digitaldrummer february 2013

Edition 13 FEBRUARY 2013

iPad drummer New @ NAMM Daniel Schlep

Jon’s e-journeyAtkinson electrifies the ‘80s

The global electronic drumming e-zine

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©2013 Avedis Zildjian C

ompany

Zildjian has created a revolution in edrums. Gen16, the world’s first acoustic electric cymbal. Play the hi-hat like a hi-hat. Choke cymbals. Roll with mallets. Stack cymbals. Experience all the dynamics without the latency or audio compression associated with digital sounds. Control audio levels and shape cymbal sounds with up to 99 presets per cymbal. Choose from an array of cymbal sizes and types made at the Zildjian factory. Visit Gen-16.com for more information and check out the “Young Guns” series of performance videos.

REAL CYMBALS

FOR THE WAYYOU PLAY

http://www.gen-16.com

As we start our fourth year, we’re really proud to unveilour first batch of Readers’ Choice winners – eightproducts and one drummer chosen in an online poll.You’ll find details of the winners – and some of thereasons behind their selections – on pages 6 to 8. Thereprobably won’t be too many surprises in the list – andnone of the products needs any introduction to thisaudience. And the same is true of our inaugural e-drummer of the year – someone known not only for hisskill behind a kit, but more importantly, for his passion fore-drums and his achievements in getting electronicpercussion into the mainstream.

Another passionate e-drummer is this month’s profiledartist, Jonathan Atkinson. He may not be known to manyreaders, but he certainly has runs on the board and isone of the few pro drummers whose first choice of gearis electronic, especially when he’s gigging.

Interestingly, when we spoke, Jon was very enthusedabout the future of the iPad as a percussion tool, andthat’s an area we explore in great detail this month, withthe most comprehensive review of drumming apps forApple devices. I was an i-sceptic until I got my hands onan iPad, and I have to admit that I now share Jon’sappreciation for the platform. He, like me, is hopeful thatAlesis’ DM Dock product, which I first saw at NAMM lastyear, may be the missing link that connects the power ofthe iPad to the e-drum kit. And while we wait for the DMDock to hit the market, there are a few other options totrigger the iPad. There are also some very useful apps,as you’ll see as we wade through our first 20.

I say “first 20” because there are several more that wereviewed, but didn’t squeeze in – and there are someothers which were not yet ready for review that I hope toinclude in a future issue.

Speaking of NAMM, we also showcase some of the newofferings unveiled at the world’s biggest music event lastmonth in Anaheim. While there weren’t as many “new”products as in 2012, a number of releases from thelatter part of last year were on show for the first time –and there were a few surprises, not least in Zildjian’sGen16 range.

Our magazine includes the regular features which havebecome familiar to tens of thousands of readers overour brief existence. There are product reviews, tweakingtips, DIY advice and a look at a reader’s Monster Kit.

I trust you enjoy this edition and look forward to yourfeedback.

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Editor & Publisher

Allan Leibowitz

Sub-Editor

Solana da Silva

Contributors

Enrico Bertelli

Philippe Decuyper

John Emrich

Daniel Schlep

Wolfgang Stölzle

Cover Photo

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Design and layout

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Copyright:Forget the legalese and justplay fair! We work hard toproduce digitalDrummer.Please respect that anddon’t rip off our content. Inthis age of electronicpublishing, it’s obviouslytempting to “borrow” otherpeople’s work, and we arehappy to share our stuff —but please ask first and besure to include a link backto our website on anythingpublished elsewhere.

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digitalDrumme

Readers’ Choi

2012

Edition 13 February 2013

Readers’ Choice winnersRoland was the big winner in the inauguraldigitalDrummer Readers’ Choice awards, with threeawards, including the New Product of the Year accolade.

New at NAMMThis year, there may not have been many new offerings atthe NAMM show, the music industry showpiece inCalifornia, but there were some significant ones.

What’s ‘appening?The iPad has quickly become indispensable in a range oflifestyle aspects, and music creation has not escaped -neither has drumming, with some great apps out there.

Hart of bronzeHart Dynamics has spiced up the e-cymbal market withthe release of its next-generation Ecymbal range.

Third strike for GermansGerman e-drummers recently got together for the thirdannual Edrumtreffen electronic drummers meeting inLangenfeld to see e-drum solutions.

Jon’s e-journeyBritish drummer and programmer Jonathan Atkinson is ascomfortable on stage with ‘80s stars as he is in theorchestra pit of a West End show. Mention electronicpercussion, and the classically trained drummer lights up.

How I use e-drumsMany e-drummers use both acoustic and electronicdrums. Daniel Schlep discusses the merits of each.

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Product review: StarDrumsAcoustic Samples’ StarDrums is a relatively new productfrom the VST producer perhaps better known for itskeyboard products.

VST Q&AE-drum guru John Emrich is back to answer more VSTquestions from readers, this time discussing downloadsand DAWs.

New ProductsA snapshot of new VST offerings from Steven Slate Drums,Platinum Samples and Analogue Drums.

Big performance from small kitsIn search of maximum triggers and minimal footprint, EnricoBertelli fused two basic products and came up with asoftware solution to enhance the performance of his rig.

Wronka makes it easyA new DIY trigger solution from Germany combines thedesign of external triggers with the ease of fitting andstealth looks of internal triggers.

Kick the habitA new compact trigger solution is changing the way e-drummers play their bass drums. Allan Leibowitz steppedup to try the Triggera Krigg.

Basic TriggeringThis month’s reader question ponders the best way to adda trigger to a bass drum - and Philippe Decuyper has theanswer.

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digitalDrummer

Readers’ Choice2012

ROLAND WAS THE big winner in the inaugural digitalDrummerReaders’ Choice awards, picking up three awards including theNew Product of the Year accolade for the TD-30 kit launched lastJanuary.

The new flagship kit features Roland’s most advanced module todate, the TD-30, the new PD-128 and PD-108 trigger pads and anew VH-13 hi-hat system. The cymbals are reskinned in gunmetaland the new pad wrap is also imposing.

Reviewed in the August issue of digitalDrummer, the TD-30 wasdescribed the best Roland kit ever, although the review did pointout that the stock patches do not do justice to the module’scapability.

DrumIt Five was chosen as the module of the year. The 2boxmodule is known for its real samples and open architecture. Sinceits launch, the module has been given an operating system revampwhich improved its compatibility with third-party triggers, but itsproprietary hi-hat system means it still has be used with a 2boxhat.

The module is gaining popularity as users find easier ways ofimporting VST samples to augment the impressive stock sounds.

Another part of the appeal is the reasonable pricing, but themodule still has some limitations, such as the lack of recording andsequencing functionality and an interface which is not all thatintuitive.

Yamaha’s DTX Multi 12 was voted the multi-pad of the year. The12-pad unit, according to the November 2012 digitalDrummercomparison report, could easily be used as a stand-alone drum kit,particularly with the use of an external hi-hat and kick pedal. It wasfound to be one of the few percussion pads that could be playedeffectively with fingers, sticks or hands. It was also praised for itsmutable and pitch altering pad actions, its layering ability and itscapability for importing samples. One negative, however, was thelimited onboard memory.

Readers’Choicewinners

--Gear--


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Roland’s PD pad series was selected as the drum trigger of theyear by readers. Characterised by their realistic-feeling meshheads and dual-zone triggering, the pads are responsive,robust and aesthetically pleasing – especially the latestincarnations with replaceable wraps. The higher-end padssupport positional sensing in the TD-20 and TD-30 modules,and the new PD-128 and 108 models have enhanced rimtriggering. While the new pads are an aesthetic improvementon their predecessors, some users dismiss them as bland,especially when compared with some of the custom triggersproduced by the specialist builders.

