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Topic: Percussion in MIDI (Read 9856 times) previous topic - next topic

Percussion in MIDI

I need to learn how I can put in percussion parts for a snare quads and a 4-way split bass drum part into MIDI. I ask what insturment patch would I use for each how do I setup the parts and also how to do drum rolls on the snare....
any help is apreciated.

Re: Percussion in MIDI

Reply #1 –
to put in percussion just use MIDI channel 10

Re: Percussion in MIDI

Reply #2 –
In general, MIDI does not do snare drum rolls the way that you might wish to hear them. This is not particular to NWC. It may be that some sound cards do this better than others.

When a live drummer uses a snare drum, it is repeatedly struck to produce a roll. The drumhead is still vibrating from one strike when it is struck again, to produce a continuous, ovelapping sound.

But in MIDI, a sound is turned on and off. When you write a sequence of short-duration notes on the snare drum channel, each successive strike stops the existing snare drum sound before it begins a new one. The effect is discontinuous, and sounds distinctively choppy.

If you intend to release your music as an audio file (WAV, MP3, etc.) rather than as MIDI, you can do something about this effect. It would require you to make several different MIDI files, in which the snare is struck at longer intervals, but each MIDI would have the strikes at different times. Then, you would record each MIDI to audio (search info regarding NWC to WAV elsewhere on this forum), then merge (mix) the separate audio tracks to a single audio. You can do this mix with the free Audacity program, if you don't already have an audio mixer.

Re: Percussion in MIDI

Reply #3 –
MIDI does not have an instrument labeled "quad toms".  For that, do a separate staff on any MIDI channel except 10, from F2 Staff Properties, click on the Instrument tab and select "Melodic Tom", near the bottom of the list.  Experiment with different pitches for each of the 4 quads until you find the ones that come closest to the actual sound of the drums.
For snare drum use MIDI channel 10, all snare drum notes (in the hidden, sounding staff) are 2 spaces below the bottom of the bass clef.  Any other note will give you a sound other than snare drum.  For each beat of the roll, place eight 32nd notes (three flags on the stem) on that pitch.  At the beginning of the snare drum part, insert a MPC Effect(Reverb)Depth, push the first slider all the way up to 127, no need to set other sliders.  The reverb controller will help make up for the plain MIDI snare's dead sound.  It is also helpful to be able to place audible accents for some rudiments.  To do this, insert another MPC at the beginning of the snare drum staff, this one for Expression, set the first slider at 100.  Whenever you want an audible accent, insert another MPC Expression, first slider set full up at 127, check box for the 2nd slider and set it back to 100, Time Resolution=Sixtyfourth.  Easiest to insert it once, copy it, and paste it into the part wherever an accent is desired.
For the Bass Drum staff, again set MIDI channel to 10.  General MIDI shows 2 bass drum sounds, Acoustic Bass Drum 3 spaces below the bottom of the bass clef, or Bass Drum 1, 2 lines below the bottom of the bass clef.  Choose either one and write all the bass drum notes on it in the hidden, sounding bass drum staff.
For each of these parts (quads, snare, bass), compose a staff that uses drum notation and looks right to the player.  Keep this staff visible, but muted, because it will sound awful if played.  For each of these visible staffs, add beneath it a staff that will sound unmuted.  You will hide these staves when they are complete, as they will sound right, but look awful!
I have some short NWC files with pre-done snare drum rolls (really just the correct number of 64th notes counted out for 1/2, 1, 2, 3, and 4 beat rolls) and can e-mail them to you as attachments if you want, though they only require careful counting(!) to construct them yourself.

Re: Percussion in MIDI

Reply #4 –
For snare rolls to sound realistic on my system, I use Pedal Down (yeah, you read that right, the pedal that's supposed to be used for the piano) with a slur over all the notes.
For the 4-way split bass, I use Taiko drum (not on channel 10!), usually D below the bass staff, G above that, then C and F, but you should experiment for yourself.