EMUSIC-L Digest Volume 39, Issue 05 This issue's topics: Yamaha DD5 questions (11 messages) Your EMUSIC-L Digest moderator is Joe McMahon . You may subscribe to EMUSIC-L by sending mail to listserv@american.edu with the line "SUB EMUSIC-L your name" as the text. The EMUSIC-L archive is a service of SunSite (sunsite.unc.edu) at the University of North Carolina. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 05:44:00 EDT From: PRESTON@MOREKYPR.BITNET Subject: Yamaha DD5 questions I recently bought a Yamaha DD5 drum pad quite cheaply, and I'm using it to trigger voices in my Alesis SR-16. Knowing next to nothing about MIDI and not being able to make much sense out of the instructions that came with the DD5, it took me some time to finally get the pads assigned the way I wanted. Now, I discover, if you switch the DD5 off, you have to go through the pad assignment process all over again (wow, imagine that). Does anyone know of a way around this, other than leaving the unit powered up all the time? Silly question (but just had to ask, anyway): If I were to buy a MIDI merge box and acquired a second DD5, could they be made to each trigger 4 seperate voices apiece on the SR-16? Sorry if this is too rudimentary for the list, but I'd love a response... :) Jeff Preston ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 09:27:00 EST From: wbf1@CBEMA.ATT.COM Subject: Jeff Preston's Yamaha DD5 questions Hi Jeff, > Silly question (but just had to ask, anyway): If I were to buy a MIDI > merge box and acquired a second DD5, could they be made to each trigger > 4 seperate voices apiece on the SR-16? Sorry if this is too rudimentary > for the list, but I'd love a response... :) No such thing as a silly question, although I've been known to give silly answers from time to time. This isn't one of those! Yes, you can trigger eight sounds on your drum module from two merged pad controllers... IF you set each pad to a unique MIDI note number corresponding to the sounds you wish to trigger. Here's a diagram. ------------- -------------- --------- | DD5 #1 out|-----|in1 | | SR-16 | NOTE: Only MIDI ------------- | | | | connections are | MERGER out|-----|in | shown. ------------- | | | | | DD5 #2 out|-----|in2 | --------- ------------- -------------- You might want to read the DD5 manual and look for a parameter called MIDI echo or MIDI through. If the pad has this feature, then you'll be able to save money by forgetting the separate merger and using one pad to do the merging. This requires that the pad (DD5) has a MIDI input. Just feed DD5 #1's MIDI out to DD5 #2's MIDI in, turn MIDI echo (or through) paramter to on or yes in the DD5 #2, and feed its MIDI out to the SR-16. Sorry, I have no suggestion at this time to save you from resetting the pads upon power up. Good luck. Bill Fox ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 09:35:16 EST From: PRESTON@MOREKYPR.BITNET Subject: Thanks a bunch! (DD5 questions) [Bill's excellent diagram and kind words deleted, but saved locally for future reference] > You might want to read the DD5 manual and look for a parameter >called MIDI echo or MIDI through. If the pad has this feature, then >you'll be able to save money by forgetting the separate merger and using >one pad to do the merging. This requires that the pad (DD5) has a MIDI >input. Just feed DD5 #1's MIDI out to DD5 #2's MIDI in, turn MIDI echo >(or through) paramter to on or yes in the DD5 #2, and feed its MIDI out >to the SR-16. Sorry, I have no suggestion at this time to save you from >resetting the pads upon power up. Good luck. >Bill Fox Thanks very much, Bill! This is a very exciting bit of news for me... I envision a poor man's Octapad coming out of this unholy union (and better yet, maybe even getting a third DD5 to trigger all 12 voices per drum set on the SR-16). I got this DD5 for $30 used, and I figure I could probably find one or two more for about the same (they originally sold for ~$99, I think). Alas, the DD5 has nothing but a MIDI IN jack, so that's why I was figuring on the merge box (I know *next* to nothing about MIDI, but I know "the knee bone's connected to the leg bone" :). Again, thank you very much! Anyone have any suggestions for a cost-effective (read: inexpensive) MIDI merge device...? :) Jeff Preston (who is very glad to be here this morning!) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 10:06:00 EST From: wbf1@CBEMA.ATT.COM Subject: Thanks a bunch! (DD5 questions) > Alas, the DD5 has nothing but a MIDI IN jack, so that's why I was > figuring on the merge box > > Anyone have any suggestions for a cost-effective (read: inexpensive) MIDI > merge device...? :) > > Jeff Preston > (who is very glad to be here this morning!) Hi again Jeff, I hope you mean MIDI OUT jack in that first sentence above. A controller with only a MIDI IN jack is like a WOM (Write Only Memory). It would be a MIDI note black hole - notes go in but they don't go out! For the merge device, try Anatek's pocket merge. Bill Fox ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 10:29:16 EST From: PRESTON@MOREKYPR.BITNET Subject: Oops. > I hope you mean MIDI OUT jack in that first sentence above. A >controller with only a MIDI IN jack is like a WOM (Write Only Memory). >It would be a MIDI note black hole - notes go in but they don't go out! >For the merge device, try Anatek's pocket merge. >Bill Fox Yep... that's what I meant to say (this will teach me to stay up past my bedtime, huh?). :) I'm going to check into the Anatek box, Bill... thanks again! Jeff "midnight shift guy" Preston ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 15:55:00 EST From: wbf1@CBEMA.ATT.COM Subject: DD5 Presets > From: Eric McCormick <0004775674@MCIMAIL.COM> > One suggestion on what to do as far as your DD5 key assignments being cleared > is to set your Alesis drum machine to default to the assignments of your DD5. > That way you would not need to reconfigure your DD5 at all. Great idea; for one DD5. If