Roland’s CY cymbal range got the nod in the cymbal triggercategory. In its current form, the range includes a 15” three-zone ride, 14” dual-zone crash and 12” dual-zone hats clad inmetallic grey. There are still a number of lower-end modelsfrom previous generations, offering some cheaper alternatives.On the whole, Roland cymbals are known for their low-noiseacoustic performance, their responsive triggering and theirchoking ability. Limitations include a less-than-natural playingfeel (compared to metal cymbals) and less than optimal belltriggering with some of the older models.

When it comes to external triggers used to convert acousticdrums to electronics, ddrum wrote the book and it’s no surprisethe iconic red triggers took the honours in their category. Therange has grown to three lines – the basic Redshot, the moreengineered Pro and the flagship DRT triggers with an extrasensor and switching system to cover any potential mishapson the road. In digitalDrummer’s trigger comparison, all theddrum models were found to be plug and play, requiringminimal tweaking for most modules. They were also solidperformers, with excellent tracking. However, being edge-mounted, the triggers don’t support positional sensing.

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http://www.musiciansrecommend.com/219-36.html

Hart Dynamics picked up the honours in the auxiliary triggercategory with its Hart Hammer, a hard rubber wedge with agenerous playing surface and excellent triggering, together withgood module compatibility. With more inputs available on higher-end modules, the Hammer is part of a large range of offeringsaimed at providing additional triggering capability without having toadd a drum pad or cymbal.

This product is compact, robust and easy to mount and alsobenefits from a lifetime guarantee. And it can also be attached to areverse-angle beater to form a reliable and affordable bass drumtrigger. Its only limitation is its single-zone capability, with a fewcompetitors offering head and rim triggering, but for mostdrummers, one zone is enough for a cowbell.

Toontrack’s Superior Drummer 2.0 was voted the most popularVST offering. The basic product includes 20 GB of samplesrecorded at the Avatar studio in New York. There are varioussamples, including sticks, rods, brushes and mallets, with a rangeof mixer presets.

The powerful SD application is augmented by a range of expansionpacks including The Metal Foundry, Roots, Music City USA andCustom & Vintage SDX packs and a large library of less detailedEZX expansions, as well as EZmix and Producer packs.

The offerings are versatile and easy to use, but because of theirpower, they do require a learning curve.

While the music industry is not known for nice guys, the 2012 e-drummer of the year certainly proves that huge talent is not alwaysaccompanied by a huge ego. Johnny Rabb is not only a greatdrummer (one-time holder of the world record for drumming speed)and educator, he’s also approachable and always finds time for hisfans.

Rabb epitomises the spirit of the award. His work as a clinician forRoland has helped spread the word about electronic percussion,but he has also slaved behind the scenes, helping the Japaneseinstrument giant design products which meet its users’ needs.Rabb has personally created a number of the patches on the TD-30 – and many of the other modules - in recent years.

Rabb has also been a strong supporter of digitalDrummer, writingcolumns, offering comments and generally just being a nice guy.

digitalDrummer congratulates the inauguralclass of winners and also thanks all thereaders who took the time to cast votes inour online ballot.We look forward to hearing from you againlater in the year when we choose the best ofthe best for 2013.


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TWO YEARS AGO, Zildjian turned heads withthe launch of its Gen16 AE (Acoustic Electric)Cymbal System. This year, the company usedthe NAMM show to demonstrate somesignificant enhancements to the system.

The Gen16 range is being augmented by anew Gen16 Direct Source Pickup. This newmicrophone pick-up has been totallyredesigned to enable more accurate cymbaldefinition, audio articulation and tone shaping.Not only will it be compatible with the existingDCP “brain” and Gen16 Cymbals, it will alsowork acoustic cymbals, tambourines, cowbellsand other traditional cymbal variants. It isclaimed this new design eliminates feedbackand crosstalk.

The new pick-ups will be available as a stand-alone purchase for a street price of around $70each and hit the stores by mid-year. In themeanwhile, the existing Gen16 box sets will besignificantly discounted. The minimumadvertised price for the 480 box set (14” hats,18” crash, 20” ride, AE controller and threepick-ups) has been slashed by $200 – downfrom $949 to $749.The 368 set drops from$879 to $699; there’s a $150 cut on the 348 set(from $799 to $659) and the 38 set (13” hatsand 18” crash/ride plus pick-ups and controller)drops from $769 to $499.

Pearl unveiled its first major update of the eProLive kit launched at the same venue three

years ago, with a software update and remixfor the original 100 preloaded kits, as well asthe addition of 50 new custom kits. Thesoftware update is available via download.

Pearl claims the RedBox 2.0 update improvesthe dynamic range and sensitivity of themodule and adds velocity sensitivity.

On the hardware side, there’s a new TruTrac-Hat, a once-piece hat which Pearl says“provides the real action and sounds of real hi-hat cymbals”.

There are also two new wrap finishes - VintageOrange Glitter and Vintage Green Glitter.

It’s clear that a lot of activity in 2013 will revolvearound the lower end of the market, with anumber of new offerings pitched at the budget-conscious buyers.

New at

The NAMM show in Anaheim is generally theshowcase of industry innovation, with new productsusually making their debut in front of the world’smajor retailers, distributors and pro musicians. Thisyear, there may not have been many new offerings,but there were some significant ones.


--Gear--

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Yamaha showed off its sub-$500 DTX400Ktogether with the slightly up-spec DTX450K kit.

Both drum sets come with the DTX400 module,which features 169 drum sounds, 128instrument voices and 10 customisable kits.

The triggers include newly designed 10” hi-hats, crash and ride cymbals and the 7.5” drumpads which have been redesigned for greaterdurability and playability.

The DTX400 kit comes with a steel rack andthe new beater-less KU100 kick unit, while theDTX450 kit has a three-zone snare pad for

head, rim-shot and side-stick sounds. The 450kit retails for $699.99.

Two more entry-level kits made their debut atKMC Music, one of the largest independent USdistributors of musical instruments andaccessories, including Gretsch and Gibraltar.KMC has teamed up with Alternate Mode’sMario DeCiutiis to produce KAT Percussionkits, the first two of which were on show.

The eight-piece KT1 features over 150 soundswith 10 user-programmable drum setconfigurations that emulate a wide range ofmusical styles - from rock to reggae, jazz toelectronic.

The 10-trigger KAT KT2 comes with over 450drum, cymbal and percussion sounds. Inaddition, there are 80 play-along tracks and 45drum sets (30 preset drum kits and 15 more


Yamaha’s DTX450K (left) and the KAT KT2 (above)

Pearl’s e-kit gets new wraps and Roland’s BT-1

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user-programmable kits) to fit any styleIt has two additional trigger inputs, allowing theaddition of an extra drum pad and/or cymbal.The USB Sound Module connects to a widevariety of devices and is equipped with a pairof 1/4-inch stereo output jacks, and input jackfor connecting to an iPad or other MP3 playeras well as MIDI and USB ports for digitalrecording or playback.

Pricing is identical to the DTX400 range - $499for the base kit and $699 for the KT2.

Roland capped off a year which marked a totalrange revamp by entering the auxiliary triggermarket with its BT-1 Bar Trigger Pad. Thecompact, curved pad mounts on the side ofelectronic or acoustic drums via a tension rod.

The Japanese company earlier launched itsTD-4KP V-Drums Portable kit designed formobile drumming and small spaces.

It is powered by the TD-4 sound module whichhas onboard sound editing, ambience effectsand Coach and Quick Record/Quick Playfunctions.

The TD-4KP comes with a kick pad, a 7.5”snare pad, three tom pads, a hi-hat pad andtwo 10” cymbal pads (crash and ride). A FD-8hi-hat controller pedal is included.

