Wanted: DrumKat Layout

Question

Being able to have a graphical user interface on an iPad would greatly speed up programming these powerful midi controllers. By design, they must be programmed/changed/set with footswitches and laboriously tapping different pads. No buttons, sliders or knobs.

Comments

Hey Jim, "which" Drumkat?
A mate of mine had one of the first versions years ago (early 2000s?) I didnt know they still made them but there's a "hybrid" drumkat now also.

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I specifically have the DrumKat 3.801 version. A Layout for a DK10 would even be nice. If I understood how to use MidiDesigner and knew more about midi, I'd do it myself. If only....

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No worries Jim, let me have a quick look at the midi implementation and see what's involved.
Cheers

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Hey Jim, ok I found this manual (https://www.alternatemode.com/manuals/dk3.5manual.pdf). There is an amendment for 3.8 but not much has changed midi wise between versions.
Basically there doesnt appear to be a lot you can do with it. It has System exclusive, but this is to only Rec/send "dumps" of data for presets etc, and MD2 isnt really setup to handle dumps, and even then Drumkats implementation of sysex is really only good for storing your presets. It can receive Midi Controller data, and without a unit, I can only assume you can assign these to various controls on the unit.
Its funny, but, the Drumkat is itself a "midi controller" just like MD2 is, so its like asking a midi controller to control another midi controller... I can only guess that the designers didn't see any need to control it with midi, as that was its job in itself.
Cheers

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What would a MIDI controller for the Drumkat to, precisely?

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Dan, I don't know if you have any experience with these. Midi Designer would act as GUI or visual reference to setting up the DrumKat. The present method is to press different footswitches while tapping on individual pads to set up the pads to perform various tasks. The simplest one is to make a drum set for performance.
The first one, the DK10 was the simplest to "program" for lack of a better term. It had limited features. With each new generation, the DrumKat grew in its abilities and the setup became more complicated. It's like going 100 years into cave with a AA flashlight and reading a map. You get so far in, can't orient the map and forget how you go to that point. Once you back out, you have to try to remember all of the steps to get to where you're trying to go.
I just thought that the Midi Designer could be a help by maybe each page representing a corresponding programming mode. The flow chart of different mode could be successive pages maybe?

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Dood, thanks for your time and looking into this for me. I'm probably dreaming. It's good to know that there are people out there looking to help even if none is available.
J

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Hey Jim, thanks for that message. So as you probably don't know, I entered all this music stuff from the drumming side (you can hear me on Maschine at https://soundcloud.com/throng/minion-pro-caption). One of my first projects was the Handsonic Librarian for the HPD-15 (http://confusionstudios.com/handsonic/) which allowed the user to avoid menu diving on an archaic device (the Roland Handsonic HPD-15). The reason this was possible, however, was that the HPD-15 had a full MIDI implementation that allowed you to control every aspect of it. All of these fun facts don't help much, though, if the Drumkat doesn't allow you to control what you need via MIDI.

There is an outside chance that you could break apart the MIDI from the sysex dumps and figure it out, but without a ton of brilliant and paintstaking guesswork -- or perhaps a hand from the makers of Drumkat -- I'd personally say it's something like impossible.

Hope this was somewhat helpful or at least interesting.

Best!
Dan