How can I add Note Names for my MIDI device?

[Guitar Gaz]

Have wasted yet more time on the Drum Editor - I have changed the note names in Cherry Picker for my Alesis SR-16 on my midnam file and then gone into the Drum Editor for my SR-16 and saved a kit based on the Drumset with names saved in Cherry Picker. But still all the drum names don't come up - it is maddening. Something so simple in Vision just won't work in DP. It works for my Modulo 12 kits but not for my SR-16 kits. The Drum editor for me is a waste of time and is killing the creativity if I want to use external drum sounds.

I have a Reason NNXT Drum set - and use Reason through Rewire. Is there any way this drumkit can be set up as VI like Modulo 12 with the names of the notes corresponding to the drum sounds?

[rentadrummer]

It took me a while to understand how to do this, but I finally have it working for my external TD20, as well as the Superior 2 and EZDrummer VIs I use.

In the Tracks Window, where you normally assign the output of your MIDI track, select "Create a new MIDI Device Group". Name it SR-16, or whatever you want, and make sure the output is assigned to the SR-16. I've been setting up the Device Groups in the Tracks window, but I think it's possible to do it from the Drum Editor window as well.

Go into the Drum Editor, select the MIDI track that has the SR-16 Device Group, and enter the names for the corresponding note numbers. Sort the tracks the way you want them and Save this. If I'm not mistaken it gets saved as Untitled, so you might want to rename it.

Now whenever you select the SR-16 Device Group in the Drum Editor, the names should appear as entered. If for some reason they aren't sorted correctly, you can also select the kit you saved.

I should mention that Device Groups are project specific. You can either save the project file that was used to create it as a template, and always start with this, or you can use the Load feature and import a Device Group from another project. When loading, just uncheck all the other boxes if all you want is the Device Group from the other project.

If this doesn't work, post again and we can try and figure it out.

[Guitar Gaz]

Thanks - this is very kind of you - I will try this method!

[Guitar Gaz]

This solution is pretty cool - seems to work well and I've saved the Device Group as part of a template - thanks a lot for the help!

[rentadrummer]

I'm glad it worked for you. Sometimes doing it and explaining it are two completely different things. I was hoping that I had the steps correct from memory.

[dewdman42]

I am trying to wrap my brain around this and am feeling extremely stupid. I just want to see note names for Superior2. So I get that I can create a device group that points to only one output(that output being SuperiorDrummer2, the plugin). So then how do I save all the notes names as some kind of kit or something so that in the future its a lot easier? The Toontrack site has some kind of download that looks like note names something er other for Superior2 and MOTU DP, but I downloaded it and copied their Toontrack folder into the /Library/Audio/MIDI Devices/MOTU and that did make a Toontrack device appear, but I still don't see any note names and furthermore I see no way that I can use that device and route to the plugin...

Confused here. MOTU made this too hard.

[Shooshie]

It took me a while to understand how to do this, but I finally have it working for my external TD20, as well as the Superior 2 and EZDrummer VIs I use.

In the Tracks Window, where you normally assign the output of your MIDI track, select "Create a new MIDI Device Group". Name it SR-16, or whatever you want, and make sure the output is assigned to the SR-16. I've been setting up the Device Groups in the Tracks window, but I think it's possible to do it from the Drum Editor window as well.

Go into the Drum Editor, select the MIDI track that has the SR-16 Device Group, and enter the names for the corresponding note numbers. Sort the tracks the way you want them and Save this. If I'm not mistaken it gets saved as Untitled, so you might want to rename it.

Now whenever you select the SR-16 Device Group in the Drum Editor, the names should appear as entered. If for some reason they aren't sorted correctly, you can also select the kit you saved.

I should mention that Device Groups are project specific. You can either save the project file that was used to create it as a template, and always start with this, or you can use the Load feature and import a Device Group from another project. When loading, just uncheck all the other boxes if all you want is the Device Group from the other project.

If this doesn't work, post again and we can try and figure it out.

