Any Logic Users Not Using Ultrabeat?

[Day Tripper]

I have just started working with Logic and was wondering whether most Logic users opt to use Ultrabeat as their VST drum machine of choice?

On first impressions I find the interface a little uninspiring to be honest.

Any Logic Users Not Using Ultrabeat?

A lot of people seem to really dig Guru. Does it work well with Logic?

Would love to hear what other Logic users are using for drums.

Ultrabeat vs Guru vs Battery

Who prefers what and why?

[zebastian21]

Originally Posted by Day Tripper

I have just started working with Logic and was wondering whether most Logic users opt to use Ultrabeat as their VST drum machine of choice?

On first impressions I find the interface a little uninspiring to be honest.

Any Logic Users Not Using Ultrabeat?

A lot of people seem to really dig Guru. Does it work well with Logic?

Would love to hear what other Logic users are using for drums.

Ultrabeat vs Guru vs Battery

Who prefers what and why?

its weird but the synth aint that bad....but as you said its uninspiring and that is due to the complex look of the GUI.
These days with so so many options out there it all comes down to a matter of taste and work flow. Ultrabeat sounds great, but I work way faster with Guru or even the esx24 which I use more than any other synth out there

[Eric J]

I just have all my drum samples loaded into EXS24 Presets and write my drums by hand. I have used Ultrabeat like a gate a few times by running audio through it, but that's about all I ever used it for. That being said, it is a very capable and deep instrument, and my lack of usage is more a matter of not taking the time to learn it rather than any kind of shortcoming of the instrument. Battery is another cool software instrument. I own it, but I find myself able to work faster by just using my EXS24 programs.

One software instrument you also might want to consider is Stylus RMX. I hear lots of good things about it, although I have not used it.

Actually, I have been using the Factory 808 drums from EXS24 for my last few tracks and I'm finding I like the result a lot better than using Vengeance or Thomas Penton samples.

I had not planned on making any type of changes, however, I am intrigued by Maschine and considering adding it to my setup.

[networkacid]

I don't use Ultrabeat. I was really excited about it when they announced it but I find it extremely unintuitive, unlike most of Logic's other plugs.

PS Battery all the way.

[bakerman]

very rarely use Ultrabeat - uninspiring to me

[Reptil]

Yes I use Ultrabeat.
plus: it can use samples, and it sounds decent.
minus: the interface is very dense, controls are tiny.
I'm moving towards hardware for phrase sampling, but I'll certainly use it again.

[Mans]

This comes to whether you mostly use samples or like to synthisize your own drum stuff. If the latter than UB is the holy grail. It is truly an amazing drum synth. And you will see the logic behind the interface once you've spend some with it.

However if you rely a great deal on samples (especially slicing up loops) then Guru would definately be the way to go. Everything that Guru does can be done within Logic and UB mind you, but much, much more time consuming.

btw Logic 9 has the option to slice a loop to a sampler track. Basically this option sucks because in the EXS24 you have no control whatsover of the individual slices (regarding pitch, decay, ESSENTIAL parameters). If only they would've thought to slice it to UB --> superb control over slices, and the use of the expanded UB sequencer --> that would be on par with Guru right there.

[technog0d]

I use a combination of things. My main synth for drums is NI Maschine, but i might layer that with some Ultrabeat patterns and/or Stylus RMX.

[d1rtynyc]

I did not use Ultrabeat for years. Then I got some good tutorials on it & it really opened it up for me. I think most people (like myself until recently) don't know even 1/8th of the power this has.

One major thing: The step sequencer is extremely powerful. You can do "parameter locks" like on a Machine Drum. I had no idea. And yes, I own a Machine Drum & Mono Machine so I do understand the power there.

All that said. I hate the GUI. I wish it could be resized and re-colored.

[Number 6]

I love Logic, but I'm not fond of Ultrabeat. The GUI doesn't cut it for me, for starters.

[code 10]

I've not really bothered to use Ultrabeat, as good as it looks.

