Does anyone know how to obtain that characteristic 'pea soup' hi-hat sound using a standard MIDI drum kit via NWC? i.e. on a real kit, the effect obtained by hitting an open hi-hat and then closing it. Perhaps this is more a MIDI question than a NWC one, but can NWC be used to create this sound?
Yes, this is provided by the General MIDI spec. If you look at the file DRUMREF.NWC (provided as an NWC song sample in the package), you will notice two drum sounds:
- Open High Hat (Bb in 2nd octave)
- Closed High Hat (F# in 2nd octave)
Trigger the open high hat sound, then follow it with the closed high hat sound to achieve the effect that you are seeking. Most sound cards properly produce the effect of closing the high hat with the pedal.
Thanks. I tried this before I sent the first message. I must have a crummy sound card, because the effect I got was not what I wanted. The 'open' sound persisted after the 'closed' sound. I even tried giving it a 'staccato' effect but it made no difference. (Sound card ESS ES 1868).
you were right about your sound card. Aaah the ESS 1868. A very much used cheap sound card. If you want a better sound card, but don't feel like spending big bucks, Yamaha makes some good cheap sound cards. They have an ISA one (Yamaha OPL3-SAx) for about $20 and a PCI one (I forget it's model) for $30. Both work great, and come with the Yamaha SYXG-50 Soft Synthesizer, which isn't that terribly bad a software wavetable synth. You can find them at almost any local computer store.