SteveGriffiths


Hi all,

I am thinking about buying a electronic drum kit, mainly as a midi controller for SD 3, SSD, or BFD.  I am not a drummer but willing to learn, and I have an easier time playing a kit to get rhythms than I do tapping out things on a keyboard.

Does anyone have recommendations for a kit to use.  Also opinions on BFD.  I have the Zildjian cymbal pack with the special version of BFD eco and I'm impressed.

Thanks for your time

Cheers

Grif

Since you're not a drummer (me either!), have you thought about using a keyboard controller with built-in pads (Novation Impulse series, Akai MPK series) or a dedicated pad controller like some of the Akai MPD series?
 
I have an Akai MPD18 and MPK25 ~
The pads take a bit of getting used to, but they're very versatile.
As a bonus, the factory templates already include mappings for the BFD drum apps.

I would focus primarily on A) what you're comfortable playing (e.g. mesh heads and emulated rubber cymbals as opposed to pads) and B) how many variable articulations you have (e.g. rimshots, etc).  Since you're using BFD2, internal sound quality isn't as big an issue.

I have a Roland V Pro with a TD20 and I use it with BFD2.  It integrates nicely, the mesh heads and cymbals are quite nice (many drummers have played my kit and say it's the most natural feeling e-kit they've played).  I'd recommend it, but as others have said above - price point is a major consideration.

joeb1cannoli


 I have an Alesis kit. It has real drum heads that can be tension adjusted like a real drum. The brain is called the 'Trigger IO" .There are no built in drum sounds It just sends midi via a USB cable.
I don't remember the exact model number. I'm at my day job right nowso I can't look. I think it was the "USB Studio" kit  
I paid under $500.00 for it brand new and I'm using it wit BFD2. It works great. 
The drummer that I work with is using a Rolland TD6 kit to do the same thing. He likes my Alesis kit better. 

I like that idea of the Alesis kit, as I have Battery 3 for the sounds themselves, and just want good triggers, which it sounds like the Alesis kit has.  


I know that more expensive electronic kits have a combination of more advanced triggers, as well as more advanced 'brains', but I do not need the kit's brain to do more than send the trigger data through midi to Battery 3.  If I ask a drummer to track for me on an electronic kit, it needs to be a reasonably well playing feel for the drummer.


Thanks for the GREATLY helpful tip on the Alesis kit - sounds perfect for me.


Bob Bone

Bristol_Jonesey

twaddle


Ha ha, you don't catch me out that easily 


I'm sure you know the NDA I signed requires me to keep my trap shut which takes some doing.
I genuinely wish I could tell you but I have no idea myself. I'm hoping it'll be out there for xmas but hard to say.
It will be worth the wait though 


Steve

Hey Steve, presumably all the add-on kits & expansion packs will still work in the new version yes?

Hi Jonesy
No sure how much I'm allowed to say but all the fxpansion kits work fine but there are currently a few 3rd party ones "Ken Scotts and I think 
some old BFD1 kits that need some work around to get them working but I've no doubt they'll be working come the release date.


Steve

I have an Alesis DM8, i think I paid $400 brand new. It works pretty well. I use it for the same thing, triggering BFD2. Every now and then it doesn't trigger perfectly, like one or two hits,  however I am not a drummer so I am usually fixing the midi recording anyway so no big deal for me. When i created the drum map, i had to fine tune the hi hat pedal a few times to get it working correctly with the way I play. If you or anyone needs a drum map for the Alesis DM8 mapped to BFD2, I can help out. FYI.

 I bought this in February http://usa.yamaha.com/pro...00/dtx530k/?mode=model I record the sounds from the module using right and left out, also record a simple midi track and keep it muted during playback in case I want to break it up later and use sounds from soft synths. So far I am very pleased with the sounds and mix coming straight from the module

twaddle

Bristol_Jonesey

twaddle


Ha ha, you don't catch me out that easily 


I'm sure you know the NDA I signed requires me to keep my trap shut which takes some doing.
I genuinely wish I could tell you but I have no idea myself. I'm hoping it'll be out there for xmas but hard to say.
It will be worth the wait though 


Steve

Hey Steve, presumably all the add-on kits & expansion packs will still work in the new version yes?

Hi Jonesy
No sure how much I'm allowed to say but all the fxpansion kits work fine but there are currently a few 3rd party ones "Ken Scotts and I think 
some old BFD1 kits that need some work around to get them working but I've no doubt they'll be working come the release date.


Steve

Cheers mate.

I'm pretty well covered then, maybe with the exception of some old BFD1 pieces I've got lying around. The rest are all regular FXpansion kits.

My wife bought me the Yamaha DTX 400 kit for my 60th birthday. It is about as low a price as you'll get for a name brand kit @ $500 can. 

Absolutely perfect for a "none drummer" wishing to upgrade from pounding on a keyboard. It's very basic but easily upgraded to better components if you so desire. 
If you have the bucks go for the top of the line Roland kit ( $4,000+ ) as it is defiantly like playing the real thing. 

 I have dabbled in drumming and even played a few gigs in a country band a few years back. I own a real kit and have recorded it  on and off over the years. I use auto snap to correct my not so perfect timing. But often the sound is not what I wanted so end up performing replacement anyhow. We all know what a pain miking up a real kit is. 

So far the digital kit has saved me a lot of time. So easy to play the parts in real time which means less time editing. And even if it's just a matter of inputting the snare part, you get the dynamics and cool stuff not possible with your fingers on a keyboard. 

A few things I have learned. 

Latency- You are best off to play your parts while monitoring the Brain sounds. If you try triggering a soft synth there will be a few ms delay in reaction that might bother you. 

Not all Soft synth samples will respond to playing dynamics and nuances as well as the sounds in the brain do. I have taken to using a lot of the brain sounds in the mix as they are actually very good samples and they change up properly, like the ride as an example. The brain changes in and out of bell tone but most patches in Session drummer don't. You have to use the sfx samples to get some variations but even those are not as good as the brain.  

Of course you will record the kit as MIDI. You can print the audio output of the brain later after you do a little ( or  lot) of midi editing. 

Quantizing- Yes the kick drum defiantly, The hi hats, probably,, but the snare I separate out and will then do this manually. All those subtle flams and para diddles get trashed with quantizing. I even find the song might sound best with the snare a hair ahead of the beat.   

I use a venerable Roland SPD-20 to trigger XLN Audio's Addictive drums. If you've never played an actual drum kit before, this will get you 80% there, I think.

It's heaps better than a keyboard with "pad" buttons, because you can use sticks, and with a little practice you'll get some awesome fills going, that I can't believe you'd be able to do with trigger buttons.

On the downside, I have to record my drum tracks in multiple passes... but so long as you're aware of how many limbs a real drummer has in play at any one time, you can get good results.

That's my 2c.

Obviously if you're more comfortable in front of a real kit, then you're not going to want to compromise...

I've been beating the heck out of my Alesis DM6 Kit for a few years now.
Like you, my main purpose was to use it as a trigger for soft drums, so I wasn't concerned with spending a lot for built in sound. To that end it has served me well. It is natively mapped to GM, so it integrates well with Session Drummer and EZ Drummer variants. The high hat action takes some getting used to, but it's workable.
I like the look of the new DM7 (cymbal choke!).
A decent low-latency sound card is paramount when recording live soft synths, so hopefully you have that covered.
If you can afford the more expensive kits, I am sure they are worth the money, but you don't need to break the bank to get decent behavior.
This tune was recorded live (DM6 triggering Session Drummer2 and EZ Drummer) with minimal adjustments in PRV. No quantizing.
http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=11243952