Roland TD-12 distortion. Please advise!!

single-ply

Senior Member
Hi All. Not sure what to do here and need some advice.

I've always used headphones with my e-kit (Roland) as it's a practice kit. It sounds fantastic through the phones. It's a mesh head kit with the V-11(?) hihat and TD-12 brain.

I recently picked up a used KC-350 keyboard amp as I'd like the option of playing without headphones sometimes. Everything sounds fine except the hihat and sometimes the cymbals. The hihat is the worst. It seems to badly distort at even moderate to low volume levels.

I had the amp checked out ( no issues found) and even switched amps with the same result, so now I'm wondering what might be wrong with the drum module.

My last hope before shipping it off is that somehow, I've got a setting or buried EQ level set to 10 that I can't find.

Does anyone have any idea what might be the issue here? This is very frustrating and more so If I have to send off the unit. I'm not even sure where I'd send it.

Please help!
Thanks
 
If everything else sounds good, that really sound like an eq setting in the module needs adjustment. I doubt it's something "wrong" with the module.
 
Make a back up of your module first then do a factory reset of the module.
That should always be the first move!
 
Can one put the headphone jack into the Mono out or put the PA jack into the headphone output to see if it might be in the output jacks?
 
I agree that some more diagnostics are required.

1) There are many kits on the TD-12, does this happen will all kits?
2) Do you have a friend with a VH-11 hihat? So you could do a swap?
3) Have you messed about with the settings of the VH-11? height adjustment and angle.
4) Have you tried a Roland amp? I have a TD-12 and a Roland PM-10 and never have this issue.

Davo
 
Hey,

I just picked up TWO KC-350
Having the exact same issue with bass drum/cymbal distortion when hit together.

Did you resolve this issue?
How?

I might need to sell off the amps??

Any help is appreciated
 
PS

Running TD-10 EXP out the main.
Here's what I've tried so far

My set-up
TD-10 expanded
Vexpressions (50) kits
Setup mode to bank 2
Fader mode
All faders set at 90%

What I have done:
• Read a lot on the forum
• Tried panning in the module bass drum to the left and all others to the right
• Lowering the master output dial on the module, raising the line input on the KC-350, lowering the master on the KC-350
• Lowering the master output dial on the module, lowering the line input on the KC-350 and raising the master on the KC-350
• Raising the master out on module, lowering the line input and master on the KC
• Turned off the shape button on the KC-350
• Turning off the EQ on each drum on the module
• Banging my head against the wall (even tried multiple times)
 
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I am quite well versed on the Roland modules and also know audio principals extremely well. Resolving this can go many directions, but here is my initial diagnosis...

There are numerous places in the audio chain of the module where levels can be adjusted. Your issue most likely is not a "master" level anywhere. Cymbals (high frequencies) take up very little room in the overall level compared to drums, especially kicks and floor toms. If it was a master level somewhere, your drums would be distorting very obviously. Since you said the drums are fine, master levels are likely not the problem.

First thing to look at is your trigger settings... Are the correct triggers selected to match what the triggers really are? AKA If your cymbal pad is a PD-8, is the trigger for that input selected as PD-8? Look at all your triggers in the module and make sure they match what your triggers really are.

Once all the trigger settings are confirmed to be accurate, look at the main "mixer" screen. If you find any of the inputs maxed out or set very low, there are other settings to look at to resolve that.

In the triggers screen, look at the sensitivity of all the triggers. You want to adjust that so the level is around 100 when you strike that pad hard. If it's the output on a trigger is maxing out at 127, then you need to lower the sensitivity of that trigger. You would then need to raise that channel in the mixer screen to compensate for the lower level.

Look the kit volume levels in the mixer screen. Play kick and floor tom at the same time, and make sure the outputs are not maxing out on any of the outputs. If the levels are maxing out, that will make cymbals sound distorted when you play them at the same time as drums. If this is the culprit, you would need to lower all the individual volumes in the mixer screen proportionally.

Last initial thing to look at is the level setting of all the triggers in the effects section (if you have them turned on). Similar the mixer levels for all the inputs, make sure none are set too high.

There's a hundred more setting to look at for the problem you're having, but start with above stuff first.
 
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