SONiVOX Big Bang Universal Drums User Manual

Introduction

Whether your drum needs are pop, hip-hop, world, funk, rock, or anything else, use Big Bang Universal Drums 2.0 and watch your tracks blow up!

In addition to a slammin' versatile drum kit and SONiVOX's IRC technology, Big Bang Universal Drums is compatible with almost any kind of hardware MIDI controller, electronic drum kit, MPC, pad controller, or keyboard. All are instantly sync-able via the "MIDI Learn" functionality. Sit down at your keyboard or bang it out on a pad controller or electronic drum kit—it all works perfectly.

Versatility is key. Big Bang Universal Drums includes two mic settings so you can mix for a tight, dry sound or a roomy rock sound. Also included are per-drum synth parameters, temposync'd delay, eight assignable stereo outputs, effects busses, and much more.

Credits

Jennifer Hruska Ryan Pietras Scott Stepenuck Ishaan Chhabra

Colman O’Reilly Bobby Zlatkov Feuler Tovar David Szebeda

Jason Jordan Jeremy Bridge John Teele Andrew Tomasello

Erik Pearson Chris Rudzinski Jamie Billings Aaron Hachen

Samara Winterfeld Bryce Kanzer Katy Cone

Jack O’Donnell, Executive Producer

System Requirements and Product Support

For complete system requirements, compatibility information, and product registration, visit the SONiVOX website: sonivoxmi.com.

For technical support, please contact us through the Support page of our website: sonivoxmi.com/support.

Installation

Important: If you are using a version of Big Bang Universal Drums that is older than Version

2.0, this installation will not overwrite or uninstall that version. Also, any files you use or save with either version are neither backward-compatible nor forward-compatible—you cannot use files from Big Bang Universal Drums 1.0 with Big Bang Universal Drums 2.0 and vice versa.

Windows

1. Place all of the installer's parts in the same location (we recommend a folder on your Desktop).

2. Double-click the part1 file.

3. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Tip: You do not need the installer files after the installation is complete, but we recommend saving them or backing them up instead of deleting them.

Note: Big Bang Universal Drums uses PACE copy protection, so it will install the PACE InterLok driver on your system if you do not already have it. As most audio software uses PACE copy protection, though, this is probably already installed on your system.

Mac OS X

1. Place all of the installer's parts in the same location (we recommend a folder on your Desktop).

2. Double-click the BigBangDrums 2.dmg file.

3. Double-click the drive that appears on your Desktop or in your Finder to open it.

4. Double-click the .pkg installer file.

5. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Tip: You do not need the installer files after the installation is complete, but we recommend saving them or backing them up instead of deleting them.

Getting Started

The Big Bang Universal Drums graphical interface is depicted below.

1. The menu bar shows the output level of Big Bang Universal Drums (at the far left) as well as icons (at the far right) that allow you to load and save your sounds. The output meters display the real-time level of the stereo output. Use these meters to gauge how "hot" your signal is. Change the volume knob in the main editing window to adjust the output level. This section also displays the name of the currently loaded Kit as well as buttons to load and save Kits.

2. The pads are what trigger the samples of each Kit. For familiarity, they are laid out like a real drum kit.

3. The main editing window is where you will modify your sounds.

a. The window's left half contains controls affecting overall performance: IRC, the Learn

function, Note Repeat, plus volume and pan knobs on either side of the center of the window.

b. The window's right half changes depending on the selected tab (on the right side of

the window). The Mix Page, Amp Page, Filter Page, Delay Page, and EQ Page each contain important—and editable—elements of your Kits' sounds.

Using Kits

A Kit is simply a multi-sample—a collection of samples programmed into a Big Bang Universal Drums Kit. Over 200 Kits are included for you to play with, and any of these can be edited using the knobs and sliders and saved as new Kits. Any Big Bang Universal Drums file with the extension .svx is a Kit file.

Loading a Kit

To play Kits, you must first load one into the interface.

