Suggestions for a simple tom-less kit - not planning to use any onboard sounds

[josephecks]

Hi there,
I'm looking to put together a little electronic kit containing a Snare (from the reading I've done I think I'll want a mesh one), hi-hat, kick drum and a couple of cymbals - I don't plan on using any toms.
I'm a (predominately) electronic musician looking to add a more human feel to some of my tracks - as well as getting more experience on drums in the process.
I own a Native Instruments bundle which contains lots of great sounding kits so I plan on hooking the electronic kit up to my computer and using these rather than any module sounds.
I also want something with a very small footprint, akin to the TD-4KP or HD-3 so it can sit in the corner of my small studio without taking up too much space. I am toying with the idea of building a frame myself for it.

I'm after for suggestions on what module would be best for my needs, or is there another option for connecting the drum pads to MIDI/USB, bypassing the need for a module containing sounds altogether? as well as general suggestions on what parts I could pick up. Do they all need to come from the same manufacturer? At the moment I'm planning to get second hand parts

I'm hoping that by putting together a kit from just the parts I need, and not needing to worry about an expensive module with good sounds, I'll be able to save a bit of money compared to the price of the two kits I mentioned earlier in the post

Many thanks,
Joseph

[perceval]

Since you already have some gear, do you have a sound interface with multiple inputs? If yes, the check out DSPTrigger. You would only need to pick up some used shells, add some triggers (check the VST part of the forum) and mesh heads. You would need something like a 6-input interface.

[hairmetal-81]

If you look for a good 'frame' to hold your few components (...otherwise known to us buffs as a 'rack'), let yourself be inspired by the Gibraltar Stealth rack:





....with an additional down-tube and horizontal bar, you could closely mimick the appearance and foldability of the TD-4KP!





A crucial point will be your bass drum pad, as it takes up the most space with regular kits, and obviously want to avoid that, given you want something with a small footprint!

I would recommend to NOT go with a KD-120 or 140 - i.e. space-efficient solutions like a Roland KD-9 or a Triggera Krigg will be fitting the purpose more:














While you will have to maybe 'compromise' the size (diameter) of your bass drum, in order to keep the kit compact, I definitely *would not* skimp on the snaredrum!

Threat yourself to a nice 12-inch snare pad, from Roland, Yamaha, or a nice A2E build!




FInally, choose your module according to your hihat pad (...or vise-versa)

The hihat is very dependant on what module is connected to it, and the biggest compatibility-issues stem from the fact that each manufacturer is working with a different 'hihat system' - the hihat-controllers are hardly working on different manufacturers' modules!

So if you go with a HH-65 pedal or a RHH-135, go with a Yamaha module, if you go with a FD-8 or a VH-11/12 hihat, go with a Roland module!




HTH

[airflamesred]

Might I suggest the Megadrum trigger interface. Then, you can choose any pad, mesh head, cymbal from any manufacturer.

[josephecks]

Hi all, thanks for the replies. Lots of great information here, I've done some reading and have a few questions.

perceval,

DSPTrigger isn't something I'd heard of before but I checked out their website and read a couple of your posts on here about. I don't have that many free inputs on my interface, although a new one is on my current wishlist of upgrades, and I think using shells would take up a bit more space than the electronic equivalent. When you said free inputs I assumed you meant MIDI, but the software seems to break down the hits from audio transients, is that correct? Do drum triggers on acoustic shells send information as audio intensity?


haitmetal-81,

Thanks for the detailed post, and apologies for my terminology ignorance. That Stealth rack would be a good starting point, I've had a look on a popular online auction site and found a couple that I'll keep an eye on, as well as some similar products which might suit my project. The Triggera stuff looks really cool, I think I'd be inclined to go with one of these over a more traditional bass drum pad. I found a video on YouTube of a guy using one (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6Jw5zghjmc

[hairmetal-81]

You mentioned manufactures having their own HH-controller systems, are these the only things that aren't universally compatible?

It depends on the kind of pad and the amount of zones.
A single-zone snare should cause no problems. A dual-zone snare (head and rim) on the other hand is trickier, where compatibility-issues between different brands' pads and modules will likely occur. A Yamaha piezo/switch pad will give you three different zones, but only with Yamaha's own pads on Yamaha's own modules (!!)

On a Roland-style piezo/piezo pad, for example, you'll get head and rim. If used on a Yamaha module, you'd have to connect it to one of the tom inputs, because the snare input will expect the pad to be piezo/switch.

Another quick example: Yamaha crashes are very forgiving, compatibility-wise! - Lots of folks around here used them successfully on Roland-modules and 2box-modules. You may want to add one or two of them to your shopping list...

getting one of these wouldn't mean I'd be hitting anything Alesis (unless my aim is off)

Not quite - you'd still need an Alesis hihat-controller.

You wouldn't actually know from the video you posted, but one of the problems of the trigger-io is handling mesh-pads. (Evidence all should be documented fairly accurade in our 'Trigger IO' thread).

would it mean I'd have to use the Alesis DM-hat pedal/Pro X hi-hat?

Yes, I'd guess so, pretty much...

I've seen some posts on forums about people having problems with Roland/Yamaha hi-hat controllers with the trigger -io

That's what I meant above with 'different hihat-systems' - the Alesis-one is different from Yamaha, which is different from Roland, which again is different from 2box. Or to be a little more in-depth: (...see the dilemma, here?)

http://http://www.vdrums.com/forum/f...900#post975900

I absolutely agree that the snare is where a lot of the money will go, I'll keep a look out on eBay to see what comes up

Just a lil' tip:

- Yamaha pads are relatively hard to come by second-hand (their silicone-pads feel really nice, but MAN are they crazy expensive...)

- A used Roland snare-pad can be picked up easily. Prices range between $125 - 250 (...and higher!) on the usual internet-platform.

- An internal trigger like the Triggera Intrigg is 34 euros, bought new.
So if you find an acoustic snare, that is somewhere below $100 second-hand, I'd say you've got yourself a bargain! (...the comparison may be flawed a little, due to different currencies..... and the fact that you'll still need cables).





HTH

[perceval]

Everything H-81 said is sound. If you follow the module route, get the HH from the same company.
The Trigger-IO is getting very old now. It's triggering software is pretty inferior to anything else these days. You'll be dealing with issues that have been ironed out in later modules. I would personally forget about it, but it's your call.

DSPTrigger works like this: It uses line inputs on your interface to listen to piezo outputs from your pads, then translates that into MIDI that your DAW can understand. So, you would plug your pad (Roland, Yamaha or DIY) into an input directly and use DSPTrigger to listen for that input. Perfect for a limited set of pads, but not easy to deal with a full fledge kit.