This thread will be a list of questions from Newbie

[Brian Jackson]

By the way, I want to say thanks to all here as a new user. I knew going into this it wasn't plug-and-play, and most questions have been answered before. The forum thus becomes an indispensable tool in the learning process. And honestly it was easier learning how to pilot a plane than learn the MegaDrum. It's hard to mentally grasp the interrelation of cryptic parameter names like "DynTime" vs. "Idunno-pick-one" when yet a third variable is involved. I am making progress though and I love the results so far of the incremental small steps, punctuated by the Eureka moments along the way as mental connections are made.

"IT'S ALL ABOUT THE HI-HAT". That is the mantra I recited ad-nauseam when I ditched a brand new Alesis kit and played a few others in search of. So spending the better part of last month getting a Roland hat dialed in is not a problem for me. Anything else I can work around, but NOT the hi-hat. The success or failure of my MegaDrum endeavor will be entirely, utterly and completely dictated by the behavior of the hi-hat alone. Think Stewart Copeland.

Can such a thing be achieved with MD? I hope. I also know the holes in my education to its inner workings are being filled here daily. And I have to remind myself that the MD itself is an instrument to master just as the clarinet was. Who knew reeds could be so finicky listening to Benny Goodman?

As a newbie with a virginal opinion, I think the #1 thing I and others like me would benefit from is a 100 page manual. Yes, there is documentation around saying set this to that, etc. But it doesn't really help anyone understand everything "THIS" is affecting when changing it. Too many parameters are interdependent and we don't necessarily know why.

I am an accomplished engineer and am struggling with this. I think part of the problem is the classic "programmers should never write manuals or design UIs" argument. We think differently and approach things unlike those who use the data we provide. I design planes but would be wary of labeling the flight controls. Just food for thought.

Thanks for letting me rant a bit. After a month of this I'm allowed.

[dmitri]

Brilliant. Thank you. That worked.

I've attached screenshots of the results. Interestingly, after the suggested edit, both the edge switch and the bow piezo registered note 61 on the graph. This note was the same as "DampenedNote" in the 3rd Zone settings, even though I've disabled this zone, shown in the image. But lowering the Edge threshold allowed the Edge switch to start registering the correct note. This behavior doesn't quite make sense to me yet but I'm still learning. Thanks Ignotus for helping me make progress.

Dampened Note stays functional even if 3rd zone is disabled - this is to be able to play Dampened Note on 2 zone piezo/switch pads/cymbals. Set Threshold on the 3rd zone lower then on the Edge zone.