Gonna lift this from another subforum, because this is very relevant.
"Sampleset" refers to the underlying hitsound and "additions" refers to the hitsound that occurs on top of it. If "auto" is selected for both, then the hitsound will default to whichever sampleset is assigned to the current timing point--in other words, whatever is set in the Timing panel.
Another thing to note is that, because of a bug during gameplay, "auto" hitsounds on either end of a slider will default to what's on the slider track, instead of what's assigned to the timing section. For example, if the section's default is drum hitsounds and an auto clap is assigned to a sliderend, what will sound as a clap in the editor will sound as a drum during gameplay. To get around with this, specify "normal," "soft" or "drum" every time a sliderend is hitsounded.
There are also keyboard shortcuts for hitsounding.
Shift + QWER: Specify the underlying sampleset.
CTRL + QWER: Specify the additional hitsound.
Q: Auto
W: Normal
E: Soft
R: Drum
This is why the keybind to reverse objects was moved to G, because hitsounds are used more frequently and QWER is the most logical place to assign keystrokes for hitsounds.
mm201 wrote:
To summarize hitsounding in one sentence, hitsounds should be consistent and expressive. Try to think as if osu! was some kind of new percussion instrument and you were writing a line for it to go with the music. Think of which beats are strong, which are weak, and which are accented, then hitsound appropriately.
Try to avoid thinking in terms of 3 different samplesets, but instead try to combine them together fluidly. The new sampleset picker should make this much easier. Don't barcode the timeline with green/inherited lines; it achieves the same thing in a more restricted way, and takes more of your time.
It's better to use hitsounds consistently than to worry about using all of the different sounds. Using a smaller group of hitsounds can help to give your map more of a distinct character than shoving them all in together. Just don't use so few sounds that your map sounds bland. You'll almost always want to use each of the hitnormals, soft/normal-hitfinish, and one of the claps. If you do use a sound, don't use it too rarely or it will sound out of place.
Here are some suggestions on how to use different sounds. Try to follow these whenever possible, so our maps have a consistent look & feel & hear:
normal-hitnormal: A medium-strength, quintessential hit, suitable for beats. (Use on white ticks.)
drum-hitnormal: A subdued hit, suitable for off-beats. (Use on red ticks.)
soft-hitnormal: Even more subdued, use for quiet parts of the music.
normal-hitwhistle: A very loud, accent hit. Use for bits that scream IMPORTANT, music-wise. Should be used to emphasize whole patterns, and almost never be used alone. DON'T PLACE WHISTLES CLOSER THAN A 1/1 AHHH! For frequent emphasis, look into using drum-hitfinish, soft-hitwhistle, or drum-hitwhistle.
drum-hitwhistle: A hi-hat, suitable for important off-beats, like syncopation patterns. Also sounds nice on slider heads.
soft-hitwhistle: A quiet, very repeatable accent/emphasis sound, nice to use when a subtle, gentle effect is desired. Layered and delicious when used underneath a normal-hitnormal in an otherwise "normal" pattern.
normal-hitfinish: A very strong emphasis, best kept for the most important beat every couple bars. In some situations, it can be used more regularly, but never more than once every 2 beats. whistle+finish is good for very epic moments like jump combos. Try to keep these phrased.
drum-hitfinish: A much weaker emphasis, and quite repeatable. It has a very subtle but "strong" effect and is best used to add depth to your hitsounding. Sounds good on odd numbered white ticks.
soft-hitfinish: Another strong emphasis, this doesn't fit with normal-hitfinish in most situations, and becomes the alternative for a mapset. It's more repeatable than normal-hitfinish. In situations where both get used, this one sounds less final than its Normal counterpart.
normal-hitclap: A standard, sort of techno clap sound. If you don't apply the classic, cheesy "clap on every even numbered white tick" rule, be very careful how you place them. They really need to follow a rigid structure or will sound "out of place".
drum-hitclap: A high tom. This should always be used in tandem with drum-hitfinish to create a descending tom sort of effect. As such, this will usually be entirely absent on the lower difficulties.
soft-hitclap: Basically, this is an alternative clap to Normal's. It's used in basically the same way. Mixing the two is possible but tricky. In that case, you should use normal-hitclap for the rigid pattern and use Soft's in special places.
How do you switch samples? Use this in the top-left corner of the editor.D33d wrote:
I feel like adding my own reflections on this, because using drum hitsounds is something of a practised art form. A lot of people use them too sparingly and then their map's as flat as a nigh-empty bottle of Cola.
For me, drum-hitnormals have worked on the beat, as long as they're balanced by stronger hitsounds elsewhere in the bar. Small clusters of drumnormals can sound quite good in quick succession, as they create a steady and subtle thump between stronger hitsounds. In some songs, this can be very good for creating momentum.
Drum hitsounds on slider tracks give the ticks a soft snare sound, which is also very good for momentum when there's a slow section with a lot of long sliders. Drum ticks can also be used to accent a variety of offbeats and beats in sliders and I've found them to be especially effective when sliders end 1/4 after a tick. This creates a tactility that's similar to 1/4 doubles, without cluttering a map with too many fast stacks in quick succession. 'Dee Dee Cee' and 'Endless Tower' feature good examples of this.
Drum-hitclaps and drum-hitfinishes can sometimes sound great when used in irregular ways--a Bebop term, "dropping bombs," refers to strong hits on an the offbeats and it is incredibly powerful. When used correctly, this can be awesome. Also, drum-hitnormals can sound pretty good when they precede a stronger hitsound which isn't a drumfinish. I've also found that something as simple as switching the order of a clap and finish within a repeated pattern creates more resolution.
If anybody ever wants help with making their map sound pretty, then I'm more than happy to give advice and even re-hitsound maps.
"Sampleset" refers to the underlying hitsound and "additions" refers to the hitsound that occurs on top of it. If "auto" is selected for both, then the hitsound will default to whichever sampleset is assigned to the current timing point--in other words, whatever is set in the Timing panel.
Another thing to note is that, because of a bug during gameplay, "auto" hitsounds on either end of a slider will default to what's on the slider track, instead of what's assigned to the timing section. For example, if the section's default is drum hitsounds and an auto clap is assigned to a sliderend, what will sound as a clap in the editor will sound as a drum during gameplay. To get around with this, specify "normal," "soft" or "drum" every time a sliderend is hitsounded.
There are also keyboard shortcuts for hitsounding.
Shift + QWER: Specify the underlying sampleset.
CTRL + QWER: Specify the additional hitsound.
Q: Auto
W: Normal
E: Soft
R: Drum
This is why the keybind to reverse objects was moved to G, because hitsounds are used more frequently and QWER is the most logical place to assign keystrokes for hitsounds.