An optional CB-TDP carrying case provides aconvenient way to transport and protect theTD-4KP, and upgrade options include the PDX-6 or PDX-8 V-Pads which can be swapped forthe snare.The street price of the new kit is around $799.

Alesis debuted two new kits at NAMM - the DMDock Kit and the DM7X Kit.

The DM Dock Kit is a six-drum, four-cymbaldrum set based around the DM Dock, iPad-powered drum module unveiled last year. Theset features four toms, a snare, the AlesisStealth Kick drum trigger, a hi-hat, two crashcymbals with choke and a chokeable three-zone ride cymbal.

The DM7X Kit, meanwhile, is a six-pieceelectronic drum set, with rubber drum andcymbal pads. The kit features four 8” dual-zonetoms, an 8” dual-zone snare, the Alesis StealthKick drum trigger, a 10” hi-hat, 10” crashcymbal with choke, and 10” three-zone ridecymbal.

The DM7X module is the newest module fromAlesis and comes with 385 drum andpercussion sounds arranged into 40 vintageand modern kits.

There’s no word yet on pricing or availability.


news ... Get the latest edrum news at www.digitaldrummermag.com/news ...

Roland’s RD-4KP (left) and Alesis’DM7X (above)

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http://www.digitaldrummermag.com/_News_.html

What’s appening?

Allan Leibowitz probes the world of iOS drumming.


PHOTO

: ALL

AN LEIBOWITZ

--Gear--

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THE IPAD HAS quickly become indispensablein a range of lifestyle aspects, and musiccreation has not escaped the influence ofmobile devices. So much so that the TECFoundation, which recognises technicalexcellence and creativity, has added a newcategory to its annual awards just for mobiledevices.

George Petersen, chairman of the TECAwards nominations committee, notes the risein the use of iOS devices, smartphones andtablets “in the studio as well as in live sound,music performance and audio measurementapplications”.

The new award, he says “spotlights mobileapplications and hardware for recording andmusic production, audio measurement,audio/music utilities, controllers, signalprocessing and musical instruments”.

Petersen, who has witnessed a number oftechnology changes in the music industry, is

enthused about the growing adoption of iPadand tablet devices, seeing it as “the birth of arevolution” with exciting possibilities.

Interest in iPads and other iOS devices iscertainly showing up among music retailers.

“The interest in the iPad and iOS devices isundeniable. Musicians of all kinds (includingdrummers) are interested in what the iPad canbring to their setup and creative flow,” saysJohn Grabowski, senior director ofmerchandising at US retailer Sweetwater.So strong is the interest that Sweetwater hasbegun a weekly series of YouTube videos,called the iOS Update, highlighting iOS apps,hardware, and techniques for musicians tohelp raise awareness of what’s available andwhat it can do for musicians.

digitalDrummer tracked down some of thelatest iPad hardware accessories and hit theapp store to find out what’s worthwhile in theunchartered waters of iDrumming.

HardwareThe ultimate iPad drumming companion is still keenly awaited, with theAlesis DM Dock still not released. The virtual module made its debut atWinter NAMM last year and was due to hit the stores in the first half of 2012.However, the iPad has been something of a moving target for Alesis and it’sbelieved that each time the DM Dock is ready for release, a hardware orsoftware upgrade from Apple throws a spanner in the works.

When it is released later this year, the DM Dock is billed as a fully integrated,stage-ready module with a wide array of professional trigger inputs andaudio outputs, using the processing power of the iPad.

According to Alesis, the device makes the most of the iPad’s WiFi,Bluetooth, AirPlay and 3G connectivity to put “unprecedented capabilities atyour fingertips: change and enhance your sound library at a moment’snotice, download a new snare drum or ride cymbal to suit a venue,download a reverb or room delay to suit a particular room’s acoustics or loadan entirely new kit to suit a last-minute gig”.

The developers claim the dock works with virtually any iPad music app thatpermits external MIDI control.

Until the DM Dock arrives, drummers are mostly stuck withtapping on a 10” screen (or a 7” screen in the case of the newiPad Mini). However, the iPad’s MIDI capability means itcan be connected to drum modules or MIDI triggerdevices, but those do require an interface.

If your sound source already produces MIDI via USB, youcan get away with a camera connection kit (CCK) costinganything from $5 for a generic to $35 for an authentic Appleconnector. This allows you to plug in the USB cable into the iPadand if the source is pumping out CoreMIDI-compatible data, youshould be able to trigger your iPad apps.


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Some sound sources are known to work with the CCK,others definitely don’t. In my experiments, the RolandTD-30’s MIDI out didn’t work, but the Korg padKontroldid. There’s a good list of compatible hardware here.

If you don’t have a compatible USB MIDI source, there area couple of options for under US$70 to get you going.

The iRig MIDI is a compact MIDI interface. It clips into the iPad’sconnector and features three minijack connectors – in, out andthrough, as well as a mini-USB port for external power.

The device comes with a free version of IK Multimedia’s SampleTank,and once that’s installed, the iPad instantly connects – no drivers orconfiguration required. It is simply plug and play.

The supplied 1/8” cables have standard MIDI plugs on the other end, andconnected to a Roland TD-30 module, the iRig MIDI was instantlyplayable.

Similarly priced and with an almost identical but slightly morecompact form factor, the Line 6 MIDI Mobilizer II iOS MIDIinterface has two connectors – MIDI in and out, and noseparate power input.

This interface asks you to load Line 6’s free MIDI Memoapp before it’s ready for action. In my case, there was alsosome new firmware to be uploaded and transferred to theinterface. Once that’s done, it’s plug and play. (I did get thefirmware alert every time I connected the interface on my iPad,but not on an iPod, so expect an update at some stage).

The Mobilizer II package includes two sturdy-looking custom PlanetWaves cables – like the iRig’s mini-jack to standard MIDI.

The big surprise with both of these devices was the lack of latency whenconnected to a 64 GB iPad 2. Triggering was almost immediate – certainlymodule speed rather than VST speed.

One issue that quickly becomes evident ismismatched MIDI mapping, and while some appshave editable maps, most don’t. If your sourcedevice doesn’t have the ability to change MIDInotes, you’ll need something like MidiBridge, a $7app that the developer touts as “MIDI glue for iOS”.

MidiBridge is a powerful piece of programming thatacts as a virtual MIDI patchbay, router and eventmanipulator that allows for wireless MIDInetworking. Most of its functionality is tooadvanced for the average punter, but it does allowyou to manually assign triggers to MIDI notes. Thisis not the easiest task, but it is achievable and thedeveloper has detailed step-by-step instructionsthat can be adapted for various modules and apps.


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http://iosmidi.com/devices/

So appy togetherAfter getting numerous pre-release previews and a personal demo from thedeveloper, it would be remiss not to kick off with Pete Lockett’s DrumJam.

A no-brainer at $7.99, DrumJam is designed by the award-winninginternational percussionist and digitalDrummer-featured artist together withSonosaurus LLC, the developer of ThumbJam (see page 16).

DrumJam is truly unique. It’s not just a bunch of drum sounds on an iDevice– it’s a rhythm factory, training tool and music encyclopaedia that is as muchfun as functional.

Reflecting Lockett’s forte, the app is heavily focused on world musicpercussion, but it does feature drum kit grooves from artists featured in pastissues of digitalDrummer, including Johnny Rabb and Russ Miller.

The app has two main panes. The first allows you to drag individualpercussion instruments into a range of loops and adjust their relativevolumes and a bunch of other characteristics.

