Good day, Everyone... I am unable to tweak the notation as i would like in Logic Pro X. The drum Staff Style seems to be a somewhat fixed entity. As i see it, there are two solutions i am seeking that i could work with. The first (which is what i truly desire), I would ideally like to be able to choose different mapped instruments as the "source" for separate staff styles. In other words, i created a special Mapped Instrument to match an Ultrabeat configuration. When creating a new (mapped) Staff Style, i am unable to discover how to choose it (the second, specially created Mapped Instrument) as the specific source (for the staff style). A secondary solution that could resolve my issue would be to edit the settings within the Mapped Instrument that is the default reference for the Staff Styles. I cannot find it. Even when viewing "All Objects" in the MIDI Environment window.... any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks..... Steven

The drum staff style is flexible, but the whole mapped drum thing is exceedingly difficult explain. Many properties of the notes displayed in the mapped drum style ("#Drum") are set within the mapped drum *object* (mapped drum instrument). To access it, open the environment and -- this is key -- if you don't already have a mapped drum instrument living somewhere in the environment, you have to create one from the environment's New menu. Then double-click on it to open the configuration window. There is a definite correlation between the settings you see there and the parameters of the #Drum staff style (as seen in the Staff Style Editor) but once again, they are very difficult to explain. However, if you have the mapped drum object's window open, the staff style editor window open showing the #Drum staff style, and a MIDI region of a drum part, you will (at the very least) be set up to explore the associations between the parameters. Finally, something perhaps a (very tiny) bit more concrete... having experimented with all this in the past, I came to the conclusion that you can't have more than one mapped drum style in a project. So if by any chance you get the hang of working with the #Drum staff style, don't count on being able to create a new #Drum style to display another drum part to have a different appearance than the first one. I was never able to discover if Logic even has a mechanism that lets you link a particular #Drum staff style to a particular mapped instrument.

Good Day, Peter.. Thanks for providing feedback. First let me say how much i appreciated your Notation training. I was presenting Logic Pro Notation to some fellow faculty and your tutorials really supplemented my chops. I also really enjoy your compositions and sense of humor! I have already explored this problem extensively as you recommended. I have a simple drum pattern (Kick, Snare, and Hi-Hat) in a Region. The Region's Staff Style assignment is #Drums. I open the Staff Style editor. I open the environment window, create new layer, create new Mapped Instrument, double click Mapped Instrument to edit. and.... nothing is connected. The Mapped Instrument changes are not reflected in the notation view of my drum pattern. I even tried to refresh by un-assigning and then re-assigning the Region to the #Drum staff style. The issue is that in one of my classes we use an Ultrabeat kit specifically designed for complex drum programming. Its layout is nowhere near the standard GM mapping. Voice 1 and 2 are Kick (next to each other for Voice layering and alternation). Then Voices 3, 4, and 5 are Snares. Hi-Hats are positioned from Voices 6 - 11... (and continuing upward in neighboring groupings) In the class materials they have reference Notations for Genre specific drum patterns. I am attempting to alter the notation to match standard drum notation (based primarily on the Percussive Arts Society method). i am just not getting results. I am beginning to wonder if i have an issue with my installation of Logic Pro. I reassigned the three notes of my drum pattern in the Mapped Instrument to the proper drum groups. I then gave them strange note heads to check for any changes and none appeared. I tried to offset their position on the staff using both the Mapped Instrument's Relative Position parameter -and- the Staff Style editor's Position parameter and neither changed the notation produced. I only get Mapped Instrument changes in the Notation if the Region is pulled off the Ultrabeat track and on to a track assigned specifically to the Mapped Instrument itself. I must admit i am baffled by the lack of change in the notation when attempting to use the Staff Style's Position parameter. I still suspect that in Logic Pro X the Mapped Instrument referenced by the Staff Style editor is now hidden from access. If you have any further musings on the topic i welcome your advice. Best... Steven

Steven, sorry for the delayed reply. First, thanks for the kind words about my music and (ahem) sense of humor! I don't think you have a problem with your Logic install. If that was the case I don't think it would be so specific to drum notation. There would be symptoms elsewhere that something wasn't right. I'll attempt to come up with a (text & screenshot) mini-tutorial on drum notation. If I'm successful I'll post it here. Wish me luck!

Good Luck...

Good Day, Peter... I have created a short video (4:10) demonstrating the struggles i am having with Logic Pro X's Mapped Instrument and Staff Styles. I would really appreciate it if you could take a quick look at it and see if you spot the solution. I am an experienced Logic Pro user and am also Music Theory savvy. I have worked with Mapped Instruments a fair amount in the past. Here is a link to the video: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B2vOkwKNoIzEfmZwVEtTY05zWnBKWDEyWkdBQXlFOWdWLUx4WVdkdmd5elh2eTFfLTkzcGM&usp=sharing Thanks, Steven