A to A/E drummer creating his first A2E kit!

[CattiestPenny]

Hello all!

I started drumming on a small table top drum pad/module 15 years ago. It was a janky little thing that left a lot to be desired and when I got my acoustic set over a decade ago, I never really looked back. That said, I have maintained an interest in the idea of electronic drums for almost 10 years and have lurked around these forums off and on. However, I never quite felt like edrums reached a reasonable price to performance ratio. A recent life change (moving from a rural farmhouse to an urban townhouse) has forced my hand and I've been looking into electronics with renewed vigor. I've settled on a semi-DIY A2E build based around a Yamaha DTX502/VSTs. VSTs are a real game-changer for me, and I feel comfortable making the switch now. I may be in the minority here, but I would rather work with a PC than a drum module, and PCs today are ridiculously ahead of modules!

Here's what I have so far:
Drums: I'm converting a bop set I've managed to cobble together: 18"x14" bass, 14"x5" snare, 12"x9" rack tom, 14"x12" floor tom
PC: Haswell i7, 8 gigs RAM, thinking about upgrading my sound card (not just for the drums), adding some more RAM, and picking up an SSD. Plenty of power on that front! (Yes I am a bit of a gamer)
Module: Yamaha DTX502
Mesh heads: 682 white
Triggers: Triggera
Cymbals: Yamaha DTP700C pack (I'm picking up the PCY 15" ride as well)

I'll be sure to upload pictures when I manage to get everything up and running!

[perceval]

That sounds like a sweet setup. Yes, matching Yamaha cymbals with your DTX502 is a good move.
Should be fun!

2 things.

The snare will be 1 zone only. No rimshot, nor rimclicks. You could split the kick to an external trigger like BT-1 or something similar to add a rim sound. There is a way to to it as a switch, but that will be vey much DIY! Check the DIY section for my post on the subject.

You may need a better sound input indeed. A PCI version can work, or you could go standalone. Most of them are USB now. If you get one that has MIDI in/out, that could be a bonus. Goes around $150 for a 2 ins/outs plus MIDI.

Welcome to the show!

[TheYardbird]

Wouldn't he be able to get a dualzoned snare by plugging it into one of the tom-inputs? I've heard the newer Yamaha modules have a couple of piezo/piezo inputs? Wich means that the Intrigg probably should work with both zones once plugged into one of those inputs. It will be some work switching the tom and snare trigger sounds on each kit you use, but still.
Welcome to the forums btw! Your A2E conversion is almost exactly like mine except I'll use a PDP FS kit and I can't get my hands on any cymbal pack so I'll have to buy them all seperatly. And I'll use a DTX500 module

[CattiestPenny]

I received a package from Serbia today (Thanks Triggera!), and with that my set is complete! I'm still tweaking the parameters, but everything is working wonderfully. TheYardbird, I can now confirm that you can get dual zone triggering with piezo/piezo triggers!

[bwilburn79]

Congratulations, that is a clean looking setup.

[hairmetal-81]

Absolutely nice! I could fell in love with that set!

[triggera]

Nice and neat. I'm a big fan of 1up1down, have one such setup at home.

[Kenster]

Wonderful wonderful, I hope it all goes better than expected!

K ;-)

[R_Z]

Welcome. Well done. I admire those brave enough and educated enough to convert an acoustic to electric. It looks just dandy and I'd love for you to find the time to shoot a video so we can hear how she sounds. Cool!

[allanjohn]

I can now confirm that you can get dual zone triggering with piezo/piezo triggers!

I assume you're talking about the toms only? I haven't managed to get two zones on the DTX700 using the inTrig.

[CattiestPenny]

Yes and no. I am using the snare input for my second crash (to get all three zones), Tom1 for the snare, Tom2 for the high tom, and Tom3 for the floor tom. I did have to change the parameters to get two zones (Specifically I had to set the trigger type to 2P). I'm not sure what kind of inputs the DTX700 has, but if it supports piezo/piezo triggers, you should be able to get two zones with Intriggs.

[triggera]

As CattiestPenny suggested (and we put it on the intrigg's page / tab Manual): "you should have the snare hooked up to the Tom 1 input and use the triple zone snare input for something else (like an additional 3-zone cymbal). Only the kick and the 3 tom inputs accept dual piezo triggers."