The Appleseed Cast — Drum Rack Plans

AppleseedCast_IlluminationRitual, World-Class Upgrade Plan

Source: /Users/drwu/Music/Ableton/User Library/Presets/Instruments/Drum Rack/AppleseedCast_IlluminationRitual.adg

Sample kit: /Users/drwu/Music/Ableton/User Library/Samples/AppleseedCast_IlluminationRitual_kit (13 WAVs, v2=False)

Live version (header): 11.0_11300

Target Live version: 11.3.30

Tooling: stock Ableton + Max for Live as the bedrock, Waves Mercury reserved for a single optional bus stage

Standing rule: never modify the source .adg, every output is a new file under ~/Desktop/Drum_Rack_Plans/plans/AppleseedCast_IlluminationRitual/

1. Source audit (extracted from the .adg)

Audit verdict:

• 5 pads — sketch-rack territory. Pros run 11-23 pads with multi-sample chains per articulation.
• No choke groups wired. Open hat will not duck when closed hat hits. Must add Choke Group 1 to closed + open hat in Phase 1.
• AreMacroControlsVisible=false — macros load collapsed. Flip to true.
• Kit folder is NOT _kit_v2 — v1 slicer 350 Hz lowpass may have killed kick attack. Re-cut with drum_stem_to_kit_v2.py and repoint via repoint_racks_to_v2.py.

2. Output deliverables

~/Desktop/Drum_Rack_Plans/plans/AppleseedCast_IlluminationRitual/

  PLAN.md                          (this file)

  AppleseedCast_IlluminationRitual_WC.adg                    (stock + M4L only, no Waves)

  AppleseedCast_IlluminationRitual_WC_Waves.adg              (adds one Waves bus plug as the optional finisher)

  AppleseedCast_IlluminationRitual_WC.adg.variations         (4 scene snapshots: clean / smashed / dark / wide)

  RACK_NOTES.md                    (final pad map, macro map, chain list, version-fit log)

  audit/

    source_inspection.md           (extracted .adg metadata + audit verdict from §1)

    version_fit_log.txt            (pre and post run of ableton-version-fitter)

    cpu_budget.md                  (per-pad + bus CPU estimate, see §11)

    source_vs_kit_fingerprint.md   (centroid + bandwidth + peak compare per articulation)

  reference/

    a_b_clips.als                  (3 demo MIDI clips: simple groove, signature groove, stress test)

    fingerprint_target.md          (the AppleseedCast style fingerprint we're building toward)

Two .adg ship. The Waves version is optional and exists only because the user asked for the Mercury door to stay open at a single light touchpoint.

3. Design constraints (per user)

• World-class character must come from stock Ableton + Max for Live first.
• Waves Mercury is allowed at one insertion point only, on the rack master bus, light settings, never per pad.
• Total rack CPU under 8% on the M2/M3 Mac at 48 kHz / 128 sample buffer (see §11 budget).
• Live 11.3.30 native after save (gate via ableton-version-fitter).
• Source .adg preserved untouched, all output goes to this rack's project folder.
• Pad map: white keys from C1 (Kick=C1, Snare=D1, Ghost=E1, ClosedHat=F1, OpenHat=G1) — Brandon's standing rule, lines up A/S/D/F/G QWERTY for finger drumming.
• Identity macro: Haze — long convolution tail + high-cut on the verb — post-rock veil. This is the per-rack character knob that distinguishes AppleseedCast_IlluminationRitual from every other rack in the catalog.

4. Pad map (final)

White keys from C1 stay so finger-drumming on A/S/D/F/G works. Extra pads (toms, perc, crash, ride) extend up into C2+ space.

Current rack contents:

Target after Phase 1:

Choke groups (must add): F1 closed hat + G1 open hat in Choke Group 1. Crash + ride free.

5. Phase 1, Foundation

• Run ableton-version-fitter on the source .adg. Capture verdict in audit/version_fit_log.txt.
• If kit is not _kit_v2, re-cut via ~/.claude/skills/ableton-rack-builder/tools/drum_stem_to_kit_v2.py (no 350 Hz lowpass, sticky-threshold classifier, peak-normalize to 0.85).
• Run ~/.claude/skills/ableton-rack-builder/tools/repoint_racks_to_v2.py to point this rack at the new _kit_v2 folder.
• Run ~/.claude/skills/ableton-rack-builder/tools/bulk_fix_existing_racks.py --only AppleseedCast_IlluminationRitual to apply: ReceivingNote = 128 − MIDI, SampleStart=0, SampleEnd=file-len, choke group 1 on hats, AreMacroControlsVisible=true.
• Open the rack in Live 11.3.30, verify:
• C1 triggers kick (proves RN math correct).
• F1 + G1 share Choke Group 1.
• All 5 white-key articulations present.
• Re-save as AppleseedCast_IlluminationRitual_WC.adg in this folder.
• Run ~/.claude/skills/ableton-rack-builder/tools/audit_drum_rack_vs_stem.py against the source stem. Tolerance gates:
• Kick |Δ centroid| < 500 Hz (target: 800 Hz)
• Snare |Δ centroid| < 1500 Hz
• Hat |Δ centroid| < 1500 Hz (target: 4200 Hz)
• All peaks 0.50-0.95
• Capture the report at audit/source_vs_kit_fingerprint.md.

