How MIDI Works With Electronic Drums - eDrums MIDI Basics & Can You MIDI Expand Your Drum Module?
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- čas přidán 7. 08. 2024
- Want to know how MIDI works with electronic drums? Can you use MIDI to expand your eDrums? Explore MIDI basics for eDrums and find out why "MIDI expansion" might not be an option for you.
From the basics of "what is MIDI" and "how to use MIDI with electronic drums" to which MIDI parameters are most important for eDrums and whether you can use MIDI to expand your module's inputs. This guide covers what each brand offers using MIDI with their electronic drum kits.
00:00 - Introduction
01:06 - What is MIDI?
02:52 - What to Know for eDrums
13:09 - MIDI Expansion?
13:49 - Roland Expansion
17:51 - MIDI Choke Trick
19:32 - Mimic Expansion
21:29 - Yamaha Expansion
22:35 - Alesis Expansion
23:09 - Your Options
► New kits for your Roland TD-50 - theedrumworkshop.com/td50-kits
► New kits for your Roland TD-17 - theedrumworkshop.com/td17-kits
► New kits for your Pearl Mimic Pro - theedrumworkshop.com/mimic-pr...
Make your snares POP with The eDW Snare eLements Sample Pack - theedrumworkshop.com/edw-elem...
Compatible with
► dbdrums nPad, G4M DD90 Digipad and HXW PD-705
► Roland SPD-S, SPD-SX, TM-6 Pro, TM-2, TD-50, TD-27, TD-17
► Alesis Strike Multipad, Strike Module
► Yamaha DTX Multi 12
► Pearl Mimic Pro
Great electronic drum related products* -
► Kenton USB MIDI Host at Gear4Music* - tidd.ly/2PkYicH
► Sandisk Cruzer Fit 32GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive
Amazon US - amzn.to/2XoLAwW
Amazon UK - amzn.to/2XndIk5
► KZ ZS 10 Pro In Ear Monitor
Amazon US - amzn.to/2XoW9QD
Amazon UK - amzn.to/2ZrjCU8
► 8 Core Cable Upgrade for KZ ZS 10 (optional upgrade)
Amazon US - amzn.to/2B7HxxH
Amazon UK - amzn.to/2ZLVDiO
► New Bee Replacement Foam Ear Tips for KZ ZS10 Pro
Amazon US - amzn.to/2B535eh
► INAIRS AIR2 Replacement Foam Ear Tips for KZ ZS10 Pro
Amazon UK - amzn.to/3h2RpbR
► Evans EQPB2 Nylon Patch (choice of double or single pedal version)
Amazon US - amzn.to/2ZrjyUo
Amazon UK - amzn.to/2LQOHbJ
*These links are affiliate links - they help support the channel by giving me commission on sales, at no extra cost to you!
Want to learn how to improve eDrum sounds and get the best out of your electronic drums?
► Using eDrums Live Playlist - • Why You SHOULD Use Ele...
► Sound Design Playlist - • Roland TD-50 | How To ...
► First Impressions/Products Playlist - • Alesis Strike Pro Spec...
► Other eDrum Discussions Playlist - • Why Your eDrums Can Fe... - Hudba
I don’t comment hardly ever on videos but I feel compelled to do so because you did such a great job of explaining this. Along with the graphics you used to show examples. Great work! CZcamsrs make notes, this is how tutorials are done.
I’ll say it again: thank you Luke for producing content like this - this is a level of depth that I get nowhere else than your channel.
I wanted to alert you to a “hidden zone” that exists in the TD30 which can be triggered via midi for expansion (without resorting to percussion sets, which have a lot of limitations as you've pointed out). I assume same is doable in the 50 and in some other Roland modules.
It’s not obvious, but the module input for the kick is actually a 2-zone input. Given that the kick pad is clearly single-zone, that means the rim zone is there for the taking. If you select/edit that pad in the module, decouple the H&R and hit the Rim button, you can select whatever sound you want for the unused rim zone. If you further dig into the control/midi section on that pad, you can see what note is assigned to it so that you can trigger it externally through midi. Presto, you've unlocked another zone!
It would be reasonable for someone to ask: why not just use a splitter instead? One thing that I don’t believe you mentioned in the video: if you use a splitter, you can’t trigger both zones at the same time. But that limitation doesn’t seem to exist if either of those zones is triggered via midi. In other words, the "one zone wins" limitation seems to be imposed only on the physical port (to prevent cross-talk, I believe).
I’ve experimented with this technique to “steal/repurpose” zones from cymbals as well, albeit by rendering them single-zone. It’s hacky but seems to work - feel free to DM me through FB Messenger if you’d like to chat about it.
Hope this helps. Thanks again for your excellent content!
Thank you for watching!
Annoyingly, that 2 zone kick trick doesn't work on the current Roland generation - the kick input it purely a single channel, there's no way to split the H&R to access an extra zone. Very annoying to find out that you used to be able to, I assumed it had always been this way!
Yeah, I didn't mention the splitter limitation in this video because it was about MIDI, but it's true of the bulk of Roland modules. For things like the TM-2 and SPD-SX, you can use 2 mono pads with a regular splitter and you don't run into that issue, it only happens with the (once again, annoying) head/rim splitters that you have to use on the TD modules. But yes, you don't get this limitation with MIDI and you can even use the polyphonic aftertouch to separately choke split cymbal pads. So if you have 2 different cymbals assigned to the head and rim of a pad but you're triggering that over MIDI with 2 individual cymbal pads with choke, you can choke the rim and head zones independently despite this not being a feature of the actual pads on the module. I've mentioned it in some video somewhere but can't remember which one haha! Hopefully they don't nerf that in the future like they have with many other MIDI functions.
@@TheeDrumWorkshop Question for you Luke… that trick of using midi to get around the ‘head and rim at the same time’ limitation does seem to have a logical downside: you seem to lose crosstalk protection between the pad in question and its surrounding ones. I have one such pad in the vicinity of a cymbal. When I strike the pad, vibrations travel through the rack and up the cymbal arm, and trigger the cymbal very slightly. I suppose the remedy is to slightly increase the threshold on that cymbal
Yeah, it depends what the pads you're sending MIDI from are connected to! If it's another module, you'll need to use the threshold and Xtalk settings on that other module to control those settings.
