Could you please add a perc instruments category as a lead voice choice? It would be great to be able to write specific rhythms, or even timpani melodies. Hope this makes sense. Thanks in advance!
Uri
Thank you for your request. The problem is that our lead voices are only monophonic. So you wouldn’t be able to write two notes at the same time. But timpani or congas this could work.
I’ll have to think about this a bit more.
Regards!
Dennis
Monophony is not a problem for melodic instruments, why should it be a problem for percussion instruments? If anything, less of a problem.
Also, why not ALL the percussion instruments? Or at least a good deal of them? I have a project where my students are writing music of ancient civilizations (Greek, Egyptian, Otoman) and I am finding Hookpad lacking in the ability to write specific rhythms. I would greatly appreciate the addition of a “Percussion” family to the lead tracks, with a variety of drums (bass, timpani, tribal, exotic), cymbals, and other instruments like tambourines, woodblocks, castanets, etc…
Yes, you’re right, for those percussions monophony is not a big problem. But what might be a bit problematic is that we have only 4 voices. So I think if you’re looking to write a percussion ensemble it will always have to be a combination of pre-defined rhythms from the drum section and perhaps one or two percussions on top of that.
I think in general, the idea is not bad. We could provide single instruments of the percussions/drums we already have, to play them as lead voices. My only fear at the moment is that this will open the Pandora’s box and user will request to write full drums which is something our UI for lead tracks was never designed for.
Anyway, I have samples for a full latin percussion ensemble on my drive, I just never got to implement them into Hookpad. Perhaps this should be one of my next projects.
Thanks for your willingness to consider suggestions. I agree one has to draw the line somewhere and resist the urge to make one’s software “everything for everyone”. I think, though, the “Pandora’s” box was opened—at least mentally, for me— once I saw a video using a lead voice to write basslines. I thought “why not drums”. Of course I see the intricacies of a fully fledged polyphonic, polypatch drumset track, and though that would be awesome, I am not asking for it nor expecting it. But individual perc instruments should be no biggie. Maaaaayybe increase the lead voices to 5…? 
Oh shut, I didn’t know I opened the Pandora’s box already. I’ll never write a bass line myself again, haha!
Yeah the software will always be a balance between being the most easy songwriting tool you can imagine and being more powerful with less limitations at the same time.