makeh2kit

This is a simple dumb script that creates Hydrogen drumkits

Dependencies

• Python 3
• strictyaml, via $ pip3 install strictyaml

Motivating example

Say you have a directory full of samples with some arbitrary structure. You want to make some of them into a Hydrogen drumkit. You don't want to hand-edit a bunch of XML and assemble a tarfile.

Just make a YAML file listing out the filenames you want like this:

- kick 1.wav
- snare 7.wav
- wacky scratch noise.wav

... then run the script:

$ python3 makeh2kit.py -i mykit.yml -o mykit -s samples misc/more_samples

And the script spits out "mykit.h2drumkit", which you can import.

If you find yourself doing this a lot I guess set the execute bit and copy it into your PATH.

Examples

This kind of stuff should basically work, it's minimally tested.

Simple

Just make a list of the filenames

- Kick 1.wav
- Kick 2.wav
- Snare 7.wav

Attributes on instruments

To set attributes on instruments use a form like this.

- name: Crashy Boi
  filename: Crash Cymbal 11.wav
- name: Orchestra Hit L
  filename: Orchestra Hit.wav
  pan_L: 1
  pan_R: 0
- name: Orchestra Hit R
  filename: Orchestra Hit.wav
  pan_L: 0
  pan_R: 1

For a list of attributes I've seen in XML examples online look at _default_values in the Instrument class. The code will let you pass almost anything you want, no guarantee Hydrogen will accept it. In Hydrogen's XML format you have to list filenames down in the layers; I accept "filename" on instrument descriptions to create a single-layer instrument to make it easier.

Multiple layers per instrument

Layers allow different samples to be used at different velocity levels. That specification looks like this:

- name: Sophisticated Crash
  layers:
    - filename: Quiet crash.wav
      min: 0
      max: 0.3
    - filename: medium crash.wav
      min: 0.3
      max: 0.6
    - filename: loud crash.wav
      min: 0.6
      max: 0.9
    - filename: FUCKIN WHALIN ON IT.wav
      min: 0.9
      max: 1

For a list of attributes I've seen in XML examples online look at _default_values in the Layer class. As above, no guarantee Hydrogen will accept something just because the script allows it :-).

Mix and match instrument formats

I haven't tried giving Hydrogen an image file, YMMV.

- just a filename.wav

- name: A quiet triangle
  volume: .1
  filename: triangle.wav

- name: A drum seen and not heard
  volume: 0
  layers:
    - filename: background.jpg
      min: 0
      max: 0.5
    - filename: snare drum.png
      min: 0.5
      max: 1

Q and As

• How is case handled? Short answer: it's case-insensitive. Medium answer: it searches all search dirs for exact match, then tries case-insensitive match. Long answer: I am vaguely aware that calling .lower() on both sides of a string comparison isn't totally correct, and although it would be funny for a script of this size to use proper ICU casefolding I haven't got around to it. Also attribute names are case-sensitive because they turn into XML tag names, which are case-sensitive.

• Why Python? I considered shell but you know how it is, if it's easier in shell it's a little easier, if it's harder in shell it's a lot harder. If this was a few years ago it would have been Perl.

• Why YAML? I was going to make the input just a textfile with one filename per line but then I thought I might as well add optional support for attributes. Rather than invent a new dumb format, I chose an existing format that I don't know much about but am going to need to learn for some work stuff.

• Literally why bother with a Makefile? That was just so I could do :make lint in vim and have the cursor jump straight to my errors. I'm a simple man with bad taste.

• Ew, xml.etree? Whatever, it works. I'm a simple man with bad taste.

• Your code is shit. Always has been.