This video is absolutely legendary...astonishing...nothing more to say.
Good video! I hate that chaining two drum modules over midi is a headache unless you have very specific modules already. I was hoping there was a solution I didn't know about to fix this, but It just seems like drum makers don't have this feature as a top priority anymore :( however I heard someone say that if you use a laptop with a drum plugin as the sound source, you could use two or more modules to trigger the sounds. The only challenge then, would be to switch all the midi notes in the second of the module to avoid sending duplicate signals to the laptop triggering sounds. So you'd STILL need a drum module that could do that, and not all have that feature. In that case you'd have to find an external midi switcher box that will let you change the midi notes externally before they reach the laptop. And then in the drum plugin program, you have to assign all the different sounds so the cymbal pads and drum pads are mapped correctly. But everything I just said is still theory for me because I haven't actually tried it myself yet lol.
Thanks man! Yeah, it's really annoying that the MIDI support isn't standardised across modules and dropping the extra instrument support from most modules these days is disappointing. If everyone took Yamaha's approach, it would be easier and more flexible. A shame that it appears they're not sticking around in the market (we can hope!)
Yeah, pretty sure you should be able to use multiple modules in that way to a computer, as long as you can map the MIDI notes, as you say. Knowing which ones have which options is half the battle, unfortunately! Thanks for dropping by!
@@TheeDrumWorkshop I use TD-3 AND TD-4 connected to a Roland UM-2 with classic multi pin midi cables for vst use. All you have to do is to change overlapping midi notes and make use of the vst midi learn function. I think there are some newer solutions as the UM-2 is win7,8 driver compatible. Might work with win 10 too.
This was a great help. Well organized and presented. I actually have Roland V-Drums with the TD-10 And now I'll be taking another look at those percussion groups! Thank you!
I've been using MIDI for some years now from my Roland TD-30 module. There are a few standard ways I use it. First would be obvious, which is to trigger a VST (e.g. SD3) for a more realistic drum sound. The second way is layering sounds from other modules (typically a sampler for me). Another may midi is useful is for MIDI clock sync. Example would be to sync a backing track to drum machine/ sequencer patterns. Last, my favorite use for MIDI is mixing local and remote modules together for the perfect sound. This is a great way to play drum machine parts live, using the sound of 808, Linn drum, or samples. As the number of controllers and modules in your studio grows, so does the complexity and latency. To solve this you have MIDI patchbays, splitters, and mergers that allow more creative routing of midi cables to suite your setup needs. MIDI is fun and allows an electronic drummer endless sound options. Cheers.
All of these options sound great, nice work! Once you get to know it, MIDI is a very useful and flexible thing, but I understand why some people have trouble with it when trying to learn about eDrums. Looks like you've got everything thoroughly covered though! Thanks!
I would pay you to help me figure my TD-27 out Shawn
Looking at the Integra 7...I used to have a Fantom-G6 with a Super Natural Drums card that made a basic Roland V Drum kit sound and record professionally. I had a TD-3
@@TheeDrumWorkshop I’ve midi connected 2 Roland TD-30s to trigger SD3. How do you set-up the modules so there not sharing the same midi notes? Do you set them to different channels? If so, where or how do you change them? Thanks
Great video and very detailed. That helped me a lot. Could you do a tutorial on how to use the spx in combination with the TD50?
Keep up the good work!
Great info - so many questions answered
Really good tutorial. Super accurate and helpful. 👍👍
Very helpful. Thank you!
Very Informative. You know your Stuff !!!
Excellent infomation & help !
awesome tutorial, thanks!
This was a super useful video.
Another great video, thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks!
Awesome info... nice!
I wanted to thank you for making this video it was very informative. Being new to VDrum I’ve been quite frustrated with the lack of information on the best way to expand my TD-27 module. Frankly I’m surprised Roland doesn’t make it easier to expand their modules. Can you do a video on the advantages/disadvantage of daisy chain modules vs using something like Superior Drummer 3? This is another area there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of reliable information.
I'm rather new to electronic drums. It sounds very involved. How I learn best is watching you actually set something up step by step. It would be helpful for me personally if you showed a drum set module alongside a laptop with full library access - and just show a simple demo (if there's such a thing as simple). Source being Addictive Drums 2 and GarageBand. I would love to just physically play my drum track and be done with it - using quality samples. Thank you for all the work you did on this video.
eDrums don't have that be *that* involved, it's sort of how easy or simple you want to make it. If you want to start using VSTs and MIDI etc, it definitely can be a lot to get going, but you don't need to do any of that if you just wanted to use module sounds or use it as a practice tool.
I can understand how a guide like that would be pretty useful - unfortunately I don't have Addictive Drums 2 or a Mac, so that combination wouldn't be possible. The reality with laptops and VSTs is that there's a lot of variables when you introduce a computer which makes setup guides difficult and is also why I personally don't use VSTs a lot. I mostly prefer in-module solutions, which is why my content reflects that. If I do delve into VSTs more than I currently use them, I'll try and introduce more of that kind of content to the channel, but I don't feel comfortable making "how to" videos on something I don't regularly use. Hope you understand and thanks for taking the time to comment!
Great videos! Thanks for your time and expertise!
On a SPD-SX Pro, how can I get to play percussions notes (xylophone, marimba, tubular bell, etc) since these type of sounds are not in the module (and if understand correctly your explanations, MIDI would not work)?
Would using a USB card with downloaded instruments (let’s say xylophone) would be faisable assigning a specific not to each pads and trigger inputs?
Thanks!
excellent excellent
Great video and definitely will be keeping an eye out for more to come. On a personal level, wondering whether I could ask for your help. I have a TD30, iMac with Catalina IOS, I have downloaded the correct driver from Roland, tried connecting the module to the computer using GarageBand both through a USB cable and also through a MIDI cable (Rolands own) but still the Mac does not recognise the kit. I’ve followed the instructions saying I need to switch from Kit to MIDI turned on what needs to be turned on on the MIDI menu but nothing. The only way I’ve been able to connect my drums to the computer is through and Audio interface but then what I’m doing is just playing roland drums through a computer which defeats the object of MIDI. Any suggestions?
