TD-25 and 2Box Drumit Three Together - Best of both worlds?

[jpsquared482]

For those who constantly debate, "Should I get the 2Box 5 or the TD-30", here's a question: Why not get a TD-25 AND a Drumit Three? This gives you all you need for the price of a TD-30, right?

• VST-quality sound capability via the Drumit 3.
• TD-30's best sounds.
• Ability to keep all your Roland pads via the TD-25.
• VH-11 Support - better than the 2Box
• MIDI IN via the 2Box 3 so you can daisy-chain and access your VSTs when you want.
• Plenty of inputs combined
• Plenty of outputs combined

If I have this right, the 2Box 3 will be about $700, and the TD-25 street price will be about $1000. I don't mean for this thread to be a debate over why going this route is frustrating, disappointing, pricey etc. I'm just curious about the practicality and whether this addresses the key question: Does this actually satisfy most of the concerns and needs of those comparing the 2Box 5 to the TD30.

[Tommy_D]

Im not sure. The Drumit3 looks to be a slightly stripped down Drumit 5 module, but I dont see the TD-25 module as a stripped down TD-30. As for buying both, I dont know about that. Im not finding the videos of the TD-25 to be very inspiring. The Drumit3 looks to be a winner while the TD-25 looks to be a dud. Everything is early though. Maybe a more in depth explaination and testing of the TD-25 will be coming out that will wow the nay-sayers (present company included).

[yzf125]

Save your money... The next big thing will be here soon

[kurth83]

I had a similar idea a while back, I was considering a drumit 5, and was thinking of using an SPD-30 to give me VH-11 support.
The same idea is rattling around in my head but it has changed to a drumit 3...

[KennyinDundee]

Save your money... The next big thing will be here soon

Do you know something we don't???

[jpsquared482]

Drummit 6 maybe? That would make some slight sense if the development for the latest OS was done in preparation for that.

Wishful thinking....

[Intruder]

Save your money... The next big thing will be here soon

Isn't that what Nfused said months ago?

[jammin777]

by the time someone comes out with the module we dream of, ill be too darn old to play or maybe the next big disappointment will be here soon? lol

[KennyinDundee]

Save your money... The next big thing will be here soon

??????? What do you mean?

[perceval]

Soon, as in the theory of relativity.

[TheCoda]

[*]MIDI IN via the 2Box 3 so you can daisy-chain and access your VSTs when you want.

From what I read, I understand that you cannot trigger different drum sounds on the Drumit using MIDI-In, other than those already assigned to real pads. There is no 'percussion kit' support like there is on most of the Roland modules.
I think you'd be better off buying two Drumit 3's, and just deal with the HH controller (Jman solution with a nice converted A-Hat of your choice). And that would be cheaper still than a TD-25+D3. It's what I would do personally when I get to the point of needing more inputs. Or see whatever 2box have come up with in the meantime.

* Side-note. This lack of percussion kit through MIDI, is definitely the weak point in the 2box system (I'm not going to mention the HH), but one I feel could be relatively easily solved in firmware, assuming that the hardware can process the MIDI triggering without unacceptable latency. Maybe the 2box engineers already tried it during the original development work and couldn't find a decent solution.

[jpsquared482]

From what I read, I understand that you cannot trigger different drum sounds on the Drumit using MIDI-In, other than those already assigned to real pads. There is no 'percussion kit' support like there is on most of the Roland modules.
.

Just for clarity, the point I was making about VST's was this: Use both the TD-25 PLUS the Drummit3 inputs for pads and cymbals. Midi out from the TD-25 into the Drummit3. Then, USB/MIDI to the computer to trigger VSTs. This gives you tons of inputs for VSTs. I am assuming that all MIDI In data from the TD-25 will go through the 2Box and out through the USB MIDI cable to the computer. I wasn't suggesting that I wanted to trigger sounds in the 2Box itself. However, I do see your point about getting two Drummit3's as a cheaper route to the combo. However, my key point was that the TD-25 allows Roland drummers to keep all their Roland triggers, including maybe their favorite HH. In that sense the combo may be a good way to go. Heck, I'd sell my TD-30 and go this route any day. It gives you 2Box capability without giving up the Roland HH, which a lot of us feel is one of the best out there, if not THE best.

[kurth83]

From what I read, I understand that you cannot trigger different drum sounds on the Drumit using MIDI-In, other than those already assigned to real pads. There is no 'percussion kit' support like there is on most of the Roland modules..

I am not understanding this, do you mean if no pads are plugged in that you can't use MIDI in?
Or that it is limited to the theoretical maximum number of pads you can connect, which is kinda how my TD-9 works anyway.

Or are you referring to the second set of non-pad sounds, I know my TD-9 has a bunch of them but I never use them
so I wouldn't miss them on the Drumit3.

[TheCoda]

I am not understanding this, do you mean if no pads are plugged in that you can't use MIDI in?

No.

Or that it is limited to the theoretical maximum number of pads you can connect, which is kinda how my TD-9 works anyway.

No.

Or are you referring to the second set of non-pad sounds, I know my TD-9 has a bunch of them but I never use them so I wouldn't miss them on the Drumit3.

No.

From what I understand, if a sound in a kit is not assigned to a pad (regardless of whether a physical pad is connected - that is irrelevant) you cannot trigger that sound via midi-in. The TD-9's percussion kit is just a mapping from midi note numbers to drum sounds (they don't have to be assigned to a pad AFAIK - I haven't messed with them for a long time).
Don't get me wrong, I hope I am wrong, but other people who want more triggers who are long-time 2box users, just bought a second 2box. The usual way of using a triggerIO or another module or similar, just doesn't work :-(

[TheCoda]

Just for clarity, the point I was making about VST's was this: Use both the TD-25 PLUS the Drummit3 inputs for pads and cymbals. Midi out from the TD-25 into the Drummit3. Then, USB/MIDI to the computer to trigger VSTs. This gives you tons of inputs for VSTs. I am assuming that all MIDI In data from the TD-25 will go through the 2Box and out through the USB MIDI cable to the computer. I wasn't suggesting that I wanted to trigger sounds in the 2Box itself. However, I do see your point about getting two Drummit3's as a cheaper route to the combo. However, my key point was that the TD-25 allows Roland drummers to keep all their Roland triggers, including maybe their favorite HH. In that sense the combo may be a good way to go. Heck, I'd sell my TD-30 and go this route any day. It gives you 2Box capability without giving up the Roland HH, which a lot of us feel is one of the best out there, if not THE best.

So you'd chain the midi from the TD-25 through the 2box using it in midi-thru mode? If so, are you not worried about adding more latency? I would also check that the 2box does in fact do proper midi-thru.
I get your point about the HH, but just about any Roland module that supports VH11+ is quite expensive for just a HH trigger :-) In this case I would use the TD-25 for HH and maybe pos sensing snare and get a triggerIO or whatever for extra trigger inputs. If you're only going to use VSTs on a PC then I'd guess you don't need a 2box.