This phase is non-creative. It locks the file format, the topology, and the source-fidelity before any tone work.

6. Phase 2, Per-pad treatment (stock + M4L, never Waves here)

Chain template per pad, kept lean to protect CPU:

[Sampler] → [Drum Buss] → [EQ Eight, 4 bands max] → [Utility]

Drum Buss does the heavy lifting (transient, drive, low-end boom, compression in one device for very little CPU). Stock saturation is reserved for pads that need a second-stage character push.

6a. Kick (C1)

• Sampler: pitch fine-tune ±2 semis from source root, Vol envelope decay tied to M1 Punch macro.
• Drum Buss: Drive Light at 18%, Crunch off, Boom on (180 ms Boom Decay, Boom Vol +1.5 dB at the kick fundamental).
• EQ Eight: HPF at 28 Hz (24 dB), -2 dB shelf cut at 280 Hz (mud), +1.5 dB bell at 800 Hz (Q 0.6 — target AppleseedCast kick body), high shelf untouched.
• Utility: +1 dB output, mono fold below 120 Hz.

6b. Snare (D1) and Snare ghost (E1)

• Sampler: velocity-to-filter cutoff (low vel = duller), round-robin between 2 samples when v2 kit has RR2/RR3.
• Drum Buss: Drive Medium at 28%, Crunch on at 25%, Transients +3.
• EQ Eight: HPF 90 Hz, -3 dB notch at 800 Hz (boxiness), +2 dB at 4 kHz (crack), +1 dB shelf at 10 kHz (air).
• Utility: ghost chain at -8 dB, main snare 0 dB.
• M4L Convolution Reverb (M4L Essentials) sidechain-fed for cavern bloom flavour. 180 ms Boom Decay, Send C at -8 dB on snare + toms.
• Return D opens on 25% snare hits > 90 vel.

6c. Closed hat (F1) / Open hat (G1)

• Sampler: filter LFO on Sample, LFO 2 routed to pan ±15% on closed hat for stereo life.
• Drum Buss: Drive Soft at 10%, Crunch off (hats hate Crunch).
• EQ Eight: HPF 200 Hz, -2 dB at 1 kHz (cardboard), +2 dB at 8 kHz, +1 dB at 4200 Hz (target AppleseedCast hat brightness).
• Choke group 1 on both so open hat cuts when closed hits.

6d. Optional toms (A1, B1, C2 — only if present in source)

• Sampler: per-tom pitch tuned to chord root of A minor / D minor (user-overridable via M13 Tune macro).
• Drum Buss: Drive Medium 22%, Boom on, Boom Decay 180 ms.
• EQ Eight: HPF 50 Hz, +2 dB at the fundamental, -2 dB at 350 Hz, +1 dB at 5 kHz for stick.

6e. Optional crash, ride (C#2, D2)

• Sampler only, very light EQ Eight (HPF 150 Hz, -1 dB at 2 kHz).
• No Drum Buss (cymbals lose air under transient shapers).
• Route hot to Send C (room verb) by default at -18 dB.

7. Phase 3, Sub-bus routing inside the rack

Drum Racks expose four Return Chains (A/B/C/D). We use all four.

Sends per pad set in §6.

8. Phase 4, Max for Live device list

Timing/feel device per profile: MIDI delay of 8-12 ms on snare via Utility delay or M4L MIDI Pipeline — back-of-beat feel.

Build calls (if needed):

/m4l-builder Drum Buss Sidechain ducker (kick-triggered, 6 dB, 80 ms release)

/m4l-builder Snapshot Recall (4 scenes, single macro 0-127 maps to scene 1-4)

9. Phase 5, Master chain on the drum rack output

[Drum Buss, very light] → [EQ Eight, tilt + air] → [Glue Compressor] → [Utility]

Settings:

• Drum Buss: Drive Soft 12%, Crunch off, Transients +2.
• EQ Eight: low shelf +0.5 dB at 80 Hz, high shelf +1 dB at 12 kHz, slight -0.5 dB at 400 Hz.
• Glue: Master Glue 0.5 dB GR, ratio 2, attack 30 ms, release 0.3 s.
• Utility: -1 dB headroom for the optional Waves stage that follows.

10. Phase 6, Optional Waves Mercury finisher (single instance, bus only)

One plug at the very end of the master chain. Recommended for AppleseedCast_IlluminationRitual: Kramer Master Tape (matches the AppleseedCast mix-pressure profile).

