Drum Map Edit Issue


I added some sounds to my basic drum kit and when into the Drum Map editor to do the updates. I select the key number and edit the name.

After completing the name (hitting ‘enter’), the window only shows the lowest octaves and no more notes.

I have to close the editor and open it again to edit anything else.
The edit can be rearranging the notes as well… I’m guessing any edit will do this.
Any ideas?

Hi,

Did you try to scroll up?

I scrolled both ways and I only get C-2 to A0.
Also… why do the notes appear from low to high? I mean as a default. I move the ones I use to where I want them, but the list has low note at the top and highs at the bottom… seems backwards to me.

Hi,

This is, how are the Notes displayed in the Drum Editor (it was like this since ever).

It’s also a pet peeve of mine.

But I’ve been around long enough to remember that it’s a long standing tradition that the drum sequencers and drum machines start with the kick on the first line and then work their way down. And of course that’s the opposite direction of how a typical MIDI piano roll gets displayed, assuming a MIDI GM derived drum mapping.

And changing the display for drums would break a lot of mental backwards compatibility. I’ve rearranged some of my plugins to list the kick at the bottom and the go upward. But that’s now making things inconsistent between my presets and every factory preset. So it’s just one of those historical imperfections in life. Much like spelling in the English language. That doesn’t make much sense either :rofl:

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I’m certainly not complaining about it. Just wondered why.
I developed a drum layout before General Midi. It was for my Oberheim DX machine. Surprisingly, quite a few of my assignments matched the GM version. But the Kick was always on the bottom.
However, if it was such an established standard, why does Cubase have a ‘Reverse Drum Sound List’ option??!!??!!


Somebody wasn’t too thrilled with it!!!

I’m not trying to defend the Kick on top metaphor. As I mentioned in my prior post, I totally agree with you that it’s also a pet peeve of mine.

I was merely trying to explain how this inconsistency might have come about historically, and why it may not easily disappear.

The main reason, I can come up with, that drum instruments were originally considered a list, rather than a piano roll?

And in a list, left to right typically gets represented top to bottom. e.g.
written horizontally:
A,B,C
becomes written vertically
A
B
C

And that’s inconsistent with the concept of turning a sheet of paper with a horizontal list sideways. And/or thinking of a piano roll as roughly analogous to an X/Y axis graph with pitch (frequency being on the Y axis, and time on the X axis).


All that being said, having the option to reverse it, is the perfectly user friendly thing to do. And I would also like it, if the drum map editor would have it. And that’s only one of the limitations of the drum map editor. But I’m not holding my breath for improvements anytime soon.

As a result, another user has even made and shared their own drum map editor - which I should try one of these days:

That would be on my wish list!

I guess I did too much on my own before I started seeing where industry standards we going. But I don’t spend too much time editing drum maps… my original inquiry here was the main issue.

Martin,
We got way off the original topic with this.
Every time I make an edit to a drum map, the editor stops displaying most of the entries and I have to close it and reopen it to continue editing.
As originally stated, I don’t use the drum map editor very much, but when I do, it’s really slow going.
See the original post.

I tried to recreate this issue but to no avail. I also have no idea why this would happen. So the only thing that comes to my mind is to start Cubase with disabled preferences (Ctrl + Alt + Shift).

I have a couple odd behaviors with my main PC. Nobody seems to be able duplicate them. They can be annoying, but are not show stoppers.
Thanks for having a look, John.