Excellent video, Luke! Also, can't help but admire 'the chrome rack' used all to hold all your modules. Ralf with drum tec has something similar. Would you please share the specs on how you made it...or where you purchased it? Thanks for ALL you do with this channel.
Thanks Thomas! Yes, I took inspiration from the drum-tec module rack build! The "exact" specs are difficult to name - I tend to snap up rack parts and clamps if I see them going cheap so I've accumulated all bits and pieces over the years. I'm using 2 curved bars for the main vertical pipes and they're both from the Alesis Strike Pro expansion pack, though any curved bars would work. Then there's a straight bar across the bottom that's using Gibraltar T-clamps as the base, along with 3 straight bars across the width of the rack being held in place by standard rack clamps and "L" clamps. These are all different brands - some Gibraltar, some Dixon, and the L ones are taken from an old Roland TD-3 rack. To support it, I've used a straight bar from a Roland rack coming from the bottom module bar on a diagonal, with a very small bar with rack feet held in place by a T-clamp.
Difficult to describe it when I've not got close up photos to demonstrate, but that's the gist of it - just a bunch of pipes and clamps! I've got a Gibraltar pipe cutter which has allowed me to chop down any rack parts that are too big, so it's pretty neat. I'm actually going to do a video about how to mount pretty much anything to your drum rack, so I might do a dive into this build as part of that! Thanks for the interest!
Luke, Thank you for explaining your rack build! Absolutely brilliant. I look forward to the upcoming 'mount' video you alluded to....that will be VERY useful to many of us. Thanks again for all the time and effort you put into the channel and videos. You are an inspiration.
Hey thanks for the video man! Never really used midi but have a question for you guys.
Would midi be able to be used to make a synth sample play in the same key as a song being played from a DJ controller
In other words if I’m djing and event and have my e drums with me could I use midi to connect my controller to my drum brain and tell it what key the song is in and therefore match the synth sample to that key.
Thanks!
Great video and great channel! I have a question. Can i connect and individual pad to pc and use in in a VST like Addictive drums, so I can expand my drum module, that is also connected to pc? Do I have to connect this pad through an other drum module, or would a interface like M Audio Fast track work for converting the signal to midi? Thank you in advance!
My dad bought me a TD-12 after a near death car accident. This was back in 2005 or ‘06. I’m on the precipice of getting one of these new Rolands w/ digital pads 🤯!!!! I’m leaning toward the TD27 as I’m really anxious to use the Bluetooth function.
This was really helpful! I want to use a mimic pro with a Zendrum. My plan is to plug Roland HH and kick pedals into the mimic and then use the Zendrum pads via midi for everything else. Will that work? Can I mute cymbals? Can the HH pedal control a HH that is being played via midi?
This is one of the most useful video ever about the edrums! Sorry but I have to say something for that thumb down... whoever you are, do you know how many hours of his life this guy spent to collect all this information, study, and to put all together? Thumb down exactly for what? Maybe you don't like the background?
Thank you so much 🙏 Glad you find it useful! Hmm, yeah, quite a lot of my recent videos are getting a downvote or two... I think there might be a hater amongst us!
Totally agree. Nice job here providing useful information that does require in depth knowledge to convey such a broad topic well. Thanks for the really great info!!
Thank you!
@@TheeDrumWorkshop hi I have a 11 piece acoustic drum kit Tom sizes from 6” 8”10”12”13”14”15”16”and 18” floor toms ..
Question-: I have changed each head to mesh heads and want to trigger each tom.
Is this possible?
Thank you.
P.s. I’m a novis at all of this. Lol
hey, really great informative vid. i was wondering if its possible to hook up a midi controller keyboard/drum pads to a module via midi and still be able to play the drums like that? would it work?
Thank you! Yeah, as long as there's MIDI in on the module, MIDI out on the controller and you can set them to the correct MIDI channels and notes then it should work fine.
I have the TD12 which does have the percussion set and MIDI Ch 11, but my main module is the TD27. So I found out that I can’t use these to midi expand my TD27 🥺 I have instead ran both modules independently and run everything through a behringer mini mixer. This setup works fantastically, not perfectly ideal as there can be kit/sound differences and an be fiddly to get sound levels between the two correct, but once set, the main controls on the mixer controlled both ok.
I’ve ended up making a monster sized kit, with some acoustic elements brought in too.
Ahh yeah, it's a real shame they stopped allowing this kind of expansion but glad you've managed to make it work eventually! Sounds like a pretty killer setup!
Hey mate thanks for this video. I've got 2 old TD7 modules from the 90s and was looking at connecting them via MIDI to expand the kit. I'm just getting back into edrums as the kit has been packed up for a few years lol.
Any how the route I'm looking at taking (just started trying this last night) is to plug the majority of pads into the master TD7 and expansion pads into the slave TD7. I'm then assigning a unique MIDI note to the expansion pads (so if Tom 1 was originally #38 I will make it #70 so it does not clash with anything in the master). Then on the matter I take #70 and assign a sound (eg cow bells). So this way the pad plugged into Tom 1 in the slave now becomes a cow bell.
Does my idea seem correct? Fit this to work I need to check each MIDI note being used in the regular kit and select different notes for the slave.
Also just FYI - having 2 TD7 kids synced means I can select one kit in one unit and the other unit automatically changes to the same kit .
I also believe polyphonic sounds are available in a td7. I have option to select and assign sound 1 and sound 2 to a note.
Hope this all makes sense lol 🙂 Thanks for your great videos to! This is a whole new world for me lol
I am having the same problem sending midi out from 2box drummit3 and Pearl e/merge. I just want to send all drums and cymbals out on one midi channel and have them set to different pitches. (Like the entire drum kit playing a piano sound along with the drum sounds) Both drum kits are triggering the internal sounds perfectly, but the sounds coming from the hardware synths are random(maybe 1 in 20 hits produces a sound) I have tried 2 different synths on both kits. It is probably a velocity midi output setting or something similar, but I can't find any settings for this output on either module.....
good video...thank you...
question...i own the alesis strike module...it doesn't have a foot switch input jack...is there a way over midi i can configure an external switching device to change kits on the fly..?
