Ableton Forum

Hi Guys

My Problem...

I'm trying to get a Yamaha DTXplorer (e-drum kit) and Live 6 to play ball.

I've loaded up Live Lite 6 that came with my M-Audio goodies but as I expected the midi mapping is all wrong. So, midi is working fine but the notes are not what Live is expecting. This means it's recorded fine but playback is a non-event.

Does anyone know how get this working? Thoughts, suggestions...

My setup:

Yamaha DTXplorer
Macbook with OSX 10.4.10
M-Audio Transit & Midisport UNO
Live Lite 6

Why ...

I've recently acquired a Yamaha DTXplorer electronic drum kit and I'm trying to decide which software will suit my needs best. I just want to record what I play on the kit, via midi, and edit & play with it a bit ... perhaps run with BFD in the future.

Right now I'm just trying get used music creation software. Of course, some meaningful playback from Live will help!

Thanks.

Sounds like all you need is to build a rack which will re-map MIDI notes -
should need only pitch devices,

possibly scale could come in handy?

You are playing sounds in Live? on Impulse?

You might have an easier time with a rack of simplers/samplers - which are not hard-mapped to a certain range of keys as Impulse is.

Thanks for the suggestions and quick response!

Yes, I'm using Impulse ATM. I understand that BFD is better suited to my needs than Impulse, but right now I'm just trying to learn more about Live 6 before I purchase anything else.

I played with the pitch device, however it doesn't line up with the right order at an level of adjustment; so that one's out. As a result I suspect scales will just give me the same problem.

I'm little confused as how to use the Simpler Samplers.

I do have a 3rd party app called MidiPipe which allows me to remap midi notes as I please, for example: for my kit to work with Garageband it remaps just two notes (as far as I can tell). However, the mapping that work in Garageband doesn't work with Live 6 (even after some pitch adjustments).

I could probably use MidiPipe to create a suitable map for Live but I have no idea what kit sounds relate to which notes in Impulse. Additiontally, I was hoping to not have to use a 3rd party app with something like Live 6.

Warning, rant approaching...

Surely, the makers of this software (and Logic, Protools etc..) would cater for the thousands of people wanting to use their e-drums in even some basic manner. Remember, most e-drums don't conform to the piano midi standard.

Rant complete.

Bottom line; right now I be happy just know which notes correspond with which drum kit pieces in Impulse. Any clues?

Thanks heaps.

I just had a closer look at the Scale device. It may well do what I'm after. However, I see two problems so far:

1. I don't know the notes to which Impulse drums sounds are assigned
2. I'm a drummer and the required level of musical theory is WAY over my poor little head (shame, drool)

So close, yet, so dumb.

Impulse is looking for C3..C4 - all white keys

Hiya,

I've just been playing with my DTX and Live, and what I've done is change the assignments of the pads on my dtx to make it more live friendly. Step-by-step:

- press "trigger" on the DTX
- press "page down" to screen 11 (Note=1st)
- tap a pad, then use the jog dial to choose a note.
- after assigning all the pads, press "store", choose a user kit space, then hit play to choose it, followed by "+1/yes" to confirm.

I assigned triggers as follows:
Kick: C3
Snare: E3/F3
Low Tom: G3/A3 (I'm using this as a second snare)
Hi Hat: B3/C4

This gives me a core kit, which I can use straight up with Impulse. Mapping the hi-hat is a bit confusing; start without pressing the pedal, hit the hi-hat in the centre, and assign this to B3. Now press the pedal, but don't hit anything, and assign this to C4. Now (keeping the pedal pressed) hit the middle and assign to C4. You can also (with the pedal pressed) assign the outside to C4.

To make hi hats work right, put the open hat sound in slot 7, and the closed in slot 8, and click "Link" on slot 8 (this should make a closed hat cut off an open one).

Now I've made a "Rack", with two channels in, a normal impulse, and one with a "+24" pitch shifter before it. I assign notes to the rest of the kit as follows:
Crash: C1/D1
Ride: E1/F1
Toms: G1,A1,B1

So now loading samples into the second sampler sets them up to be triggered by the rest of the kit.

If that doesn't make sense, I can upload the rack that I'm using.

That's pure gold people! I've just managed to figure out how to use the Scale device to do it in Live (probably the single most difficult method for a drummer). I'll post the instructions here soon - although I prefer mosephs instructions ATM.

Hopefully the venerable googlebot will index this discussion for the good of all mankind.

whichpaul wrote:That's pure gold people! I've just managed to figure out how to use the Scale device to do it in Live (probably the single most difficult method for a drummer). I'll post the instructions here soon - although I prefer mosephs instructions ATM.

Hopefully the venerable googlebot will index this discussion for the good of all mankind.

I'd be interested to hear how you do it, as I seem to be having the same problems with the Roland HD1.... and there is no way to remap the midi notes on the HD1.