FD-8 Kick pedal conversion

Hansolo

Senior Member
FD-8+ Kick pedal option

If you want a quiet kick (or double) pedal, here's a cheap & easy add-on to the FD-8 pedal that provides dynamic kick trigger response for my DTX Multi-12. I've simply stuck a piezo sensor on the pedal's plastic cover and some firm foam (12mm thick) under the foot-plate that allows the pedal to trigger the pickup reliably and keep the high-hat control functioning normally. It should be possible to add a heal switch to enable/disable the kick or hihat triggers as required.
The piezo device (22d x 13h) may be sold as a buzzer, but it works OK as a trigger sensor also. I opted to connect/solder it directly to a cable with mono plug on it to avoid mounting an extra socket on the pedal cover. The piezo sensitivity was better with it's black wire connected to the plug tip and the red wire to the plug outer/screen, but it could be worth trying reverse connections.
I used a stereo plug to 2 mono sockets splitter to connect my 2 pedals into a dual trigger input (14 & 15) of the M-12, which allows independent voice settings for each one. I just changed the KP65 trigger settings Input gain to 45 (default=1) for a similar response compared to the other pads.
The pedal travel and tension are less than a standard kick pedal but the action/feel is fast enough for double bass pedal playing.
I haven't tried this mod with a Roland module so will need some feedback from anyone who wants to give it a go.
 

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I've made a minor addition to the FD-8 pedal conversion to provide a more consistent trigger level from the piezo sensor. It just involves sticking a 22mm felt pad to each contact surface of the pickup and foam block (under the pedal).
I'm using two of the converted pedals and noticed one seemed a bit less responsive with similar pad settings in the Multi-12, and wondered if it was deteriorating from the continual thumping. But simply adding the felt pads has improved and balanced the trigger outputs from both pedals.
 
I have been trying to get a better dynamic response from the converted FD-8 kick pedals.
The easiest change was to try different size felt pads on the piezo sensor cover and I found a 15mm pad provides a realistic trigger response range from soft to hard pedal action.
The pedal's foam block felt pad should be at least 22mm as shown below.
 

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I have been trying to get a better dynamic response from the converted FD-8 kick pedals.
The easiest change was to try different size felt pads on the piezo sensor cover and I found a 15mm pad provides a realistic trigger response range from soft to hard pedal action.
The pedal's foam block felt pad should be at least 22mm as shown below.

Very nice, but you need to get an FSR system into that baby ; )
Oh wait, bass drums are the one thing FSR can't do : (
 
Hey Todd - I've been trying to think of a way to easily switch between the hihat and kick triggers (something like the Duallist heal toggle action).

Your FSR idea could be worth considering if it can be done by putting a sensor under the pedal cover and attaching a magnet to the foot plate.

The Alternate Mode eHAT Trigger is another option using a kick pedal control module: http://www.alternatemode.com/ekic-ehat.shtml
 

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