The Waves rack saves as AppleseedCast_IlluminationRitual_WC_Waves.adg. The stock-only rack saves as AppleseedCast_IlluminationRitual_WC.adg. Both ship.

This honours the rule: never per pad, never a heavy chain, one instance, one purpose.

11. CPU budget (target under 8% on M2/M3 @ 48 kHz / 128 buffer)

If budget breaks, first cut: Return D dark room (saves 0.6), then Drum Buss on cymbal pads (saves 0.3).

12. Phase 7, Macro re-map (16 macros that actually do work)

Outer rack macros are rebuilt around performance utility, not pad-by-pad knobs.

Macros 9 through 16 get default colours, macros 1 through 8 get the accent colours from Brandon's Rush Era rigs (Punch=red, Weight=orange, Crack=yellow, Body=amber, Air=cyan, Glue=blue, Room=purple, Haze=magenta to signal the identity slot).

13. Phase 8, Verify + save

• Re-run ableton-version-fitter on the saved AppleseedCast_IlluminationRitual_WC.adg and confirm Live 11.3.30 native verdict.
• Re-run audit_drum_rack_vs_stem.py and confirm |Δ centroid| under tolerance per §5 step 7.
• Generate the three demo MIDI clips at reference/a_b_clips.als:
• Simple groove: kick on 1+3, snare on 2+4, closed hat 16ths, 4 bars.
• Signature groove: per-song character (see profile bullets below).
• Stress test: 32nd ghost-note rolls + open-hat sustain + crash hits — proves choke group + Return D probability + velocity range.
• Confirm all four scenes recall correctly via M11.
• Confirm choke groups behave on rapid hat patterns.
• Confirm CPU stays under 8% across all three clips.
• Run "File → Collect All and Save" on a temp project that loads this rack — verify zero missing media, zip it, open elsewhere.
• Save final .adg files to ~/Desktop/Drum_Rack_Plans/plans/AppleseedCast_IlluminationRitual/, write RACK_NOTES.md.
• Copy the two final .adg files to ~/Music/Ableton/User Library/Presets/Instruments/Drum Rack/ (overwriting the current AppleseedCast_IlluminationRitual.adg only after user confirms A/B verdict).

14. Skills + scripts to invoke

15. Order of execution (one-page summary)

• Pre-flight ableton-version-fitter → verdict in audit/version_fit_log.txt.
• Re-cut kit with v2 slicer.
• Repoint .adg to v2 kit folder.
• Run bulk_fix_existing_racks.py → RN math + choke + macros visible.
• Run audit_drum_rack_vs_stem.py → confirm |Δ centroid| < tolerance.
• Apply per-pad chains (§6).
• Build the four return chains (§7).
• Install or build M4L devices (§8).
• Build master chain (§9).
• Save stock-only AppleseedCast_IlluminationRitual_WC.adg.
• Add one Waves plug (Kramer Master Tape), save AppleseedCast_IlluminationRitual_WC_Waves.adg.
• Re-map outer macros (§12) — bind the identity macro M8 to Haze.
• Capture four scene snapshots into .variations.
• Generate 3 demo MIDI clips into reference/a_b_clips.als.
• Run version-fitter post-save (§13).
• A/B vs source, Collect-All-Save test, copy to User Library on user OK.

16. Open decisions (need user confirmation before Phase 2 begins)

• Default tuning key for toms: proposed A minor / D minor, user-overridable.
• Sample sources: keep current kit at /Users/drwu/Music/Ableton/User Library/Samples/AppleseedCast_IlluminationRitual_kit or replace specific pads from the Moises catalog (66 racks at ~/Music/Ableton/User Library/Presets/Instruments/Drum Rack/Moises/).
• Waves plug choice: Kramer Master Tape (recommended), alternates: Kramer Master Tape, API 2500, L1.
• Pad expansion: current rack has 5 pads. Expand toward AppleseedCast-flavoured 11-pad standard (add toms + crash + ride from source stem)? Or keep as 5-pad sketch?
• Scene 4 (wide) flavour: how wide is wide for AppleseedCast? Default to Utility +20% width on perc/cymbal pads + Return C send +6 dB.

Answers wire directly into Phase 1 step 2.

Per-song style fingerprint (AppleseedCast)

Per-song notes:

• Mare Vitalis / Illumination Ritual / Sagarmatha era — post-rock, long verb, washy.
• Return C convolution at -8 dB on snare (much hotter than usual).
• Open-hat-only patterns are common — closed hat is mostly silent on these racks.

Generated 2026-05-16 from ~/Desktop/Drum_Rack_Plans/inventory/manifest.json + style_profiles.py. Mirrors the Model Drum WC PLAN.md 16-section template. Re-run ~/Desktop/Drum_Rack_Plans/scripts/generate_plans.py after any catalog change.