Connecting pads to sampler

[crduhaime]

I have a dance music studio already but i want to add some vdrums. can i just get teh pads for them and hook them up via midi to my sampler or keyboards or do i need the module as well. i dont like to buy ****ty products but i dont want presets anyways since i have a huge sample bank. let me know. what are the connectors on each pad anyway, im talking abotu the seperate kick triggers, snare, hat, etc pads. thanks
carlos duhaime

[szvook]

What is a dance music studio? Is that where one can learn to dance?

What type of dance music do you produce?

You will need some kind of midi interface, the TD's are a good way to go, but from what you are describing, you might not want/need to spend a lot of $ if you want to use your samples bank. Most of the time, the samplers do not have enough of inputs to plug in 10 pads, the keyboards do not for sure.

Do a search here on samplers and midi, some good post have been given.


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szvook

[crduhaime]

well what i mean by dance music studio was a small home studio with no acoustic instrumetns. samplers, keyboards, etc. I do have a midi sequencer. What are the connections on each roland pad. im interested in the Roland PD6 Single Trigger Pad. Do i need anything else besides the pads to use them? thanks.

ps: if they are midi then i can just daisy chain each pad into the midi sequencer.

[dr. kildrum]

Originally posted by crduhaime:
...can i just get teh pads for them and hook them up via midi to my sampler or keyboards or do i need the module as well. ...what are the connectors on each pad anyway, im talking abotu the seperate kick triggers, snare, hat, etc pads.

The connections are 1/4". Some are mono and others are stereo cables depending on the pad type (some pads trigger only one sound others have multiple "zones"). Most keyboards don't have inputs to accept external triggers. Some samplers may. Both keyboards and samplers generally send and receive midi. The pads do not send midi. A trigger to midi interface of some kind will likely be needed. All the pads will plug into it, and the signals (translated therein to midi) can then be passed on via midi cable, to the keyboards(s)/sampler(s) you choose to trigger sounds with. Roland modules tend to give the best overall response with Roland pads even if just used as pad to midi interfaces (which I do a lot), and even if you don't use any of the sounds ever. There are a few pad to midi interfaces out there without sounds if you look around, and some trigger quite well. Hope this helps.

[crduhaime]

yeah actually i did a **** load of research last night and found all the answers to my quetinos. however, you said that they were quarter inch outs on the trigger, i found out that they were rca. quite honestly ive never played drums heavily just at my friends house etc. im thinking that i could just go with the low end rolland pads but those mesh ones seem so cool. im really stuck on what im going to buy right now. thanks for the help
carlos duhaime

[dr. kildrum]

Originally posted by crduhaime:
...however, you said that they were quarter inch outs on the trigger, i found out that they were rca

They are 1/4" TRS jacks/inputs as I stated.

[crduhaime]

yeah your right they are 1/4, which leads me to another question. can i mix and match different drums??? ie, ddrum snare, roland kick, etc? Im trying to look for some good deals on ebay but it may take me a while to have the whole set. thanks
carlos

[dr. kildrum]

Originally posted by crduhaime:
...can i mix and match different drums??? ie, ddrum snare, roland kick, etc?

Yes and no. Some pads work better with some units than others. If you are not going to use a module but rather a midi interface, you might be able to mix pads and tweak the respective settings, but keep in mind that feel will vary which complicates playing effectively. Also if you are not using a module, you will lose some valuable features like crosstalk suppression. ddrum pads actually can use XLR connectors BTW. The Roland units don't work as well with ddrum pads, and I have no idea about the results of using ddrum pads to trigger something besides their modules. In general, it should work, but results will vary. Some pads trigger differently than others, so settings will be important, and all feel different. Why not consider something like a drumkat or a Roland multipad of some kind? These give you several striking surfaces and a built in midi interface for a relatively lower price.

[MPCman]

A few weeks ago I'd connected my ddrum pads to my alesis D4; it worked very good! I think I got the highest achievable results with the D4.
I think the ddrum pads will function well with any drum module, but you wont get positional sensing with other modules than the ddrum.

I had also connected a meshheaded triggered 16" floortom to the d4; double triggering all over the place!

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http://mpcman.flappie.nl

[ufotofu]

Originally posted by dr. kildrum:
ddrum pads actually can use XLR connectors

I always wondered what is the reason for this.

[crduhaime]

yah what is the reason for xlr anyway? ive decided to go with ddrum, im a big fan of clavia products, i think ill finance soem from musicians friend or something, anyone suggest a better store? why xlr? cables are more expensive and its only a trigger right? thanks for the help guys!!!
carlos

[dr. kildrum]

I don't pretend to know what ddrum's reasoning is, but they are (generally) good cables, balanced, and can lock into place (not a bad idea for something attached to the bottom of something that is being beat on with a stick). It also makes it tougher to mix in other products. Really don't know, but why not?

[MPCman]

The dr already gave the answer; your plugs wont fall out of the pads.

Dr also states that it makes it more difficult to match, I think exactly the opposite! All ddrum pads are supplied with a XLR-jack cable, so they can be connected to any drum module with jack inputs.
The ddrum triggers come without cables, this is a problem for the snare! You'll have to build a XLR-double jack cable yourself to connect it to the ddrum4!!! But you can use a XLR-TRS jack cable to plug it into roland modules with TRS jack inputs.

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http://mpcman.flappie.nl

[Tommy Snyder]

crduhaime.... Perhaps you should try to find an SPD-20...besides having lots of good sounds, It also functions as a pad to midi-interface-allowing you to connect up to 4 external pads...if you're not really a drummer, this may be the way to go, as you could connect a kick trigger/hit hat controller or whatever combination of pads...AND it's easy to use.

[crduhaime]

yeah, but i want to star drumming, heheh thats why i want to get a kit... are them some user reviews out there? how are those relitivly inexpensive roland club v drum set? how about the ddrum? most people review the kit that they own but many times theyve only used one set. anyway, know which are better (for some things or others) thanks
carlos