Matt, your drummer friends are right and wrong. GM compatible electronic keyboards, sound modules and plugins follow the GM1 standard which includes drum sounds. Many of the drum plugins add additional drum sounds which are not covered by the GM1 standard.

PG Music has the capability to implement this suggestion using a tool already at their disposal, the INS &PAT files. MIDI channel 10 is the MIDI standard drum channel while MIDI Bank Numbers select drum kits. Drum labels load with the files.

PG Music has much more information available in +++ THIS +++ GM1 tutorial. I've copied and edited the information below.

Quote
General MIDI (GM) 1 Percussion Map: (Channel 10)
MIDI channel 10 is the drum channel on most MIDI synthesizers. On the drum channel, different notes are interpreted as different drum sounds, instead of being different pitches of a particular instrument.

In addition to note numbers listed below (for example, 60,61,62), PG Music software often refers to note names (for example, C5, Db5, E5). For reference, note 60 = C5 = middle C.

MIDI Standard Drum Kit Sound
Key

35 Acoustic Bass Drum
36 Bass Drum 1
37 Side Stick
38 Acoustic Snare
39 Hand Clap

MIDI Standard Drum Kit Sound
Key

40 Electric Snare
41 Low Floor Tom
42 Closed Hi Hat
43 High Floor Tom
44 Pedal Hi-Hat
45 Low Tom
46 Open Hi-Hat
47 Low-Mid Tom
48 Hi Mid Tom
49 Crash Cymbal 1

MIDI Standard Drum Kit Sound
Key

50 High Tom
51 Ride Cymbal 1
52 Chinese Cymbal
53 Ride Bell
54 Tambourine
55 Splash Cymbal
56 Cowbell
57 Crash Cymbal 2
58 Vibraslap
59 Ride Cymbal 2

MIDI Standard Drum Kit Sound
Key

60 Hi Bongo
61 Low Bongo
62 Mute Hi Conga
63 Open Hi Conga
64 Low Conga
65 High Timbale
66 Low Timbale
67 High Agogo
68 Low Agogo
69 Cabasa

MIDI Standard Drum Kit Sound
Key

70 Maracas
71 Short Whistle
72 Long Whistle
73 Short Guiro
74 Long Guiro
75 Claves
76 Hi Wood Block
77 Low Wood Block
78 Mute Cuica
79 Open Cuica

MIDI Standard Drum Kit Sound
Key

80 Mute Triangle
81 Open Triangle

The following Percussive Sounds are sometimes available for use to Percussion MIDI Channel 10

MIDI Percussive Sound
Key

113 Tinkle Bell
114 Agogo
115 Steel Drums
116 Woodblock
117 Taiko Drum
118 Melodic Tom
119 Synth Drum
120 Reverse Cymbal

The GM1 standard does not specify program change numbers for different drum sets. However many synths use Program Change messages on the drum channel to choose a drum kit. Program Change 1 is the Standard Drum Kit on most synthesizers.

Other Drum Kits

Many General MIDI compatible synths have additional drum kits, often the eight listed below. Other drum kits are often similar to the Standard Drum Kit but have variations of the same drum sounds. For example, note 38 is an Acoustic Snare in the Standard Drum Kit. When you are using the Room Drum Kit, you still hear a snare with note 38 but it will be a "Room Snare".

Program Number Drum Kit Name

1 Standard Drum Kit
9 Room Drum Kit
17 Power Drum Kit
25 Electric Drum Kit
26 Rap TR808 Drum Kit
33 Jazz Drum Kit
41* Brush Drum Kit

* A special note about the Brush Kit * The Brush Kit is usually the same as the Standard Drum Kit with the following three exceptions:

Note #38 is a Brush Tap instead of a Snare Drum.
Note #39 is a Brush Slap instead of a Hand Clap.
Note #40 is a Brush Swirl instead of an Electric Snare Drum.

Some Yamaha synths use a somewhat different map for the brush sounds. On these synths:

Note #25 is a Brush tap.
Note #27 is a Brush Slap.
Note #26 is a Brush swirl.

Last edited by Jim Fogle; 02/04/25 01:07 AM. Reason: added file info.
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