Even more fun is the bottom pane, where you can perform intricate beatssimply by dragging your finger around. When Lockett demonstrated thefunctionality at his Australian clinics late last year, audiences were blownaway. But when you do it yourself, it’s even more impressive.

If you want to ignore the grooves and use ThumbJam as a sound source, itcertainly delivers. The app has more set-up options than most others, andit’s easy to connect some triggers via a MIDI interface and play any of thekits available in the bottom pane, without their groove components. And thesounds line up fairly well with the triggers, but there are some anomalieswhich may have to be tweaked – either by changing the MIDI note from thetriggering device or those in the app (something I couldn’t immediately find)and the kits sound pretty good, especially through decent earphones.

Tool or toy? (We mean ‘tool’ in the sense of helpful implement, rather thanthe pejorative version!) This one is certainly useful for serious performances,but it’s delivered in a game-like format that makes it addictive. And theanimated drummer is cute, although he looks nothing like his virtual father.So, overall, it’s a tool.digitalDRUMMER, FEBRUARY 2013 15

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There’s no doubt thatGarageBand is the firstapp Apple fans associatewith music, and the iOSversion is an impressivepiece of programming,even more amazing at its$4.99 price tag.

My first bit of advice is toskip past the SmartInstruments if you don’twant to lose a few hours inmindless musicality. It’svery tempting to startcomposing intricate songsusing the fantastic magicguitar or keyboards, butlet’s remember that we’reprimarily drummers, solet’s focus on the Drums pane.

Here you’ll find an eight-piece kit designed to be played by tapping thescreen. The snare has three zones, the ride and crash have two and the hi-hat has open and closed sounds, depending where you hit. And the soundsare pretty decent – certainly better than low-end modules.

There are six kits to choose from – three acoustic and three drum machines,and there are also some effects that can be dialled in.

Hooked up via MIDI interface to a TD-30, the mapping mostly lines up (onetom was misplaced, but surprisingly, the open and closed hi-hat were perfect)and it’s plug and play.

Besides playing, you can record, edit and share songs. In short, apowerhouse of functionality for less than the price of two decent coffees.

Tool or toy? Definitely a tool – but heaps of fun stuff too.

Another big hitter in theiPad musical stakes isThumbJam. At $8.99, it’sa bit more expensive thanGarageBand, but it hassome high-quality samplesnot found elsewhere.

It’s not primarily apercussion instrument. It’smore a jam tool thatarranges instruments invarious scales, so you canplay on a virtual keyboard,guitar or brass instrument.It comes with 40 realinstruments, including afew drum kits and worldpercussion instrumentslike darabukka and djembe, plus a range of other percussion samplesavailable for free download.

The app is designed for on-screen tapping and the drums are arranged inrectangular sections of the screen rather than in an animation of a kit. This


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fits with the linear treatment of other instruments in ThumbJam and is fairlyintuitive to play.

It hooks up effortlessly to MIDI via an interface, and includes the mostextensive editing options I’ve found to date. The MIDI options rival some VSTofferings.

Hooked up to a TD-30, most instruments mapped accurately, although the hi-hat rim actually triggers a tom and a couple of other triggers were transposed.

There are extensive sample tweaking and effects options and even somesampling capability.

Besides playing drums, there are some great tuned percussion options whichcould be very handy. I was even able to nut out some rudimentary bass riffs ina few minutes.

Tool or toy? ThumbJam is a serious instrument in a small package. It hashuge performance potential, not just for drummers, but for multi-instrumentalists, and I’m really tempted to set down some horn arrangementsand keyboard parts for some of my band’s repertoire – when I get time!

SampleTank has already beenmentioned as the bundled softwarewith the iRig interface. It is offeredin two iOS versions – a free appand a version which we reviewed,with more samples, for $10.49 (ifyou want all the instruments,there’s also a $20 version).

Like ThumbJam, this is a rich,multisample “sound module andgroove workstation”. UnlikeThumbJam, it’s very discerning,and wouldn’t work with the Line6interface, although it was happywith iRig. It also worked with anApple CCK.

Unfortunately, the MIDI mappingwas all over the place, and all theconventional kit pieces triggered percussion sounds – albeit fantastic ones.On the positive side, MIDI mapping is very easy, with a simple “assign pad”function that allows you to change notes by selecting from a drop-down menu.When dialled in, the performance is fantastic. The included drum kits wereexcellent, with rich samples and hyper-realistic sounds. And, what’s more, youeven get to see what you’re missing – with a dozen or so add-on kits greyedout on the menu but available for unlocking when you purchase the patches.There are 136 instruments – a dozen of them drum collections and twopercussion kits - and over 1,000 patterns, plus an additional 22 Sound Packsavailable at the app store.

The included grooves are equally impressive.

And, like GarageBand, SampleTank is also a fully functional recording app,with mixing abilities in its four-channel recording

Tool or toy? This is certainly a performance-ready app, and even the freeversion will be an asset to any music arsenal. It’s a tool!


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iPad drumsThere are literally scores of drum apps – many of them free, some with free‘lite’ versions which consist of screen representations of kits that are thenplayed with fingers.

Before we get onto those, it’s also important to note the plethora of drummachine apps. To find out what they do, we looked at one of the leadingofferings, Fingerlab’s award-winning DM1 (The Drum Machine).

The samples are impressive, with 64 electronic kits included in the offering -19 classic vintage drum kits plus 45 in-house produced electronic kits,edited and mastered at Fingerlab professional studio.

The $3.99 app has five main sections: a step sequencer, nine large pads, afull-on mixer in which you can change the volume, pitch, pan, sample length,custom drum kit element for each channel, mute and solo mode; asophisticated FX field where you can add overdrive, delay, phaser,texturizer, robotizer, resonant filter and compressor; and the song composersection where beat patterns can be assembled into songs.

As a sequencer and composition tool, it’s awesome and all that was lackingwas MIDI implementation, but a free update is due any day now to add themissing link.

Tool or toy? This is certainly a performance-ready app and one that willappeal most to DJ types and other groove junkies.

The drum kit apps fall into two camps –the plug and play variety that, in effect,substitute for a VST; and the self-contained, locked kits that can only beplayed by tapping the screen.

DrumStudio At $1.99, this has to be the i-drumbargain of the century. DrumStudio byRollerchimp (not to be confused withDrum Studio, a totally different app) is avirtual 13-piece kit, a recording studio, asequencer and a notation programme.

It can be triggered on screen via theexcellent graphic kit representation or18 www.digitaldrummermag.com

ddfeb2013_Layout 3 4/01/13 4:28 PM

through MIDI. Connected to a Roland TD-30 module, the mapping wasspot-on except for the closed hi-hat articulation and missing cross-stick/rimshot triggering. It’s a good thing the mapping matched because theMIDI notes are not editable in the app.

DrumStudio’s Edit pane allows you to create beats, choosing a timesignature, tempo and a range of instruments and articulations, includingsnare cross-stick and hi-hat chick. An update has added new signatures,as well as flams, drags, rolls and chokes.

Particularly impressive is the ability to export compositions either as MIDI,audio or as tabs – something not even possible with many VSTs.

At this stage, the kit choice is limited to four – Garage, Studio, Electro 1and Electro 2, but the developer is looking to add the ability to importsounds for apps like SampleTank.

Tool or toy? Definitely a tool and one that has more capabilities than mostmodules or VST packages.

Drum XDAlso triggerable by MIDI, Drum XD is a $4.99app that offers a very impressive soundpalette. There’s a very sonic focus in this app,with an extensive collection of kits, rangingfrom “acoustic” to jazz, jam, classic rock,electronic and world percussion – and thesounds are fantastic. There are open andclosed hi-hats, bell and bow triggering on theride and rimshots on the snare. This is one ofthe few drum apps that has decent dynamicsand actually responds to the playing intensity.

