic, organic sound.
‘Velocity switching’ is used as the basis for all kits in the expansion named
‘Classic’. In these kits a soft pad hit will play back a ‘soft’ sample, a hard hit
plays back a ‘hard’ sample and so on. Most pads in a classic kit feature 4
dynamic variations (‘soft, medium, medium hard, hard).
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New MPCs also support ‘round robins’ where the pads can be configured to
play back a different timbre sample each time it is hit, regardless of how hard you
hit the pad. Each round robin in a ‘cycle’ is recorded at the same velocity but
sounds subtly different each time the pad is hit. Kits with round robins configured
on the pads are referred to as ‘cycle’ kits. Most pads in a cycle kit feature 4
round robins.
Please note that it is not currently possible to combine round robins and velocity
switching on the same pad, hence the reason for two different versions of each
mix.
Sound Patches
In addition to the provided mic mixes, the MPC X/Live/MPC Software Expansion
contains edition also includes additional ‘patch’ programs that use internal FX,
filters and program parameters to create 10 additional sound patches/presets. In
the MPC Software, the patches are found in the ‘Patches’ group:
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In the hardware UI, the patch files have the word ‘Patches’ in the file name;
remember you can use the search filter to show only programs containing the
word ‘patches’:
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‘Remember these are standard MPC DRUM programs, so you are free to further
customise any of the provided programs with your own FX and parameter
settings.
Demo Sequences & Patterns
Each program is provided with its own demo sequence, which is the same
sequence that was used to create that patch’s ‘Program Preview’.
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To load a demo sequence simply load the SQX file into your project. In the MPC
Software, loading a demo sequence will also load the associated program
(standalone mode does not support this so you’ll need to load the program
manually).
Additionally we've also included all the sequences in 'pattern' format; each
pattern contains a MIDI drum track that can be used with any kit in this
expansion. When loaded into your project, a pattern file will load into the next
empty track in your currently selected sequence.#
#
In the MPC Software expansion browser, these are contained in the 'Patterns'
category.
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In the hardware UI, use the ‘sequence’ filter to show only sequence and pattern
files in the browser.
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