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Topic: drum questions (multiple channels/stereo) (Read 2192 times) previous topic - next topic

drum questions (multiple channels/stereo)

Is there any way to use percussion in any channel other than 10? I have a MIDI file that has two different drum kits running on channels 10 and 11, but when I import it, the latter gets changed to a normal instrument. I also want to do this so that I can have percussion coming from more than one stereo position. If I make two staffs with channel 10 and assign a different stereo pan to each, both staffs only play in the position the first one was assigned to. Thanks for any help!

Re: drum questions (multiple channels/stereo)

Reply #1 –
Midi channels are like the, um, output options on your stereo. You can have cd or aux or tape1 or tape2 or tuner (etc.) playing at any one time (unless you have a mixer). The balance, treble and bass controls affect the output of the amplifier, but lets say for now that they affect directly the sound of the source playing (eg the cd player). If you manage to jack unto your amps' CD input two cd players (eg through a mixer) then both will be heard, and both will be affected by any changes in the balance, treble and bass controls.

NWC works pretty much the same way. Your "amplifier" is the channel on which a number of staves you have chosen are played from. If no instrument is selected, then piano is played. This applies to all channels with exception to channel 10 that by default plays drums in general midi. If now you have N staves that play through channel 10, and you use an mpc or a global setting (staff properties) that affects a midi controller then the channel and NOT the staff is affected. Thus all staves "suffer" setting. By default NWC adheres to the topmost staff OR the closest mpc. In essence, an mpc selection on a staff or a midi selection on a staff through staff properties affects the channel through which the staff plays, not the staff per se.
Its like overlaying two text transparencies (=staves) and asking someone to read(=channel playing) what he sees loud(=mpc). He is going to read both of them loud.

So what do we do to get away with this? I have an AWE wavetable soundcard (soundblaster) that uses soundfont files to tell to the soundcard what each instrument sounds like by giving digital sound samples to each of the instrument numbers (an instrument patch inserts a number, corresponding to an instrument on your soundcard). What I do is to get rid of sound I do not use e.g. gunshots, applause, cymbal etc. and in those positions (e.g. 118, 119 and 120) I put a sample collection that is nothing else than the prexisting drums instrument sample collection. I now can use three extra channels instead of channel 10 only on which I can place midi controller selections that do not "interact" with each other, for the same instrument. And of course I use a corresponding number of staves, each assigned to one of the four channels available; no overlapping whatsoever. Beware of the limitations of this trick my friend; 1) Soundfonts FEAST upon your soundcards memory (expandable in some cases) and 2) most soundcards have ONLY 16 CHANNELS to play with (expandable, but that is another LONG story). So don't go off trying to write the most delicately mastered song in this fashion. There just aren't enough channels.

Mail me for more info if you wish and an example of this... mess.