Hey gang.
Excuse what may be a basic question, but after looking thru my books on SONAR and scanning the Forum I can't find an exact answer for this question.
In the past I have always recorded real drummers recording audio,  or programmed standalone drum machines like the Yamaha RY30.

I have never worked with drum software like EZ Drummer, BFD Eco and MIDI programming inside PRV.

I keep hearing about DRUM MAPS, but I am not clear on why I really need these.

From my drumming software I can route the various instruments to different channels for processing.
Inside PRV where you normally just see a piano keyboard on the left, you have the option to right click and have Sonar show alternate note names.

I have done this and selected one of the General Drum MIDI and this changes the piano keys on the left to names of drums like ......... Snare, Bass, Tom Hi, Tom Mid, Crash 1, Crash 2, etc.....

These correspond perfectly with the "notes" being sent from the drum software.
And this also allows me to easily work across the measures either step programming the songs (and/or drag and dropping midi grooves and editing them).

So my question is ........ what does a DRUM MAP do for me that I am missing ?

Thanks

I've never had to use it either, I do just like you are doing and all is fine. I think a drum map is an alternate way to accomplish the same thing- re assign notes to sounds. It probably would be a good idea to try it once and see if we like it, but sometimes you don't have time to mess with every detail of this software and just want the song to happen. I find that over time I'm learning more of the details. I messed with session drummer once but just found playing my own patterns on a keyboard is faster for me. Or using real drummers :)

2  main things for me I guess


1... redirect to other ports OR notes... e.g. say you had something that has a kick at #36... but your external kit when you hit  it... sends a signal to #47... you can swap em around .. so although your hitting a #47.. it'll tell the VST etc to play #36

2... names.. so you have meaningful names.. handy for the step sequencer AND you only have the notes shown that are in the kit... not the empty spaces

Where drum maps become almost essential is when using software that goes beyond GM. For instance, why settle for just "Hihat open" and "Hihat closed", when there are a dozen ways to make noise with a hihat? The better drum samplers offer multiple articulations that naturally require non-GM assignments, and without a drum map, programming them is a chore.

You don't NEED a drum map, but they do provide the odd function that is impossible or harder to achieve other ways.

For example one thing I use them for is to mute and solo individual drums from my external drum machines. It's just easier to do that, especially on the fly, via a drum map.

I don't use Drum Maps either -- but they do serve some purpose IF you need that functionality.
 
In effect, they become a road map for drum assignment interchangeability (including ports).
 
I have no particular need for that, generally, but they still do have a purpose that can be handy when needed.
 

Thanks for the feedback gang.

Yes, I just went in and pulled up a simple Drum map (I used Session Drummer 2).

I now see the biggest advantage in my mind .......  it reduces the PRV down to only the instruments you have available via that Drum Kit which makes it MUCH easier to work on "step by step" programming drum patterns.

Kind of like programming the older drum machines in this PRV view (with Map).

So instead of seeing (and ignoring) dozens of default MIDI assignments that are not being used by your Drum software ........ you see just the 26 or so instruments you are really working with in your selected drum kit

You can zoom to have your full drum kit visible on the page at one time.

There may be other benefits -- but this is enough to make me happy since I have drumming experience and years of step by step drum machine programming experience under my belt.

So after building the STRUCTURE of the song with the "Drag and Drop" features of something like EZDRUMMER or BFD ECO,    it is now easier to go in and make the changes to the various "patterns" (groove clips) and Fills as needed to fit the song properly.

Good, now combine what you just learned with what Bitflipper said above.

The thing that you didn't mention specifically is if you recognize that many of the more powerful samplers use drum libraries that have nothing to do with General MIDI.

If you look at the PRV while using one of those libraries you'll either need an incredible memory or a drum map to even find the kick and snare.

Session Drummer 2 is basically using the General MIDI AND it has a drum map embedded in SONAR. When you get to the point where you are using a huge custom library in Kontakt you'll NEED a drum map.

best regards,
mike

I am leaning towards either ........

Toontracks EZDRUMMER with the Drums From Hell expansion pack.

or

Fxpansion  BFD ECO

I write and record primarily rock and hard rock, so I don't need 300+ drum sounds ............... just 2-3 good realistic sounding classic acoustic drum kits like ....

DW Drums
Pearl Signature
Yamaha Maple

In other words ........ I am essentially looking for the Drum Software packages that will allow me to emulate the Drum Kits I have been REALLY recording LIVE for the past 20 years.

I know the full SUPERIOR 2.0 and BFD2 offer more velocity layers and more tweaking control ........... but from finished recordings I have heard people do with the EZDRUMMER and BFD ECO, I have been surprised how authentic even these "lighter" versions of the software can sound when properly processed like we do real recorded drums.

Thanks