www.megadrum.info

Today two possible improvements for megadrum came into my mind:

1.) Choke functionality for specific samplers/applications As I am not a fan of using many tools and workarounds to get a function working, it would be cool to control the choke function of some dedicated software samplers directly from inside the megadrum. As far as I know there are some different approaches in samplers for choke support, i.e. having a certain note that stops a certain cymbal sound (usually the choke note follows directly on the cymbal sound note) {e.g. addictive drums} or, a different approch, having some notes with a played but immediately choked cymbal sound {e.g. ezdrummer if I remember correctly}. Selecting one of these approaches inside megadrum would eleminate the need to use a tool that prepares the aftertouch signals so that the sampler can interpret them correctly (e.g. when in 'addictive drums approach mode' a choke midi note could be set for every piezo/switch cymbal). Or did I getsomething wrong here?

2.) Quick selection of different drum mappings I would like to have the possibility of selecting the different drum maps quickly inside megadrum withouth navigating through the menu. A short press, e.g. on the up button when in VU meter mode, could be used to traverse different drum sounds (of course they would have to be prepared in the sampler beforehands).

I hope I'm not totally off track with these suggestions.

1) As far as I know 'aftertouch' is a standard way of implementing choking in MIDI. EZDrummer uses it and MegaDrum works perfectly with it. Roland uses it. Why Addictive Drums had to invent their own way of doing it I don't know. It'll be unrealistic to support every possible way choking is implemented in all different products. Btw, I heard that in version 2 of Addictive Drums choking will be handled with 'aftertouch'.
2) I may do it. Anyone else thinks it is useful?

Thanks for the response. I didn't know that AD is one of the few samplers that do not support aftertouch messages. Therfore I also don't think that megadrum should support this special approach internally (XLN should here stick to an established standard).

I'm now using Midi-Ox Data Mapping function to convert the aftertouch messages to the noteOns that AD expects. And it works great!

What confuses me a bit is that when I play a ride edge sound and immediately after it I play a bow sound the edge sound will still be there, fading out. I thought that a drum sampler would only play one main sound per pad/cymbal at one time. Or is that normal and happening in other samplers, too?

Edit: Okay I tried to silent a ringing sound when another region is hit via MidiOx and the result sounds more than unrealistic, so I think what I observed is volitional!

Beamtreetaker wrote:2.) Quick selection of different drum mappings I would like to have the possibility of selecting the different drum maps quickly inside megadrum withouth navigating through the menu. A short press, e.g. on the up button when in VU meter mode, could be used to traverse different drum sounds (of course they would have to be prepared in the sampler beforehands).

That would be very interesting, but not the way you say (with Up button).

It would be even greater if you could change drummaps with an additional Footswitch input. The Roland Td-20 module implements this (add this feature to "why X module is better than MG"), so you can cycle through drum maps with you foot.

Let see an example:
http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr2JCEwQy9s
(This guy is incredible, all the music is triggered with the TD-20, no external sampler used)

I think it is a good idea. You can have a lot of different configs loaded in memory in your PC, with a simple step on your footswitch, and yeah, you change the sounds you previously have prepared to make an awesome live performance.

Now that I am thinking, it can be done with the Up button, the only thing you have to do is connect your switch pedal to the same button Up input. So +1 for Beamtreetaker's idea.

PD: by the way, is Down button used in the VU meter screen for something? if not, if could also be used to switch drummaps backwards

Any opinion on this??

I haven't yet made up my mind on how a quick drum map selection could be done.

You mean that it is computingly difficult? I supposed that could be a problem for this feature..

No, it's neither computationally nor algorithmically difficult. It just needs to be done right.