Rayzoon Technologies LLC

[DF_Tweedie]

I've read ... some parts twice ... the JS4 manual section on the brain. One thing I was looking for but unable to find, was how to push the the Hi Hats more towards closed or nearly closed hits.

Can this be done with the brain, or does it require a player that has this tendency?

Thanks

[jas_lan]

On the Hi Hat brain control, right click, and turn on, “open-ness” (or something similar), if it’s not already on. Then you can adjust. In fact, there are some other goodies in some of the controls that are not visible by default. For example, snare and kicks often have a “busy” control which is great for adding complexity to the groove later in the song.
_________________
Core i7 4712QM, 16GB, Cubase 9 Pro on Windows 10. Scarlett 2i2. M-Audio Axiom Pro 61. Komplete 8. Jamstix 3.6. Absolute 3 VST. 418 Carrier Landings.
SoundCloud

[DF_Tweedie]

[jas_lan]

I agree that the learning curve is steep but that is because is can do so many things. Some of the more advanced things to look at when you are ready are Groove Weights, Rudiments, importing brain elements from other styles or drummers, and the fill controls. The fill controls seemed very challenging to me at first but with some experimentation, looking at the manual, and reading the info line at the bottom left, I was able to learn how to get fills that are close to what I have in my mind.

I really don’t know of any software like it in terms of being able to start with a basic groove, add some accents to make it sound like a human, and get an infinite number of fill choices! You can even easily vary like parts of the song so it doesn’t sound repetitive. For example, opening the hi hat a little more on verse 2 than verse 1 and then using the power hand ride as the song builds and closes.

I own Steinberg Absolute VST and Native Instruments Komplete Ultmate 11 which means Groove Agent 4 and all the Abbey Road drummers, Studio Drummer, etc., and I can honestly say I never end up using them on any of my projects. I might experiment with them and listen to the grooves but I always end up “replicating” the groove to my own taste in jamstix. It really doesn’t take that long to learn enough about it to do a great song. Put your DAW on a loop with just one “part” in your jamstix song list and, as the Jamstix logo says, “Just Play with It!”. This is the best way to learn how the controls influence the play and is ESPECIALLY helpful for learning how the fill controls work.
_________________
Core i7 4712QM, 16GB, Cubase 9 Pro on Windows 10. Scarlett 2i2. M-Audio Axiom Pro 61. Komplete 8. Jamstix 3.6. Absolute 3 VST. 418 Carrier Landings.
SoundCloud

[funkycornwall]

Another useful technique is to use the preview button when in the bar editor window. This is a technique you use without the DAW running. Click any bar under preview and the chosen bar will play constantly repeating. Next you can make subtle adjustments and see how the drumming changes as you make the adjustments. If you are looking at a bar with a repeat or transition fill then the preview button will play the bar with the fill. Under the fill view you can easily adjust the style of the fill, length of fill and so on. I think the preview button is a great way of seeing how the controls dictate the play style.

The power control is also very useful in varying the style of the drumming. There is an easy way where you can adjust the drumming power in the song form. If the parts are linked then if you change the power of a verse or chorus then the linked parts will also adjust in tandem. If you unlink the song parts then you can set the power setting separately for each part. In REAPER, and I am sure other DAW programs too, you can also produce more subtle power variations by setting up a control envelope. If you do this you can make power settings which alter as and when you like throughout the song. This is a great way of building up power in a chorus or taking it down at other points in the song and makes the whole song sound much more human. You can make edits to these power settings later and the whole process sounds much more complex than it actually is.

[DF_Tweedie]

funkycornwall ...

Excellent tips. Can't wait to dig into them. In my mind I've already thought of automating the power level.

Also, is makes sense to me to leave the sections linked initially to get the best groove for the song and then unlink them later for fine tuning of each part.

Is this how most do it?

DF

[Ralph [RZ]]

[DF_Tweedie]

funkycornwall ...

I've been giving your bar preview a go and it's fantastic! I started trying to see how the brain worked on a whole part ... but too much goes by too fast. The one bar groove/ accent/ fill is a terrific way to learn how to dial it in.

[funkycornwall]

Glad you’re finding it a helpful idea