Named Notes (Waveform 12)

[eagle-patriot]

Hi All,

I'm enjoying Waveform 12 so far trying out new features, and of course I have a question. I use Addictive Drums 2, and I took a few minutes to create a map file for note names, since the plugin doesn't seem to make them available. Here is the mapping if anyone wants it:

Code: Select all

# Drum Map - GM short names - Tracktion Waveform
104 Flexi 3-D
103 Flexi 3-C
102 Flexi 3-B
101 Flexi 3-A
99  Flexi 2-D
98  Flexi 2-C
97  Flexi 2-B
96  Flexi 2-A
94  Cym 6 Choke
93  Cym 6
92  Cym 5 Choke
91  Cym 5
90  Cym 4 Choke
89  Cym 4
87  Ride 2 Choke
86  Ride 2 Shaft
85  Ride 2 Bell
84  Ride 2 Tip
82  Cym3 Choke
81	Cym 3
80	Cym 2 Choke
79	Cym 2
78	Cym 1 Choke
77	Cym 1
76	Flexi 1-D
75	Sticks
74	Flexi 1-C
73	Flexi 1-B
72	Tom 1 Rim
71	Tom 1 Open
70	Tom 2 Rim
69	Tom 2 Open
68	Tom 3 Rim
67	Tom 3 Open
66	Tom 4 Rim
65	Tom 4 Open
63	Ride 1 Choke
62	Ride 1 Shaft
61	Ride 1 Bell
60	Ride 1 Tip
59	HH Foot Splash
58	HH Open Bell
57	HH Open D
56	HH Open C
55	HH Open B
54	HH Open A
53	HH Closed Bell
52	HH Closed2 Shaft
51	HH Closed2 Tip
50	HH Closed1 Shaft
49	HH Closed1 Tip
48	HH Foot Close
47	Flexi 1-A
46	Cym 1
45	Ride 1 Tip
44	Snare Rim Click
43	Snare Shallow Hit
42	Snare SideStick
41	Snare Shallow Rimshot
40	Snare Open (DBL)
39	Snare Rimshot (DBL)
38	Snare Open Hit
37	Snare Rimshot
36	Kick
35	Closed Soft Tap
34  Sweep Mute (BR)
33  Sweep Slow Dark Acc
32  Sweep Fast Dark Acc
31  Sweep Slow Bright Acc
30  Sweep Fast Bright Acc
29  Sweep No Acc
28  Sweep Short 2
26  Sweep Short 1
9 CC HH Bell
8 CC HH Tip
7 CC HH Shaft
6 Snare CC Pos OP-SH
5 Snare CC Pos Close (BR)
4 Ride 1 CC Pos Shaft-Tip
3 Ride 2 CC Pos Shaft-Tip

I just modified an existing map file and added what I could glean from the plugin. My question is regarding step clips. When I create a new step clip in a track with the MIDI Note Names plugin (with my map file successfully imported), I can't seem to view all of the notes no matter which view setting I choose. Whether it's "Show All Notes" or "Show Named Notes", Notes 4-9, 26, & 28-40 are not displayed. Everything else is displayed. How do I get the missing notes to display? I'm sure there could be a number of problems here on my end, but I thought I'd toss it out here in case it can be reproduced.

One thing that jumps out at me is that, now that I have pasted the code in this post, I can see that my code editor was set to add spaces (or a single space) when I hit the tab key. I noticed the original had tabs between the note number and name and tried to do the same when I added new lines, but the funny thing is the file appears to import fine in the MIDI Note Names Plugin. My assumption is it just uses any white space character to parse the line. In any event, the spaced and tabbed lines don't correlate to the names that won't display.

[FigBug]

I think the issue is that Step clips are limited to 60 channels. I can remove that limit, but it will be a bit of work since I'd need to add scrolling. Even with 60, it's almost unusable as it is. Channels are too narrow to use.

[spoontechnique]

Is it possible to transfer the note names from a Step Clip to a MIDI clip when you convert between them? I converted a Step Clip to a MIDI clip to use the drum grid, and it deleted all my step clip channel names.

[FigBug]

Currently no, the MIDI clip gets its names either from the MIDI Name plugin or the Drum Sampler.

I could probably do something like create a MIDI Name plugin during the conversion process.

[eagle-patriot]

OK, a 60 channel limit makes sense. It is already kind of ridiculous to try to use even that many. I will make a sub-list of just the names I think I will use and see if that will work. Many of the notes are unnecessary for my needs. I was just wondering what the deal was. Thank you for clearing it up.

[fde101]

Studio One has an extension of the various plugin standards which allows them to provide note names, colors, key switch information, and other details back to the DAW. They publicly document this so that plugin vendors and other DAWs can use them: https://www.presonussoftware.com/en_US/developer

Now that Waveform is accepting note names from its own plugins, it would be great if this were supported also, as it would mean being able to obtain them automatically from any plugins which implement this already for Studio One as well.

[pough]

Now that Waveform is accepting note names from its own plugins, it would be great if this were supported also, as it would mean being able to obtain them automatically from any plugins which implement this already for Studio One as well.

