Are you setting up a ekit  to play, or are you using it inside a DAW to create sessions ?

Miscreant wrote:

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I appreciate your time.

I do understand the distinction between MIDI In/E-drums on one hand and the MIDI notes in the MIDI Mapping Property Box, where only the latter is ‘destructive’ re: Grooves functionality. I also understand that custom MIDI In/E-drums configurations can be saved as presets, remain active upon library changes, and can be saved as part of a default project state.

My concern is that I would like to maximize the degree of MIDI compatibility between different libraries. For instance, for quick auditioning within my DAW I would like to be able to drop a MIDI file currently on Track 1, Kit A into Track 2, Kit B and minimize the number of mismatches. These mismatches are possible because different kits have different pieces and articulations, and therefore sample x on CC 125 of Kit A might not match sample y on CC 125 of Kit B–that is, the MIDI Mapping Property Boxes of different libraries are not identical (even if similar).

The possibility of these mismatches left me with two options:

• accept a more limited degree of MIDI compatibility between different libraries (undesirable for my purposes);
• reconfigure the MIDI Mapping Property Box assignments to maximize compatibility between libraries

I took the second option by taking my largest, most diverse library (Superior 3 Metalworks, for example), remapped the ‘base’ MIDI assignments, and then took my other libraries and ‘fit’ their assignments into this master map. Even though this means more complex kits like Metalworks are not downwards compatible, all simpler kits are upwards compatible: every sample will match 1-to-1 (eg. ride bow = ride bow = ride bow).

Now, maybe I’m still confused. I surely know this took me a lot of time (not least because MIDI Mapping Property Box assignments cannot be saved independently and then imported into new libraries). But I cannot assume I’m the only one who’s gone this far to maximize compatibility between libraries…

Hi.  I think what you’re looking for is a way to have mappings for all your SDX libraries such that incoming midi should play the same pieces across all kits (within the range of pieces in the kits themselves).  This is precisely what a e-drummer does when using multiple SDXs and a single ekit setup.  I have spent the time to create custom edrum midi maps for all of the libraries across all of the SDXs I use.  As you suggest, I started with a SD3 core kit default midi assignments – aligned my edrum module midi out values with that (meaning my SD3 core mapping is only for additional instruments), and then treated each SDX library as a tweak from that core mapping.

Yes this took a while to do, and yes each time I change my edrum kit I have to tweak every single custom mapping, and yes I do wish there was a programmatic way to do this (like through a CSV file or something).  But that said, now that I have set it up this way, it allows me to spend less time fiddling with settings and more time playing drums.