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View Full Version : Drum roll, please!


rrayner
04-15-2011, 04:09 AM
On previous scores, I've used drum set setup information from my Clavinova, instead of General Midi. Obviously, that means some folks won't hear what I've written the way I hear it, if their midi doesn't support my selection.

When I check the Drum Instrument box in Staff Setup, and set the Bank to General Midi, Patch comes up as 1, Grand Piano. What is the General Midi drum set?

Specifically, I need a drum roll. Does General Midi have a drum roll? I don't like the sound that a tremolo gives on a snare -- sounds like one of those rachet toys. My Clavinova has a specific note that is a snare roll, but I can't even get drum sounds out of General Midi with Drum Instrument checked.

Ralph

dj
04-15-2011, 01:32 PM
Hi, Rayner:

As long as the staff is set to midi channel 10, it really doesn't matter whether you check Drum Instrument or not. All that does is select the "drum" note heads for Composer's notation.

You can find patch/bank .ins files on line for your Clavinova and install them into the midi device file for Composer, using Setup/Midi Device Configuration. Then you should see the proper instrument names when you call up a Bank/Patch in the Staff Setup box.

I don't have a Clavinova, but on my Yamaha DGX-500, the Drum Set bank is Bank 127 (MSB),000d (LSB) (in hexidecimal notation). Patch 1 (Grand Piano in GM) is Standard Kit. There are 3 snare rolls, 'way down at the bottom of the keyboard: D2, E2 and F2, of which F2 is the most useful (to my ears).

General Midi does not have a specific drum roll. What I have done in the past is create two, three or even four tracks and split the snare hits between them -- at low and varying velocity! Play with reverb.

Good luck.

David

rrayner
04-16-2011, 05:24 PM
Hi David,

Thanks for your response. I can't find a .ins file for my CVP-405. The Cakewalk site that's referred to in Notation Help, doesn't include this model.

I'm stumped, at this point.

Ralph

Sherry C
04-16-2011, 09:47 PM
Hi Ralph,

The next best thing if it's not at the Cakewalk site is to google it, by looking for "clavinova ins" or some other keyword combo that describes your unit. It may (or not) exist elsewhere.

ttfn,
Sherry