Midi notes for EZDrummer2 Claps , Shaker . and Tamb ?

[Roger Rose]

I was in Cubase 7 , and all was well with using EZ drummer 2 on a project. ( EZ DRUMMER 2 VINTAGE KIT ) Then I wanted to add percussion
But I couldn’t find the midi notes anywhere on my M-AUDIO Pro keystation 88 controller . I then looked at the midi layout from the menu in EZ drummer2 .
They showed everything but the percussion ,
What notes are the percussion assigned to ?
Thanks

Topic

[Rogue]

you will find those notes right at the bottom of the note range, but they are not meant to be programmed by hand. Well, you can try but they are not intended to be – and will behave in ways that will be puzzling… they are instead intended to be MIDI controlled by the files included with EZdrummer 2.

Rogue Marechal - Toontrack
Configuration Manager

[Enrique Rodriguez]

@Rogue said:

you will find those notes right at the bottom of the note range, but they are not meant to be programmed by hand. Well, you can try but they are not intended to be – and will behave in ways that will be puzzling… they are instead intended to be MIDI controlled by the files included with EZdrummer 2.

This is correct. I just bought EZD2 last night and I discovered the same thing. My M-Audio Axiom 49 I have to drop down 3 octaves to find those percussion MIDI notes, but they place them “out of the way” for a reason I guess (they are useless trying to play on keyboard.) It’s too bad EZD2 did this.

Yes, you must pick from one of the grooves in the percussion selections.

HOWEVER, when it comes to shaker and tambourine, I ALWAYS play them live, in to a mic. If you play and apply it right, you can really make your music more dramatic, as opposed to those instruments just broken in 8th, 16th, 32nd MIDI notes. Play those instruments like gypsies would, or what you would hear in Greek or Spanish or even East Indian music. Yes, you CAN use this approach to pop music!

[tzilla]

@Rogue said:
you will find those notes right at the bottom of the note range, but they are not meant to be programmed by hand. Well, you can try but they are not intended to be – and will behave in ways that will be puzzling… they are instead intended to be MIDI controlled by the files included with EZdrummer 2.  

boo hiss

1

Thanked by: smfritzii

[Scott Eshleman]

@tzilla said:

boo hiss  

https://www.toontrack.com/faq/how-do-i-trigger-the-ezdrummer-2-percussion/

[RabidRabbit]

I am really perplexed by this major insufficiency in the product. I am truly blown away by the quality of drums and the processing done to them in Toontracks  EZDrummer 2. It’s such a killer virtual instrument app in so many ways. All of the drums and cymbals sound so fantastic  and respond so well through MIDI. However, this is a glaring flaw, especially considering that there are so many spaces of repeated cymbals and toms and other instruments up and down the range of an 88 note keyboard. It’s surprising that among all of the spaces between 88 keys, that Toontracks engineers couldn’t come up with a few spaces for the tambourine, shakers, claps and cowbell within that 88 note range in ANY of the drum kits that come with the program. I have tried to program parts using the external to normal keyboard range of EZDrummer 2’s percussion instruments but as “Rogue Marechal” notes in his comments above, they “behave in ways that are puzzling” – meaning “they don’t work”. As “tzilla” stated above – “boo hiss”. I would add, plainly not very smart and not very well thought out. I am one of those people who don’t believe in syncing. If possible, I don’t want to sync anything and prefer to play and program the drums through my DAW. The less stuff that has to be synchronized, the less headaches. That’s not to say anything about the sequencer that’s built into EZDrummer 2, which, I am sure, is a fantastic and highly capable sequencer. I just don’t care to synchronize the EZDrummer 2 sequencer, with the sequencer that I’m already using or any other sequencers or digital recorders or what have you. I was hoping to keep every percussion sound in my sequences within the computer, but I’m going to have to use external MIDI instruments to play the percussion parts, because Toontracks thinks it’s more important to have high hats, crash and ride cymbals, tom toms and snare drums in several locations within EZDrummer 2’s 88 note keyboard range, rather than mixing those percussion instruments in, in some of the places where there are repeat iterations of instruments that are already available in other places within the standard 88-note keyboard range of the drum kit programs that are offered. Thank you for what you have created – it’s a truly revolutionary product (and I’d be lying if I said otherwise) but, please, listen to the users of this program who may have different ways of using it and try to incorporate the use of the additional percussion instruments into MIDI note locations where they’re accessible to be played from keyboard or drum controller, alike.

[Rogwin]

Oh, I agree with these guys. I am not grasping the entire concept of One Shot, Power Hand or how to utilize any of this percussion!

Evidently they only play if using TT’s premade Midi snippits….

I can play them with my mouse, which is fun!!!!!!……….. Now back to work.

The Tambourine is located at Eb-2 , if your keyboard goes that low…. mine won’t.

IMHO as  a Midi programmer since Commodore 64’s….. this , as the others said, makes no sense to me.

You’ve got 47 cymbals spread out across octaves, but claps, shakers and Tambs, are … where?

Yep. I’ll grab my tambourine, and record it with a mic. Thanks Toontrack!

Rogwin Music Productions

• The post has been modified 2 times, last modified 2 years, 4 months ago by Rogwin.

[John]

Hi,

the special percussion pads in EZdrummer 2 & 3 utilize special programming for “future” hits and thus aren’t meant for triggering live. You can use them with Toontrack MIDI specially made for these pads in EZdrummer 2 and you can also program them in the Grid Editor in EZdrummer 3.
They are also available no matter which EZX expansion you load and you can easily add patterns with them using the amount knob Edit Play Style.

Some EZX:s have percussion like e.g. tambourines, cowbells, etc. and these will behave more like “normal” and can be played live from a controller.

The “Power Hand” defines the leading instrument of the groove. In most cases this will be a hi-hat or a ride cymbal.

BR,
John

John Rammelt - Toontrack
Technical Advisor

[Rogwin]

Dear John,

OK, I still don’t understand why the “percussion” was treated any differently than a sidestick or  a cymbal bell.

“Power hand” , Future Hits, ..all Toon Track concepts…that need explanation,

I just want to sit and lay down drums.

Also, I find the ride cymbals and especially cymbal bell samples,  not that fantastic.

Its a GREAT program, just things in it that I think could’ve been better.

Maybe SD3 would be better for me……..though SD3 still uses the same concepts,

only more complicated, I like the idea of more velocity articulations.

Rogwin

• This post was modified 2 years, 4 months ago by Rogwin.

[Scott]

Check this FAQ regarding “futurehit” instruments and why Toontrack developed them. It refers to EZdrummer 2 but it’s the same for EZD3 and S3.

https://www.toontrack.com/faq/how-do-i-trigger-the-ezdrummer-2-percussion/

Scott Sibley - Toontrack
Technical Advisor

[Rogwin]

Man, that is s really NOT CONVENIENT.

Ive been into Pro sequencing since Commodores, and I like to play my own perc.

Thanks.

[Author]

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