I've fiddled with it a bit but just end up writing drum parts with EXS and importing kicks and snares in to NI's Kontakt (Kontakt for me is so much faster to use than Logics EXS.)

I'm sure that Ultrabeat is immense and pretty fun once you get to grips with it, it's funny, Logic comes with so many instruments pre loaded, I just don't use half of them, some of them I find just sound plain weird in a bad way, not that they are bad, they just don't work with what I'm doing at the moment.

[CircusofMind]

I am a longtime user of Logic and have never really gotten into Ultrabeat.

Battery is really my first choice of software drum samplers, mostly because I think its really flexible and I know it well.

I also use a machinedrum or monomachine for some more digital, non-sampled, percussion manipulation.

[F5D]

I don't use ultrabeat. I have guru but it has too many features for me. I prefer using exs24.

[NewSc2]

Ultrabeat's my go-to drum sampler, above Battery. Just had to get someone to show me how to use it properly, and its integrated step sequencer and routing/layering options are pretty sweet. Don't have Guru so can't compare there.

D1rty -- care to explain how to plock UB? I thought it could only do accents..

[thehuman]

Originally Posted by d1rtynyc

All that said. I hate the GUI. I wish it could be resized and re-colored.

You can resize it. If you click on the "View" pull-down menu--I think it's "view". I will have to check and confirm that. But yeah, you can resize it up to 200 percent. The graphics are all bitmaps, so they look really bad at 200%, but it is still a lot easier to work with.

I don't care for Ultrabeat, though. I just recently switched to Logic, and I thought maybe I was missing something, but it is just too complicated for simple tasks. I am in the midst of a debate between whether to buy Maschine, BPM, or Guru. (I have Battery, but I really want a drum machine with a built-in sequencer).

[d1rtynyc]

Originally Posted by NewSc2

D1rty -- care to explain how to plock UB? I thought it could only do accents..

RTFM!!!

Nah, just kidding!!!

What you do is this:
In step mode: right under the button that turns it on you see a toggle switch that says:

Voice
Edit
Step

Switch it to step. (who knew? I didn't. HA!)
The edit screen turns a funky new color & then each parameter will be editable by step. Just select the step, then make your adjustment to what ever you want. As you change the parameter the step sequencer will note the change on that step.

If you change another parameter you will see the step sequencer go back to flat until you make that next change.
You will also see a drag down to the left of the pattern sequencer, this is where you can select parameters that you had already effected and make further edits.

I hope that explains it & if you have further questions about it, post em' here & I will check back to answer. Also... Tell your friends. This really opens up allot of doors for this instrument.

[d1rtynyc]

Originally Posted by thehuman

You can resize it. If you click on the "View" pull-down menu--I think it's "view". I will have to check and confirm that. But yeah, you can resize it up to 200 percent. The graphics are all bitmaps, so they look really bad at 200%, but it is still a lot easier to work with.

I checked there & did not see it. I also checked the other pull down menus & did not see it. If you can find it please let me know. Thanks!

Originally Posted by thehuman

it is just too complicated for simple tasks. I am in the midst of a debate between whether to buy Maschine, BPM, or Guru. (I have Battery, but I really want a drum machine with a built-in sequencer).

I thought so too, but since seeing what it could do recently I have completely warmed up to it & it is my go to drum machine in the box. That said, I also own Guru & don't use it anymore.
My suggestion is look around the net for some Ultrabeat tutorials that go a little deeper before spending the money though. I thought I'd never use it again until I saw it's true power, ugly as it is. They really cram them features in so tight I missed allot.

[zebastian21]

it seems like we all agree that Ultrabeat is a good concept but we hate the GUI...yeah it powerful but uninspiring to use. I wish Apple dropped that "Futuristic" ugly GUI they use in all their synths..thats the main reason why I dont use any Logic synth, except esx24.
I would actually use Ultrabeat if it had a "record button like guru...I never program beats by drawing , I just like to play and jam along to come with grooves....guru has the "rec" button and when you record on its sequencer then you can really add the cool crazy things Guru can do.
I wish UB had it too

[thehuman]

Originally Posted by d1rtynyc

I checked there & did not see it. I also checked the other pull down menus & did not see it. If you can find it please let me know. Thanks!

