Getting Started With Handy Drums in Pro Tools

Table of Contents

Loading Handy Drums Inside Pro Tools
- Step 1
- Step 2
Playing a Drum Loop Through Handy Drums
- Option 1
- Option 2
Set The MIDI Track Channel
Enabling Plugin Multiple Outputs Inside Pro Tools

To use Handy Drums software in Pro Tools, you must install an AAX plugin format for Handy Drums on your computer (Pro Tools does not support VST or AU plugins). Here is how.

Before using the software, you must authorize it by entering the serial number (license key) you received with your purchase. Here is how to authorize Handy Drums. Alternatively, you can use Handy Drums in free trial mode.

Loading Handy Drums Inside Pro Tools #

In Pro Tools, virtual instruments are loaded into “Instrument Tracks.”

Step 1 #

To load a virtual instrument into an Instrument Track, under the main menu, select Track > New and then make the following selections:

Under the channel configuration menu, select “Stereo” (for this example).

Under the track type menu, select “Instrument Track,” leave the other two fields as default, or give the track a name such as “drums.”

Step 2 #

Load a Handy Drums virtual instrument into the newly-created Instrument Track’s “insert” slot.

! The insert slots may be hidden by default, and to make them visible, go to the main menu:

View > Edit Window Views> inserts A-E.

A column of available inserts will appear in the Instrument Track, and the Handy Drums GUI should open automatically.

You can also always open it by clicking on the insert where it is plugged in.

Audition the plugin sounds to ensure everything is installed and connected correctly.

Playing a Drum Loop Through Handy Drums #

To play a drum groove through the Handy Drums plugins, drop an existing MIDI drum loop onto an Instrument track with the Handy Drums instrument loaded as described previously or create a loop from scratch right on your Instrument track.

To import an existing midi loop into Pro Tools, we will explore two ways to do it.

Option 1 #

Find the loop you want to import using your folder browser (or finder if on Mac). Drag the desired loop directly onto your instrument track and into a desired position on the timeline.

Option 2 #

Select File > Import > MIDI from the main menu, browse to your desired loop, and click import.

A pop-up window will appear, asking you to choose a few options.

For destination, you can either select Instrument Track or Midi Track.

The difference is that the Instrument Track must have a virtual instrument directly loaded into it (as demonstrated earlier).

In contrast, the MIDI track must be connected to an existing instrument track. This second choice can be helpful if you want several different midi beats playing the same drum kit.

We will leave the other options unchecked, but they can be helpful depending on the use case.

Whichever option you choose, you will also be able to drag your newly imported MIDI information onto your previously created Handy Drums Instrument Track.

Previewing MIDI loops before import: At the time of this tutorial’s writing, it is impossible to audition MIDI loops directly inside Pro Tools before importing them. Starting with v2.0, Handy Drums will have this functionality built directly into them.

Set The MIDI Track Channel #

To set the MIDI track channel in Pro Tools, do the following:

1 – We need to pull the “Instrument options” into view as they are hidden by default. Since we are working in the Edit window for now, click View > Edit Window Views > Instrument.

2 – A new section called “Instrument” should now become visible on our track, where you can select the desired MIDI output channel by clicking on the lower button (midi output selector) and navigating to channel 10.

Enabling Plugin Multiple Outputs Inside Pro Tools #

To set up Handy Drums with multiple outputs, we must create additional Instrument Tracks and manually route their inputs to accept Handy Drums outputs.