Midi Drum Patterns FAQ
Is the download version different than the shipped version?
No, they are exactly the same. The download version contains exactly the same files as the DVD except you can start using them now!
What is a Midi File?
The word "MIDI" is used to describe a few different things. A "MIDI file" can be thought of as "Sheet Music in Digital". (Sheet music that computers can read and play.)
Why use Prosonic Patterns instead of audio loops?
Midi is a superior method of music composition for a number of reasons.
If you've ever used audio loops to write music you know how frustrating it can be to get them to fit just right in your song. You might find a great drum loop but how can you develop it while keeping the same drum sounds? You can only make variations on the timbre of the sound itself and that's it.
With Prosonic Patterns you have total control over every aspect of each note. Need to bring the hi-hats up in the mix? Easy! Need to change that note and make it sweeter? Just move it where you want it! Don't like a note . . . delete it!
You can also use a Prosonic Pattern on any instrument. So you can use a drum Phrase on any instrument (flute or violin for example) and come up with very unique and creative musical ideas!
You can even change the tempo of a Prosonic Pattern and the sound of the drums will be exactly as you sampled it.
What software can I use Prosonic Patterns in?
Every Prosonic Pattern is mapped to the General MIDI Standard and is compatible with, and can be loaded into, any General MIDI compatible software or hardware device (ie: your favorite sequencer).
Loading them into Propellerhead's Reason™ and Twelve Tone's Sonar™ has been especially rewarding. They are perfect for Cakewalk, Project5, Battery 3, Cubase, Garageband, Pro Tools, Motif ES, Fruity Loops, EZdrummer, DFH, Sony's ACID® Pro, Ableton Live, and many more!
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The library is enormous. Will I actually be able to find anything useful?
Absolutely. The size of the library is one of its greatest strengths. It gives you an enormous range of musical starting points, while the folder structure helps you quickly narrow that range to the patterns most relevant to your track.
Prosonic Patterns is especially powerful when you are exploring. Browsing within a chosen style and feel can introduce you to a groove you would not have written or thought to search for. That moment of surprise can break a creative block, suggest a new musical direction, and take your track beyond your usual habits.
This also helps keep your music original. When you begin with a familiar recording in mind, your unconscious mind can pull you back toward ideas you already know. An unfamiliar pattern gives you fresh rhythmic material that you can edit, arrange, and shape into something of your own.
The large number also includes many related variations, not just disconnected beats. The patterns are organized into a hierarchy that lets you define the musical territory first, then explore within it:
- Style: Begin with the musical style that is closest to your track.
- Time signature and feel: Choose the meter and rhythmic feel of the track. For most songs, 4/4 Normal Straight is the natural starting point. The Swing folders are for shuffled grooves, while Double-Time creates a faster rhythmic feel without requiring a faster song tempo.
- Theme: Each Theme is a distinct groove family. Audition Themes until you find the rhythmic character that supports your track.
- Texture: Once you choose a Theme, the files inside it give you related versions of that groove. The filenames show the note count and included instruments, and the patterns generally progress from sparse to full as you move down the list.
In practice, you first decide what the track needs, then audition only the Themes inside the matching Style, Time Signature, and Feel folder. After a Theme fits, you are no longer searching for a beat. You are choosing how simple, full, or active that groove should be.
If you are not a drummer, start with the complete drum-kit patterns. The Singles folders are there when you want to replace or customize an individual part. The Syncopation folders offer more asymmetrical alternatives when the regular Theme variations feel too predictable.
A simpler variation can support a verse, while a fuller variation from the same Theme can lift the chorus. Because both come from the same groove family, the rhythm develops without losing its identity.
That is why the size of the library works in your favor: it gives you more opportunities to discover the beat you would not have found on your own, then provides the related variations needed to develop it into a complete track.
Style > Time Signature and Feel > Theme > Simple-to-Full Variations.