Unit 1 · Lesson 7 of 9

Drummer: Logic's Session Player

Let a virtual drummer play for you, then shape the performance and decide when to use it.

Warm-up 5 minLearn 12 minTry it in Logic 30 minCheck + exit 10 min

Learning targets

I can add a Drummer track and choose a genre and drummer.
I can shape a Drummer performance with the Loud/Soft and Simple/Complex pad, fills, and swing.
I can decide when Drummer is a better choice than programming a beat myself.

Warm-up: producer or drummer?

Some producers program every hit themselves. Others hire a session drummer to play the part. Write one reason for each choice.

Session Player: A virtual musician in Logic that plays a part for you and follows your settings. Logic's Session Players include a Drummer.

Drummer: Logic's virtual drummer. You pick a genre and a drummer character, and it plays a realistic, human-sounding part.

Drummer region: The yellow region a Drummer track creates. It holds the performance settings, not individual notes.

Fill: A short burst of extra drum hits at the end of a section that leads into the next one, often in the last bar.

You control Drummer with the Drummer Editor:

Control	What it does
XY pad	Drag the puck left or right for Simple ↔ Complex, and up or down for Loud ↔ Soft.
Fills knob	Sets how many and how busy the fills are.
Swing knob	Adds swing to the performance, the same idea as Lesson 6.
Kit piece buttons	Turn parts of the kit (like percussion or cymbals) on or off, and pick simpler or busier patterns for each one.

Add a Drummer

Press Option⌘N. Choose Session Player, set the player to Drummer, and pick a genre that matches the genre you chose in Lesson 6. Click Create. (In some versions of Logic this option is labeled Drummer.)
A Drummer track appears with yellow Drummer regions. Double-click a region to open the Drummer Editor at the bottom of the window.
Press Y and try several different drummers in the Library. Each one has a different style.

Shape the performance

Set Cycle over 4 bars and press play.
Drag the puck on the XY pad to each corner and listen. Find a spot that fits your genre.
Turn the Fills knob all the way down, then up. Notice where the fills happen.
Try the Swing knob.
Use the kit piece buttons to turn off any parts you don't want.
Optional: Control-click the Drummer region and choose Convert › Convert to MIDI Region. Now you can open it in the Piano Roll and edit single hits. After you convert, the Drummer Editor no longer controls that region, so try this on a copy (Option-drag).

Practice

Compare the beat you programmed in Lesson 6 with your Drummer version. Solo each one (the S button) and listen.

Quick check: You want the Drummer to play fewer hits and more quietly. Where do you drag the XY puck?

Exit ticket

Will you use Drummer, programming, or both in your final beat? Give one reason.