Hmm, there'd be _a way_ of doing it, but not 100% sure what the best one would be. According to the Strike manual, it can accept program change messages from another MIDI device or you can even send CC messages to swap kits - apparently CC#118 will go up by one kit and CC#119 will go down by one. But you'd need some other MIDI device attached to send these messages, or send them from a computer.
Great video, although as a midi novice you lost me on a few things. What about the Roland SPD-SX? Could you MIDI in additional pads with something like a ddrum ddti, or are you limited to the trigger inputs on the module? Thanks!
Thanks! I mentioned the SPD-SX at the end and that it has the same limitations as other Roland products - you just get access to the pads and trigger inputs via MIDI, no extras. So that will be 9 MIDI notes for the face pads, 4 for the trigger inputs (2x2 zones) and 2 notes for the footswitch inputs (you can have a double footswitch on the SPD-SX so they can both trigger individual samples). So you get up to 15 triggerable sounds per kit/patch. Hope that helps!
Just picked up the DDRUM chrome elite triggers and new DDTi interface which is my first ever venture into adding MIDI percussion and triggering to my acoustic drum. I have them mostly dialed in regarding threshold and preventing them from double triggering, but I’d like to be able to send MIDI program change messages to the interface, which I have connected to my DAW interface via a 5-pin MIDI DIN cable, as well as having the DDTi interface connected to my mac mini via USB. I am using Studio One Pro 6 and as of yet have been unsuccessful in being able to use midi automation lanes to be able to send program changes to change the kit type via usb. Any advice on how to get that working?
Hey, Luke! Can I record a MIDI track into my DAW and then change the module sounds on the TD-27 and make the recorded performance sound like the newly changed kit? I have been recording via USB through Reaper, turning off local control so that I only hear what comes out of the main mix in Reaper. After I record the MIDI track, if I want to change a cymbal sound or something, how do I route it back through so that the new sound is output? Just make a new stereo track of my drum’s Master out and the MIDI coming back through will “play” my kit?
Hey! Yes, you can do this. If you go on the MIDI track's routing and set the MIDI output to the TD-27, it should play back through the TD-27 and you can swap kits to record whichever sounds you want. I would probably set up a new track to record the new performance, yes. If you're just changing sounds then you can cycle through them and change them to whatever you like.
If you're trying to change the whole kit, by default I think the "program change" messages get sent from the module and stored in the MIDI file, so it will keep trying to swap back to the kit you recorded with. You can either find the program change controls in the MIDI window in Reaper and edit the envelope to change kits, or the easier option might be to go into the System > MIDI options on board the module and turn off "Program Change Rx". This will stop the module from receiving the program change messages and it will ignore them so you can swap to any kit without it fighting against you!
Great video, just subbed! Got a problem as I am a noob - For some reason my Yamaha DTX502 module midi notes are double the length of my Roland TD4kp midi notes on my new macbook pro. On my old mac they are both the same, it is doing my head in! Help! haha I just want to get the yamaha kit working correctly :)
This was a great video but I am still stuck. I have a DDrum DDTi which I have connected to my DDrum DD5X module via MIDI. My module has over 600 drum sounds but I can only access a few of them from the DDTi. I have both units set to channel 10 but when I change the DDTi MIDI note number on say the snare pad, it doesn't allow me to select a different snare sound from the DD5X. Very few of the 127 note numbers seem to be available and the accessible sounds are the same regardless of what kit is selected on the DD5X. I'm not sure what I am doing wrong but I could use some help. I thank you in advance.
I have a TD-50X, but I missed my TD-20X's sequencer and the odd time signatures in the TD-20X's click (7/8 and 5/8 don't work on the TD-50X as far as I know). I was able to setup a drum set on the TD-50X that has no sounds, but triggers on channel 9 and on the TD-20X, I have it listening to channel 9. That way I can play any of my old sets. That's great, but when I set the click to 7/8 (or any odd time signature) on the TD-20X, but when I hit the rims on drums or edges on cymbals, the time signature switches to 4/4. Do you know how to stop the time signature from changing?
I have a TD 27? I’m wanting more inputs for using a VST only?
I appreciate the info. I have an Alesis turbo kit that I'm trying to hook up to Hydrogen. I can get sounds but every trigger makes the same sound. Very new to this and extremely frustrated. Any ideas?
any luck? im trying to this for 2 months no with no success. just bought a new hihat stand and still strugglin
I am using an Alesis Strike Pro kit and want to output the kit sounds from easy drummer to my mixer but want to be able to have all my instruments go through on separate outputs for separate control. At the moment I can only send to the mixer through the out of my module. My module has 7 outs and I plug them into the mixer but only get module sounds…
I want to be able to practice with the ezd kit sounds and because my cq18t records would like to use that as well and then take the recording to post if desirred.
Also, I would like this setup for gigs as well…. Is this possible?
I hope this makes sense!
Please can you tell me about Roland TD-3 module and if it can be expanded to add more inputs and use external trigger devices such as TMC 6. miidi Converter. I really need ot. know about this urgently!! as I want to add more pads to the ones I have on my TD-3
I have the Roland TD27 and I own a ddrum midi trigger interface. I don’t want any internal sounds I’m using EZdrummer 3 how do I get both to work? THANKS!
Can i slave a yamaha dtxpress iv to my roland td9 module? Yust to run cymbals.
Thank you... great topic and content! Have you use the Pearl Mimic Pro with Superior Drummer 3 and if so, how accurate is the performance? I have lots drum VSTs and a Mimic and am interested in exploring this option, if it is doable.
Thanks John! I haven't, I'm afraid - don't have SD3, just SD2 and I'm not really much of a VST user, to be honest.
Did you ever figure this out? I'm also curious
G'day Luke, thank you so much for your helpful videos! Was hoping you could help with my td27 module. I also have a td9 and want to use the 9 as a slave module but can't seem to get it to work. I've put the slave on ch11 but nothing works.
