I wasn't able to find a specific answer to this issue through searching, so I'm hoping someone will be able to help me out...

I'm using Finale 2009 and VDL 2.5 and I'm trying to figure out how to edit the percussion map for VDL.  More specifically, I'm trying to figure out how I can map the tenor  and bass drums to FACEA on the staff, along with various snare sounds to different note heads.  Is there an option inside of Finale 2009 that will let me accomplish this?

Hi Wynder,

Are you using the 2009 templates?

If so, try this:

1) Select the [b]Staff Tool[/b] and double-click on the quad or bass staff

2) In [b]Staff Attributes[/b], click [b]Select[/b] next to [b]Notation Style : Percussion[/b]

3) Make sure the correct map is selected then click [b]Edit[/b]

4) In the [b]Percussion Map Designer[/b] under [b]Notes to use for Staff "; ";[/b], click [b]All Named Notes[/b]

5) Click [b]Done[/b], [b]Select[/b], and [b]OK[/b]

Now try to enter some notes.  Are you able to enter notes on the correct spaces now?

I'll give this a try once I get home...  I'm using a couple of different things -- I do have the Tapspace indoor/outdoor/top/bottom templates that I purchased; however, I'm also using a template a friend of mine sent me from when he was arranging for the Blue Knights.

Thanks for the reply, and I'll definitely post an update regardless of whether or not it works. :)

Well, the good news is that I'm able to access the percussion maps like that...  I just have to figure out how that works -- one step closer, though. :)

Im having issues with the Tenor parts too?  I dont understand why drums are written so oddly?
low to high... drum 4 is an F (totally fine), Drum 3 is supposedly at the A on the keyboard and it sounds great but it shows up onthe staff as a C???  This is where most people, at least everyone i know, puts drum 2, not 3?  In order to get the music look correct i have to use an Ab for drum 3 and that doesnt sound at all.  (then the spok 1 is the C above the staff and the highest spok shows up as an A in the staff???)

Is there a way to fix this?  I have taken the steps listed above, but it all shows up as notes below the staff that i cannot see.  How can i map this the way i want. 

Sorry, I LOVE the sound files and being able to hear a real group, but this tenor thing is driving me crazy.

Thanks,Dan

(Finale 09, VDL 2.5, Vista 64 PC, 4 GB Ram)

Dan, as Justin (TylerDurden) asked, are you using the [url=https://www.tapspace.com/product.php?productid=93&cat=0&page=1]Finale 2009 Template[/url]?

Sorry, i didnt mention that part.  Yes, i have the VDL template that i purchased from Tapspace.

Have you selected the correct tenor map using the Staff Attributes Tool?

If you still have problems with the mapping then use the Staff Attributes Tool and edit the map you have selected by clicking the Edit button at the bottom of that window. Sorry for the less than complete instructions as I'm away from my Finale computer.

If you are new to finale (and/or computer notation) then I strongly suggest spending time with the tutorials and exploring the program before rushing to meet deadlines.

Ted

I guess i was wondering if there is an easier way?  I have been writing a lot lately and the way it is mapped, I assumed, was a mistake that Tapspace may fix at some point.  (I dont know, maybe this is how they do it?  For all the lines I have seen or worked with, it doesnt sound correct or wont look correct unless the whole map is changed?  I dont want to have a visual tenor line and a sounding tenor line either.)

So, will this take 30-60 minutes to figure out then?  Also, will it be possible to save the mapping so i wont have to do again?

Thanks,
Dan

Dan,

There is no mistake in the templates. You must do a certain amount of work in advance. What you are seeing (by your description) is where the notes are mapped according to MIDI notes or pitches. These are instrument specific and have nothing to do with the visual or graphic layout of the parts in Finale or Sibelius. These key maps are then used to assign specific sounds for placement on the staff for that instrument.

In Finale you use the Staff Attributes Tool to assign a specific map to each staff. If you are using the templates this is already setup for the user. However, if you change instruments for a staff ( switch from the default tenor to Solo Tenor) you must also change the percussion map to reflect this. To make this type of change only takes a couple of minutes at most.


Ted

I believe you understand what i want to do.  I would like to change drum 3 to visually look like an A on the staff, that also means changing 2 to a C, 1 to a E and the accent drum to an G above (although an A above is fine too).  Then the buzz rolls to match the drums when they show up. 

Is this stuff I have to assign in the midi mapping?  When I did what you suggested for Wynder, I got a bunch of notes that were off the staff (way below) so i could only see the rhythms.  When you see the screen that shows each keyboard note, im assuming i use that page to assign visual values to the staff? 

I love the sounds, it just seems I need to reset how each sound appears on the staff?  Once i do that, can i save it, or do i have to do it every time I create a new file? 

Dan,

Please reread my previous response. You should not need to do anything with the percussion maps. That work has been done already if you are using the Finale templates that are available through the Tapspace store.


Ted

Ok, I re-read the post.  If I am trying to get Tenor drum 3 to show up as an A on the staff (instead of a C, which is where the template has them) do i change a midi map then?  Is there a way to change where each sound shows up on the staff visually? 

I am currently putting an F# in on the keyboard so that visually, in Finale, something will show up where we put drum number 3 (we put drum 3 at an A, F-A-C-E from 4-1 and the A as an accent drum).  However, if i put an F# in, so that i see drum #3, i get a silence because the map was created with no sound assigned to the F#. 

Im not sure if im confusing the issue, or we just aren't speaking the same terms?  (it could totally be me)  Can i get finale and Kontakt to communicate to sound drum 3 and show as an A on the staff?  (If yes, I am trying to figure out how.  If not, then I am stuck with an incomplete sound, or writing two seperate tracks... one to hear, and one that will be used for visual printing purposes.)

If the description in this post (to Wynder) shows how to do this, in the percussion map, then I just need to know that's how its done, and i will try to create the map I am looking for. 

Thanks,
Dan

Dan,

Which template and which tenor instrument specifically are you using?

The templates are setup to look exactly as you want them to in your description. Just to verify, you are using the templates purchased from Tapspace and not the ones which are available with Finale when you purchased the software. Those Finale supplied templates do have problems. They are lacking in most of the sounds available in the full VDL package and the percussion mapping is such that the user must do some work to get the visual representation correct.


Ted

hmm... ?

I may be an idiot?!  I am checking since it looks like i had tenor line lite selection in the percussion staff notation, but the autoRL in Kontakt.

It moved all the notes around and i will have to re-enter all my tenor parts, I wont be near my keyboard until tomorrow, but that probably did it.  If i enter anything else in this page, it didnt work.  If i dont, THANK YOU for dealing with my boneheaded mistake. 

Thanks,
Dan (the moron! :) )