Okay so I’ve got a way to make it all work, though it is slightly fiddly still.
Thank you very much Jenoki for the screenshot, it definitely got me started!
I’ll post how I’ve done it. I’ve only just started looking at it so there may yet be a better way but here’s what I’ve got so far. (Figured I’d post this in case anyone happens to have the same problem in the future, I hate it when I google a problem, find a forum post asking about it and that then ends with ‘Oh wait never mind I figured it out’ without posting how they did it!)
So this is specific to EZ Drummer as two of its output channels are for overhead and room mics, blends of everything else on the kit as well as providing the audio for things like the cymbals, which don’t have their own individual channels in EZ Drummer internal mixer.
- Set your output number for each ‘microphone’ inside EZ Drummers internal mixer, In this example I’ve gone: (it’s the standard Rock Kit)
Out1 - kick
Out2 - snare top
Out2 - snare bottom
Out3 - hihat
Out4 - tom 1
Out5 - tom 2
Out6 - tom 3
Out7 - overheads
Out8 - room
So that’s 9 elements of the kit, just that I’ve put snare top and bottom both on output 2 (limit of 8 outs :<)
- As Jenoki’s screenshot suggests, (more outputs show up if available, don’t worry!) assign your 8 outputs to 8 different tracks in the Renoise pattern window. In this example I’ll go:
Out1 - kick: Track 1
Out2 - snare top: Track 2
Out2 - snare bottom: Track 2
Out3 - hihat: Track 3
Out4 - tom 1: Track 4
Out5 - tom 2: Track 5
Out6 - tom 3: Track 6
Out7 - overheads: Track 7
Out8 - room: Track 8
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Make your pattern.
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If you haven’t already, make sure the note information for any given element of the kit is on the appropriate track in the pattern window, so for example I only have my kick note input information on track 1, snare on track 2 etc. My multiple cymbal note events are on track 7 (overheads)
So far so good, I can solo track one and get JUST THE KICK ON IT’S OWN… kinda. I can still hear the crunch and spaciousness of the overhead and room mics. Here’s where individual editing of any element of the kit gets fiddly.
- I can actually edit track one solo and affect just output 1: the close kick, not the overhead and room mics, even though they are audible. a huge bass boost on the kick didn’t affect them so you might be happy enough with that kind of functionality. If you really do want to hear that single mic on it’s own read on…
6)Select the instrument settings tab at the bottom of the pattern window, and (in my example) untick outputs 7 and 8, voila, a dry kit! You can now solo anything except the overheads and room mics and hear it naked.
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If you want to hear just the overhead or room mics solo then just uncheck everything BUT channel 7 or 8 depending on which you want to hear. Even though there may not be any note information on channel 8, you will still notice it is taking a feed from an output if you look at the meters.
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This point has been added after getting effects on the snare seemingly add to the kick drum mic. Snare bottom has a bleed switch that simulates it bleeding on to other mics, or rattling when the kick hits. I had to switch this bleed off… not sure if you’ll be able to add too many interesting effects on this channel as it will affect whatever pattern the kick is doing. fortunately it’s not the most interesting mic in the world, and the rattle you get is likely to be the only thing you’ll need out of this mic. Maybe putting it on a different output to snare top, and just putting special FX on snare top is the answer.
The reason it’s so fiddly is that by the time you’ve got a good amount of mixing and effects going on the drums you will have had to untick and retick the outputs in many combinations loads of times! Better than nothing though!
EDIT: Damn, there still seems to be some bleed. For example, I put a delay on my snare and muted it. The delay is affecting the other channel a little too! 
[solved, check step 8]
