Drop a General MIDI groove onto Addictive Drums 2 and you will probably hear a mess: hi-hats as sidesticks, crashes as hi-hats, toms as snares. Nothing is broken. AD2 has its own note map, and on it only the kick and the snare sit where General MIDI puts them. One setting fixes it.

In this post:

• Why the drums are wrong
• The fix: the General MIDI map
• Using the MIDI on a DAW track
• Browsing your packs in AD2
• File names AD2 understands
• Questions

Why the drums are wrong

XLN Audio publishes AD2’s keymap. Put the notes our grooves use against it:

Ten of the twelve land on the wrong drum. The open hi-hat, the most used cymbal in our grooves, plays AD2’s Cymbal 1. The closed hi-hat plays a snare sidestick. The crashes and the ride play hi-hat sounds.

The fix: the General MIDI map

1. Open AD2’s top menu (the icon at the top right).
2. Choose MIDI Mapping.
3. In Map Preset, choose General MIDI (GM).
4. Click Set as default, so AD2 loads this map every time.

That is it. With the GM map loaded, every note in the table above plays the right drum. XLN says AD2’s own beats still play correctly with another map loaded, because AD2 remaps them itself.

The Map Preset list also has maps for other drum software, including EZdrummer 3, Superior Drummer 3 and SSD5, and for many e-kits. Use those for MIDI made in that format.

Using the MIDI on a DAW track

1. Load Addictive Drums 2 on an instrument track, with the General MIDI map set as above.
2. Drag a .mid file from the pack onto that track.
3. Play it. If a drum still sounds wrong, check that the GM map is the one loaded.

Browsing your packs in AD2

AD2’s Beats page can list your own MIDI next to its beats, so you can audition a whole pack with your kit:

1. In the top menu, choose Open External MIDI folder….
2. Make a folder in it for General MIDI files, for example “GM”, and copy the unzipped packs into it.
3. Save a copy of AD2’s General MIDI map into that folder, for example as “GM.ADmap”. AD2’s PowerMap engine then translates every file in the folder on the fly.
4. In the top menu, choose Refresh MIDI Library. The files appear under EXTERNAL MIDI on the Beats page.
5. Drag a beat from its name in the list, or from the info pane at the bottom, straight into your song.

File names AD2 understands

AD2 reads a few tags in file names to sort beats: _F_ marks a fill, _C_ followed by a name sets a style, _V_ groups variations and _G_ marks the main one of a group. You do not need them, but adding _F_ to the rolls and fills in a pack keeps them apart from the grooves in AD2’s list.

ADpaks are kits, not grooves. XLN sells kits as ADpaks, which come with presets but no MIDI grooves; grooves are sold separately. Any General MIDI pack fills that gap, once the GM map is loaded.

Why maps disagree at all is in Drum MIDI mapping explained, and the drum map lists every General MIDI note. The same job in EZdrummer 3 is covered in How to use drum MIDI packs in EZdrummer 3.

Questions

Why do my MIDI drums sound wrong in Addictive Drums 2?

AD2’s default map is its own, and only the kick (36) and snare (38) match General MIDI. Load the General MIDI (GM) map preset in the top menu, under MIDI Mapping.

Does Addictive Drums 2 have a General MIDI map?

Yes: General MIDI (GM) is in the Map Preset list, along with maps for EZdrummer 3, Superior Drummer 3, SSD5 and many e-kits.

Can I add my own MIDI to AD2’s beat browser?

Yes. Put the files in the External MIDI folder (top menu), with a GM map saved in the same folder, and choose Refresh MIDI Library.

Will AD2’s own beats still work with the GM map?

Yes. XLN says AD2 remaps its own beats to whatever map is loaded.

The Everything Bundle has all 21 packs of General MIDI grooves played by a real drummer: with the GM map loaded, every one plays the right drums in Addictive Drums 2.