The app allows you to mix and matchinstruments and edit sounds, varying the pitch,pan and volume. Not only can the sounds bechanged (with mutes and rolls added), but youcan also change the image size of theindividual kit pieces on the screen and rearrange the kit to suit your fingerreach. In fact, there are heaps of visual enhancement options for thoseaesthetically inclined drummers.

Drum XD has a built-in recorder with a bunch of effects like flanger, reverband echo and the ability to export by simple drag and drop.

As mentioned, the sounds can also be triggered by MIDI. The mapping fora Roland TD-30 was a bit off, but the app does have MIDI learn, so it ispossible to remap the drums using the app itself – another rarity amongdrumming apps.

It’s clear that Drum XD is designed for drummers – and e-drummers inparticular. The menus are comprehensive and there are some nifty tools inthe mixer panel. It has play-along capability, an easy-to-use metronomeand the ability to import sounds via WiFi.

Tool or toy? Great sounds and lots of them make this a useful drummingtool, especially when you map the instruments correctly.

... but wait, there’s more ... The next edition will lookat the Alesis DM Dock (hopefully), some apps fromthe e-drum companies and more free offerings.digitalDRUMMER, FEBRUARY 2013 19

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Drum+This 99c app features a seven-piece kit withfive additional percussion pieces. There areseparate open and closed hats, but unlikesome apps, the closed hat doesn’t actually cutoff the open sound. There’s no ride cymbal orsnare rim sound.

The app is quick to respond, but the drums arenot velocity sensitive – so you get the samevolume if you hit hard or softly.

The app comes with a media player that allowsyou to play along with songs saved on youriPad.

Tool or toy? With no MIDI triggering, limitedsounds and the absence of recordingcapability, this is a toy.

Pocket DrumsThis app offers eight different nine-piece kitsfor 99c. The snare has cross-stickarticulations, the hi-hat has open and closedsounds and the ride has bell and bow sounds– all hi-definition stereo sounds. Half of the kitsare available in the free version.

The app has some decent tweaking options,including the double-bass triggering and rolls.There’s a built-in metronome and an onboardrecorder which allows you to save, load, loop,and play recorded tracks – and even recordover loops for added sonic complexity.

The app has some nifty options, like a drummachine display instead of the kit view and a lefty display which mirror reversesthe kit – and there’s a really handy roll mode which plays rolls as you run yourfinger around the drum or cymbal surface.

Tool or toy? It’s just the lack of MIDI triggering which robs this of tool status. As atoy, it’s one of the better options and the free version is certainly worthdownloading.

Drums 3DThe angle on this 99c is game is that you canchange the angle. It’s a basic nine-piece kit(for some reason with two hi-hats with thesame sounds), but the app has the option ofchanging the perspective, so that you canplay from behind the kit or from a bird’s-eyepoint of view, for example.

The drums and cymbals are all single-zoneand the sounds are a bit cheesy.

Triggering is okay, but a gremlin allows you toplay the floor tom by tapping in empty space.

The app also has a play-along function thatlets you drum to music saved on your iPad.

Tool or toy? With no MIDI triggering, limited sounds and the absence of recordingcapability, this is a toy.

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Rock DrumsThis free app has a few frills, but some goodsounds. It features a choice of three kits, eachwith six pieces. All the drums are single-zone,but there is also a foot splash with the hi-hat.There are no descriptions of the three kits,which are not really very sonically different –and the artwork doesn’t change when youswitch kits.

The graphics are fairly good and the app allowsfor play-along with songs stored on the iPad.

Obviously, you can’t expect too much from afree app, but the drum images are quite small,meaning small targets for big fingers. Andthere’s no velocity sensing, so the sounds become quite grating after awhile.

Tool or toy? This is a toy – and an average one at that.

3D Drum KitThis $1.99 app bills itself as the most realisticdrum kit for iPad and that’s a big call. The‘hardware’ consists of a nine-piece drum kit witha two-zone snare and open and closed hats,two crash cymbals, a ride cymbal, three toms,bass, snare and hi-hat. There are 10 differentkit options from ‘classic rock’ to a Nashville set,but the differences are quite subtle – eventhrough good headphones.

Where this app does excel is in its visuals. Thekit graphics are excellent and very 3D, althoughthere’s not a lot of playability when you positionyourself underneath the drums! The niftytouches include the animated kick and hi-hatpedals and the swing of the cymbals.

This app not only has recording capabilities, but also captures a videorendition of the performance.

The app also has a training component, with 50 built-in demonstrationscovering a range of genres.

Tool or toy? It’s just the lack of MIDI triggering which keeps this app in thetoy domain – but as a game, it surely stands out.

Pop Drum KitThis free app from Climb2B.com is one of aseries of virtual kits which also includes a Jazzkit and a Rock kit.

It’s a very basic 2D kit representation of aneight-piece kit. All the drums are single zone,although there are three hi-hat images – a fullopen, open and closed – and if you tap theclosed hat after the open, it chokes the sound(which is quite rare among the free apps).

Tool or toy: Certainly a toy.


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Drum Man HDThis free bird’s-eye-view kit has 10 pieces,all single zone, except for the hi-hat whichhas a pedal chick action. There are four kitoptions, although two are too electronic formost users. There’s also a record functionand the ability to play along with your iPadmusic collection.

Tool or toy: A toy with not much todistinguish it from the rest.

Real DrumsDon’t be fooled by the square drum icon forthis 99c app. The animated drum kits lookfantastic, with nice detail like Remo logos onthe head and the beautiful representations of the Meinl and Sabiancymbals.

There are 11 different kits – all eight pieces,single-zone - including a pleasing brushes kitand Real Drums is one of the few offeringsthat plays samples as you scroll through thechoices. Its inclusion of individual volumecontrol on each drum and cymbal is rare.

Besides a metronome with a broad range oftime signatures, there are also someaccompaniment loops to accompany yourpractice.

Overall, the kit sounds are good and thetriggering fast and accurate – albeit non-velocity-sensing. There’s a free version withslightly fewer kits and functions that iscertainly worth trying.

Tool or toy: It’s a pretty app, but the lack of recording functionality and MIDItriggering relegate it to the game department.

StudioDrums FreeThis free app is quite impressive on anumber of fronts. It has an impressivecollection of nine-piece kits ranging from aresonant Cavern kit to a drum machine-like808 kit – and the visuals change as you flickup and down through the kit menu. Thesounds are also impressive for a freeoffering, with open, closed and chick on thehi-hat and rim clicks on the snare.

But that’s where it ends. There’s no accessto play-along tunes or your iPad musiccollection, no recording ability nor MIDItriggering.

There is a $1.99 version available, but fromwhat I could tell, the only difference is thatyou don’t get a banner ad at the top of the app, so I wouldn’t fork out cashjust to remove a bit of artwork that’s really not intrusive anyway.

Tool or toy: It’s a good-sounding plaything.


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Drum Set ProThis free app has a 10-piece kit with fourdifferent kits available – a standard, hip-hop,electro and industrial set, but you do have toget past some ads to actually access them.

There are some anomalies in the kits – afew toms are misplaced, one kit has thesame sounds for the hats and ride, and onlythe industrial kit appears to have escapedthe gremlins.

The app does access the iPad musiccollection for play-along tunes and also hasrecord and playback functionality.

Tool or toy: The pro name and ability torecord don’t elevate this beyond a game.

Drum Meister GrandThis $1.99 app centres on a bird’s-eye-view10-piece kit with open/closed hi-hat and dual-zone ride.

There are four different good-sounding kitsand 40 pre-recorded beats.

