A Few TD-12 Questions:

[den3ny07]

I'm new to electric drums, and before i buy this, i had a few questions:

-How do you go about transfering the VEX kits onto the brain? (Also, If i dont plan on upgrading the number of cymbals/toms i have, is there any reason to purchase the td-20 packs instead of the td-12 packs, as some people suggest?)

-Also on VEX packs, do buying these packs overwrite the old drum sounds? or just get added? If added, how many drum kids total can it hold?

-Can you record drum parts to a computer easily? How do you go about doing so?

-can i take a recording i have (song/voice/whatever clip), map it to a tom/cymbal, and have it play whenever i hit it? I heard TD-9's cant...

I might think of more later...but thanks in advance for answers

[BarT]

I'm new to electric drums, and before i buy this, i had a few questions:

Welcome!

-How do you go about transfering the VEX kits onto the brain?

A MIDI cable, PC or Mac interface, and some free simple sequencer software to do the transmission.

(Also, If i dont plan on upgrading the number of cymbals/toms i have, is there any reason to purchase the td-20 packs instead of the td-12 packs, as some people suggest?)

No.

-Also on VEX packs, do buying these packs overwrite the old drum sounds? or just get added? If added, how many drum kids total can it hold?

Generally they would overwrite existing kits (not sounds). But it depends how you load them. You would have the choice of mixing original kits and VEX kits if you wish. You always have a maximum of 50 loaded for playing at any one time, but you can always easily restore one or more of the factory kits by copying them from ROM to RAM on the module.

-Can you record drum parts to a computer easily? How do you go about doing so?

Yes, but you have choices of audio, MIDI or both so exact instructions vary and it depends what you want to achieve and how much time and money you have to invest in recording.

-can i take a recording i have (song/voice/whatever clip), map it to a tom/cymbal, and have it play whenever i hit it? I heard TD-9's cant...

No, not with any Roland module. (Only with an SPD-S or by using a MIDI to PC setup with VST software.)

I might think of more later...but thanks in advance for answers

That's your quota for today.


Bruce

[den3ny07]

how would i copy an original kit from rom or ram if i overwrote them? (and what are rom and ram?)

Whats the difference between audio and MIDI?

In terms of recording, I only want to be able to turn the kit sounds into an mp3 or something i can email to my band mates...no mixing for albums or anything. Minimal time and money and basic direct recordings are wanted...what would i need?

And that really sucks about not being able to sample sound bites on any roland...why wouldn't they do this? possible copyright issues or something?

[BarT]

how would i copy an original kit from rom or ram if i overwrote them?

Press COPY, KIT, from PRESET, to USER.

(and what are rom and ram?)

Read Only/Random Access Memory. Roland don't use those terms for drum modules, but I was trying to indicate that original factory kits are always stored in a place where they can't be changed and always get copied to another area before they can be used.

Whats the difference between audio and MIDI?

Audio is musical notes but MIDI is only a series of instructions about how to reproduce them.

In terms of recording, I only want to be able to turn the kit sounds into an mp3 or something i can email to my band mates...no mixing for albums or anything. Minimal time and money and basic direct recordings are wanted...what would i need?

An audio cable from the module's main or phones output to a PC sound card input and some free recording software like Audacity.

And that really sucks about not being able to sample sound bites on any roland...why wouldn't they do this? possible copyright issues or something?

Not copyright, or they wouldn't make it available on an SPD-S. But it does require extra memory and a lot of special features to make it useful, and those would probably complicate and possibly detract from a drum module.


Bruce

[Alan VEX]

Geez... I gotta put Bruce on the payroll!

Thanks for the help answering the questions!

[den3ny07]

yeah thanks alot, you helped talk me into buying one, going to do so right now!

[den3ny07]

They were closed today...two more questions if you have a moment to spare:

Can you use any sticks on them (i use heavy "rock" vic firths, would those wear down the mesh's faster?)

Also, can you load songs onto the harddrive to play along with? as in, could i hook it up go an xbox or somethign to download the drumless song tracks to play along with on the kit?

Again, thanks in advance.

[Swaledale]

They were closed today...two more questions if you have a moment to spare:

Can you use any sticks on them (i use heavy "rock" vic firths, would those wear down the mesh's faster?)

Yes, any stick provided the tips are not rough, chipped etc as this will tear at the mesh .... so you don't want to use sticks that you've used on a real hihat and are damaged.

Also, can you load songs onto the harddrive to play along with? as in, could i hook it up go an xbox or somethign to download the drumless song tracks to play along with on the kit?

You can't load songs onto the TD-12, but you can play anything you want through the mix in from a cd player, ipod/mp3 player etc so you can play along to your own tracks.

Again, thanks in advance.

Please send your advance to me at........



One extra thing that Bruce didn't mention earlier (almost unheard of!) was that you can access all of the TD-12 factory pre-set kits through the demo mode (but you can't alter them), even if you have replaced all of the 50 user kits with VEX kits.... so you can actually have access to 100 kits (50 user kit and 50 factory kits) on the TD-12.

[BarT]

Can you use any sticks on them (i use heavy "rock" vic firths, would those wear down the mesh's faster?)

Although heavy sticks may be fine on mesh heads, I have this theory that they are much more damaging to the edges of Roland cymbals: e.g. a VH-12 defective after only 9 months' use .... using Vic Firth Rock sticks; VH-12 choke (rubber debris?)

There doesn't seem much point in using tree trunks with so many sensitivity and volume controls at your fingertips.


Bruce

[den3ny07]

ok thanks. Ill pick up a new pair of 5A's before i start playing on it.

[charlie66]

Hi all

I just noticed this thread before doing a search for similar. I just got my TD-12 last week and have been using Vic Firth 5A sticks on it. I've been using the the wooden tipped variety. Is this okay for using on mesh head Edrums or should I be using the nylon tipped ones? Or doesn't it matter?

What does everyone else use?


Regards

Charlie

[saku]

firth actualyl do a special e-stick that suits me well...wooden tipped but I have had no problem with that...

[Swaledale]

There are various threads on sticks - it all comes down to your own preference.... wood, nylon or other.... and weight..... but you must make sure that the tips are not damaged as this can tear up your mesh heads. As nylon tips are less likely to get damaged many people (including myself) use these with fairly light sticks e.g. 5A to avoid too much impact damage on the rims and cymbals.

[charlie66]

Thank you Saku and Swaledale.

Thanks for the advice. I think I'll switch from my wooden tipped 5As to nylon tipped.

As for the Esticks, I can't really get them online from a UK stockist and judging by the decription on Vic's website, there just a 1/2" longer than the 5As with a slightly different shaped tip. If my local store has them, I'll give them a whirl though.

Thanks you two. I appreciate your input.


Regards

Charlie