Hey, rentadrummer... ;^) Might I lean on you to do a step-by-step with great clarity and post it in the Tips Sheet Thread? There is a format to the tips in the actual tips sheet (first page, first 3 posts) This would say something like "WORKS IN: Drum Editor" and other pertinent things to keep it in the format. Then sign it! One day, when I get around to it (been saying that for two years now), I'll combine posts like yours along with many others I've collected, into the Tips Sheet. Having it in the format will make it easy for me to do that.

Only if you feel like it.

Shooshie

[rentadrummer]

I am trying to wrap my brain around this and am feeling extremely stupid. I just want to see note names for Superior2. So I get that I can create a device group that points to only one output(that output being SuperiorDrummer2, the plugin). So then how do I save all the notes names as some kind of kit or something so that in the future its a lot easier? The Toontrack site has some kind of download that looks like note names something er other for Superior2 and MOTU DP, but I downloaded it and copied their Toontrack folder into the /Library/Audio/MIDI Devices/MOTU and that did make a Toontrack device appear, but I still don't see any note names and furthermore I see no way that I can use that device and route to the plugin...

Confused here. MOTU made this too hard.

You won't see any MIDI note names in the Drum Editor until you've recorded a track which lists the various notes you've played, and then you can enter the corresponding names in the Drum Editor window.

In the Drum Editor window there will be two columns of MIDI note numbers, one named Pitch and the other Names. If you click on the first note in the Names column, you'll hear the corresponding instrument. If you option click in the box, you can change the note number to the name of that instrument. You have to do this for each MIDI note in the list and change it to the instrument it represents. The most confusing notes will be those of the Hi Hat, which has multiple notes, but it's not that difficult to figure out. One tip is to click on the top note in the column, option click to change the note number to name it and then hit Enter. The cursor should drop to the next box, play the corresponding instrument sound and already be highlighted so you can type in the name. You can do the entire list without clicking in anything but the first box, just by hitting Enter after filling in each name.

Sort the list so the various instruments are in your preferred order, and Save this as a kit. Even so, you'll lose the names you've entered, unless you've created the Device Group first. That's why I suggested creating the Device Group, and then entering the names in the Drum Editor window. Saving it as a sorted kit is important because the notes aren't always in the correct order when recalling a Device Group. Recalling the kit will sort them. You can test this by duplicating your MIDI track. Most of the time the list is no longer sorted, but by recalling the kit name, it should resort them into the proper order.

See if this helps.

[rentadrummer]

Hey, rentadrummer... ;^) Might I lean on you to do a step-by-step with great clarity and post it in the Tips Sheet Thread? There is a format to the tips in the actual tips sheet (first page, first 3 posts) This would say something like "WORKS IN: Drum Editor" and other pertinent things to keep it in the format. Then sign it! One day, when I get around to it (been saying that for two years now), I'll combine posts like yours along with many others I've collected, into the Tips Sheet. Having it in the format will make it easy for me to do that.

Only if you feel like it.

Shooshie

I'd be happy to help out. I'd like someone to test this if possible, to make sure I explained it correctly and didn't leave out anything. If correct, then I'll rewrite it for your approval. In fact, I just rewrote some of it in the post above to see if it would make more sense. If it does, I'll combine my two posts and edit them.

[dewdman42]

actually that helped a lot.

So create a device group that points to SuperiorDrummer-1 (and if I need to use more than one instance of Superior Drummer or more than one MIDI channel than I guess I would need to create a Device Group for each one).

Then edit the names as you said, for whatever is showing. (I should probably find a way to enter all the available superior instruments up front, not sure how right now.).

The bottom empty row of the drum note list has a triangle for saving the drum kit, which by default is called "untitled kit" or something like that. Then use the edit kit dialog to rename it to something like "Superior2" or maybe "Superior2-Avatar". I guess once that is defined, then I can use that kit on ANY future device groups I have to create.

Is that drumkit definition of note names that I save, stored anywhere that I can edit it outside of DP? Is it in an XML file somewhere? There are two GM kits included with DP. I hope that definition remains global for future projects I work on.

thanks

[rentadrummer]

Originally I had included the info about using Device Groups for assigning multiple instances but deleted it because I didn't want to make it any more confusing. But you are correct and I use this for assigning either 2 instances of Superior - Superior Drummer 1-1, and Superior Drummer 2-1 - or up to 6 instances of EZDrummer.

