LITTLE MOVES / MIDI SPECIFICATION
Your DAW. Your drum kit.
Choose the file format first, then match the drum map. MIDI import does not guarantee that every note triggers the intended articulation.
File specification
- Format
- Standard MIDI File (SMF) Type 0 · .mid
- Resolution
- 960 PPQ
- Tracks / channel
- 1 track · MIDI channel 10
- Tempo / meter
- 92–184 BPM · embedded tempo & time signatures
- Events
- Note on/off, velocity · no CC4, SysEx or pitch bend
These specifications were checked across all 96 delivered MIDI files. They are not a certification of every DAW or instrument.
In your DAW
Import a file onto a MIDI track with a drum instrument. If the DAW does not use the embedded tempo and meter, set them from the catalog. Alternating meters must be set bar by bar. Keep the clip end at the stated length, even when the last note ends earlier. The BPM is always measured in quarter notes.
For a GM kit
Start with the GM folder. It uses basic GM percussion note numbers. Soft notes keep their velocities; some AD2 articulations share one GM note. The instrument must provide velocity-sensitive sounds and its own hat choke behavior. A blank sampler or unmapped drum rack needs the note assignments below.
For AD2 and other instruments
Use the AD2 folder only with the AD2 Standard map. For Superior Drummer or another instrument, start from GM and compare its current kit map with the table. Use the instrument’s note mapping or MIDI Learn where available. Dedicated Superior Drummer compatibility is not yet verified. Importing directly into a plugin’s proprietary groove browser is a separate workflow and is not promised.
Keep the groove intact
Change note destinations without transposing the entire clip. Preserve start times, note lengths and velocities. If you merge articulations onto one note, check for simultaneous duplicates and note-off collisions. Leave extra quantization off initially. If there is no sound, check whether your host forwards channel 10 or remaps the channel, and set the instrument input accordingly.
Note numbers, not octave names
GM is the common starting point. This table shows the current conversion, including the distinctions it cannot keep.
| Articulation | AD2 | GM |
|---|---|---|
| kick | 36 | 36 |
| rimshot | 37 | 38 |
| snare | 38 | 38 |
| ghost | 40 | 38 |
| sidestick | 42 | 37 |
| shallow | 43 | 38 |
| rimclick | 44 | 37 |
| pedal | 48 | 44 |
| hat tip | 49 | 42 |
| hat shaft | 50 | 42 |
| hat tip2 | 51 | 42 |
| hat open a | 54 | 46 |
| hat open b | 55 | 46 |
| ride | 60 | 51 |
| bell | 61 | 53 |
| floor tom | 65 | 41 |
| low tom | 67 | 45 |
| mid tom | 69 | 47 |
| high tom | 71 | 50 |
| crash1 | 77 | 49 |
| choke1 | 78 | — |
| crash2 | 79 | 57 |
| choke2 | 80 | — |
| crash3 | 81 | 49 |
— means omitted in the basic GM edition. Closed and pedal hats rely on the instrument’s mute groups; cymbal choke commands are not replaced with another drum hit. Octave names such as C1/C2 differ by DAW.
Current verification
The authored MIDI was imported and checked in Ableton Live with AD2. The file structure and the GM conversion were checked in all 96 files. Logic Pro, other DAWs, other GM kits and Superior Drummer still need practical verification.
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