In Ableton a Drum Rack holds a whole kit on one track; in FL the channel rack does. In Gridshift a track holds one sound: one sample or one instrument, then its effects and its fader. A kit is a few tracks in a group.
Why the trade
- You can swap the sound while the song plays.
⌥S replaces the one sound on the track and every clip follows, because there is no question which sound is meant. See Sample Library.
- Every sound has its own fader, effects and sends without opening a rack. The snare gets its reverb, the kick its clipper.
- Ducking and sidechain are per sound. The bass ducks under the kick track, not under a whole kit. See Ducking.
- The library knows what each track is. Suggestions, similar sounds and the assistant work on one sound at a time.
Build a drum kit
Put each hit on its own track with Insert on New Track, then select the tracks and press ⌘G to put them in a group, or run Group Tracks from the Command Palette. The group is one fader for the kit and folds away when you do not need it. See Groups.
Or play a whole loop from one track
A drum loop on a sample track is cut into slices at its hits. The letter keys play the slices, so one track is a playable kit made from the loop.
Or use a drum instrument
A drum plugin or a multi-pad instrument on an instrument track is still one instrument. The Drums keys layout plays its pads. See Play with the Keyboard.
Next: How Gridshift Thinks for clips, the edit cursor and the loop. Last modified on October 23, 2026
