Tabel of Contents
Contents

Getting Started

Playing Drums

CD Music

Recording Midi Files

Banks and Sound Fonts

Features

Menu descriptions


Getting Started

The first time you run Airdrums, a box will appear with selections for Midi in
and Midi out sources.  This allows you to set the Midi in system to hook up an
external drum trigger.  By just clicking OK without changing the settings, you
can try  the program and check out the sounds.  Later you can call up the Midi
settings and change them if you wish to use an external Midi device.  The next
screen you will see is the drum set.  Click the left mouse button on any drum
and you should hear a preset drum sound.  To set a drum sound, point to the
drum with the mouse and press the RIGHT mouse button.  The Tuning panel
and keyboard will appear.  You play the keyboard with the mouse.  Any sound you choose will be assigned to the drum you  Right clicked with the mouse.  You can assign any Keyboard key to a drum.  When the control panel is visible, use the mouse to click the Test Hit button, then press a key.  That key will now play that note.  Continue with all the drums.  The Tuning panel will change the sounds according to what is on the panel.  Experiment with the panel to ge different effects.  Once the drums are set up you can save the drum set in a file Choose File from the menu bar at the top. Then choose Save a Drum Set.  Later you can retrieve your settings.  An unlimited number of drums sets may besaved.


Playing Drums

To play the drums you can just tap you mouse on each visible drum or you can play an external drum set.  By holding down the mouse you can drag over each drum and rapidly hit them in succession.  You can assign each drum to a computer keyboard key using the Tuning Panel.  To play external drum triggers, connect the triggers to your sound card according to the manufacturer of your card and set the Midi In Out.  Also See Getting Started


Features

Midi In Out

CD Player

Midi Recording

On Screen Setup

Sound Level Mixing

Unlimited Drum Sets

Support for Sound Fonts

General Midi Compatible


CD Music
CD Player Control

To use the CD player you must have the proper CD drivers installed.  Usually this is done through Windows Setup.  You can test the CD player by using the Media Player in Windows. Once you have your CD Player working you can use Airdrums to play a CD and play the drums along with the music.  To start the CD player choose CD under the Edit Menu or Click on the floating red cylinder .  A track number will appear in the white  ball. By dragging the mouse over the ball you can change tracks.  Use the floating CD player bar to the right of the drum set to Play, Stop,Eject, and Jump to Tracks.  Clicking on the Blue Ring will run the Sound Mixer.  If you have external drum triggers or a keyboard you can record a midi track at the same time you are playing a CD


Recording Midi Files

To record a Midi File choose "Open a Midi File for Recording" under the File
Menu.  In the dialog box enter the name of the Midi file you want to record.
The Recording Panel will appear. Choose the Computer Keyboard or External Midi Device (like a drum trigger or a keyboard.   Click on the red record button.  The default countdown will click 4 beats. Start playing on the 5th beat.  To stop recording click on the red stop button.   See Midi In Out


Banks and Sound Fonts

Banks are selected using the Tuning Panel.  Slide the bank slider to the desired bank.  Your sound card must support Banks for this feature to work.  Banks are loaded with sound fonts that you choose to use.


Midi In Out

To play external drum triggers change the MIDI In device to read SB16 or whatever sound card is attached.  Leave the Midi Out set to Midi Mapper


Sound Mixer
Sound Level Mixer

Clicking on the Blue Ring will run the Sound Mixer.  Clicking on the red cones will adjust the Midi Volume for left and right.  This will only work if your sound card will has this feature.


Tuning
This panel allows setting of all drum sounds for each on screen drum and to assign a keyboard (Computer) key to a drum.  As you change channels the settings of all the sliders will change.


General Midi

Airdrums supports the General Midi standard and will also support all the standards you sound card has to offer through the use of Banks and the Midi In Out control.  You can play any Midi file by clicking on the floating note, selecting a midi file, and then clicking on the Play button on the floating play bar.


Menu Descriptions

Open Midi File for Recording

Load a Drum Set

Save a Drum set

Tuning Panel

CD Music

Midi In Out

Settings


Load and Save Drum sets
Loading and Saving Drum sets

Airdrums can save drum setups that you have made and load them later.  Use the File command "Save a drum set" to save your drum set  Later use "Load a Drum set" to retrieve your settings.  If you save a set as "default.drm" then that set will always load on startup.  See Getting Started.


Settings

Default to drum channel 10

Channel 10 is usually reserved for drum patches.  If you check this and turn it off you will be able to access any sound and assign it to your drum on screen or using Midi In Out.  This is also useful to access Banks and Sound fonts

Show Drum notes

The Midi drum notes you have chosen will display on screen.  This will assist you in setting up external drum triggers.

Reset Midi In Out Velocity Sensing

The volume on each drum is set by you using the Tuning Panel.  When playing
external drums connected to your sound card, the volume will be set for each
drum according to what you set for each drum.  This will allow you to "Mix"
the drum sound to match a recording and give you a "compressed" drum sound.
It will also allow your external drums triggers to respond faster.  If you reset the
velocity sensing the Midi In Out connections will respond to changes in volume
and play as loud or as soft as you hit the drums or keys.