Drum input palette
While I can appreciate the versatility of the drum palette, I find it a bit irritating for my needs. So far I have been unable to find a way to have a stock drum set be used without having the palette pop up waiting for input for a line or space I haven't used yet. I can't tell if edit drum set will help or not. The vast majority of the time, all I want is kick in the lower part of the staff, snare in the middle, toms just above and cymbals above the staff. Yes I can set those in the palette, but I'd rather have it preset without having the palette come up at all.
Is this possible?
Comments
You can save and load drum definitions from the edit drum set dialog box using the Load... and Save As... buttons.
In reply to You can save and load drum… by mike320
Thanks Mike.
I'm guessing that I need to go through the edit again if I change Sound fonts?
In reply to Thanks Mike. I'm guessing… by bobjp
As long as both sound fonts are GM compatible you shouldn't need to edit them. The only time you need to define a new drumset for the same drums is if you use sounds that are not GM compatible. FYI, a list of GM compatible sounds is found at https://www.midi.org/specifications-old/item/gm-level-1-sound-set. There is a drum section on this page.
In reply to As long as both sound fonts… by mike320
OK, so I find that Edit Drum Palette does not do what I thought it might. Which was to be able to create a drum set and be able to enter notes without having the palette open at all. I suspect this is because different voices are required for the different drums. And, yes, I see MuseScore handles most types of entries through palettes, the drum palette seems the most awkward to me.
I write mostly for playback, something MuseScore is doing better and better, I suppose I could just create a different staff for the drum kit instruments I want and do it that way. That way I can also control individual volume.
In reply to OK, so I find that Edit Drum… by bobjp
To control individual volumes, separate staves is currently the easiest way to go, though someone is starting work on dynamics that work on each voice. I have no idea when that might be released. Also, if you have two drums in one voice, this wouldn't allow you to control each separately in an easy way.
If you limit yourself to 8 drum sounds on a staff, you can assign a shortcut to each sound (like normal snare drum and playing on the rim is two separate sounds so two shortcuts). The drum input palette will always show up, but it will not be necessary to use it if you have shortcuts assigned to all of the sounds.
In reply to To control individual… by mike320
Thanks again, Mike. I'll have to mess with the palette some more. I ran into some problem with it when I tried to write a measure that had kick, and different tom voices in a fill pattern. The result played OK but looked very odd. It's not on this computer so I can't post a pic yet.
In reply to Thanks again, Mike. I'll… by bobjp
I can fix this to look better but, as I'm only interested in playback, that isn't important. It took me some time to develop this measure.
In reply to I can fix this to look… by bobjp
It looks good to me. You should be able to assign a-g note shortcuts to each drum if you haven't already.
I'm not quite understanding the objection to seeing the palette - is it that it takes space on the screen that you don't need because you have assigned custom shortcuts to all your drums? Or, if you haven't already edited your drumset to include keyboard shortcuts, you are proposing entering notes without using the palette?
Assuming you have set up your drumset appropriately, entering measures like the one you show in this thread should take a matter of a few seconds, just key in the notes left to right with the shortcuts A-G.
In reply to I'm not quite understanding… by Marc Sabatella
Sorry I haven't been very clear. The reason for that is that I pretty much don't understand the whole drum palette/edit/shortcut thing. I've been able to figure out most other things in MuseScore that I need, but not this. This kind of thing happens to me when I don't look at something quite the right way. So I just need to find the right approach angle. I do note entry with the mouse. As I read the manual, that might not be the most efficient method to enter drum notes. Because I have no experience entering notes with a midi keyboard or the computer keyboard, shortcuts don't have much meaning for me. I am less interested in speed and more interested in something I understand.
The first time I used a drumset in MuseScore was for a piece I just finished. Knowing absolutely nothing, I tried to enter a kick drum note and the palette came up and things went south from there. But that's on me. But spending time in the manual has only slightly helped. Sorry if I seem too dense to figure this out. I'll get there. I just need a shove in the right direction.
In reply to Sorry I haven't been very… by bobjp
If you prefer to enter notes by mouse, the drum entry palette is vital to being able to enter the correct drum since you must double click an item in the drum palette to enter it into the score. This is a frustrating way to me but that's personal taste. Keep in mind, that the green notes on the drum palette are in voice 2. Regardless of which input method you choose, you need to enter everything in a measure in voice 1, then go back and select voice 2 while in note entry mode (clicking the 2 on the tool bar is the best way to do this with a mouse). You can then enter the notes in voice 2. You can of course enter several measures in voice 1, exit note entry mode, click the first beat start note entry mode, click the 2 then start entering notes into voice 2 if you like, you are not limited to one measure at a time. The other thing to keep in mind is that if you want two drums at the same time in the same voice, enter one then shift+enter the second one. They must have the same duration of note though.
In reply to Sorry I haven't been very… by bobjp
Do indeed spend some time with the handbook and any video tutorials you find. The process is different than standard note input, but extremely efficient because it is tuned to work especially for percussion notation. But it works fine with mouse too, it's just slower (just as it is for standard staves).
The shortcuts are dead simple, they appear right there in the palette. You see the note with an "A" on it? Press "A" and you get that note. When you customize the drumset you can choose which notes get which shortcuts, so you can make them as meaningful to you as you like
In reply to Do indeed spend some time… by Marc Sabatella
Thanks for your help, guys. I have what I need to know. I am not interested in the fastest or easiest way to do something, like so many people are, but I am interested in what makes sense to me. I am perfectly at home with mouse input. I use MuseScore for composition, not transcription. I can see where transcription would require speed. Short cuts and A-G might be second nature to some, but are foreign to me. Mouse input gives me an opportunity to really think about each note as i place it. Do I want that note in that instrument, in that octave, etc? To have to shift gears to add notes for a drum kit kind of distracts me, and throws me off. No matter. All part of learning the software, I know.
Thank you again.
I have found this incredibly annoying as well. Although I have not as of yet found a way to toggle this mode on and off as when I started using this the DIP was not a thing, I have found a way to avoid this mode being active on the given drum track. If you go into your instruments option (short-key I)or(Instruments in the edit drop menu) then add your drum kit from the unpitched instrument section and before adding the instrument go to the stave type and click on Custom Standard. the DIP shouldn't come up and you can edit much more efficiently. (depending on your personal needs and what you find most efficient)