Question on Drum Modules

boneskeys

Junior Member
I'm pretty sure this has been posted on this forum before, but I couldnt seem to find a post. So here's my question(s), I'm looking into triggering my acoustic bass drums so I would like to know the different kind of drum modules that I can use and as well the different kind of triggers. So far I just know about the Alesis DM5 but thats about it. Again sorry if this has been posted already, I just couldnt find the post. Any suggestions would be appreciated thanks :)
 
Hello everyone,

This is my first post. I don't know if this is a good idea, but I'm going to do it anyway. I'll come to the original poster's defense, since it's not a simple matter of reading about everything there is about drum triggering. You have to consider that there are a lot of options out there, and it's easy to get confused about what you want/need. That's what I'm for in a retail setting at my store.

1) What kind of drum set do I want to trigger the drum module? Do I want to trigger my drum set, or do I want an electronic drum set?

2) What drum triggers am I using if I'm using an acoustic set? From what I see so far, what module you get dictates what triggers work the best with them.

3) What sound module do I want? It depends on your options and your budget. Get a budget module, and you may not be able to do as much with it as you'd like, especially if you expect to play professionally. You have to be careful about the features you're getting, especially when it comes to cymbal playback, the option to add sound libraries to the module's memory, etc.

4) What do I want to connect the drum module to? If you just want to output to your amplifier or the mic-in of your computer for simple sound recording, you ought to be good to go. But if you want to go MIDI, you have to make sure that you have enough channels to cover, say a Terry Bozzio drumset (anybody got $5000 for drum modules I can borrow?), and you have to decide if you want polyphony.

Last night, I sort of "came to" in terms of a direction in music. I ought to introduce myself, I guess. I'm a profoundly, prelingually deaf lady in Houston, Texas, and I have played drums off and on since 1977, and I played bass guitar for a small number of those years. I have played in school bands (marching, concert, symphonic, jazz band, percussion ensembles, solos, even choir for my senior year in high school). I played for America's Youth in Concert in 1983 and United State Collegiate Wind Band (in case you're looking for me). A rock band playing covers and writing/playing originals was my last gig a few years ago. Since that went down in flames on stage, I have floated on my own, trying to find my direction, as I didn't like what I saw.

I went off on a trip to visit family last fall, and it was right at the time that the Bastrop Complex fires started near Austin, Texas, and I had friends who lost their homes, their animals, everything... And it was so hot outside that I nearly fell sick during a volunteer outing. I had a lot of thinking to do about my life, with no sense of direction on music at that time, my friends' tragedies, and the direction that my life was going in financial research. Visiting family in a much cooler place helped me to decide to pull back from underground financial research, pull back from playing drums for a while and see where the chips fall. I also realized that I needed a change in my life, which I'm still figuring out.

But last night, I realized that I needed get back on the drum set in a new direction. I can't stop playing. I did that last time, for 17 years, and it just about destroyed me. This morning, I woke up feeling refreshed, feeling like I have a renewed purpose in life. That is for another thread.

To this end in this post, I want to see people talking about REAL WORLD experiences in pairing up certain drum triggers with certain drum modules. Some are horrible mismatches, not because they're bad products, but because certain triggers have certain characteristics and need certain modules that can respond to them, and certain drum modules have certain trigger-sensing characteristics that triggers themselves have to be able to meet in order to work properly. It's not a matter of, "Oh wow, look at those cool-looking Red Shot triggers," and "Wow... 1,024 drum samples" (with a rock star glaze in your eyes).

Fortunately, I have a few months of getting back on the drum set and learning a new instrument ahead of me before I can really ascertain the buying of such gear. I think I know where I'm headed, though.

Nice to meet everyone!
 
I wasn't trying to be too much of a wise-ass, but this was the question:

... I would like to know the different kind of drum modules that I can use and as well the different kind of triggers....

rather than trying to list all the drum modules and triggers available, and all of their specific features, functions, and best uses, I thought it might be more helpful to provide some links for self-guided research.
 
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