Emu XL-7 & MP-7 User's Group

I thought this thread made mention of Sonar/Cubase file and midi conversion stuff at one point a few days ago...thought I would chirp in on the Sonar 'CAL' files. Not too many people use them these days though some of the files are still very powerful, esp for midi drummers, drum programmers etc. One that comes to mind is the 'split notes to tracks' CAL file that takes a midi drum file (or any midi file) and splits it out to separate tracks, based on NOTE (read 'drum sound')in one operation. To get from Cubase to Sonar you could export the Cubase song as an OMF file and then import that into Sonar and run CAL. You then could create your own custom midi map and save it for future use. My Roland TD8 drum head (as do most) spits out midi as one large midi file-all channels, notes and cc's lumped together- so this was a huge help to me-esp if I wanted to replace sounds down the road and/or convert the midi to audio using audio snap or just plain have more multi track control of the drums. This doesn't solve GM (or any midi map) logic but could make midi editing work better for you. I know I had issues with how the Roland head was mapped compared to other drum key assignments and had to make some changes from time to time. I can't see why this would not also work for the EMU Command Stations...but I have not done it. If one worked only in Sonar, obviously a lot fewer steps need be taken. I loved the older Cubase programs but not sure they had that, or similar, editing feature for midi, could be I just didn't know. There's also a 'split channel to tracks' CAL file that does the obvious. In Sonar 8.5 you hit CTRL/F1 after selecting the midi track-brings up all the CAL file choices from which to select. Probably the 'run CAL file' option is in the 'process' menu for Sonar X1 but not sure. The CAL files have been part of Cakewalk/Sonar for many many incarnations-I have only used a few.






----- Original Message -----
From: D F Tweedie <bienpegaito@...>
To: xl7@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Fri, 11 Nov 2011 16:18:05 -0000 (UTC)
Subject: Re: [xl7] Re: drum kit maps

@Bruno ... your 2 cents is worth at least 'fiffy cen,' according to some 'Baby Boys,' anyway.


No argument about the grid/ pad superiority for 'live' drumming ... but it really doesn't depend on the underlying midi note message, does it not? But unless you're talented enough to play pads through a whole song, as opposed to a 4 or 8 bar 'beat,' modern DAW programming of CC messages and groove quantization gets you a whole lot farther than what you can do recording pad playing on hardware. (Of course this unqualified statement is likely to incite a typical Mac vs. PC like flame war between 'da beat makers' and 'da midi programmers!')

Anyway, the midi note key assignments could have just as easily been reassigned on a pad by pad basis, as everyone does with the Trigger Finger or Pad Kontrol, etc.


Well, there's a couple of warrants out for me and I don't like to shoot when I'm on the lam ... brings too much attention, ya know, so those synth designers that don't use GM for their drum mappings get to live a little longer.

And BTW, on the PK-7 the 003 Bread and Butter Kit is pretty much GM, so the ZR isn't the only ROM so blessed.

DF

 
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________________________________
From: Bruno <brunorc@...>
To: xl7@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, November 11, 2011 1:56 AM
Subject: Re: [xl7] Re: drum kit maps


  
2011/11/11 D F Tweedie <bienpegaito@...>
>
> Not tried in any serious vein. But with the GM standard it is so simple to sequence across drum sound sources ... who wants to have to learn 15 different midi key formats to basically do the same thing?

That's why I would welcome the GM kit in every synth.

> I'm also wondering what would be an 'intuitive' way to map a keyboard for drums. I could imagine a split at C3 with the snare hits on the right upper keys and the hat and ride on the left ... but where does the kick go?

Well, that's the whole point. I would assume though, that creators of
GM standard didn't even go that far in considering the kit design. But
I think that with some key remapping, a more intuitive way can be
achieved... playing a bit with grid/live recording of drum patterns I
found it far easier to produce interesting drum patterns, than just
sequencing them in Cakewalk.

Just my $.02

Bruno