Fill my empty head with knowledge re:CS8ST & TD-8

[klp]

I'm considering purchasing a CS8-ST/TD-8 combo.

I'm a very experienced drummer but new to e-drums and not a midi guru. I want a good practice kit. I also like the idea of having a sequencer. I'll want to sequence bass parts and perhaps get a little more elaborate--still most likely just as a practice tool. Price is a big concern.

This weekend I intend to do some test driving. I don't have access to an entire Pintech set at my local dealer but should be able to hook up a pad or two to the TD-8. I guess I am a little worried that I might be sacrificing something and not realize it until later. My questions are: What am I missing? Can you point out shortcomings of this configuration so that I can experience them in my test drive? What should I be listening to (buzz rolls? dynamics? etc.) I can then decide for myself if I can live with the shortcomings.

I'd just hate to uncover a major problem a week AFTER I have made a purchase.

Thanks!
klp

PS I have been digging through the archives for this sort of data but would appreciate any more information you can provide.

[dr. kildrum]

Try the various trigger setting choices in the TD-8 and find the best one for the pad. The default one the module may be set to, may not work well at all with the type of pad you are trying and you would think the results are truly lousy when they can actually be extremely good. Once you have the input dialed in to the right type of pad. Test your ability to play light grace notes. Try large dynamic swings. Buzz rolls too. Some snare sounds are better than others for tight subtle technique stuff, try a few. Try hitting right over the sensor (probably a hot spot). Once you hear what happens, find out where you can hit without that happening. Understand that hitting it by accident will produce that godawful POP! Make sure you can live with the size of the pads (they are smaller than most acoustics, and have a hotspot or two to avoid. That's a start.