The DrumSource

(a sample vsti (vst instrument) drummachine with x0x type of step sequencer)

Click picture for full scale

Background

The Drumsource is an VSTi that is a drummachine. This means that you can load it from any VSTi host such as Cubase or Minihost.

The reason that the Drumsource exists is that I have a friend that missed the feeling to program drums like he does on the hardware drummachines such as Roland TR-808. He had found what he wanted in Propellerheads ReDrum drummachine but found it irretating to have two hosts in parallell running, because ReDrum isn't a VSTi. This is however The DrumSource.

The guys behind The DrumSource are me Ola Wistedt and Mats Lindfors. Mats Lindfors has given the DrumSource the beautiful look and is the one with knowledge how to use a hardware drum machine. I am the guy who tries to program the software to be as close to the old feeling as possible and off course tries to add usable features that is possible thanks to the computer.

Features

24 tracks for 12 drums, where each drum can be programed with the 16 step sequencer (i.e. 16 playable positions in 1 bar (4 beats))

You control which of the 24 patterns played with MIDI oktave 2-3.

The sequencer can be synced against a host.

Each drum has its own stereo output channel.

There is a mode for not using the sequencer of The DrumSource. Where you with the midi keyboard can play the samples (with velocity).

The sequencer can be synced by The DrumSource ("stand-alone"). There is no knob for the tempo however, but you can change the tempo by changing the tempo of your host.

The built in file browser makes it easy to change samples while the sequencer is playing (drum audition) and almost all functions of The DrumSource is availible while browsing.

The browsed sampled is start playing the moment it is choosed in the browser.

No global menus. The DrumSource uses only context menus that can be easely invoked by a press of the rigth mouse button.

Support for .fxb. The DrumSource data is saved as editable text in the .fxb file so it is possible to rescue data when you for example change path for you main sample catalog.

The samples is showned by the name of the sample file in the top of the sample controler. But if you give it your own name this name will be the one showed, even if you changes the sample file.

Feedback

I am off cource very curios to hear what you think about The DrumSource.

Please contact me by leaving a message in the guestbook or write me, whiskas71, a message at the KVR forum.

I know there is bugs. That are the reason I don't take any money for it.

To make TheDrumSource output a logfile create a empty file named 'uselogfile' in the same directory as TheDrumSource.dll file. The resulting logfile is named TheDrumSource.log (in the same directory as TheDrumSource.dll)

Download: Beta 5

Before you download be avare of this: This version of The DrumSource is given for free an is about to show the concepts of The DrumSource. It contains a bunch of bugs.

Download The Drumsource as a VST plugin beta (size 853kb)

The .zip file contains a directory with two files: TheDrumSource.dll and libsndfile-1.dll

You should unzip the file in a directory that is included when your host searches for VSTs, for example in the directory C:\Program Files\Steinberg\Vstplugins

The DrumSource VSTi is PC only at the moment, but a Mac version (both VST and AU) is in development (by Peter Heerdt).

New features

Possibility to create a logfile to help me find problems. [Beta 5]

A stamp in the GUI that shows the version. [Beta 4]

Double click in the browser selects the sample and leaves browser mode. [Beta 4]

Corrected bugs

The sound output in the hosts: Alberton Live, Orion platinum, AudioMulch, Energy XT.[Beta 4]

Known Bugs

If you shut down your host the DrumSource settings will not be saved. The workaround is to manualy save your settings before you close the host down

In the Orion platinum host the 'Host synced' mode don't work.

Misc

For the time being The Drumsource only supports the .wav file format. Mainly because I had no other file formats to test with. The DrumSource uses the libsndfile library and can therefore in practice support all file format that library is supporting.