How to Create Drum Kits with Polyplex

This article explains how to create drum kits by layering your own sounds and randomizing parameters.

You may consult the Komplete TruTorials video Roll the Dice for a quick overview of the example setup described in this article.

Importing your own Samples into Polyplex

  1. Open the Sample Map Editor using the wave icon at the top of the Polyplex interface, or by pressing F6.
    Roll_the_Dice_1.png
  2. At the top of the Sample Map Editor is a dropdown menu listing all available Sampler Modules. Select User to begin importing your own samples without overwriting any existing sounds.
    Roll_the_dice_2.png
  3. Use the Files tab in the Reaktor 6 sidebar to navigate to your sample folder.
  4. Select a range of sounds and drag them over to the Sample Map. Dropping the samples higher within this window will create a larger zone for each sample, mapping it to multiple keys. For the purpose of this tutorial, drop the samples further down so that each sample maps to one key.
    Roll_the_dice_3.png
  5. Set each layer of SOUND 1 to User type by clicking on each existing type and selecting from the dropdown menu.
    Roll_the_dice_4.png
  6. Adjust the values under Subtype to match the range of keys to which your samples have been mapped. For instance, if you have mapped 50 samples to one key each, beginning at the leftmost edge of the Sample Map (C-2), you should set your range between 0 and 50 for each layer. This avoids an 'empty' key from being selected when parameters are randomized later.
    Roll_the_dice_5.png
  7. Repeat this process for each sound you wish to contain your own samples.

Note: It is not necessary that every layer of a sound is set to User. Your own samples can also be combined with other types to create more personal variations of the built-in sounds.

Creating Random Kit Variations

  1. Use the dice icon at the top of the Polyplex interface to instantly randomize the various parameters of your kit’s sounds. This process can be repeated until it results in a kit that you are satisfied with.
    Roll_the_dice_6.png
  2. The piano keyboard to the right of the dice icon represents seven slots, within which Kit Variations can be created and saved. Copy the randomized Kit to a new slot, using the Copy and Paste icons to the right and click the Dice icon to randomize the sounds of this new Kit Variation.
    Roll_the_dice_7.png
  3. Repeat this process until each slot has been filled with a new Kit Variation.

Cycling Between Kit Variations with MIDI

When cycling between your Kits, please consider the following:

  • By default, the eight sounds of a Polyplex Kit are triggered from middle C (C4) upwards on a standard MIDI keyboard, with each white key up to C5 assigned to a single sound. When controlling Polyplex with a Komplete Kontrol S-Series keyboard, the colors of these keys will correspond to the colors assigned to each sound in Polyplex.
  • The octave below (C3-B3, by default) is used to switch between Kit Variations. On Komplete Kontrol S-Series keyboards, this range is displayed in red.
  • To switch between kit variations on the fly, either record, play, or draw a sequence into your sequencer in the C4-C5 range, while playing notes in the C3-B3 range to switch between Kit Variations.