Sorely missing mapping options in EZ Drummer 2

[Aime Dallaire]

Hello,

As much as I like most of the new features and sounds in EZ Drummer 2, I am very disappointed by the lack of MIDI mapping options.

I use a customized electronic drum which is basically an expanded Roland V-Drum.

Being a user of Addictive Drums and Steven Slate Drums, I find those products very easy to adapt to my drums and to my playing, simply because they provide simple and efficient ways to map sounds.

The provided maps EZD2 are not very useful, especially considering that even the various EZ Drummer Kits all have slightly different drum configurations. There’s always one (or two) cymbal or tom not mapped properly.

So, as much as I understand that the intention here is to keep things simple, in this case, EZ only mean more complicated for me.
Don’t get me wrong the libraries are fantastic. But the task of remapping my edrums to accommodate EZD2 seems a bit daunting.
I know, some will say I should use Superior Drummer. But the idea here is to keep things EZ http://www.toontrack.com/app/sp-resources/forum-smileys/sf-wink.gif

Aim

Topic

[Scott]

Superior Drummer 2 has always been the best options for e-drummers. EZD2 has better e-drum options than EZD1 but EZD2 is still designed for musicians and songwriters that want good, fast, drum production.

S2 is still the king for e-drummers with its full MIDI configurations.

See this FAQ:

http://www.toontrack.com/faq/can-i-use-ezdrummer-2-with-e-drums/

Scott Sibley - Toontrack
Technical Advisor

[Aime Dallaire]

Hi, Scott

I totally agree that Superior Drummer is way.. superior in terms of options.

In fact I also own a copy of SD2. And, honestly, I barely use the product.
It’s not really for me. I find it too complicated to set up.
It’s not just a matter of midi mapping. But, it’s also the velocity curves that need to be tweaked, etc.
And it all needs to be done again when switching to a different kit.
Plus, the interface is neither efficient, nor intuitive.
In short a lot of setting-up needs to be done, before showtime.
(Sorry, that’s me: lazy and looking for quick and dirty solutions)

Which is a bit of a shame, because, if you take the time, SD2 can sound incredibly good.

However, all I want to do is launch my DAW and start trying ideas and sounds over basic guitar tracks with my e-drums.
So, I was very hopeful, when I heard that EZ Drummer 2 was expanding mapping options for electronic drummers.
It meant I would be using those wonderful Toontrack libraries a lot more often.
…Well, maybe not just yet.

There is an opportunity here for Toontrack to adapt their products, in order to bridge that gap between EZ Drummer and Superior Drummer.
Other software companies IMO have done it with success, and Toontrack, I’m sure could really do it if they wanted to.
Superior Drummer 3, maybe ?

Cheers.

Aim

[John]

@Adal1919 said:

It’s not just a matter of midi mapping. But, it’s also the velocity curves that need to be tweaked, etc.
And it all needs to be done again when switching to a different kit.

Aim

Hi,

why aren’t you saving your own MIDI Presets?
Or Combined Projects that you load as Combined and apply to your currently loaded kit?

John Rammelt - Toontrack
Technical Advisor

[Aime Dallaire]

Yeah, yeah.

I know, I should invest more time to set up Superior Drummer properly. All the right functions are in there.

I started this topic more as a wish for extra features in EZDrummer 2.

I like very much the simplicity and immediacy of EZDrummer 2.
Still, I see added mapping capabilities as a very worthwhile feature for EZDrummer 2, keeping it a very simple software, yet even more powerful.

And, I also want my cake and eat it too

[Rogue]

are you using the Roland e-drum mapping? if so in what way are you not able to map drums to trigger adequately?

Aux trigger entries of course cannot necessarily be mapped how you’d like but it may help you to know that Aux 1 is expected to be plugged into a (extra) Cymbal trigger while Aux 2 is expected to be plugged into a (extra) tom trigger. (Aux 3 = Cymbal and Aux 4 = tom, if available).

Which EZX you use should not be a relevant factor although you may need to load a particular tom size in a different slot.

… but sure, custom mapping being only available in Superior, if your needs exceeds the scope of the EZdrummer product, I can only recommend you spend some time with it.

