Editing variant details

With a variant selected in the browser, you can adjust all of its attributes in the lower part of the window — from its sound and MIDI properties down to its icon and keyboard shortcut.

Audio properties

Most prominent is the audio waveform representing the variant's current sound, shown with its sample rate, bit depth and duration.

Click or double-click the waveform to hear what it sounds like. To load a different sound, drag in an audio file from the Finder, or right-click and choose Open Sound… from the context menu.

Beneath the waveform are a pair of sliders. Panning adjusts the left-to-right stereo positioning, while master volume allows for adjustment of its relative level.

When two related sounds occur in succession, it's sometimes appropriate that the first fully stop when the second begins. If such a behaviour is appropriate for this variant, select the checkbox labeled interrupts variants of same instrument. Otherwise, concurrent variants will be allowed to decay simultaneously.

Linking vs. embedding sound files

By default, a copy of the sound data will be stored as part of the Doggiebox drum kit file. This makes the kit fully self-contained and facilitates easy exchange kits with other users. However, it can also lead to the drum kit file becoming large.

To prevent this variant's audio data from being included in the kit, un-check the option labeled Store audio file with drum kit. A reference to the original sound file will be stored instead.

When you later re-open a drum kit that has one or more referenced (linked) sound files, Doggiebox will attempt to find the sounds. If it is unable to — for example, if the files have been moved or the drum kit is on a different computer — Doggiebox will ask for help locating them.

You can customize the message that's shown to the user in such a circumstance by clicking the button next to Linked sound files in the top area of the drum kit document window.

If you are editing a drum kit that contains linked sounds which are not all currently resolved, you can induce the search by clicking the button.

MIDI properties

In addition to an audio waveform, you can also assign a MIDI message which will be used for this variant when playing back in real-time to a MIDI device, exporting a song to a MIDI file, or when listening for input in recording mode.

Typically you will to assign a mapping that is compliant with General MIDI percussion. To do this easily, click and choose an appropriate instrument type from the pop-up menu.

Alternatively, if you have an input source configured (such as a MIDI keyboard), you can click and then press a key. Doggiebox will listen for a MIDI message and assign it to the variant.

Click to test the current assignment by sending a note message to the your MIDI output target.

Icon and keyboard shortcut

Beneath the instrument and variant name, at the left side of the details area, is an image showing the icon used to visually represent this variant in the pattern editor. To assign a different icon, drag an image file onto the image well (or right-click and choose Open Image… from the contextual menu).

The Shortcut key field lets you specify a keyboard equivalent for selecting this instrument in the pattern editor and drum kit palette.

It is perfectly reasonable to assign the same shortcut key to several variants — even to several different instruments. In such a situation the shortcut key will cycle through all of the candidates.