Author Topic: henlo. new her & new to midi  (Read 1643 times)

henlo. new her & new to midi
« on: July 09, 2021, 05:21:58 AM »
i’ve played drums for a long time. i had 18yrs xp before stopping completely for 5 years. i’m finally able to get bad into it.

i’ve also always preferred electric drums. my dad got a td30 years ago. and i got to play it a lot.

i finally was able to get my own set. the surge. i’m in love with it. they did such an amazing job. also decided to get a midi keyboard controller. i’m trying to learn how to produce my own music. my computer is pretty crap, & i don’t have the money to upgrade it right now, but i really enjoy just hooking the instruments & using iphone apps. a lot is plug and play, but the good ones aren’t. trying to figure out how to midi map. Also, where do i go to check for and download firmware update?   thank you!! but that’s about
alesis surge, arturia minilab mk2, ableton, ios • new to midi

Offline Chaser

Re: henlo. new her & new to midi
« Reply #1 on: July 09, 2021, 10:08:27 AM »
i’ve played drums for a long time. i had 18yrs xp before stopping completely for 5 years. i’m finally able to get bad into it.

i’ve also always preferred electric drums. my dad got a td30 years ago. and i got to play it a lot.

i finally was able to get my own set. the surge. i’m in love with it. they did such an amazing job. also decided to get a midi keyboard controller. i’m trying to learn how to produce my own music. my computer is pretty crap, & i don’t have the money to upgrade it right now, but i really enjoy just hooking the instruments & using iphone apps. a lot is plug and play, but the good ones aren’t. trying to figure out how to midi map. Also, where do i go to check for and download firmware update?   thank you!! but that’s about

Welcome to the forum !
The Surge module is based on the (Medeli DD512-514)..
The link will take you to a much better manual
There isn't a firmware update for the Surge and probably will never be one.
I attached the instructions for changing the MIDI assignments in the module..also found on pg 26 of the Owners Manual..



Re: henlo. new her & new to midi
« Reply #2 on: July 09, 2021, 06:18:21 PM »
wow. thanks so much for those pdf’s. so much useful information. that’s just what i needed to know. i’m been trying to learn how to use an app called AUM that lets you map the notes for use with other apps.

and i didn’t know that about the firmware. but it’s cool and understandable that it isn't upgradable. i’m glad i stumbled upon this wealth of knowledge in this forum :)
alesis surge, arturia minilab mk2, ableton, ios • new to midi

Offline Chaser

Re: henlo. new her & new to midi
« Reply #3 on: July 09, 2021, 07:19:04 PM »
wow. thanks so much for those pdf’s. so much useful information. that’s just what i needed to know. i’m been trying to learn how to use an app called AUM that lets you map the notes for use with other apps.

and i didn’t know that about the firmware. but it’s cool and understandable that it isn't upgradable. i’m glad i stumbled upon this wealth of knowledge in this forum :)

I am familiar with AUM..there has been a number of improvements over the past few months..I use it to play back multitrack songs .
I don't know what you are looking for as far as drums and software.If you use iOS iPad etc and looking for apps that are more associated to drum Kits..I posted some links
Some you can load your own samples...the developers have sales now and then and you can pick up for 1/2 including the IAP..

Drums XD FREE  (Try before you buy ....you can layout your own kit..samples etc.the Pro version has many more features including sending/outputting different MIDI notes per trigger than the MIDI input assignment.The developer has been MIA for years and the site no longer exists and I see more and more apps showing up using his code.

Drums XD Pro

Drum Perfect Pro
 (allows 16 samples per trigger..numerous features)

Arturia iSpark
(6 sample layers per trigger and also Spark 2 integration sharing)

X Drummer

Positive Grid X-Drummer...even tho the developer states it doesn't support MIDI controller or E-Kit ..it does.. see this topic

there are others such as Beathawk etc etc

Re: henlo. new her & new to midi
« Reply #4 on: July 10, 2021, 05:49:22 AM »
oh man. those apps look amazing. that’s just the stuff i’m looking for. but i don’t have an ipad 😭all the good apps are ipad only. just been using my iphone x lol. i know the it really isn’t practical to be on that small screen. but i’m going to invest in an ipad really soon. maybe a used one.

i got my daughter a midi keyboard because she plays piano/sings and writes songs. and i wanted her to be able to record her vocals and keyboard & also start to learn about the recording process. i also want to be able to have her send me tracks she’s done, and then me put a drum track to it. i thought that would be really cool. but i also wanted to learn how to produce. i just want to make some cool stuff to play my edrums with.

so far, the best drum kits i’ve used are on garageband. i downloads an app called, “drum session” that was supposed to be really amazing, per the reviews, but i haven’t figured it out yet.

i’ve learned a ton today tho. i found a youtuber called haq attaq, & i was able to learn tons about midi mapping. so that’s cool. i also just installed ableton live lite, and was really liking the feel, but it got too late to keep messing with it. the time goes so fast. i just read and watch vids all day and the next thing i know is it’s 9pm. anyway. thanks a lot
alesis surge, arturia minilab mk2, ableton, ios • new to midi

Re: henlo. new her & new to midi
« Reply #5 on: July 19, 2021, 04:50:41 PM »
welp, the mobile thing is definitely fun. and perfect for doing some live stuff, but i’ve realized that if i want to seriously learn produce, i need to move to an actual computer. and that’s what i did. i just update my mac from 4gb of ram to 16gb. it’s like a new computer. and i’m trying to learn on ableton live. been having latency issues tho
alesis surge, arturia minilab mk2, ableton, ios • new to midi

Offline Chaser

Re: henlo. new her & new to midi
« Reply #6 on: July 20, 2021, 12:07:40 PM »
welp, the mobile thing is definitely fun. and perfect for doing some live stuff, but i’ve realized that if i want to seriously learn produce, i need to move to an actual computer. and that’s what i did. i just update my mac from 4gb of ram to 16gb. it’s like a new computer. and i’m trying to learn on ableton live. been having latency issues tho

Computers are moving to integrating mobile apps..so whatever you do on a mobile device can be moved to computer..
If your mac has an M1 chip..it supports iOS apps.Something to keep in mind for later if it currently doesn't ..but if/when you consider upgrading.
Windows 11 is going to support Android apps..since Microsoft gave up on the Windows phone...again..lol