Jeff gets a second DD5, won't they BOTH default to the same note assignments? He'll still have to reassign the pads on the second controller. I wonder if there's an inexpensive merger/mapper/zoner type box that could take care of this. Sounds doable on a PC with software but I think Jeff was looking for a low cost solution that won't tie up a PC for such a "minor" process. I have the Digital Music MX-8 which might do the job by transposing one DD5 up and merging it with an unprocessed DD5. Then set up the drum module for the eight resulting "default" note assignments. Jeff; Do you have about $250 (US) to spare for an MX-8? Bill Fox ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 23:18:28 CST From: Jason Keeler Subject: Re: Thanks a bunch! (DD5 questions) Hi Jeff; I've heard nothing but good reports from Anatek's Pocket Merge. Fairly cheap too, around $95. That's what you wanted wasn't it :) ...Jason ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 16:47:00 GMT From: Eric McCormick <0004775674@MCIMAIL.COM> Subject: DD5 Presets One suggestion on what to do as far as your DD5 key assignments being cleared is to set your Alesis drum machine to default to the assignments of your DD5. That way you would not need to reconfigure your DD5 at all. +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _&_ | | / \ | | | | | | | (0)(0) Eric McCormick | | C .---_) | | | |.___| MCI Telecommunications | | | \__/ | | /_____\ 0004775674@MCIMAIL.COM | | /_____/ \ | | / \ | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1992 02:46:28 EDT From: PRESTON@MOREKYPR.BITNET Subject: More DD5 jollies Wow... overwhelming response! >From: Eric McCormick <0004775674@MCIMAIL.COM> >One suggestion on what to do as far as your DD5 key assignments being cleared >is to set your Alesis drum machine to default to the assignments of your DD5. >That way you would not need to reconfigure your DD5 at all. I'd thought of that, but first I need to determine what the default settings on the pads actually are. :) There's no display on the DD5, and the instructions don't mention what the defaults are, either. Bill Fox had this observation on the above posting: >From: wbf1@CBEMA.ATT.COM >Great idea; for one DD5. If Jeff gets a second DD5, won't they BOTH >default to the same note assignments? He'll still have to reassign the >pads on the second controller. I wonder if there's an inexpensive >merger/mapper/zoner type box that could take care of this. Sounds >doable on a PC with software but I think Jeff was looking for a low cost >solution that won't tie up a PC for such a "minor" process. I have the >Digital Music MX-8 which might do the job by transposing one DD5 up and >merging it with an unprocessed DD5. Then set up the drum module for the >eight resulting "default" note assignments. Jeff; Do you have about >$250 (US) to spare for an MX-8? Well, $250 is a bit more than I want to spend to solve the problem, yeah. If I were performing, I might consider it, but just to do a little home recording, I think I can suffer through the reprogramming process. For now, I'll probably just leave the one DD5 on (as well as any others I acquire in the near future). But - thunderstorm season will soon be here... :) I don't fully understand the MIDI mapping function of the SR-16... I noted that the manual said that in any mode other than the "normal" mode, the SR-16 would act only as a sound module, and as such you would be unable to program patterns via the external trigger (the DD5, in my case). I think I'd like to leave that possibility open for now, so using the "normal" mapping mode seems to be the way for me to go. I understand that I can internally assign a snare voice to the "perc 1" pad, etc., so I thought about setting a group of drum kits aside in the SR-16 where the voices would not necessarily correspond to the pad labelling. But I then realized that the DD5's default MIDI note settings (whatever they may be) must be mostly out-of-range of the defaults for the SR-16, because only one of the DD5 pads will cause a voice to trigger at power-up; the other three pads are silent at that point. Did that make any sense? :) >From: Jason Keeler >Hi Jeff; >I've heard nothing but good reports from Anatek's Pocket Merge. Fairly cheap >too, around $95. That's what you wanted wasn't it :) Exactly! I'd be even nicer if I could find something to merge 3 outputs (the poor man's DodecaPad, so to speak), but I suspect it'd take more money that I want to spend right now. Right now, I'm almost as concerned about how to mount this thing so my drumming friends can whack on it comfortably. :) Thanks to everyone who's responded (both here and personally)... I do appeciate it! Jeff Preston ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1992 15:40:00 GMT From: Eric McCormick <0004775674@MCIMAIL.COM> Subject: DD5 Default Assignments If you have a Sequencer you can put it on "Record" and then play each of the pads, perhaps one per quarter note. Then, go into your Event list and see what the note# is for each note. I don't have an SR-16 but I have an HR-16, and to change the Midi Note/Pad assignments you can go into the MIDI Note feature (I think it's function 15. Actually it's been awhile since I've done this.) As you press each pad you can see what note is assigned, and then use the slider to change the note to the one you witnessed from the DD5. Hope this helps! +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _&_ | | / \ | | | | | | | (0)(0) Eric McCormick | | C .---_) | | | |.___| MCI Telecommunications | | | \__/ | | /_____\ 0004775674@MCIMAIL.COM | | /_____/ \ | | / \ | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1992 12:37:00 CDT From: Z3KPW@TTACS.BITNET Subject: RE: More DD5 jollies Here's the default pad assignments for the Yamaha DD-5: (starting from the top left pad, going clockwise:) A-3, D#4, A-2, E-3. Dunno the MIDI note #s. ------------------------------ End of the EMUSIC-L Digest ******************************