Finally I wrote RTdrum's user manual, here is its content :
RTdrum user manual
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Installation
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Follow the instructions in the README.txt file to install RTdrum.
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Configuration
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***.
You need a MIDI keyboard connected to your computer :
- Standalone : open "Menu > Audio & MIDI settings" and make sure that the "Active MIDI input" corresponding to your keyboard is selected.
- Plugin : Make your host redirect your keyboards MIDI input toward the RTdrum plugin.
***.
RTdrum needs a low latency to work fine. A latency less than 20 ms is OK. You can reduce the latency by reducing the audio buffer size of the audio output either in the host app if you use the plugin, or in "Menu > Audio & MIDI settings" if you use the standalone app.
Be careful that too small buffers produce audio glitches.
***.
RTdrum has only one internal drum kit but you can use it with external drum kits (e.g. "SSD5 free", visit https://stevenslatedrums.com/ssd5/#SSD5FREE).
- Standalone : Select "drum kit > External Plugin" (or "Menu > choose a plugin instrument") and select the VST plugin corresponding to the drum kit you want. (On Mac OS X, VST files are usually stored in "/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST" or "~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST", where "~" means your user directory. On Windows, VST files have "dll" for extension, but there is no default location.)
- Plugin : RTdrum VST plugin has a MIDI output if you select "drum kit > MIDI output (Ch. 10)", then some hosts (e.g. Ableton Live) can redirect this MIDI output toward any drum kit. With some Mac hosts (e.g. Logic) you can use RTdrum just by applying the Audio Unit MIDI Effect "RTdrumMidiFx" on any drum kit.
Be careful that the MIDI map of the external drum kit matches with RTdrum's. If not, you will need to press the "MIDI Drum Map" button and make some changes (e.g. with "SSD5 free" you should select "crash : 55" and "crash2 : 57").
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Utilization
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***.
Choose the tempo, the hi-hat, then press "Start" and play. (You can also launch the sequencer and use the tempo of your host if you use the plugin.)
Watch some youtube video tutorials on http://www.kmusicsoftware.fr.nf
***.
When you play with RTdrum, you have to follow RTdrum's tempo, and when you press notes, the letters of RTDRUM light up : the 2 letters at the middle (that are **DR**) light up when you play good notes on time, and the two letters at the extremity (R****M) light up when you play bad notes too late or too much in advance (RTdrum ignores "bad notes".) If you play a song "very well", only the two letters at the middle should light up .
***.
Special Events : special events are crash cymbals or breaks... and they are supposed to happen when you play louder. You can set it with two sliders :
- if you put the two sliders quite left, you will never hear special events.
- increase slightly the "velocity sens." slider and you will hear special events when you play "fff" (Forte Fortissimo.) Put this slider quite right, then "f" (Forte) should be enough.
- increase the "dynamic sens." slider, then you should hear special events when you make crescendos.
Be aware that crash cymbals are more likely to happen on the first beat of a bar for example.
When a special events happens, e.g. when you hear a crash cymbal, you also see one or both sliders light up. If it is a break, you also see all the letters of RTDRUM intensely light up.
Note that there must be at least one full bar without break between two breaks. So for example if you play always "fff" it will alternate bars with a break and bars without. (Do what you have to do in order that the bars with a break are those you want...).
***.
Keyboard split, or RTbass : Suppose you want to play a song with your left hand playing a good rhythmic part and your right hand playing a very fast melody with many notes, then you might want RTdrum to react only to your left hand (your right hand would produce to much drum sounds.) Two solutions :
-1) Split your keyboard : you can either limit the range of your keyboard that affects RTdrum, or select one MIDI channel so that the other channels won't affect RTdrum. Your host app might let you to do that if you use RTdrum plugin, and, if you use the standalone app, watch in "menu > MIDI in Filter..."
-2) Press the RTbass button : Then RTdrum will only react to the lowest notes you play. It uses the algorithm created for RTbass, the famous virtual bassist, RTdrum's big brother, available on http://www.kmusicsoftware.fr.nf
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THE END.
Olivier Mohsen.
Find RTdrum in the KVR Marketplace