Yep. It's under "View."

[Mans]

Originally Posted by zebastian21

it seems like we all agree that Ultrabeat is a good concept but we hate the GUI...yeah it powerful but uninspiring to use. I wish Apple dropped that "Futuristic" ugly GUI they use in all their synths..thats the main reason why I dont use any Logic synth, except esx24.
I would actually use Ultrabeat if it had a "record button like guru...I never program beats by drawing , I just like to play and jam along to come with grooves....guru has the "rec" button and when you record on its sequencer then you can really add the cool crazy things Guru can do.
I wish UB had it too

Logic has the 'rec' button too

[zebastian21]

Originally Posted by Mans

Logic has the 'rec' button too

you dont get it... if you record in logic then you can not do that "parameter lock" inside the UB sequencer.

[Mans]

Originally Posted by zebastian21

you dont get it... if you record in logic then you can not do that "parameter lock" inside the UB sequencer.

I got it the second after I posted It would definately be nice to be able to play in the patterns in UB.

[technog0d]

Originally Posted by zebastian21

you dont get it... if you record in logic then you can not do that "parameter lock" inside the UB sequencer.

Check out NI Maschine... It has the best of both worlds. It's like having a MPC with built in host integration.

[zebastian21]

Originally Posted by technog0d

Check out NI Maschine... It has the best of both worlds. It's like having a MPC with built in host integration.

I never used and MPC , the closest I got was when I owned a Roland MV-8800... after 4 months of using it I got to the conclusion I could do far more and way faster with Logic as sequencer and any sample library with esx24.
Guru is pretty darn good., UB has same concept but it goes further since its a real Synth and sampler, but the GUI is ggrrtutt

[d1rtynyc]

Originally Posted by thehuman

Yep. It's under "View."

Weird.... Mine does not have that...
What version are you on?? I am on 8.

[thehuman]

Originally Posted by d1rtynyc

Weird.... Mine does not have that...
What version are you on?? I am on 8.

I'm on 9 now, but it was there on version 8, too. I must have enabled an option somewhere, and I wish I could tell you what it was, but I really don't know.

FWIW, under Preferences > Display > Mixer Tab, there is a place where you can set the default window size. No option to enable/disable resizing, though.

Also, on my system, the resizing drop-down menu appears to be available for all of Logic's native instruments/effects, not just Ultrabeat.

[zebastian21]

Originally Posted by thehuman

I'm on 9 now, but it was there on version 8, too. I must have enabled an option somewhere, and I wish I could tell you what it was, but I really don't know.

FWIW, under Preferences > Display > Mixer Tab, there is a place where you can set the default window size. No option to enable/disable resizing, though.

Also, on my system, the resizing drop-down menu appears to be available for all of Logic's native instruments/effects, not just Ultrabeat.

Its a feature of Logic 9 only... on L8 you had view for the regular GUI and Control "just the faders"

[thehuman]

Originally Posted by zebastian21

Its a feature of Logic 9 only... on L8 you had view for the regular GUI and Control "just the faders"

Interesting. I stand corrected. I could have sworn it was there before. Thanks for clarifying.

[d1rtynyc]

Originally Posted by thehuman

Interesting. I stand corrected. I could have sworn it was there before. Thanks for clarifying.

Well I'll be on 9 within the month. I'll check it then.
THANKS for the info tho.

[bleepbleep]

Originally Posted by d1rtynyc

RTFM!!!
If you change another parameter you will see the step sequencer go back to flat until you make that next change.
You will also see a drag down to the left of the pattern sequencer, this is where you can select parameters that you had already effected and make further edits.

Hey Dirty - ive been using the Locks on UltaBeat for a while and one thing that i dont like is - when you change over to edit/step and it goes yellow to indicate the locks, is there a way to edit the base value of the paramter for 'un-locked' steps without switching off the PL step edit first?
cheers - Bleep