Hi all, my son has a rockjam drum kit with USB and two channels for custom midi sounds. I guess the thinking is that you can connect on it to a computer and send new midi via a DAW.
I have connected up to waveform and have setup the default midi device. I can seei it is connected as on a new project I can create a track, assign it to the midi device and hitting a drum shows on the midi device label to the left of the track ( I can see how hard the drum was hit etc).
What I really don't understand is how I can send a new sound back to the kit and assign it to a particular drum.
On the midi setup page, there is an 'on screen keyboard' that shows a piano style overlay. Hitting various drums on the kit does highlight different keys on that OSK.
Am I over complicating this process? I contacted rockjam and they don't have their own proprietary software, they simply told me that the windows midi driver will do the job.
Saving new drum sounds to drumkit
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Peter Widdicombe Peter Widdicombe https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=336849
- KVRian
- 1205 posts since 29 Aug, 2014
Are you looking to create a new SOUND in the rockjam kit, or simply send events from Waveform to the drumkit to play?
First thing is to find out if the drumkit actually DOES respond to MIDI events - and this should be documented in the drumkit. Typically these default to MIDI channel 10 for percussion, and the NOTES sent would trigger specific drums. If you see them coming INTO waveform, you should be able to simply press record, and record the MIDI events coming from the external drumkit.
Getting these send BACK to the MIDI interface isn't maybe quite as obvious. On the right side of the track, there is a "speaker" icon for output, and click on this and set it to the MIDI device for the rockjam, and to channel 10.
Or, maybe better, click on the track Number in its header, and make sure you have the properties panel open at the bottom. If not open, click on the up arrow lower left corner. From there you can set the track destination to be the device you want.
The other thing to watch for, is which MIDI channel the OSK is sending on - it may default to channel 1. You can put a MIDI patch bay in there to convert all channel 1 events on the track to channel 10, if that's what the drumkit wants to see.
First thing is to find out if the drumkit actually DOES respond to MIDI events - and this should be documented in the drumkit. Typically these default to MIDI channel 10 for percussion, and the NOTES sent would trigger specific drums. If you see them coming INTO waveform, you should be able to simply press record, and record the MIDI events coming from the external drumkit.
Getting these send BACK to the MIDI interface isn't maybe quite as obvious. On the right side of the track, there is a "speaker" icon for output, and click on this and set it to the MIDI device for the rockjam, and to channel 10.
Or, maybe better, click on the track Number in its header, and make sure you have the properties panel open at the bottom. If not open, click on the up arrow lower left corner. From there you can set the track destination to be the device you want.
The other thing to watch for, is which MIDI channel the OSK is sending on - it may default to channel 1. You can put a MIDI patch bay in there to convert all channel 1 events on the track to channel 10, if that's what the drumkit wants to see.
Waveform 13; Win10 desktop/8 Gig; Win11 Laptop; MPK261; VFX+disfunctional ESQ-1
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- KVRist
- 401 posts since 10 Dec, 2002
I think, you mix few different things here. As I googled, it's not possible to send new sounds into the Drumkit. It only uses built in sounds. But you can let Waveform to trigger those sounds. Your son should record his "jamming" first to see which MIDI notes does the Drumkit send. Then he can "draw" new rhythms and send them back to the device.
Or... He can use the Drumkit to trigger ANY drum sounds using Waveform's Drum (Micro) Sampler. Just load the plugin into the rightmost area of the track, select a patch, and choose the Drumkit as a MIDI input device. He can also record the input and play it back, edit, and so on.
Or... He can use the Drumkit to trigger ANY drum sounds using Waveform's Drum (Micro) Sampler. Just load the plugin into the rightmost area of the track, select a patch, and choose the Drumkit as a MIDI input device. He can also record the input and play it back, edit, and so on.
Last edited by UnionS8 on Mon Apr 18, 2022 6:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Waveform 12 Pro, Cubase Pro 13, Windows 11, i7-13700H
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- KVRer
- Topic Starter
- 3 posts since 18 Apr, 2022
Thanks for the replies - I have a few things to try now 
The kit has two reserved Drum Kit slots called "Custom 1" and "Custom 2". The documentation is really sparse on what that means - I assumed it would be possible to find MIDI files and "load" them to the kit as custom sounds. I have found the MIDI specification for the exact model we have got here (attached).
The kit has two reserved Drum Kit slots called "Custom 1" and "Custom 2". The documentation is really sparse on what that means - I assumed it would be possible to find MIDI files and "load" them to the kit as custom sounds. I have found the MIDI specification for the exact model we have got here (attached).You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
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- KVRist
- 401 posts since 10 Dec, 2002
MIDI doesn't send any sounds as such. In short: it only sends notes (pitch, velocity, duration, ...) and program changes (which sound/bank the instrument has to use).
I believe the Custom 1 and 2 means, you can build your own kits using built-in sounds. The chart you provided doesn't help much. Maybe a link to the product could tell us more
I believe the Custom 1 and 2 means, you can build your own kits using built-in sounds. The chart you provided doesn't help much. Maybe a link to the product could tell us more
Waveform 12 Pro, Cubase Pro 13, Windows 11, i7-13700H
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Peter Widdicombe Peter Widdicombe https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=336849
- KVRian
- 1205 posts since 29 Aug, 2014
Yeah, I have a simple Yamaha pad set that allows several custom kits - just means that in addition to the pre-build kits, you can create your own with, for instance, rock-style bass drum, some congas, snare with brushes, and chinese bell cymbals. You can also get the external controller to play other build in sounds, presumably, like piano, strings, etc.
You have to consider whether you really want to use the built-in sounds, or use kits available through Waveform, when recording. It can be confusing and time consuming getting midi from kit to Waveform, then send those BACK to the kit, to play, and then feed audio back into Waveform to mix... However the kit may have sounds you REALLY like, plus it's easier to practice with kit alone and not having to set up the computer.
Easier to just use the drum sampler or one of many available drum kits available (which can all be triggered FROM the drum kit initially, although there may be some mapping to do - like make sure the bass drum actually activates a VST or sampler bass drum...).
You have to consider whether you really want to use the built-in sounds, or use kits available through Waveform, when recording. It can be confusing and time consuming getting midi from kit to Waveform, then send those BACK to the kit, to play, and then feed audio back into Waveform to mix... However the kit may have sounds you REALLY like, plus it's easier to practice with kit alone and not having to set up the computer.
Easier to just use the drum sampler or one of many available drum kits available (which can all be triggered FROM the drum kit initially, although there may be some mapping to do - like make sure the bass drum actually activates a VST or sampler bass drum...).
Waveform 13; Win10 desktop/8 Gig; Win11 Laptop; MPK261; VFX+disfunctional ESQ-1
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- KVRian
- 524 posts since 16 Mar, 2017
As suggested above, the MIDI interfacing for a kit like this is far more likely to be used to have the drums trigger sounds on the computer than the reverse - in other words, set up a virtual drum kit on Waveform and mute the drum kit itself, so that when you play the kit, you are hearing sounds produced by Waveform, which are likely to be of a higher quality than those in the kit.
I checked the manual, and there is no indication that users can add their own sounds, or even customize the kits, in spite of the fact that two of them are named "Custom 1" and "Custom 2" - the manual does not single those out or explain how they might actually be customized. This may be a curious omission from the manual, or simply confusingly-named kits that cannot actually be customized.
I checked the manual, and there is no indication that users can add their own sounds, or even customize the kits, in spite of the fact that two of them are named "Custom 1" and "Custom 2" - the manual does not single those out or explain how they might actually be customized. This may be a curious omission from the manual, or simply confusingly-named kits that cannot actually be customized.