When I add BFD3 to a track, the note names show up in a MIDI or Step Clip. Same with Drumazon. Strangely, Nepheton just erases all the names.

[fde101]

When I add BFD3 to a track, the note names show up in a MIDI or Step Clip. Same with Drumazon. Strangely, Nepheton just erases all the names.

When I add Battery to a step clip, eight note names show up, though there are sixteen "notes" in the preset I loaded in Battery. Not all of them are accurate, and they do not update as I switch kits even though the available sounds change.

As far as I can tell it is using defaults of some kind. I haven't seen how to fix this yet.

The note names for the drums from Battery do not populate at all in Studio One, which tells me it is not communicating the names back to the DAW, so wherever Waveform is pulling them from, it is not the plugin.

It seems that the only ones I currently have which are actually providing the names to S1 are the integrated ones, but I expect that will change in the near future. If more DAWs were to start supporting that, I suspect more plugins would be likely to do so as well, particularly drum-focused ones.

[eagle-patriot]

I just wanted to check back in to say that once I whittled my map file down below 60 named notes, I was able to get all of the channels to display in the step clip. In case anyone is interested, here is the map file I'm using for Addictive Drums 2. It consists of 54 note names. I have omitted the CC channels at the end, the brush strokes that only work with the brush sets, and additional cymbals that I don't usually use.

Code: Select all

# Drum Map - GM short names - Tracktion Waveform
104	Flexi 3-D
103	Flexi 3-C
102	Flexi 3-B
101	Flexi 3-A
99 	Flexi 2-D
98 	Flexi 2-C
97 	Flexi 2-B
96 	Flexi 2-A
82 	Cym3 Choke
81	Cym 3
80	Cym 2 Choke
79	Cym 2
78	Cym 1 Choke
77	Cym 1
76	Flexi 1-D
75	Sticks
74	Flexi 1-C
73	Flexi 1-B
72	Tom 1 Rim
71	Tom 1 Open
70	Tom 2 Rim
69	Tom 2 Open
68	Tom 3 Rim
67	Tom 3 Open
66	Tom 4 Rim
65	Tom 4 Open
63	Ride 1 Choke
62	Ride 1 Shaft
61	Ride 1 Bell
60	Ride 1 Tip
59	HH Foot Splash
58	HH Open Bell
57	HH Open D
56	HH Open C
55	HH Open B
54	HH Open A
53	HH Closed Bell
52	HH Closed2 Shaft
51	HH Closed2 Tip
50	HH Closed1 Shaft
49	HH Closed1 Tip
48	HH Foot Close
47	Flexi 1-A
46	Cym 1
45	Ride 1 Tip
44	Snare Rim Click
43	Snare Shallow Hit
42	Snare SideStick
41	Snare Shallow Rimshot
40	Snare Open (DBL)
39	Snare Rimshot (DBL)
38	Snare Open Hit
37	Snare Rimshot
36	Kick

I would suggest that if anyone creates a map file for a plugin, they should share it here, or at least somewhere in the forums, for others to use. Finally, if anyone wonders where the files should be saved, you can click on the "Show MIDI Note Name Maps Folder" command at the top of the MIDI Note Names plugin interface to open the folder in the finder or file explorer.

[eagle-patriot]

I just wanted to add that I think this is a great addition to Waveform 12, and I appreciate the effort the devs took to get it implemented. If there was any future improvement I could come up with, it would be to devise a way to add Note Names to the piano roll, maybe in the background where the notes would appear so that you can quickly determine where to drop a MIDI note when editing in piano roll mode, but honestly, seeing the name on the note itself is pretty decent for now. Thanks again! Now on to check out some other features.

[Watchful]

If there was any future improvement I could come up with, it would be to devise a way to add Note Names to the piano roll, maybe in the background where the notes would appear so that you can quickly determine where to drop a MIDI note when editing in piano roll mode, but honestly, seeing the name on the note itself is pretty decent for now.

You can! Well, sorta.

I realized, though, you have to zoom in quite a bit, but if you do, the note names appear on the piano keys to the left as well. This is a lot handier than dragging a note up or down to see what appears on it. But again, you have to zoom in a LOT to see the names pop up on the piano keys.

[eagle-patriot]

Oh cool. I don't know why it didn't work for me the first time I tried the Note Name Plugin on a regular MIDI clip. It works for me now, exactly as I was hoping for. Funny thing is I don't see piano keys, but I don't miss them in this use case.

Screen Shot 2022-03-24 at 11.15.43 AM.png

Thanks for the help!

[Watchful]

Sure thing.

I've been creating custom MIDI names files. For those not presently doing so, it's not obvious but you can do it right in the plugin itself. Click in the space to the right of the note (and to the left of the speaker icon) and you can type in the desired name of the note. Save the file from the menu at the top when done.

Some plugins disagree about what a note is (I have some that are one octave off, so that C3 is really C2): the speaker icon helps me double-check that I've got the right note before I name it.

There are likely applications for this beyond drum plugins and plugins with key switches... you could map keyboard splits, zones, or even harsh notes to avoid on your plugin. This is a ridiculously useful tool that FigBug came up with, and it's one of my favorite new features.