electric drums as a recording tool

[danicgross]

Hi,

I was wondering if I could get some help on recording drums using triggers / connecting them to a mac or a pc.

I currently have an acoustic kit, and I wanted to record a drum track. I borrowed a couple of drum clips (Shure PG56s and one SM57) and some cardioid mics for the cymbals and a mixer. When I hooked it up to my computer (usb sound card) it didnt sound so good, it sounded like the mics were too far away from the drums.
I'm currently thinking of attaching triggers to my drum kit, sending that through some type of midi-usb interface, and getting garageband to play out the notes. Is this possible? What hardware would I need?
(I would want garageband to play out the notes rather then a DM5 or some other type of low-end virtual drum machine because they sound fake-ish to me)

Another option I think, is buying an electric kit - only the pads - and sending that through that same midi-usb interface. Is this a better option?

Plus, are triggers pressure-sensitive? Do they respond differently to softer hits?

[ige87]

Hi and welcome.

If you want to use triggers to record with, you need a device to convert the trigger signals to midi. This would either be a module (most Roland TDs, Yamaha DTX..., DM5 etc), an Alesis triggerIo or a Megadrum (DIY tmi device, use the search to find out more). Yes, the triggers will be pressure sensitive, though its really more velocity sensitive than pressure. If you buy some electric pads, you'll still need a module or TMI.

Have you tried adjusting the eq on the mixer?