This app has a lot of tweaks, includingaccess to additional sounds, the ability toresize and reposition the pieces and velocitycontrol (although I couldn’t detect anydifference when it was on or off).

There’s a good metronome and a no-frillsrecording function with instant play-back, butno ability to trigger the sounds via MIDI.

Tool or toy: A toy with a few frills.

HEAR, HEARdigitalDrummer will again examineheadphones and in-ear monitors in our May 2013 issue.We’re talking to leading pro drummers to find out what they use and why, and the report will make compelling reading for anyone who needs to hear what they’re playing.Manufacturers and distributors will find this a great opportunity toexplain the benefits of their offerings to a targeted niche audience.For more information, contact our sales team today.

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THE NEW RANGE consists of a three-zoneride, a single-zone chokeable crash and a newhi-hat cymbal, all made from metal. In fact, theshiny cymbals are supplied by Sabian andfollow the old Ecymbal II design of two cymbalssandwiched together and covered with a clearsilicone strike pad.

20” rideAt 20”, the new Hart ride is a monster. Itweighs a whopping 5 Kg and ships with anAquarian spring, but I found it mountedperfectly without the spring and still had anatural swing.

The clear strike pad covers about a quarter ofthe surface, presenting a huge target, and theraised bell is also generously sized at 13 cm.

The electronics are configured like Roland’sthree-zone rides with two separate 35 mmjacks – one for the edge and the other for bowand bell. There’s also a choke which workseffectively when you grip the edge firmly.

In theory, the ride should be configured like aRoland three-zone ride on its new moduleswhich accommodate two ride inputs. Inpractice, there’s quite a lot of tweaking requiredto get consistent triggering. For a start, the

Hart of bronze

Hart Dynamics has spiced up the e-cymbalmarket with the release of its next-generationEcymbal range, and Allan Leibowitz gavethem a bash.

The ride has a 13 cm raised bell

--Gear--


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protective strike pad reduces thestick impact and sensitivity needs tobe boosted to compensate for that.Peel off the rubber and it’s far moreresponsive, but also noisier.

The bell also took quite a bit oftweaking.

Once dialled in, the ride has a naturalfeel (especially if you remove thestrike pad) and great response anddynamic range. And it certainly looksgreat.

16” crashIf size matters, the crash (picturedright) stands head and shouldersabove most of the competition.

The cymbal is substantial, constructed of twocymbals riveted together. Like the ride, there’sa transparent rubber strike pad across aquarter of the surface and the choke strip runsalong the bottom edge in the same position asthe strike zone.

Unlike the ride, this cymbal was a cinch to dialin - happily triggering in CY12C or CY14Csettings on the TD-30. It also triggered in stocksettings on a TD-6 and on a 2box module.

The crash is a single zone with a choke thatworks – and easily. Personally, I would havepreferred two zones, especially given thecapability of most modules and also becausethe 14” version has bow and separate edgetriggering, but them’s the breaks.

This crash also ships with an Aquarian spring,but again, the weight and size of the cymbalwas enough to ensure a natural playing feel ona regular stand and mount.

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14” hi-hatThe new single-piece dual-zone e-hat ships asa cymbal-only offering. That means you’ll needa controller to get the actual hi-hat variation.

Generously sized, even by acoustic standards,the cymbal features the same rivited double-pie construction, although the sensor box islocated right under the strike pad (unlike thecrash, where it is located directly opposite).

The e-hat is wired for bow and edge triggeringand is also chokeable. It is relatively easy todial in.

The review sample was supplied with Hart’sEpedal II upright hi-hat stand (think of an FD-8controller built into the base of a hi-hat stand)which provides for realistic opening and closingof the cymbal. Initially, I struggled to getvariable open responses – until I discoveredthe stand had shipped without an adaptorcable. Once I got hold of one of those, thecontroller produced a smooth range fromclosed to open, as well as decent foot splashesand chicks when dialled in as a VH-12 on theTD-30.

The hats performed beautifully, even on thesensitivity limiting strike pads and felt fantastic.And, of course, they look good – especially ona real hi-hat stand.

Bottom lineThree-piece Ecymbal III packs should hitstores soon at a street price of around $900,which represents good value compared tosome of the competition. The cymbals havekiller good looks, especially with theoverbearing “Ecymbal” logo on the old modelreplaced with a stylish and modest Hart logo.They appear to be well built and sturdy. Therewere some reports of rivet failures on theEcymbal II range, but the rivets on the new lineseem solid – and there are enough of them.

The Ecymbal III hats and crash are easy to dialin, but the ride takes a bit more effort. Onceset, they perform beautifully.

The build quality is evident in the selection ofSabian cymbal stock, the dampening betweenthe two cymbal layers, the stainless steelrivets, and the special material used for thestrike pads – not to mention Hart’s lifetimewarranty.

Any negatives? Well, the module tweakingrequired to get good performance from the rideis a bit tedious, but hopefully, you’ll only needto do that once. And the bell response, while asgood as anything else out there, still requiresan energetic thwack with the right part of thestick, especially with the dampening pad inplace.

The lack of edge triggering on the 16” crash isalso a limitation, but that will no doubt beaddressed as the range expands.

The real metal cymbals are obviously noisierthan rubber cymbals, and the silicon strikepads help contain the decibels. If silence is notimportant, you can remove the pads, which notonly improves the triggering, it also feels evenmore natural.

Also, the cymbals are heavy, which can be adrawback if you’re a gigging drummer andneed to schlep them around.

Hart’s intention with its updated range is “realistelectronic cymbals for the purest drummer”,and I think they’ve largely done just that.


ddfeb2013_Layout 3 6/01/13 10:17 AM

Introducing KAT Digital Drum SetsFeature-packed, incredibly playable, surprisingly affordable

Meet the all-new KAT digital drum sets. Generous libraries full of high-quality drum, cymbal and percussion sounds, plenty of preset and configurable drum sets and connectivity to MIDI, USB and dozens of other input and output devices.

Choose from two models, the feature-packed KT1 and the high-performance and expandable KT2. KAT kits feature natural-feeling drum and cymbal pads, quick and easy set-up and are designed to be among the quietest kits available.

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KAT_DigDrum.indd 1 1/18/13 8:51 AM

Drum-tec

The German retailer showed a beautiful Pro kitin brown burst. The revised bass drum triggersystem is now super-silent and even moreneighbour-friendly. It also showed the smallTrigger Tubes which can be mounted in smallspaces.

2box

German distributor Hyperactive set up thecurrent version of the Drumit Five 2box kit. In aworkshop, Thomas Panthel showed the KitEditor (available for Windows and Mac) and

demonstrated how easy it is to create your ownmulti-layer sample sounds.

Alesis

The DM10X drum kit was played by DanielSchlep (see page 36), who also promoted hisnew book “Drum Sessions” which deals withhis personal philosophy of acoustic drums,electronic drums and cajon. Once more, Danielproved his outstanding drumming versatility.

MarkDrum

Third strike for GermansGerman e-drummers recently got together for thethird annual Edrumtreffen electronic drummersmeeting in Langenfeld. Organiser WolfgangStölzle reports that distributors, manufacturersand DIY enthusiasts provided visitors with anopportunity to experience e-drum solutions notfound in mainstream music outlets.

--Gear--


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The Italian manufacturer was represented byendorser Markus Ostfeld, who played a set ofdynamic Latin Fusion, accompanied by twovirtuoso musicians. The YES kit features afour-point trigger system which eliminates deadspots while providing constant dynamics overthe drum head.

R-Drums

R-Drums is a small e-drum accessorymanufacturer. It researches piezo-based triggeroptimisation and showed off a clear acrylicsnare drum and a special soft bass drumbeater made of stainless steel with anexchangeable soft beater ball and adjustableweights for individual balancing.