I have the same issue with a TD9 and a TD17. Were you able to find a solution?
MIDI 2.0 is around the corner and the Roland TD-27 already sends up to 256 with the digital pads. The next roland flagship will have this as well.
Anyone know if the ATV aD5 module is able to work together with a pc using software like Superior Drummer for the kit sounds.
I want to be able to record tracks and use the sounds from external drumsoftware that's run on my PC.
So far i'm reading mixed reactions on the aD5 module for this purpose, but it isn't completely clear for me how and if this will work.
can Roland TD-3 have global Midi Channel, so I could use my Roland TMC -6 Trigger midi converter. as I want to. expand up to 16 channels or to keep it simple. so I can add pads on the tic-6 and be able to select separately sounds that do not conflict with the TD-3 drum sets?
Iv'e just got a Carlsbro CSD35M drum kit I know it's not the greatest digital kit but I bought it to mostly use it for practice at home and recording ideas. I also have an Alesis SR18 Drum Machine. Its has some cool sounds and was wondering if I could trigger some of them through the digital kit.
Is there any fun to be had triggering sounds through midi devices that are not drum module's or things not your typical digital drum kit set set up?
Absolutely! There's plenty of fun to be had triggering all kinds of sounds. It's well worth experimenting if you're interested. Plus you'll learn more about your gear!
Is this just about using MIDI for more live sounds? I'm only interested in recording midi files into a DAW. Do eDrum modules that come with the eDrums allow this? Do they function as an interface to the PC?
with a td-50x, audio interface, ezdrummer3, I would like to increment user kits via a midi footswitch while playing dynamically. the td-50x has a footswitch port. Do you know how this can be done?
Sending midi cc from my Roland TD25 Module to a ZOIA module. Pretty interesting. The snares rim is a on switch, the center of the snare is an off switch, the high hat pedal is a trigger, and the ride sends a random cc. Not really sure how this will expand the sound of my drums or how I can make things musical with these functions. Would have been nice to have simple trigs from each pad.
So is there any way to listen to the output from the virtual instrument on your PC (like GGD, ezdrummer, ssd5, etc.) Through your modules headphone output?
My pc is across the room so hooking headphones up to that is a pain in the ass
You can do that if your module can function as an interface. So it depends on the module. Most recent Roland modules can do this (it requires the module to be in VENDOR mode and needs a driver install, on Windows at least). Not 100% sure about other modules, I think recent Yamaha ones might be able to.
Great video again Luke!!!
FYI the older Drumit5 used Foot Control as the hihat... not sure if you knew?
Thanks dude! I'm not at all familiar with the Drumit 5 so wasn't sure. I probably should have looked into it more, but I was a bit worn out with manual deep diving by then 😅
Hmm yeah, just had a flick through now and it seems to use CC4... Not sure why I was under the impression that it didn't. I've heard from an experienced user that the hi-hat didn't play well with MIDI from another module. Maybe I just got my wires crossed and assumed it didn't work on the same settings. Might pin a correction in the comments, thanks for that!
@@TheeDrumWorkshop Yeah the older one's hihat left much to be desired. However, they did implement a lot of new parameter adjustments in OS updates which made it, from what I am told, 100% better. Not having tried it, I cannot say but I cannot see why this isn't true. Whether it brings it near to as good as say, a VH11 I cannot say.
@@TheeDrumWorkshop As for midi from an external source, yeah I think if you didn't play it on the module, recreating it back from ext source is not gonna happen unless you're willing to draw in on a the piano roll of a DAW what you're trying to convey.
@@TheeDrumWorkshop 2Box uses CC4. But nevertheless, it is pretty hard to get it to work properly (of not impossible). If your module does not send a CC when fully closed the cymbal will ring on forever, and there are other issues to. I find it pretty manageable to use MIDI with Superiour Drummer 3, but MIDI between 2 Modules is pretty complicated because you most likely lack all the configuration you can do in a VST.
Again, a very useful Video, very well researched and helpful to the "not total rookie" E-Drummer. Thumbs up for your great channel!
Hi, Great video.
How do I connect the SPD SX to TD27kv? Also, what are the specific configurations on both modules that I need to change so I can hear both modules in my headphones?
Thanks! It depends on exactly how you want to "connect" them. If it's just a case of having some sounds on your SPD-SX, some on your TD-27 and you want to hear them both at the same time, the easiest way is to use a 6.3mm stereo jack cable to feed the headphone output of the SPD-SX into the mix input of the TD-27. Or you could use other kinds of cables to use the master outputs or the SPD-SX-s inputs, depending on how you want to do it. It doesn't really need to be more complicated, but you can make it so if you choose!
Thanks! It depends on exactly how you want to "connect" them. If it's just a case of having some sounds on your SPD-SX, some on your TD-27 and you want to hear them both at the same time, the easiest way is to use a 6.3mm stereo jack cable to feed the headphone output of the SPD-SX into the mix input of the TD-27. Or you could use other kinds of cables to use the master outputs or the SPD-SX-s inputs, depending on how you want to do it. It doesn't really need to be more complicated, but you can make it so if you choose!
Thanks! It depends on exactly how you want to "connect" them. If it's just a case of having some sounds on your SPD-SX, some on your TD-27 and you want to hear them both at the same time, the easiest way is to use a 6.3mm stereo jack cable to feed the headphone output of the SPD-SX into the mix input of the TD-27. Or you could use other kinds of cables to use the master outputs or the SPD-SX-s inputs, depending on how you want to do it. It doesn't really need to be more complicated, but you can make it so if you choose!
I use ddrum red on my shells > a super old Roland PM16.. pearl cymbals > a Ddrum DDTI.. midi out (DDTI) > midi in (PM16) > midi out (PM16) > midi in (interface) > ezdrummer.
Just trying to figure out how to choke, then everything will be proper, and amount: 8 shells and 10 cymbals. Other than getting the cymbals to choke, everything works great on my routing. Just taking me some extra time to fine tune my settings. Everything has its assigned sounds, velocity, crosstalk, gain, and threshold set perfect.
