Drum Machine Designer overview in Logic Pro for Mac

Drum Machine Designer is the ideal way to create, organize and interact with kits and kit pieces. It is used for software instrument tracks but can also be played with a MIDI keyboard or pad controller on instrument channel strips.

When combined with Step Sequencer it provides an incredibly flexible and inspiring platform for groove production.

Drum Machine Designer structure

Drum Machine Designer is not a plug-in, although it can be inserted into instrument channel strips. It is a track-based meta-instrument using a track stack, which combines a main track and a number of subtracks. Each track has a corresponding channel strip. For information on adding a Drum Machine Designer track to a project, see Use Step Sequencer with Drum Machine Designer in Logic Pro for Mac.

Figure. Drum Machine Designer window shown beside corresponding main and subtracks.

The main track channel strip is represented by the kit name and icon, shown in the kit controls bar at the top of the Drum Machine Designer window.
Each subtrack channel strip is represented by a corresponding kit piece pad, shown in the grid.

Settings for the main track (kit) and all subtracks (kit pieces) are stored as a kit patch, which can hold multiple channel strips, each with its own instrument, effect plug-ins, and Smart Control settings. Plug-in settings, by comparison, can only hold the plug-in settings of a single plug-in.

A single subtrack with its instrument, effect plug-ins, and Smart Control settings is stored as a kit piece patch.

The icon shown on tracks and channel strips always matches the pad icon, and updates when a kit piece is exchanged or replaced. Double-click the track icon to open the Drum Machine Designer window. Click the arrow beside the main track icon to view or hide subtracks.

How Drum Machine Designer handles notes

MIDI notes received on the main track are distributed to subtracks, according to the input and output notes assigned to the pads. This is true for notes played by regions on the main track, and for notes played in real time when the main track is the focused track. For example, if the pad assigned to the first subtrack is set to input note C1 and to output note G2, a C1 played on the main track is converted to a G2. This note value is passed to the first subtrack and plays a G2 on the instrument inserted in the subtrack channel strip.

In contrast, notes played on a subtrack are not altered, and are passed directly to the instrument inserted in the channel strip, enabling you to play a subtrack instrument chromatically and polyphonically.

You can separate the notes in the main track MIDI region by doing one of the following:

Select the main track MIDI region, then choose the Edit > Separate MIDI Events > By Note Pitch command.
Control-click the main track MIDI region, then choose the Convert > Separate by Note Pitch command from the shortcut menu.
Individual regions, containing note events, are created on each subtrack and can be handled and edited in the same way as any other MIDI region.

Drum Machine Designer sounds

You can access Drum Machine Designer kit patches and kit piece patches in the Library.

When the Library is open:

Click the kit name to view and select kit patches in the Library.
Click a kit piece pad icon or pad background to view and select kit piece patches in the Library.

Drum Machine Designer features an extensive collection of premapped kit patches and also a huge number of individual sound (kit piece) patches that you can add or use as replacement elements for pads, to create custom kits.

You can assign sounds to pads with patches from the Library, or drop audio material directly into Drum Machine Designer from the Browser, Loop Browser, or Audio Browser. You can also drop MIDI or audio regions onto Drum Machine Designer pads or to main track or subtrack headers.

Note: You can assign any type of instrument or sound to a pad. Should you choose to assign a Vintage B3 Organ patch to a pad, for example, the Smart Controls pane shows drawbars and other B3 parameters.

Note: You may need to download additional content to use all Library patches.

Download the guides:

Logic Pro User Guide: PDF

Logic Pro Instruments: PDF

Logic Pro Effects: PDF

Control Surfaces Support Guide: PDF

Helpful?

Logic Pro User Guide for Mac

Drum Machine Designer overview in Logic Pro for Mac

Drum Machine Designer structure

How Drum Machine Designer handles notes

Drum Machine Designer sounds