Wronka Drums

Jorg Wronka is a qualified metal worker whostarted to weld custom e-drums a couple ofyears ago. He also offers A-to-E conversion kitswith very advanced and self-developed triggersystems, complete e-drum kits with 2boxcymbal pads and brain and clever accessoriessuch as his Easy Trigger, a small stereo

(head/rim) trigger device which can be easilymounted in any acoustic drum without anydrilling. (See page 43)Oli Rubow

Oli, an artist profiled in an earlier edition ofdigitalDrummer, is one of the most innovativeelectronic drummers in Germany. During hisworkshop, he integrated some quirkyaccessories into his minimalist kit. He usedseveral triggers and “magic boxes” to start gateeffects like reverb and analogue delay toachieve musical dub effects.

Sibi Siebert

It’s become a tradition that the former Simmons‘face’ Sibi Siebert sets up his vintage SDSV,amplified by a scary Föön Custom PA.Accompanied by fellow musicians PeterSonntag (bass) and Reno Schnell (guitar), heperformed a fine set of rock classics.

Plans are under way for next year’s meeting,organised once again by the SimmonsMuseum founder.

PHOTOS: Uli Meckmann, Wolfgang Stölzle

Edrumtreffen: n.[Ger.] trans: e-drum encounter


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Jonathan Atkinsonelectrifying the ‘80s

PHO

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--Profile--

ddfeb2013_Layout 3 5/01/13 1:50 PM

British freelance drummer and programmerJonathan Atkinson is as comfortable on stagewith ‘80s stars like Kim Wilde or Paul Young ashe is in the orchestra pit of a West End show. Butmention electronic percussion, and the classicallytrained drummer lights up. Backstage during hisworld tour with Howard Jones, Atkinson spoke todigitalDrummer editor Allan Leibowitz.

digitalDrummer: Let’s start at the beginning.How did you get started in this business?

Atkinson: I started playing when I was 14.Before that, I had played piano and trumpetvery badly and never really enjoyed playingthose instruments, but had progressed enoughto know that I wanted to do music. And then Ibought myself a drum kit – a complete spur-of-the-moment thing – with money I earned frommy paper round. And my parents couldn’t stopme practising. It was like I just found what Iwas meant to do.

I had classical percussion lessons, did mygrades and all that sort of thing and then I wasset up to do lessons with Keith Fairbairn andwhen he got busy, he passed me on to RalphSalmins, one of London’s top sessiondrummers.

I had lessons with a range of people and wentto university to do an engineering degree and Ilasted about three weeks. I decided I had toleave and become a musician full-time and Iwent to study with a guy called Alvin Cox whois a great teacher and I practised my nuts offfor probably three years. I worked very, veryhard on my technique and really tried to honemy playing.

So I moved to London when I was 20 and wasplaying in bands and then I was doing a littlesession at Air Studios and George Martin wasdoing a record in the next room. I met his son,joined his son’s band and two weeks later, Iwas on a Celine Dion record for his dad(programming click stuff). I also worked on aPhil Collins record for Sir George and a bunchof film things – bit of everything, really.

dD: So working with Sir George was a turningpoint?

Atkinson: Because I’d been on those sessionswith George, a lot of people that knew me butassumed I was just a kid suddenly realised thatperhaps I was worth giving a chance to. AndRalph, who I hadn’t seen for six or sevenyears, called me and asked if I wanted to ‘dep’on a show on the West End, which I did. Andthen the floodgates opened and I did a lot oftheatre stuff for a while. I did Whistle Down theWind, a few Lloyd Webber shows like JesusChrist Superstar and then Bombay Dreams.That was a very technically demanding show.When they booked me, I don’t think they knewmy expertise with electronics, but it was a realopportunity for me to show off what could bedone electronically. So this was 2002, and Ihad a TD-10 and two S6000s. They recordedan album first of the music and I went throughthe multi-track and lifted out samples andmade it playable on the kit – including somebig orchestral stuff. It was a bit of a beastactually, with loops and things – playing sitaron the pads and that sort of thing, and no-onehad seen that on the West End before. It wasgreat – a real fun gig.

dD: So, obviously you weren’t a stranger toelectronic percussion …

Atkinson: Not at all. I’d done a lot ofelectronica early on. Growing up, I had a rackof stuff – an S900, Roland pads going into aSimmons TMI, a little Simmons mixer andRoland R8 all mixed together, playing keys offthe pads. I had an Octapad that you could domultiple notes and velocity switching and all


ddfeb2013_Layout 3 4/01/13 4:29 PM

that. I loved that sort of stuff – the potential forcreating mad things, really. So with BombayDreams, it felt as if the technology had come ofage enough to make it musically useful andactually not just replacing an acoustic kit. Itwas actually playing an entire percussionensemble – creating that through multi-sampling and making it work.

dD: So what about the transition from theatreto mainstream music? How did that happen?

Atkinson: There’s quite a lot of integration, Iguess. The guys who do a lot of theatre stuffdo sessions and recording. Maybe it’s not likethat on Broadway, but in London, it pretty muchcompletely overlaps. Guys will play sessionsduring the day and then do the theatre at night.And I got a call from a friend of mine whocouldn’t make a gig, who asked if I could fly toGermany and ‘dep’ for him on a festival as partof the house band – and the line-up was

Belinda Carlisle, ABC, Kim Wilde andBananarama. No rehearsal, no nothing, just goand play for 22,000 people. Of course, I’dgrown up with the music, and I did the gig andit kind of became ‘my gig’. I got asked back totour with a bunch of 80s artists and, throughthat, got to work with just about everyone fromthe era who is still working. And that’s led toworking with Boy George, Howard (Jones),Kim and all the rest of it.

dD: Interestingly, electronic drums werecoming of age in the ‘80s, but the level oftechnological sophistication then was nowherenear what you have now.

Atkinson: Absolutely, I remember gettingsounds together for the Akai S900, getting thedisks and trawling through them. You boot itup, play the sample and realise it’s not the rightdisk – that was horrific. You’d be luggingaround 10 kilos of floppy disks. So, in that


ddfeb2013_Layout 3 5/01/13 1:51 PM

respect, being able to lift a sample out ofProTools now and drag it to MainStage whereit’s instantly playable is totally amazing. I thinkwhere things haven’t moved forward as muchas they could have is in triggering technology.The drumKAT is right up there and that cameout in 1988! And I have a set of ddrums thatare 12 or 13 years old and they’re amazing.Sure, the new Yamaha DTX is very good, butthere hasn’t been that move forwards that youmight have expected. Yes, on the computerside, you’ve got the drag-and-drop stuff, butthe hardware still feels like it’s in a moment ofchange between where they were in the ‘80sand where it could be.

dD: So run us through what gear you’ve hadand what do you currently use?

Atkinson: I’ve used a lot of drum machinesand samples. I went through quite a long stageof not doing electronics in the 90s, and it wasonly really about 12 years ago that I started re-integrating stuff (I had kept the acoustics andthe programming totally separate for a while). Iworked with a girl band in around 2000 andwanted to make stuff sound like the record, so Itook the Akai MPC and ddrum on the road andtried to integrate that with an acoustic kit andtriggers.

The current set up varies. My home studio hasa Yamaha DTX 950 kit, which is nice to play. Ihave a Yamaha M12 (multipad) that I use forKim Wilde as an Ableton controller and also tofire off samples. I have a ddrum 4 that I useoccasionally if anything requires intricatetriggering. For example, I did the music for theQueen’s jubilee pageant, where they wanted torecreate the sort of big Han Zimmer stuff wedid in the studio. And then I have a ProTools rigat home and more Macs than I know what dowith. I use Superior Drummer a lot – that’sbeen an absolute lifesaver for me. I’ve worked,for example, on an X Factor-type show called“Sing If You Can”, for which we literally needthe drums from this song and thisarrangement, and you have to get thearrangement back as soon as you can – andSuperior was amazing for that.