You probably won't be able to enter the names up front because there aren't any notes available in the Drum Editor until there's a track recorded. You could just go around the kit and trigger each instrument, or however you input the notes, then go into the DrumEditor and name the notes.

Even if you save kits, when you open a new project you won't have any names showing unless you have the Device Group associated with the kit. Since the Device Group is project specific, you can either save the project with the Device Group as a template, or use the Load feature to get it from an existing project.

I have no idea if you can edit the names outside of DP, but I've never tried.

[dewdman42]

Now its confusing again.

Where are the note names saved? Are they saved in the device group, which is saved in the project file?

Because I just started a new project and yes, I had to create a new device group, but I found the name of the kit I had previously configured and saved as a drum kit, listed in addition to the two factory GM kits, but when I selected it, no note names appeared.

This implies that I have to always enter the note names into a new project, unless I start with a template that has the superior2 note names saved under a device group and saved in that project file. Thumbs down to MOTU on this.

Yes, I meant I would hit every key on the MIDI keyboard in order to create a track with all the notes so that I can name them in Superior.

But what I really wanna know is how I can do this once and never have to do it again.

[rentadrummer]

Now its confusing again.

Where are the note names saved? Are they saved in the device group, which is saved in the project file?

Because I just started a new project and yes, I had to create a new device group, but I found the name of the kit I had previously configured and saved as a drum kit, listed in addition to the two factory GM kits, but when I selected it, no note names appeared.

This implies that I have to always enter the note names into a new project, unless I start with a template that has the superior2 note names saved under a device group and saved in that project file. Thumbs down to MOTU on this.

Yes, I meant I would hit every key on the MIDI keyboard in order to create a track with all the notes so that I can name them in Superior.

But what I really wanna know is how I can do this once and never have to do it again.

Kits are always available in any project, but the names themselves get saved with the Device Group. That's why I mentioned that the Device Group, which allows naming, is project specific, but you don't have to start with a template. You can just use the Load feature under the DP File menu and load in the Device Group from another project. Just deselect everything other than Device Group, and that's all that will be loaded into your current project. I created an empty DP project, except for a MIDI track and two S2 Instrument tracks, set up as a Device Group with all the notes labled, and I use that specifically for loading into new projects.

[dewdman42]

Kits are always available in any project, but the names themselves get saved with the Device Group.

ok. What is the point of saving that kit name globally when the note names are not saved with it? I don't get it. I found it rather annoying also that when I started a new project and saw the saved global kit name, I selected it, no note names were there and if I added the note names they didn't go to that global saved kit name that has no purpose, but rather had to be saved as yet another new kit name. What is the point of having those global kit names if the note names aren't saved with them? That question is more for Motu if they are listening.

That's why I mentioned that the Device Group, which allows naming, is project specific, but you don't have to start with a template. You can just use the Load feature under the DP File menu and load in the Device Group from another project. Just deselect everything other than Device Group, and that's all that will be loaded into your current project. I created an empty DP project, except for a MIDI track and two S2 Instrument tracks, set up as a Device Group with all the notes labled, and I use that specifically for loading into new projects.

So the names are actually saved in the Device Group, but the global kit names are used to switch between alternative sets of note names for any given device group. Yes?

MOTU, you made this way too hard.

I will play around with that load feature too. Thanks

[rentadrummer]

ok. What is the point of saving that kit name globally when the note names are not saved with it? I don't get it. I found it rather annoying also that when I started a new project and saw the saved global kit name, I selected it, no note names were there and if I added the note names they didn't go to that global saved kit name that has no purpose, but rather had to be saved as yet another new kit name. What is the point of having those global kit names if the note names aren't saved with them? That question is more for Motu if they are listening.

I think that there are certain devices that use patches which assign the note names, or can be set up using Cherry Picker. I don't know anything about it other than the fact that I've seen it mentioned in a number of posts on the forum.

So the names are actually saved in the Device Group, but the global kit names are used to switch between alternative sets of note names for any given device group. Yes?

MOTU, you made this way too hard.

I will play around with that load feature too. Thanks

I think using the Load feature will make this a lot less work for you.