I'm now on a PC, I used to use Logic to do this and it is easy. I am looking to trigger the kick, snare, and toms separately. Ableton does this but with a whole drum recording. Does anyone know a VST or M4L device that can help me do that?

 

Are you thinking of separating an audio drum loop into stems here?

There are applications that claim that they can do this, although I've not used one for this amount of control, I've only experience with separating things like vocals, which seems like an easy thing to do now.

This software can do this sort of thing in theory

https://rebeatapp.com/#:~:text=Unlike generic stem separation tools,toms, ride, and crash.

Best of luck with it

 

I use samplab a lot. But here is a good list of them for you

https://www.audiocipher.com/post/audio-to-midi#viewer-umkjr356106

 

You have not included enough detail about the workflow to actually answer this question with the best solution for you. The same thing as @Nefarai is asking in reply above, basically.

You say this was easy to do in Logic, but the way the original post reads, I'm not sure what feature you are talking about using in Logic. And Logic is my main DAW.

If you tell me which Logic feature or more about that workflow, I can very likely figure out a way to replicate it via other plugins and ones you can probably find on sister site. Drum Machine Designer or Flex Pitch conversion to midi data, etc.

 

Samplab is good, but sucks on drum loops, I got better luck with toontrack´s audio tracker. I have heard really good things about this rebeat, but I haven´t got opportunity to try it

 

I was asking about the Logic workflow, because the original post makes it sounds like he wants some kind of realtime way to separate an audio source which is being monitored or recorded into the DAW, and. then have it being converted to individual midi hits, which then trigger whatever drum machine.

So your problem would be a decent amount of latency and no real way to use a processors lookahead or latency compensation. Logic's latency compensation works great generally. I almost never use the nudge options.

If this is just a question about stem separation, followed up by conversion to midi hit data in Logic; that would be simple like he stated the feature in Logic was. You would enable Flex in that track in Logic's audio track editor, switch it to Flex Pitch instead of Flex Time; and then do Create new Midi track from Flex Pitch Data. Takes about 6 mouse clicks in total.

Since it is for drums, you'd still want polyphonic detection; so maybe Toontracks option would be ok; but then you would just load that plugin in the other DAW (in this case Ableton).

If you need to realtime separate an audio track into individual audio tracks in realtime, Acon Remix Drums is good. Or Fuse Audio Labs DrumsSSX. I've never done a shootout between the two. DrumsSSX is the older of the two, and seems more frequency-based separation like any Multiband processor; while Acon Remix Drums is supposedly AI based. Of course, Acon also have their Digital Remix plugin, which is realtime and supposedly AI based separation for the rest of the track like you see in RX or RipX. They are not focused on creating stems of individual drums as a second later process. There is also Zynaptiq Unmix Drums, which I have not used much yet.

Then you could probably use something like XLN Addictive Trigger, Slate Trigger, or Apulsoft Aptrigga to retrigger something else.

The only one of these options which is Logic specific is using Flex Pitch to midi conversion, which is extremely easy. If that's what he needed, you could probably just use Melodyne or Recycle.

The rest would be no different if you were using them in Ableton.

 

The feature in Logic is Replace or Double Drum Track (ˆD). I just need to convert the kick, snare, and toms to MIDI after recording real, multi-mic'd drums; I don't need real-time triggering. I’ve already sampled the same kit I used for the performance and built a custom instrument in Ableton's Sampler which I will use for the doubling. Addictive trigger seems good but after reading the comments in the sister site, it sounds like I need to install Addictive Drums for it to work... and a bunch of stuff I can't really deal with at the moment; being careful not to break my PC...

 

Last edited: Jun 4, 2025 at 5:54 PM

Yeah, a very nice DAW feature. I use UVI Drum Replacer normally in that situation, mostly because I already paid for it. lol. It might be a 1 plugin option for you to do this. It's actually better at doubling hits than it is actually replacing stuff, in my opinion. Also available on Sister Site for PC from R2R. Sometimes I like SPL DrumXchanger from PA. I'm not sure if there is a sister site option because it is generally part of a bundle.


We just got a wonderful new rule about using Spoiler Tags for AI responses. But since you started your thread over a day ago, and it kicks this Ableton workaround for Logic's ^D Replace or Double Drum Track drum out in 10 seconds:

Spoiler

️ Ableton Equivalent Features:
✅ 1. Convert Drums to MIDI (Similar to Replace)

• How to do it:
  1. Right-click on an audio drum loop or clip.
     
     
  2. Choose "Convert Drums to New MIDI Track".
     
     
  3. Ableton uses its transient detection and Drum Rack to output MIDI that triggers similar-sounding samples.
• Result: This is similar to "Replace" in Logic. You can then swap the Drum Rack samples with your own.

✅ 2. Layer the Converted MIDI (Similar to Double)

• After step 1:
  • Keep the original audio.
    
    
  • Use the MIDI track as a layer (for punch or reinforcement).
    
    
  • Optionally adjust timing, velocity, and samples to blend naturally.

✅ 3. Manual transient detection + External Plugin Option
If you're working with acoustic drums:

• Use Slice to New MIDI Track for precision control.
  
  
• OR use third-party tools like:
  • Slate Trigger 2
    
    
  • Drumagog
    
    
  • Superior Drummer 3 (with Audio to MIDI conversion)
    
    
  • MIDI Extraction Tools like Melodyne

Bonus: Using Drum Racks and Groups

• Ableton's Drum Rack makes it easy to:
  • Layer multiple drum samples per pad.
    
    
  • Route and process layers individually.
    
    
  • Apply velocity-based triggering for realism.

Recycle was actually just put out as a new version which is 64bit for free. I'd grab it no matter what, actually. It will slice a drum break and generate a Midi playback of the slices like you would with Drum Machine Designer in Logic. It was a staple program. in hip-hop, drum n bass, breaks electronic music for years. Legit copy for free, so your timing is good

https://www.reasonstudios.com/recycle


You could easily frequency separate (or use Acon Remix Drums) the toms with just EQ and run them as a separate copy. I guess the thing I would be trying to avoid are layered hits, because in most transient detection based options, they may show up as one event. You'd just have to copy those notes up in the piano roll so your other drum was also getting triggered.

 

Last edited: Jun 4, 2025 at 11:12 PM