I do have a really old Yamaha PMC1 that I used many years ago.. it's XLRin and that requires me pulling my old old old bundle I made for my kit, about 17yrs ago.. because IM NOT lol about to experiment by buying a new set of XLR's when I had one that worked fine, last I used it! ...was in like 2011😅... ya know what? I'm gonna do that today. Sunday Funday
*the bundle I made is xlr to 1/4" TS... so with splitters on that, I'm limited to 4ch. BUT, if the reason for the XLRin on the PMC1 is for dual zone, then (if I can read the notes right) I can assign em.
If I have to, (maybe) do: midi out DDTI > midi in PMC1 / midi out PM16 > midi thru PMC1 > midi out PMC1 > inteface
I bought the Millennium 750 and I can't get my laptop to connect with the module...I've been at this for over two weeks lol I just can't figure it out
Thank u so much man. Question, if I like the drums that are on the module, do I need midi? Can't I just use aux? Thank u 👍👍
Hey! Yes, if you are just using the internal sounds and you have enough inputs for the pads you have, there's no need for any MIDI trickery!
I've managed to pass through the midi from my octapad thru to my td-27 into superior drummer 3 with no problems
Great stuff! MIDI Thru is really handy!
So if I am getting this right, if I have a TD50 to make use of the digital snare and ride, I can slave that into a Pearl Mimic Pro and have an expanded input set, but there are some limitations like the choking cymbals, but that can be solved by putting cymbals into the Pearl and drums into the TD50, correct?
Yeah, pretty much. You can have 8 additional instruments on top of the ones assigned to trigger inputs. You'll probably want to use the digital ride as a ride cymbal too so you can use all 3 zones but obviously you wouldn't be able to choke that one cymbal. The rest being set up the way you're saying will work great - though you also don't get all of the digital snare functionality. On the 50 module, it gives you essentially 3 rim articulations - cross-stick, rim shot and rim click (when you just tap the rim alone). It only sends MIDI notes for rim shot and cross-stick so you can't get all of those on the Mimic with the digital snare over MIDI. Not that many people use that function though so it might not matter to you at all!
Hope that helps!
@@TheeDrumWorkshop That's good news, thank you for the response. I can't say I've ever used the rim click, so if cross stick and rim shot are usable, that would work for my application. I can also rarely think of a time I've wished I could choke my ride cymbal, so I don't think I'll be missing that functionality.
hello i have two 2box drumitfive module and i using midi cable to connect them to each other ( midi out from module number 2 to midi in to module number 1 and midi out from module number 1 to my focusrite sound card ) because im using superrior Drum 3.. but i have a Big Problem here. and that problem is the sound from module number 2 has a same map( cod or midi number ) that module number 1 have it!! for example my crash number is 74 in module number 2 and also my crash in module number 1 is the same number 74!! so i can not change the sound in superior drum 3.. if i change one of them to another sound. the other trigger will also change to this.. and i dont want to this happen.. i want have Separately sound for example one of them have china crash and the other one a thin crash.. how can i do this ? how can i change midi number!! i did not find anything in my module to change this :(
I've not used a 2box module myself but looking at the manual, pages 52/53 appear to explain how to change the MIDI notes of the pads! Hope thats helps point you in the right direction.
*The MIDI notes are labelled as the keyboard notes though rather than note numbers - so they range from note C-1 which is note number 0 up to note G9 which is number 127. Might require a bit of counting or trial and error!
What does thru midi allow? My td 10 has it.
It sends anything going into the MIDI in port back out through the MIDI out port. So if you want to "daisy chain" MIDI devices together, you can choose whether incoming MIDI stops at the module or if it gets added to the module's MIDI and sent through the output.
Thanks for a great video! I have a question and I have tried to google it but with no success. Is it possible to use a sampling pad such as Roland SPDS or DD90 as a sound source for an entire eDrum kit by connecting a drum module´s MIDI out to the sample pads MIDI in. I am hoping to eliminate the use of my laptop, which I am currently running my eDrum kit through. Can the sampling pad assign sounds to the eDrum kit through its MIDI in connected to the eDrum module´s MIDI out or do I need to connect the pads directly into the sample pad using the extra pad inputs on the back?
Like I said, I´ve tried to google this but I cannot find any information on whether or not this is possible so I am hoping someone here can help.
Thanks!
Hey! Yes, you should be able to trigger a sampling pad with MIDI from a drum module. However, keep in mind that most of the sample pads available are very limited in terms of layers (many are only single shot samples or a maximum of 2 layers with a fade). This will mean that the response and sound might not be up to scratch compared to modules or VSTs. However, if you're happy with that, it should work if you get the MIDI settings lined up.
@@TheeDrumWorkshop Thank you very much!
The Alesis Turbo Mesh sends a weird midi message to the computer when you hihat with pedal closed. Drum software like ezdrummer will never play a closed hi hat cymbal strike with it. Logic and Mainstage have an obscure "v-drum" mapping that fixes it, and there's an applescript+midipipe script written by a random person on the internet that rewrites the midi message while you play (macOS only). I debug'ed and documented the issue, but inMusic wasn't interested (they told me it was a "learning issue") and ezdrummer tech support backed slowly out of the room.
even though ezdrummer doesn't have a special config for alesis turbo mesh, you can use other model drum configs to get the hihat working. Click around the make/model list until one works. For the midipipe script, search the garabage band subreddit.
I own an Alesis Crimson II se. Too bad it won’t allow adding pads through a trigger2midi interface.
Hi. A dedicated vid on hi hat midi with drums would be great. On my crimson for instance I can never get it to work ......
hi Luke. great info. Can you recommend a kit that connects via usb to Reaper? I'm looking at purchasing a kit that will trigger my Reaper drum kit VSTs via MIDI. thanks in advance
Hey! Thanks. I'd usually recommend Roland kits for MIDI triggering - they're usually rock solid and low latency. The exact model would depend on your budget, really, but most of the new generation (TD-07, TD-17, 27, 50/X) trigger reliably with USB MIDI. I think some of the last gen will do too, but I haven't tried enough of them myself to be sure. I haven't tried any other brands with USB MIDI so can't comment on Alesis etc.
