Can someone help me get this simple shaker kit working?

[mbira]

I’m sorry, but I am having such a hard time wrapping my head around how this works in Dorico.

I have a midi track in Cubase. There are two different notes in the track: C2 and C#2. Each note triggers a different shaker sound (Left hand and right hand).

I am trying to figure out how to export that midi track and bring it in to Dorico as a two line unpitched percussion (kit?).

Once I have that part worked out, then (a lower priority) will be to get so those two notes are playing as the correct sounds within Dorico.

I find the percussion kit video on youtube totally confusing for some reason.

[mbira]

So far I have created an empty player and created a new kit. What I don’t yet know how to do is import the midi so that it will be read by that player.

[dspreadbury]

You can’t import MIDI directly into an existing player, I’m afraid: you should make sure you have your MIDI tracks in Cubase set to channel 10, then export your MIDI file and import it into Dorico. You should find that Dorico will create an appropriate drum kit, with your notes on two of the instruments of the kit. You can then extract those instruments from the kit by going to the Edit Percussion Kit dialog, selecting the two instruments that have your notes, and removing them from the kit. You can then change them or rename them as needed.

[mbira]

@Daniel at Steinberg

You can’t import MIDI directly into an existing player, I’m afraid: you should make sure you have your MIDI tracks in Cubase set to channel 10, then export your MIDI file and import it into Dorico. You should find that Dorico will create an appropriate drum kit, with your notes on two of the instruments of the kit. You can then extract those instruments from the kit by going to the Edit Percussion Kit dialog, selecting the two instruments that have your notes, and removing them from the kit. You can then change them or rename them as needed.

Thanks Daniel.

To be clear, what I’m currently doing is exporting several midi tracks as MusicXML. One of them is this percussion track. Then I import the MusicXML in to Dorico. Will you above tip work in this case? Thank you!

[dspreadbury]

If you’re using MusicXML, then hopefully it should work OK, but I’ve never tried exporting a MusicXML file using percussion instruments from Cubase, so I’m not sure exactly what that will do.

[mbira]

This just does not seem to work, and I don’t know if it’s user error or what.

I have a midi track in Cubase with 16th notes alternating between C3 and C#3.

I set the midi track to be on channel 10 per your recommendation. I have tried the export in a few different ways with different (but all incorrect) results:

1. Opening the score editor in cubase I then changed the clef to be the “drum” clef. I then exported as MusicXML. I imported in to Dorico. This created a new player and did indeed assign a percussion kit to the player. The notes show up, but they are all assigned to a single note and single instrument.

2. I then tried to export a midi file (not MusicXML)-still on channel 10. When I import that in to dorico, I get just a blank measure-again with a drum clef.

3. I then tried to import as a midi file on channel 1, and the notes now import, but I’m back to it just being a regular treble clef staff with C and C# notes.

I appreciate all the help here, and again-I’m sure it’s just user error. Any help on being able to get this to work would be really appreciated.

[dspreadbury]

I don’t have access to Cubase myself right here, right now, but we’ll look into this and I’ll come back to you. If you can send me the MIDI and MusicXML files you’re working with (to the same email address as in the other thread) I can take a look at them, at least.

[mbira]

@Daniel at Steinberg

I don’t have access to Cubase myself right here, right now, but we’ll look into this and I’ll come back to you. If you can send me the MIDI and MusicXML files you’re working with (to the same email address as in the other thread) I can take a look at them, at least.

Thanks so much Daniel. I also made a video showing the different ways that I tried to do the import. Maybe someone here will see what I’m doing wrong more easily by watching the video:
https://youtu.be/nLof0ktlvH0

I will email the MIDI and XML files that I used in the video.

[mbira]

Any luck with this?

[dspreadbury]

Sorry, I’ve been very busy and my inbox is a swamp. I’ll try to get back to you in the next day or two. Apologies for the delay.

[mbira]

@Daniel at Steinberg

Sorry, I’ve been very busy and my inbox is a swamp. I’ll try to get back to you in the next day or two. Apologies for the delay.

No apology needed, Daniel. I know you are very busy with many things! Thank you for all that you do! Although the video I made is longer than I’d like, hopefully it’ll more easily show the issue.