eDRUMin version 2 Alpha

[hang12]

yes, done.

Couldn't reproduce the issue. I tested many times both with and without saving after loading the device presets.....I just looked over the code again and I see something thing could potentially cause trouble. I'll fix and post a new build, but probably not until tomorrow.

Sorry to hear that it's not working for you. I was able to reproduce it easily just now.

If you want to send me a build with flags in it, I can always load it up and report what occurs back at your tech support email. btw I found a MEC_log.text file on my desktop that looks like it's a tracking log for firmware load for audiofront. I sent it off to you at the tech support address.

[hang12]

So if there were 32 kit pieces in a map, we could have 2 pages to select from. It could look something like below. And all the images on the second page could be customizable to your liking. For the text below the image, you could also chose from a set of predefined text labels (up to 256). Would that serve your needs?
image.png

I think anything that can't fit into your current kit graphics 'page 1' would be served well with an overflow page or two (it's just for icon graphic choices, right?). I tried to make suggestions that were limited in number, in terms of more realistic kit setups (not quite Neil Peart), but if someone has 2 eDRUMin10's then there is the potential for up to 40 hardware pieces. Or Two 10's and a eDRUMin4 = 48 pieces (potential but not likely). Realistically if someone needs that many triggers, it'll be on a Octopad type grid - but I'm using like 25 individual triggers total in a kit, including triggering all the e-kicks on the TMC-6. Adding hardware is like buying more plug-ins - quite addictive. "Just one more cymbal would fit right ...there". Especially if there are no plans to tear it down to gig out.

Labelling can certainly vary widely between plug-ins, and people's tastes. 256 icon choices is probably way too many - maybe save the memory space for some other task.

Not sure you have to allow end users to do their own labelling(?) if that's a major concern. Seems like a generic scheme of 1 thru 8 or 1 thru 9 of any given category would cover overflow for toms and cymbals, where quantities of snares and HH's are much more limited, and foot pedals (i.e. e-kicks or real kicks to pads) would probably only need 4 max, squeezed by real estate limitation. Although categorical excepts abound - but even if a kit has every possible snare brush articulation mapped onto what are considered typically played snares, and there are still overflow articulations left to be mapped elsewhere - it doesn't seem necessary to re-label the extra used kit pieces to snare 3 and snare 4 for that limited purpose.

[mprinz]

Hi Dadwrshpdrum,
hi Rob,
hi buddies,

that's quite funny, since I worked on the exact same libraries.

[...]
So, I just spent some time this weekend creating SD3 drum maps for Fields of Rock both for two Tom configs and three Tom configs, Gospel EZX and the the core library etc…. With V2 I could have done the same thing within eDRUMin, and left the user presets alone in SD3.
[...]

Sorry, but I was actually thinking about those eDRUMin drum maps.
I don't know, was it a desired feature? I mean, it is actually really helpfull for all guys playing the edrums, and
don't have a DAW or sample software available that could remap MIDI notes, yes. I had to buy Plogue Bidule to perform those settings
without a DAW and EZDrummer2.

I mean, with that kit parts approach you don't have that fiddling with notes and which is for SS, which is for HIT, RS, CC ... Or - only once.
But I have to change my drum sampler library anyway, so...

So, I decided to go the SD3-MIDI-in-mapping way, like Dadwrshpdrum.
Is there any disadvantage doing this? I mean, I find like the library MIDI mapping on SD3 is not that consistent or easy to manage.
Fields of Rock / Percussion or the Rooms of Hansa with the rototoms and octobans. Even - as he said the "simple" Gospel EZX...
Not least because I want to have the note bank feature, with that I can switch between intruments without any loading times.
But I have to assign/create these intruments in SD3 before. Let's say, the 1st floor tom changes to a fat, big snare. The octobans to rototoms, sidesnare to 5th tom.

edrums.JPG (533.07 KiB) Viewed 1192 times

Besides that: The best new feature is the PDF button on the left side of the "plug in your eDRUMin".

EDIT: And of course the MIDI Monitor. The HiHat engine. The Yamaha 3-Zone fix (yeaheee) AND I really like those fancy virtual LED flashing in the USB Host Port Config, I wish there would be a kind of summarized view seeing all inputs with LEDs for the different zones and meters ... awwww, nice.

Thank you Rob! Amazing!

[hang12]

Sorry, but I was actually thinking about those eDRUMin drum maps.
I don't know, was it a desired feature?

I've thought the same. I was working with Battery 4 today, just using its MIDI learn function to re-map, and I could probably get what I need from the eDRUMin's output as is (v1.6) to work any libraries of interest. But there are still a lot of other company's libraries loaded on my computers that I still need to assess in the same manner.

My eDRUMin's maps are currently optimized for SD3 core, but Roland map based, so it's a hybrid. Inside of the Toontrack/SD3 world, between their libraries, the re-mapping tool works pretty well, and I've found it easy to move between SD3 libs.

Once outside of SD3 world, maybe it's best to trim down expectations and possibly use a more universal map to cross-over, i.e. with much less articulations, like a 'Roland' layout that bridges their hardware, and the myriad drum AU/VST's that can dial up a Roland map to start with.

My intentions would be to jump between other company's plug-ins and hardware, from SD3, more quickly than is currently possible. Maybe a SD3 map, and a more targeted Roland map, within eDRUMin are enough for 90% coverage. I think drum maps in general are worth taking a shot at, if it increases product value and saves time. If it's too hard or quirky to implement, it simply won't get used.

