A mapped instrument is particularly useful for drum instruments or any drum-mode MIDI device. A drum-mode device has different sounds assigned to different MIDI notes, but only uses a single MIDI channel; for example, a drum kit loaded into the EXS24 mkII, or MIDI channel 10 of a GM-compliant sound module, or a drum machine.
A mapped instrument is used just like a standard instrument, but each individual input note can be:
Named (snare, hi-hat, and so on)
Mapped to an output note
Given a velocity offset
Assigned its own MIDI channel
Sent to one of up to 16 output cables (This allows you to create a single instrument that addresses multiple sound sources.)
Given its own notation parameters: note head shape, relative vertical position in the staff, and drum group assignment (See Use drum notation with mapped staff styles.)
The mapped instrument’s parameters are a subset of the standard instrument parameters. The missing settings are available on a note-by-note basis in the Mapped Instrument window. For details, see Common object parameters.
Choose New > Mapped Instrument.