@@TheeDrumWorkshop thanks heaps for the info :-)
is it possible to control the Roland TM2 with a midi keyboard? I just tried it now, nothing much happens. I wanna play samples with a small keyboard on stage eg synth note samples to form a polyphonic peice, would be amazing to be able to do that with the tm2 as its battery powered! also Roland manual for this says its possible to trigger samples from other MIDI devices so i was thinking if this is at all poss - but theres no info on it anywhere - if not, looking at other options
Yes, that should be possible. The limitation being that you'll only get 4 samples per kit, so you can't trigger the whole run of notes on the keyboard. Depending on what notes are being outputted by your keyboard, you just might not have been hitting any that are assigned to the samples. Under the INST function you can scroll along to the Note# parameter to set this, and you'd also need to make sure they're on the same MIDI channel which I think is under the System settings. Pretty sure 3 of the zones are defaulted to notes 36 (kick), 38 & 40 (snare head/rim). Can't remember the last one off the top of my head. The MIDI channel will be set to 10 by default, I think.
@@TheeDrumWorkshop thanks for that ok cool ill give it a go tmz
Can the Roland TD17 be connected to the Roland tm 2 with a midi out cable so I can have the sounds of the TD17 on the tm2 directly with a midi out cable?
No, MIDI doesn't send sounds at all. You need to use a mixer or send one output into the MIX IN of the other.
@@TheeDrumWorkshop Hello! I have the Roland td 17 kvx and I have already made an extension to a third crash (crash 3) covering the AUX socket on the td17. I want to make another extension to a second floor tom (Tom 4) and that's why I got the roland tm 2 which has two triggers slots. can you tell me if the tm 2 can be connected to the td17 with a midi out cable? Also sounds with the sd card can I add from td 17 to tm 2 ?
all I know is aLESIS DM6 USB where you. can use the programmed sounds on the Brian , but can use usb to. music software to use other sounds at the same time if you. wanted too,
can you use a drum pad like the sample pad to play the kits on the module with a midi cable?
If the module accepts MIDI in then it should be possible. Which sample pad and module are you thinking?
Thanks for the reply! I have a Yamaha dtx multi-12 pad. It’d be really cool if I could just plug a midi cable from it into a Yamaha dtx module or Roland v-drum module or even the alesis strike module. They would all have better more realistic drum sounds I’m guessing. That would be a dream come true if it’s that easy. I’ve never tried but I’d be very curious to know if it works!
Yeah, you should be able to do that as long as the receiving module has a MIDI IN socket on it. You might need to align the MIDI channel and note numbers of the pads. I'm not 100% sure on the hi-hat control CC with the DTX Multi12 as I've not used one but the pads should work fine controlling other MIDI devices.
Awesome thank you so much!
Drummers out here like, "What's MIDI? It's a weird cable? Does this do the sounds?"
Can I record a midi track from my td27 and somehow get the TD27 module sounds in my daw? So I can move notes, change velocity, etc, but still have my module's sounds?
Hey! Yeah you can do, but you'll need to send the MIDI back to the module in real-time to capture the audio. So once you've recorded the MIDI track, turn that track into a MIDI output (same MIDI channel as it recorded to). Then when you edit the MIDI track, you can listen back to the module either through the headphones or through the audio output and you'll hear any changes you make as it plays back. So you can straighten out the performance, change any MIDI notes etc. Then you'll need to record the module's audio by playing the MIDI track through it from start to finish and recording the outputs (either the output jacks or through the USB audio). Hope that helps!
@@TheeDrumWorkshop awesome thank you. I actually achieved this last night with my td27 and cakewalk and it worked for a couple of hours but at one point during my recording, I tried deleting a section of the midi track to redo it, and when I clicked record to try to fill in the gap, I broke everything. The drums were clicking and sounding awful through the headphones. It was working all night then something happened. Idk if cakewalk changed something or what. It sounded like the headphones were being fed two identical signals or something. But I don't understand why I didn't have the problem for the first two hours. Playback was fine, but monitoring during recording was unbearable.
@@Salfrado If it sounded like it was playing back 2 versions at the same time, it might be that real-time recording monitoring got turned on? I've enabled it by mistake in Reaper before and it comes through as a "doubled up" sound because I can already hear the TD-27 coming through the inputs without the monitoring enabled. That's the only thing that comes to mind, but whether or not this would happen might depend on how you're monitoring it. I've never used Cakewalk so I'm not familiar with its interface.
@@TheeDrumWorkshop yeah, i read the "data list" PDF of the TD27 today and it says to turn "local control" off in the module when recording on this fashion so that the performance data doesn't go directly to the td27 sound engine from the pads AS WELL AS to your daw which is also sending it back to the td27 sound engine. There's a neat signal flow diagram on page 39 of that data list that explains it. I'm going to give that a try tonight.
While niche, it would be a cool and useful video for anyone learning how to record midi not using a VST and rather their existing synth/electric drum sounds in their midi controller to see someone achieve that signal flow and how to get to the end goal of having editable midi data on a track while still using module-based sounds.
My kick drum is not working from the module it's not the pad I don't know if it's the pin hookup or wire any suggestions
Usual way to narrow it down is to check the pad using another cable to see if it works that way, which eliminates that as the problem. Then try the cable/input with a different pad that definitely works on another cable/input to see if the cable/input is the problem. If so, replace it with a new cable or wiring loom, or attempt to fix the loom if you know what you're doing.
Hello … please help me !
I (still) use cubase 5 , and its fine ..
I use a midi keyboard and a e drum as midi controllers…
Some vst’s dropping out on my e drum , only some of the hits gets through…but works fine on my keyboard and some vst’s working fine on my e drum ..? WHY ?
Please help me
Hello. I can't really be sure because I don't know your setup, software and I can't see your settings. It could be a MIDI note assignment issue? Some VSTs have different MIDI notes assigned to their drums than others so your kit's MIDI notes might not be lined up with theirs. So you might need to adjust the MIDI note numbers of those instruments either in your software or on your module when using that particular software. Hope that helps point you in the right direction.