Yes - the other features in this v2 update are looking good too!

[monospace]

Hey so I've been happily banging away on my drums ever since version 1.6.x, no issues at all, just rock solid performance and that's all I ever wanted from my gear. So I've not been on this forum for months, because when it works, it works, right?

But I see there's a Version 2 Alpha to play with, so I bit the bullet and downloaded & installed it. (So far, so good. I did get the error on installing on my secondary device that I reported months ago, and that others are experiencing as well in this version. The second device did get updated so it's all good, but the messages are disconcerting.)

Anyway, my kit still performs the way it did with version 1.6.x and aside from clicking around a few screens I've been reluctant to use this version until I understand what it's trying to do. Here's my understanding of it, please correct me if I'm wrong.

Step 1: I have a pad. It could be any manufacturer that's currently supported, it could be any type of controller (rubber, mesh, cymbal, kick, what have you.) I plug it in.

Step 2: I tell eDrumIn what type of controller it is (mesh, rubber, etc) and tweak its settings (thresh, gain, hotspot suppression, etc.)

Step 3: I tell eDrumIn how I want to use it. I could use note numbers as in version 1.x.x (4 banks) or — I could tell it "this is my snare", or "this is my secondary crash", "this is my shekere" (also 4 banks for each.) If I go by intended usage, I can tell it what software (or hardware) I want to use it with, and it will match note numbers accordingly.

Is this basically correct? So if I were to purchase "Virtual Drums Extra Groovy v.6.0", I could just load up the map for it, tell eDrumIn my "tom3" pad is "Tom 2" in my new software, and that would be it.

[Dadwrshpdrum]

I found creating SD3 user presets super easy once I got the hang of it. It was new to me. Note EZD2 has no way to map MIDI, just selecting factory presets. So clearly eDRUMin v2 app is the best option for EZD2 only users. Creating user preset maps in SSD5.5 was also super easy. I think the benefit of the method I used was a single MIDI track recording is interchangeable between SD3’s various kits and SSD5.5. So I play the performance one time to my liking, and swap out kits and VSTs to my hearts content.

One caveat: SD3’s snare articulations are better with CC (center, mid, and edge) whereas SSD5.5 snare articulations (center and side) only use MIDI notes. Looking for suggestions on a workaround. My current workaround is my side snare pad for SSD5.5 is mapped to the side snare articulation and shallow rimshot articulation. The rimshot thing is fine, but the ghost notes on side snare pad and accents notes on the main snare is unnatural. Plus I can’t just take a MIDI track recorded with CC and use that for SSD5.5 of that kit sounds better. Maybe if eDRUMin could send MIDI notes for center, mid and edge then all would be well in the world.

Anyways, back to V2. I’m thinking about taking advantage of V2’s drum map kit pieces vs note banks because I still at times use a TD-17 slave module. I’m pretty sure using V2’s improvements to switch between SD3 map and TD-17 will be super easy. I just need some time to do this set up.

Finally, my personal set up prior to V2 (and SD3 drum mapping flexibility) was I had note bank that worked for TD-17, another one for EZD2 and SSD5.5, and then a note bank for Gospel EZX because that was just different enough from standard EZD2 and TD-17 it needed its own note bank. I have three pedal inputs between my two devices. One pedal was a VH13 and the other was a x-hat and the third was my pedal for global note bank changes (emphasis on global). Now that V2 has changed the way HH pedals work I have gained back a pedal input which is now blank (dangerous for my wallet), and once I fully implement the V2 drum map kit pieces I think my pedal input can be switched from a global note bank change to a note bank change on a pad of choice. This will be more useful for me in the long run, before I never really tried to experiment like others with the ability to switch a rim from tambourine to cowbell on the fly with a pedal, for example. This was because I was doing global note bank changes…. So I’m excited for the changes.

[Rob]

Labelling can certainly vary widely between plug-ins, and people's tastes. 256 icon choices is probably way too many - maybe save the memory space for some other task.

Here's the thing. It only takes 1 byte of information to save the choice of icon--it's very efficient!

[Rob]

Step 1: I have a pad. It could be any manufacturer that's currently supported, it could be any type of controller (rubber, mesh, cymbal, kick, what have you.) I plug it in.

Step 2: I tell eDrumIn what type of controller it is (mesh, rubber, etc) and tweak its settings (thresh, gain, hotspot suppression, etc.)

Step 3: I tell eDrumIn how I want to use it. I could use note numbers as in version 1.x.x (4 banks) or — I could tell it "this is my snare", or "this is my secondary crash", "this is my shekere" (also 4 banks for each.) If I go by intended usage, I can tell it what software (or hardware) I want to use it with, and it will match note numbers accordingly.

Is this basically correct?

That is correct. Even if you didn't make any custom maps at all, at very least you get better visual feedback about what any given input is triggering.

[Rob]

In the next build I'm increasing the number of possible kit pieces from 20 to 32, so don't go around saving a bunch of maps, because they won't work in the next build.

[Rabidreject]

I have no idea how I missed this. Very exciting, I do love playing around with new software. Always have - even if it is slightly annoying to have to factory reset and stuff. I just can’t resist something new!
Def going to give it a download and try later on - very excited about it actually.
I’m sure you have noticed me constantly requesting stuff so I’ll try not to do that with this one as I’m sure I’m v annoying for you!