Performer-Tailored Electronic Drum Module
Can a drum module adapt to a player’s striking habits?
My contribution
- Wonder
- Can a drum module adapt to a player’s striking habits?
- Build
- Built a Max/MSP drum module with manually tailored snare and ride velocity mappings, CC4 hi-hat control, and individual gain, pan, and output settings.
External tools & AI
I used Max/MSP and recorded drum audio samples. I used AI to gather information about Max/MSP objects.
- Find out
- Manual mappings and hi-hat control work for one player. The effect of tailored responses on playing has not yet been measured.
Process & photos
The fixed response of a commercial electronic drum module may not match how a particular drummer plays. I built a Max/MSP module to adjust sample choice and playback level to one player’s striking range.
The patch routes MIDI notes to drum sounds and uses custom velocity ranges for snare and ride samples. MIDI velocity sets playback level, CC4 controls hi-hat openness, and the player can set gain, pan, and output for each drum.
The mapping is adjusted manually for one player. It does not learn automatically. Recorded velocity distributions and a controlled comparison with a fixed mapping are still needed.