So I don't want to access my SPD30 with the TD50, I want to access my TD50 with the SDP30. Meaning, I want to play TD50 sounds with the 8 pads on the SPD30. Is this possible? I'm sorry, there is so much going on here in this video, it is difficult for me to follow.
Yes, you can do that. You'll only be able to play sounds that are assigned to the pads/zones on the TD-50 though (Kick through to Aux 4). You won't be able to access "extra" sounds on your TD-50 if all of your inputs are being used. I hope that helps!
I have the td17. I want to ask if there is China sound and splash on td17. And if so how can I find these sounds?
Yeah, there are splashes and chinas. If you scroll past the crash and ride categories on the Instrument parameters, you'll find them.
@@TheeDrumWorkshop How do I find the instrument parameters?
With the ASSIGN button. If you're unfamiliar with the module, the manual is the best place to start!
@@TheeDrumWorkshop I have the td17kvx version which means I have two crash. Do you suggest I get another Cymbal for China / splash? Do you have anything else to suggest to me?
I'm not suggesting you get anything else, you can change one of the cymbals you already have into a splash or china on just one kit if you want to.
Hey there, trying to help our band's drummer record his Alesis e-kit via midi (so we can use EzDrummer sounds). My question. How the hell is midi being transmitted from pads to module? They seem to connect via 1/4" cables and then module midi out to USB. But how would the module receive info for each pad/drum? Does it convert voltage/audio to midi somehow?
Hey! Inside the pads are piezo transducers / pickups - basically a contact microphone like you get in guitars and other acoustic instruments that use pickups for amplification. They respond to direct vibrations rather than air vibrations - so with mesh drum heads this is usually a cone or some other shape of foam touching the mesh head with the piezo under it, for rubber pads it might be more direct contact or with a thin layer of foam. This sends an audio signal to the module and the module basically reads the waveform of that audio as opposed to amplifying it or outputting it as is. The amplitude of the waveform is what tells the module how hard you've hit the pad, and other trigger settings are looking for different characteristics of the transients or sections of the wave to work out things like which hits are intended or aftershocks etc. Certain Roland modules can do things like work out the position of the head you've hit based on the frequency of the wave too, for example. The module converts it all to MIDI information to send out to other devices.
@@TheeDrumWorkshop Oh wow... Reading up on piezo sensors now. Our band had a lot of confusion about why we needed audio cables if we're recording midi. Makes me wonder... Why don't e-drum kits just use midi out from each pad? Wouldn't that be more accurate than translating a waveform to midi? Not a drummer myself so I was misunderstood in thinking they'd connect to the module via usb cables.
The pads would still need some way of working out what you're doing and turning that into MIDI information. MIDI is just a set of instructions that tells something what to do - there needs to be something that is interpreting the energy from your hits and converting it into that information. Currently, the Roland digital pads can output their own MIDI data from the pad itself but that's because they've got a microprocessor inside that sums the data before it goes to the module. You can hook them up to a PC too as a MIDI device without a module, however, it doesn't send out every single piece of info that way so still needs the module to have the full benefits of them. So it's not really recommended, especially for the price.
@@TheeDrumWorkshop Ah got you. So no matter what, that translation from the physical sensor's waveform to midi data needs to happen somewhere. And in e kits, it only processes this at the module. It's a new concept coming from playing Piano myself - so my digital piano must be doing this internally, analysing pressure sensor waveforms of each key, and outputs the samples simultaneously, all internally. Which is how I don't need to cable up all 88 keys individually... Unlike e drum kits which is happening at the module so each pad is hooked up separately. Thanks for the info!
no man, YOU have a great day
I used to be able to expand the TD10 but I can't figure out a way to expand my TD27. GRRRRR.. I guess expansion will only work if I go the software route and use all the inputs from both the TD27 and the Ddrum DDTI to superior drummer. Should have watched 1st!!!
I have a TD6 sending MIDI data in channel 11 to a TD20 and that allows me to have a monster of a kit. My hihat broke so I was considering to get the TD50... but it doesn´t support percussion sets WTF roland
The Mimic Pro Midi implementation it’s a bit weird, all drums and cymbals send/receive MIDI on channel 10 but the hihat uses channel 1 so if you’re recording MIDI on a computer you’ll need to turn off the MIDI out otherwise you’ll get a totally messed hihat, someone already complain about this on the pearldrummers forum but hasn’t got any satisfactory reply from the developers yet
Please Roland bring back the percussion set, maybe make it optional so you can do layering OR percussion set but percussion set was one of the best features that it had........
and if you can only spell MIDI and know what it stands for, but not much else?
Its an absolute shame that TD27/50 have no MIDI sequencer, that put me off of getting the 27 right there, what a way to lose customers, hope someone from Roland would read this and get this simple fucking idea to those knuckheads that decide product specs. The fact that the cable snake inputs get disabled when the digital pads are plugged in makes the whole thing even worse.
The TD27 couldve been the absolute best module for that price and largely render the Mimic obsolete with its expansion features had it had the MIDI sequencer and the ability to use the analog and digital inputs simultaneously. You could build a monster kit all on one module with no added latency, clutter and volume/sample issues of multiple modules/audio interfaces and whatnot.
It almost feels like people who design these things have never actually played drums and have no clue what actual players want. They keep bragging about bullshit features like bluetooth so you can play a song from your phone. Yeah who the fuck needs that, thats a feature for a tiktoker not a drummer. All the legit people i know have wired computer setups, they dont need to play a song from a shitty phone.
Hallo roland td50 midi cennete td6..?
I guess all this means nothing if you don't even know what hardware to use to connect the module to the laptop...
If you’re running a remotely newer module like a TD27 or TD50, all the ‘hardware’ you need is a USB cable.
Dammit…lol
is MIDI almost as mysterious as your chest hair? lol sorry i had to
No mystery there - I come from a proud family of gorillas!
@@TheeDrumWorkshop im just messin', you have a wicked channel and great content, very informative and well put together! cheers and happy drumming
Droooms 😂
What a mess
Bro please get a tighter collared tshirt or something