I’ve selected the Handy Drums percussion map in play mode. But when I go to edit the Percussion Kit in Setup Mode, it shows the standard Full kit, which doesn’t have the right names or sounds.
What am I missing? Is there anyway to find the key number that is played with the drums in the Percussion Kit? Some of them play the correct sound, some don’t.
Do I have to create a new defined Drum Kit and then edit that. When I add a drum to the kit, how do I know which note is being selected? The list only had generic drum names, not tied to the Percussion Kit I’ve selected. ???
Hi. In the kit editor, when an instrument is selected, you can press the button “Edit percussion (instrument) playing techniques”. (As per your screenshot)
This is where you must add your notation to trigger the different keys described in the percussion map.
Beware : I see problems in the map. Different keys with exact same combination [instrument+playback technique] will be problematic. Dorico needs each combination to have only one solution. (G1 and A1)
F#2 has two different settings, there should be some keyswitch to make them different.
Did you figure out how to do Snare rolls with Handy Drums Jazz Standard? I had looked into this a couple of years ago, but could never figure out how to avoid the “machine gun” snare, and just gave up. I don’t think I spent much time on it though.
First, the normal sounds aren’t mapped properly in the Drum Kit. I’ll get to the Playing Techs later. The Drum Kit is the generic Full Drum kit. Do I need to create a new Drum Kit in Instrument Setup and then map the drums, or make a copy and use it, or can I use what I have and delete some of the drums and add others?
When adding drums to the Drum Kit, how do I find the drums from the list, that match the drums in the Perc Map?
Is there a place to find the midi note number of the drums listed when you add drum to the Drum Kit? There are many Toms listed, which are the ones that trigger the midi notes that match the ones in the Perc Map? This seems to be the disconnect, there’s midi notes listed in the Perc Map, but only generic name when you add a drum.
Use what you have in the full kit and get rid of the other unused instruments
You can add instruments in your kit directly in the kit editor, using the + button (it gives you the instrument picker, the same as the one in Setup mode)
I don’t understand what you mean here. What the percussion map does is create a (unique) link between a Key number (in your VST instrument) and the combination [instrument name+Playback technique] in Dorico. So if you have a specific instrument to add, make sure it is exactly the same as the one used in the percussion map. Or modify the map so that everything fits…
Yes, I understand the perc map. The issue is when I’m adding an “drum” to the drum kit, with the + sign, I get a generic list of instruments, that doesn’t link to the drums in the Perc Map. They are not listed my midi number, so I can’t identify the ones that are the midi numbers of the drums in my Perc Map. How do I find the ones that match the correct midi number?
G2 and A2 are Floor tom (low) and Floor tom (high), none of which are listed in this screenshot. This is absolutely dumb as possible : the names must match. No magic here. Take the exact same instruments as listed in the percussion map (and since you cannot keep it open while using other areas of the program, I suggest you take screenshots and open them in a jpeg program). And once you have the instruments, make sure they have the appropriate playback techniques attributed in the playing techniques editor.
Ok, I got most of it working, but…. Snare side stick and Ride Cymbal (low) Bell don’t work. And how do I get Hi-Hats G1, A1, Bb2, B2, Ride E2, Ride 2 Crash A3? (See first screen shot. )
Well, as I told you G1 and A1 are problematic. You should set the playback technique for A1 to something else, so that you don’t have two keys with the exact same [instrument+playback technique] combination! Or delete the line you don’t want to use.
Ok, so I name them something else. What? How do I determine what I name them as, will select that number? Will naming them Hi-hat3 and 4 add those names to the list so that I can select them? And what do I do about the other ones
which have different Playing Techs. which aren’t listed. Do I have to create those playing techs? Again, I’m just a beginner at Dorico, so you have to excuse my ignorance.
I just figured it out. Those aren’t in the Mallet set. When I looked at the keyboard with the sounds they weren’t highlighted. I also was able to change the Playing Tech for the other couple and got them working. Thanks for all your help. It’s starting to make a lot more sense now. Thanks again.
Yoy should certainly not change the instrument name : keep those simple and available from the picker. You can use whatever playback techniques (there are lots of them available in the list) that describes best what you’re after.
The way Dorico does percussion mapping, is certainly different, and possibly more to wrap your head around, than other notation software. But….. in the long run it actually is very brilliant. As long as your percussion map is set up correctly, it will take less work to switch between percussion libraries.
The important thing about Dorico percussion mapping is that there has to be 2 items, an instrument AND a technique. When these 2 things align with the midi number/midi note in the percussion map, when you add the INSTRUMENT to the staff (not the midi note), it will trigger the appropriate sound from the percussion library.
I feel it is a good idea to add an appropriate instrument (the numerous toms for instance), and add/give it an appropriate technique (be it natural, RH, LH, etc.). That will setup your “kit”.
In the percussion map, make sure you show the appropriate midi note with the correct instrument and technique. When this all of these 3 things line up, Dorico will trigger the appropriate sound sample you want.
It sounds like you seem to be figuring this out, but if you need any more help please reach out.
I know that I can Export the Perc Map and Import it into another document. Is it possible to also Export the Drum Kit, because the 2 or them are tied together? The Perc Map without the kit isn’t usable.
Bit of a necro-bump, but I was installing Handy Drums on a new computer and revisited this again. I reached out to their support and found it is definitely not possible to use this library with notation software if you need rolls. Here was their reply:
“Hmm, I see. Yeah, the roll is a performance, and we do not hard-code those into the plugin (like flams, etc.).
If you want a more realistic playback, you would need to properly edit the MIDI file for performance. If scoring is the main objective, then dealing with a more mechanical playback will remain, unfortunately.”