Rogue Marechal - Toontrack
Configuration Manager

[Greg]

just to second my earlier post about the Yamaha mapping, the crash 1 tip/bow Yamaha articulation triggers the Ride crash. I made a custom user kit in the Yamaha to correct it, but it isn;t right in either SD2 or EZ Drummer 2. It’s not the end of the world, but a bit of a nuisance to have to use cubase drum maps if I want to use a different drum VSTi after or before using EZ2/SD2 on a track. BFD., Addictive Drums and SSD 4 all have the Yamaha mapping right.

Intel 13900K, Windows 11 , Cubase Pro 13.0.30, Studio One 6.2.1.64495, 64GB RAM, UA Apollo x4 and UA Apollo X8 Thunderbolt,, 64 sample buffer size, Radeon 570, 42″ 4k monitor

MIDI controller: Roland A-37, Jamstik Studio, MCU Pro + expander
Drum Brain: Yamaha DTX 900, RHH135 hihat, 2 crash and 1 ride cymbal, 4 toms.

[Rogue]

there is no ‘right’ mapping when it comes to Yamaha. In fact the DTX900 is peculiar in its use of note 59 attached to a crash trigger… a highly ‘un-GM’ choice. If this bothers you I believe you should be able to get both zones to play the crash (the same which seems desirable) by swapping the TRS cable going from the trigger to the module with a TS (mono) cable.

Rogue Marechal - Toontrack
Configuration Manager

[Greg]

Thanks for the reply. From what I could see older Yamaha kits like the DTXEXTREME II have note 59 as the ride bow. For whatever it is worth, looks like most newer Yamaha kits made in at least the last 6 years have note 59 also is the crash (DTXPRESS IV (below), DTX 700 (see below) share similar mapping with the DTXIII/900 series.)

---

Yamaha DTX 700 MIDI Mapping

---

HH Closed [Edge/hatsTrig]: 78 & 79
HH Closed [Bow/hatsTipTrig]: 46 & 42
HH Open [Edge/hatsTrig]: 78 & 79
HH Open [Bow/hatsTipTrig]: 46 & 42
HH Pedal [Chick]: 44
HH Ctrl : CC04

---

Snare: [Head: 38] [Rim: 40] [X-Stick: ??]

---

Kick1: [Center: 36] [Rim: 35]

---

Rack Tom1: [Center: 48] [Rim: 14]
Rack Tom2: [Center: 47]
Rack Tom2: [Rim: 18]
Rack Tom3: [Center: 43] [Rim: 20]

---

Crash1: [Bow: 59] [Edge: 49] [Bell: 55]
Crash2: [Bow: 17] [Edge: 57] [Bell: 16]
Ride: [Bell: 53] [Bow: 51] [Edge: 52 & 11]

DTXPLORER IV

1snare Snare 38 D1
1snrOp Rim Shot 40 E1
1snrCl Cross Stick 37 C#1
1snrOff Snare (snares off) 31 G0
1snrOfOp Rim Shot (snares off) 34 A#0
1snrOfCl Cross Stick (snares off) 27 D#0
2tom1 Hi Tom 48 C2
3tom2 Mid Tom 47 B1
4tom3 Lo Tom 43 G1
5ride Ride bow 51 D#2
5rideE Ride edge 52 E2
5rideC Ride cup 53 F2
6crash Crash 59 B2
6crashE Crash edge 49 C#2
6crashC Crash cup 55 G2
7hhOp Hi-hat Bow open 46 A#1
7hhOpE Hi-hat Edge open 78 F#4
7hhCl Hi-hat Bow closed 42 F#1
7hhClE Hi-hat Edge closed 79 G4
7hhFtCl Hi-hat pedal CLOSE 44 G#1
7hhSplsh Hi-hat pedal SPLASH 83 B4
8kick Bass Drum 36 C1
9pad9 Mono Crash (DXP4SP) 57 A2
10pad10 ChinaLoEg 15 D#-1
11pad11 Splash 1 16 E-1
12pad12 Cowbell 3 56 G#2

Intel 13900K, Windows 11 , Cubase Pro 13.0.30, Studio One 6.2.1.64495, 64GB RAM, UA Apollo x4 and UA Apollo X8 Thunderbolt,, 64 sample buffer size, Radeon 570, 42″ 4k monitor

MIDI controller: Roland A-37, Jamstik Studio, MCU Pro + expander
Drum Brain: Yamaha DTX 900, RHH135 hihat, 2 crash and 1 ride cymbal, 4 toms.

[Aime Dallaire]

Hi, Rogue

Your tips are welcome.
The aux assignments info will help.
But, I’ve got some experimenting to do…

Thanks.

[Author]

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