Hi all,
Does anyone know how to paste notes from a pitched instrument into, for example, drumset? At the moment if I try to copy and paste into a drumset, nothing happens, presumably because the notes are pitches and the drumset is unpitched.
I’m afraid pasting from a pitched to an unpitched instrument and vice versa is indeed not supported currently. I am certain we will allow that in future, but it’s not quite so straightforward, as notes in unpitched instruments don’t really contain sensible pitch information. You also probably don’t want to end up with a ‘chord’ on an individual unpitched instrument, etc.
Ah okay, that’s too bad. I’m attempting to convert some drum notation in an old software that just uses pitches in bass clef for drums into Dorico, but it looks like I may have to do some find-and-replace scripting with XML files.
There may be a few simple things you could change to make it import as unpitched. Would you be able to change the clef to a percussion clef before exporting it from your old software? Could you change the name of the instrument in question to be unambigiously unpitched, like ‘Drum Set’ maybe? Depending on which software you are exporting from, that may also miss some metadata we are using to determine whether an instrument is pitched or unpitched.
If you want a few more pointers, would you be able to attach a brief excerpt of the xml file?
Hi Stefan, thanks for your help!
Unfortunately the old software in question insists on exporting drum notation as pitched notes using the General MIDI map for percussion…don’t ask.
I’ve tried changing the part name to ‘Drums’ in the XML, which causes Dorico to import it as un-pitched, but keeps the original display pitches (possibly since the XML generated by the old program doesn’t specify an instrument for each pitch?).
Anyway, I’m starting to think it may be practical to just write a little python script to edit the XML directly and replace the General MIDI pitched notes with un-pitched notes with the appropriate treble clef display pitch.
I keep thinking that since Dorico Drum Sets will accept MIDI-note-number input from a keyboard, there must be (somewhere down the line) an opportunity to import GM Drum codes into Dorico.
There is, quoted from the Dorico release notes:
On the General page of Preferences you will find options relating to note input for
percussion, with one set of options for input onto five-line staves, and another for
input onto grids and individual instruments. The main choice affects both input via
MIDI and computer keyboard:
Use percussion map: a percussion map defines which MIDI notes produce
which sound for a particular patch in a sound library. For example, in General
MIDI percussion, C2 (note 36) produces bass drum, and D2 (note 38)
produces snare drum, and so on. If you know a particular mapping well, then
you may find it helpful to use the mapping directly for input.
So the OP should examine the Latest Version History, starting on page 26, to assess the possibilities.
That’s about inputting notes using the General MIDI map, not importing an XML with pitched notes at those pitches.
To be clear: if I were trying to import a typical pattern of hihat with kick and snare, the XML would contain the pitched notes Gb2, C2 and D2 which, if imported into Dorico, attempt to appear on the drumset staff as if it were bass clef, which results in the hihat showing on the bottom line, and no other notes showing, since they’re beyond the range.
Since it’s a drumset staff, it cannot be selected and filtered by pitch, so the remaining option is to import it as a pitched instrument and copy to to a drumset staff…which brings us back to my original question.
What would happen if you exported the drum part from your original program as a MIDI file and then tried to import it into the Dorico Drum Track?
I’m just trying to think of ways to help here.
What program created the XML export? Do you still have access to that program?
I understand that we can’t copy/paste from pitched to unpitched perc. But why won’t it let me copy one bar and paste into a later bar in the same unpitched instrument? The R key repeat bar function works; why doesn’t copy/pasting or Alt-clicking?
Am I missing something?
Thanks, as always.
Edit: Never mind - I have since seen Daniel’s response about making my one-line part a kit.
Wrong thread.