Drums notation for imported MIDI file

• Oct 30, 2017 - 23:01

I loaded a MIDI file in MuseScore and I would see the notes in drums notation.
I can't do it. I never understood this program.


Comments

In reply to by mike320

Mike, I can upload any file, it does not matter.
I played drums samples with midi keyboard (C1-E2).
Basically, in 99% of cases, when you play drums samples you have kick on C1, snare on E1, toms from F1 to B1, cymbals on black keys (HH-close is F#1, HH-open is A#1, crash is D#2 etc.).
So I would like to load the midi file in MuseScore and set Drums Notation View.
That's all.
Am I making a new feature request?
I don't know...

P.s.
MuseScore drums notation must not necessarily correspond to the one I'm using, I can make some manual adjustments, but at least let me select the drum tablature.

In reply to by mark7ones

In general, if your MIDI file is set up in such a way that it makes clear it is a drum track, MuseScore handles it correctly. That means, for example, it probably needs to be use channel 10. You say you have this problem for "any file", but presumably you really mean any file created by your particular device using your particular software. So we would still need you to attach the file in order to see why it isn't being recognized. But my guess is it doesn't use channel 10.

Meanwhile, should work to simply add a new drum staff then copy/paste the content. Assuming your file uses the General MIDI standard for which drums are at which MIDI pitches, you should get something usable right away. Yu can then use the "Edit Drumset" facility to customize the display if you like (eg, if you prefer snare drum on a line rather than a space or whatever).

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

As I said I find it difficult to do anything with this program; nothing is immediate, even if you want to change the time signature you have to read the manual.
Anyway I opened the file and this time I copied the notes as you suggested, modified the instrument to drumset and pasted. Now I see the drum tab.
But why can't I select the drumset from the bottom box?

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In reply to by mark7ones

Reading the manual is always useful for any program as sophisticated as MsueScore, but FWIW, changing time signatures should be pretty self-evident - just apply from the palette on the side using drag & drop or double click, same as how most other programs that use palettes work.

The bottom box you mention is only there for files imported from MIDI and is there to give you some finer control over the import process. It isn't meant for drastic things like changing a pitched part to an unpitcvhed one - that is something that normally you should expect the MIDI file to already have correct.

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

Sorry, but I'm a little puzzled: "that's something that normally you should expect the MIDI file to already have correct."?
MuseScore does not know what MIDI instrument I've played. A MIDI file is a MIDI file. It's me to tell MuseScore this is a drum tab.
But I can not do it directly; I have to do it indirectly (making a copy / paste).
Does not it look strange to you?
I know you work to give us a freeware program so I should not criticize it; but nobody prevents me from using a commercial program if I'm not fine with MuseScore. :)
If I was you, I would try to make it easier to use.
Example:
You can select time signature by double-clicking. Okay. But if you do not select the time signature or a bar on the score, double-clicking does nothing. That's why I said, this is not immediate. Why can't I change the time signature of the score simply double-clicking? :)

Anyway, the true problem was the notes input in real-time using MIDI keyboard.
I remember I read about a third-party project by some user to solve it.
Did he succeed?

In reply to by mark7ones

"A MIDI file is a MIDI file. It's me to tell MuseScore this is a drum tab."

No, the MIDI specification has never been created in this way. https://www.midi.org/specifications/item/general-midi

in a Standard Midi File :
1. GM1: You will use the MIDI channel number 10 set for Drum/Perc. (Channel; not Track)
2. GM2, GS, XG: Use channel 10; Plus (for additional separate drum/percussion channels) specify CC or SysEx (sometimes both) to indicate that the channel is a Drum/Perc. channel. (Channel; not Track)

PS: Real-time midi input is not a MIDI file (Real-time MIDI message); This is another issue.

In reply to by Ziya Mete Demircan

Probably you're trying to say that the problem is how the DAW export the MIDI file...
Ok, but it doesn't make much difference.
Now, I'm not a technician and they told me that "real-time MIDI message" was hard to achieve, but I don't think change the score view (piano, guitar, drums) it is a great problem. MIDI notes are the same; it's notation to change.
Idiots like me want something that is as simple as possible to use because we lose patience immediately. :)

In reply to by mark7ones

You don't need a new score, just add a new instrument to the current one. Being able to convert a pitched staff to an unpitched one is also possible but won't necessarily do everything you actually want, because depending on your reason for doing the change, there might be different things that make sense. That's why it's safer to copy and paste into a real drum staff.

As for whatever issues you are facing getting Reason to export a properly-constructed MIDI file for percussion music, that's a question for their forums or other support system. I have to imagine they provide that basic functionality though, just a question of learning how to use it.

In reply to by mark7ones

The advantage of adding an instrument to the current score is all other instruments in the MIDI can be kept as is, also any key changes or time signature changes are left intact, etc. Plus it's fewer steps. So, better results in less time. Literally only about half a dozen clicks total, with results as close to perfect as the original MIDI file allows.

As for changing pitched to unpitched, as I said, it is possible, it just won't necessarily do what you want here (that facility wasn't designed for correcting erroneous MIDI files, but instead for other purposes). You will get better results by the copy & paste method, since it does do what you want.

In reply to by mark7ones

You can apply a time signature or any other palette element by double clicking. You just need to select the location to apply it to first. Otherwise MuseScore has no way of know if you want to apply it to the first measure or somewhere else. For time signatures, select a measure to apply the time signature change starting there to the end of of the piece, or select a range of measures to apply the time signature change to the selected range only.

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