On my older drum modules, like the Yamaha RX11, Roland TD20 and SPD11, I wasn’t using the GM settings so if the midi tracks are reassigned to GM Roland TD-50x, most or all of the sounds will be wrong. As I have a lot of songs that I would like to reassign, I am wondering how to create a remapping drum map that, once I do it for one song, would be valid for others.
Hi,
Make your own Drum Map to remap the notes.
I duplicated a track from the RX11, and then started making changes on the duplicate to go to the TD50x. There were a couple of sounds that already had an assignment, for example the original note on the RX11 was I think C-2. It had a cowbell sound. So on the new track I changed it, though it said BD2. So after completing all the sounds, so they were simulating the TD50 approximating the RX11. I was satisfied, and saved with a new name and left that project for a while as it was tedious hours looking up note numbers and such. Then I went to work on a midi track I’d already recorded with the TD50, before starting to record more with the TD50. But now I found that track was playing the 2nd BD as a cowbell. I reverted to original, on the version before the save, undoing most of my work. I remember that I always had a problem with previous drum maps where they didn’t seem to correlate with the name or saving, so I am unclear about the procedure. I remember asking Steinberg for help on this when they were replying, but never getting it clear. So unless I can relate the changes made to a specific named drum map, I will have to select all the notes, for example of cowbell that show the original note of C-2 and move to another note assigned to cowbell, and this would have to be repeated on every song -inefficient. So what would the exact procedure be, in order? I open a track, it shows a drum map name at the bottom. Load drum map? Change name? Save drum map. I see I have all these drum maps such as RX11, RX11-1, RX11-2, TD-20, combo set. My memory is that it seemed I sould load something and there would be no change and was never able to get it right. So if someone really has experience with this and exact procedure, it would be very helpful.
All of this is explained in detail for your version of Cubase in the Cubase 8 documentation. There is also a very useful, free article on the Sound On Sound website “How To Create Drum Maps”.
It’s a once-off exercise to create a custom drum map (e.g. for the RX11), which you can then save to an external file. In any new project using the RX11, you can load that drum map from the file you saved. Drum maps are saved along with each project. You can create a drum map for each of your external MIDI devices.
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I read the doc and the link, but things don’t seem to be working as they should. The doc says you can copy a drum map, make changes and save with a new name. I copied RX11-1.drm. The duplicate showed as RX11-1.drm 3. (because there already was an RX11.drum 2, from when it didn’t work before.) So I save this as RX11-TD50x.drm. Later when I want to use this, it doesn’t show in the list. I choose load and see RX11-TD50x.drm, and load. What loads is a changed name map, RX11-1.drum 3 2. So why doesn’t it use the saved name?
If the loaded map itself is correct, perhaps it’s just a matter of changing the display name of the map in the drum editor and re-saving it?
The displayed name is not necessarily the same as the name of the file you saved the drum map to. You can rename a loaded drum map by double-clicking on the display name and typing a new name.
It was useful to retype the name so I know which map I want to use, but there is a slight anomaly there too, and it made no difference in the problem, which I will show in a picture taken with cell phone and then loaded on another computer with the right port, Renaming as rx11 to TD50.drum, then saving and loading created 2 new names with 2 added rx11 to TD50.drum 2, a minor nuisance but the bad problem is that only 2 drums have the right sound or placement and cannot be changed, You can see all the unusual heads besides the normal note anX. Note that none in the drum map have that shape, and even all the way down that is not visible. I can’t change the placement, typing in a different display not doesn’t change it. BD has rim sound and reverse, but can’t change and other drums are also all wrong, I double checked that I have the right track selected, then opened the drum editor and the score editor, then the drum map. I can change notes in the map but they aren’t transmitted to the score, and heads won’t change either. The note way below the staff has no sound and doesn’t reflect in the map.
At this stage I don’t think I can help any more, other than to suggest that you remove any drum maps that are not working properly from that project, save out those that are working and start with a new project where you can import the working drum maps, and start afresh from there.
I can’t help with the notation issue, but until you get the drum maps sorted out, the notation is only adding to the confusion. Start small, create a project dedicated to each external MIDI drum machine you’re using, get that working properly, then save out the file, etc.
I have so many other problems, with punch-in, printing that also are going nowhere, that I am researching new audio card systems so I can move my DAW from FSP, Win 7 to my Win 11 computer and update Cubase as well. Hope to have enough info by today to decide. But will I then lose all my drum maps and I wonder what else.