I am still a little uncertain about what goes on inside the BB with regards to midi processing and, even though I am sure I could decipher answers from reading all the threads here, I think it would help to clarify things.
I know about the different midi note mappings between say the BB and EZDrummer and that to play EZD midi files you need to re-map some of the notes to fit in with the BB drum sets. But what if I wanted to use the BB midi out to send midi notes to the EZDrummer software plugin on my DAW? Therefore bypassing the drum set and audio part of the BB. Would it not be possible therefore to save midi files on the BB exactly as they are when saved from EZDrummer and have the BB play those back to EZDrummer at runtime? I am looking for confirmation that the BB does not actually manipulate the midi note numbers and that the only issue is with how the drum sets map those numbers to actual WAV files.
Assuming the BB will send out the midi saved to it with no manipulation, what is the limit in range (number wise) that the BB will play? I think I have seen comments that suggest the BB will ignore certain midi notes above or below a threshold. Is that the case?
Finally - back to the EZDrummer example and again assuming the answer to 1) is that there is no manipulation at the midi note number level (if that makes sense) it should be possible to create a drum set that fits with the EZDrummer output. In other words rather than manipulate the midi files before loading them into the BB, I could load them as is and play them against a specifically designed EZD drum set on the BB?
One thing I have discovered is that the BB will play the midi files loaded within and send out the midi through the midi out port even if no drum WAVs are mapped: I created a drum set with only one instrument and only one WAV in the instrument (the minimum for any drum set on the BB). Even though I could’t monitor exactly what was being sent from the BB I got the impression it was still sending out the midi notes (on / off etc.) from the midi files within,
Apologies if this has been debated many times and thanks for any help.
The BB does not manipulate the MIDI. If it reads a note 36, with a velocity of 90, then it will select the note 36, then look up the set of samples for velocity 90, then randomly select one of those samples. It will also send that exact event out the wire to any device listening, which will play that note as well. I believe it will read any midi note that is valid, 1-127 or so. What it WON’T do? it only reads note-on events. Since it was designed for drums, it does not read the note-off events. There is a fix coming, and is partly already here, that allows it to honor zero velocity note-ons, which do the exact same as note-off events.
I have an SPD-30, and I was able to play the SPD-30, and “play” the notes in the BB. I was also able to do the opposite–use the BB to “play” the SPD-30.
Thanks for the explanation. It makes sense and it confirms what I thought, or was hoping at least. But it’s a shame about the note off issue. That will explain why when I tried to play bass notes from the BB to a bass guitar instrument in my DAW using the midi out, the notes were all short in length as if played staccato. Can we expect to have full midi processing in future releases I wonder?