To load a Kit:

1. Click the Load button (folder icon).

2. Choose Load SVX File.

3. Locate and select the Kit file (.svx) you want to play (in the folders in the BigBangDrums

2 folder), and click Open.

Tip: You can also use the up and down arrows (S and T) to the left of the Folder

button to move between all the Kits in your content folder. These buttons will scroll up and down through Kits alphabetically in the content folder, including any custom Kits you have saved as well. This is useful when you are exploring different Kits for the first time or if you are "auditioning" Kits for a session.

Tip: You can also select Kits from the Browser. Please see the Browser section for more information.

Tip: Each instance of the plugin can have one Kit loaded at a time. If you want to use more than one Kit in a project, simply open another instance of Big Bang Universal Drums on another track in your software.

Saving a Kit

To save your own custom Kits, click the Save button (disk icon), and select Save SVX File. This will open a dialog asking you where and with what name you would like to save your Kit.

MIDI Learn

Learn

The MIDI Learn feature lets you to assign or "map" its controls to any hardware MIDI controller. To do this:

1. Click the Learn button to enter Learn Mode, which lets you to assign hardware MIDI controls to the parameters.

2. While in Learn Mode, adjust a parameter in Big Bang Universal Drums and then move a knob or slider on your hardware MIDI controller. That knob or slider will now control that parameter.

3. Click the Learn button again to exit Learn Mode.

Remove

If you want to change or clear a MIDI assignment, you will need to "remove" it. To do that, follow these steps:

1. Right-click the knob you wish to reassign or unlearn.

2. Select one of the two options:

• Remove Learn: Clears the hardware control assignment for the selected parameter only.

• Remove Learn [All]: Clears the hardware control assignments for all parameters.

You can now assign that knob to any other MIDI hardware control (described above in the Learn section).

Operation

This section describes the controls and different sections of Big Bang Universal Drums.

Adjusting the Controls

• Knobs: Change the position of a knob (e.g., Vol, Velocity, Depth, etc.) by clicking and dragging it up or down. Release it when you reach the desired position. Double-clicking the knob sets it to the 12 o'clock position. If the knob's numerical value is displayed under the knob, you can double-click the value, enter it, and press your keyboard's Enter button.

• Sliders: Change the position of a slider (e.g., Frequency, Q, Mix Page faders, EQ Page faders, etc.) by clicking and dragging it. Release it when you reach the desired position. You can also simply click anywhere along the slider's track, and the slider will "jump" to that position.

• Buttons: Enable or disable a function with an on-off light (e.g., Learn, Note Repeat, On, etc.) by clicking it.

• Fields (available in multi-output version of Big Bang Universal Drums only): Change the number in a field (e.g., Output, FX Out, etc.)

by clicking it and dragging up or down. Release it when you reach the desired value.

The exception is the Active Pad field whose number represents the most recently triggered pad.

• Drop-Down Menus: Open an available drop-down menu by clicking the button next to the field (e.g., Filter, L, R, etc.). Click an option to select it.

Menu Bar

Level Meters

The level meters in the window's upper left corner indicate the audio output volume—both left and right channels.

Adjust the audio output level with the Volume knob in the main editing window.

Settings

This window lets you configure various settings related to the application itself. Click the Settings button (gear icon) in the upper left corner of the main window to open it.

• Sample Content Directory: This is the file path for your audio samples. Click Change to set a new file path.

• Rebuild Browser Database: Click this button to rescan your Kits.

• Tooltips: Set this button to On to activate Tooltips, information boxes that appear when

you "mouse-over" (hover the cursor over) an element of Big Bang Universal Drums's interface.

• Polyphony: Set the number of voices (notes) that can be sounding simultaneously, from 4 to 128. If Big Bang Universal Drums triggers a voice beyond this limit, it will sound, but another voice (usually the one triggered first) will be muted to "make room" for the new voice within the polyphonic limit.

Click OK to save your changes and close the Settings Window, or click Cancel to close the Settings Window without saving your changes.

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