I have a soft spot for vintage drums, and I havemost of the drums that Chris (Whitten)sampled for the Custom & Vintage expansion.

I also did my own sample library in 2003, pre-Toontrack, just for myself and used thesamples on a couple of albums through theddrums. It was fun, but it was toughprogramming.

“Maybe the iPad is the way togo because, in many respects,the laptop is not the idealthing to have on stage.“


ddfeb2013_Layout 3 5/01/13 1:51 PM

dD: Would you like to elaborate on theshortcomings of the current e-drum hardware?

Atkinson: Yes, the big boys haven’t properly gottheir heads around the idea of the ease of drag anddrop technology in software. If someone wants tosend you a sample, they email it to you. Why do Ihave to get it off the computer and put it onto a littledrive and put it into the thing, and then load it intothe right place, when I can just keep it onMainStage and it’s done and ready? You know, Iwas getting Mige Ure’s set together a few weeksago and it took me five minutes in rehearsals to getthe complete set sorted. How long would that havetaken me had I tried to use the hardware? So nowI’m really interested in what Alesis is doing with theDM Dock and maybe the iPad is the way to go.Because, in many respects, the laptop is not theideal thing to have on stage. The form factor withthe hinge is much less elegant than the tablet. I’d beinterested to see how that works – and what theother companies do in response.

dD: What do you think is the future of electronicdrumming? How do we get from cheap, silent kitsfor home practice to what you’re doing musically?

Atkinson: I know that the mass market is aboutselling drums that people can set up and have abash on. But you’ve got to have the flagship modelthat’s like the great piece of gear people see onstage. It feels like it’s almost there. But what I’mdoing at the moment can only be done with a laptopand MIDI. It would be nice if there was moreintegrated technology – and again, I think the iPadis going to be the missing link. The nextdevelopment has to be the interface – it needs to beeasier and more powerful to deal with multiplesamples and EQ. I’m working on a project at themoment where I can control stutter edit via pressureon the drumKAT where you can use the CCinformation to open a filter or change a delay time –the fun things you can do.

Obviously, there’s an acceptance of electronicdrums for what I do – it’s almost a given, but beyondthat, it depends very much on the artist. It mightmake sense for example, with Madonna, but if itwas the Foo Fighters, I think they’d have a problemwith (an electronic kit). But I think the integration ofacoustics and electronics is where I’m at – whereyou can enhance an acoustic kit, I like to make it theSix Million Dollar Man acoustic kit where it has theweight and power and dynamism of an acoustic kitand the movement of the cymbals and the visualstuff, but also have the power to do sound that is somassive that it can only be done with electronics. Idon’t think there’s any artist in the world who wouldhave a problem with me turning up with a kit likethat. PH

OTO

S: S

EAN

VIN

CEN

T


ddfeb2013_Layout 3 4/01/13 4:29 PM

EquipmentHoward Jones rigtrapKAT v4 and fatKAT/hatKAT pedalsSimmons SDS9 padsMacBook Pro i7 4 core, 8 Gb RAM with MainStagerunning EXS24 samplers and Superior DrummerMOTU Ultralite mk3Alesis Trigger IOVan Damme custom cabling

Kim Wilde rigDW Collectors kit with ddrum triggersSabian cymbalsRemo headsVic Firth 2B wood sticksYamaha DTX M12 as Ableton controller and MIDItriggerMacBook Pro i7 with Ableton Live running Drum RackssamplerMOTU Ultralite mk3

Studio RigYamaha DTX950 kitMac Pro Westmere 3.33 6 core, 24 Gb RAM runningProTools and Superior DrummerMaschineKorg WaveDrum


ddfeb2013_Layout 3 4/01/13 4:29 PM

I’VE BEEN PLAYING the drums nearly 20years now and currently play in bands, live andin videos. I also teach - both in workshops andprivate lessons and have just published my firsttraining book, “Drum-Session”. It captures myphilosophy of playing modern rhythminstruments, covering acoustic and electronicdrums and cajon.

EquipmentI’m an official artist for Alesis and 2box and useequipment from both in my work. Alesis isdoing a great job of getting people in touch withe-drums, especially at the entry and mid-levelprice-range. I use several of their productsincluding the multipad solutions and a range ofkits, from the DM6 to the DM10 X kit.

2box has set a new standard, and I reallyappreciate the approach of combining the highquality internal multilayer samples with theopportunity of integrating more of your ownsamples .

I also use acoustic drums and work with realclassic companies, Ludwig Drums and IstanbulAgop Cymbals. Of course, it all started withthese instruments and we should not forgetthat the acoustic drum set got most of us onour drumming journey.

When I need the classic feel and the warm

acoustic tone, nothing beats my acoustic drumset. Since they generate physical vibrations,they are the “real” thing.

When I need access to a diverse sound pool orI need to practise silently while hearing the fulltone, there is nothing better than using amodern electronic kit. This puts all your soundoptions at your fingertips.

The e-advantageElectronic drums are, in my opinion, aprofessional solution for simulating nearlyevery kind of sound while using a classicalplaying technique on modern trigger-basedsurfaces.

One of the most important aspects in my bookis the “motivation through materials”. Themodern electronic drum set is a great exampleof this.

When you, for example, play a jazz groove, itfeels “correct” if you can do it with the correctsound. So the sound simulation of an electronickit is able to motivate you to play a jazz groovewith a correct jazz feel, just through its sound.This works with all kinds of genres and so thesound possibilities of a modern electronic kitgets the modern drummer in touch with certaingenres and styles every time he explores thesound pool of the module.

How I use e-drums

Many e-drummers use both acoustic and electronicdrums. Daniel Schlep discusses the merits of each.

--PErformance--


ddfeb2013_Layout 3 4/01/13 6:27 PM

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hart-Dynamics/164666210265400

WHILE A FEW big names dominate the VSTmarket, there are plenty of smaller companiesoffering niche products, and this review looksat one of them.

Acoustic Samples’ StarDrums is a relativelynew product from the VST producer perhapsbetter known for its keyboard products.

It’s available via download only, and at 2.88Gb, it’s a relatively quick download. You’ll alsoneed a proprietary player to host the samples,and the free UVI Workstation 2 is alsodownloadable.

My first gripe with this product, like all ofAcoustic Samples’ instruments, is that itrequires the iLok dongle to run. So eventhough you have paid for the package, youneed to fork out another $50 and open an iLokaccount just to make sure that you don’t giveyour samples away to someone else. And myfrustration with the iLok security approach isnot just the cost and inconvenience, but alsothe loss of a USB slot on your computer. Now,if you’re like many people and save yoursamples on an external drive, you probablyonly have one more USB slot available to you(for example, on a MacBook), and you’ll needthat for your MIDI/USB interface. So you haveto choose between your samples or your

interface once the iLok is in place (and it has tostay there as long as you’re using thesamples). The company suggests loading thesamples on your hard drive, which alsoreduces latency, but I’m not impressed with theiLok approach.

The interfaceUVI Workstation is not the most user-friendlyinterface, and it’s not instantly evident how toload the kit. It took a fair bit of thrashing aroundin the mostly unnamed menus to find thesamples. The interface has, however, improvedfrom the earlier drum sample products whichwere displayed simply as a bunch of volumefaders for the instruments. To their credit, thedevelopers have upped the ante withStarDrums and actually included a playablegraphic representation of the kit as thecentrepiece of the main screen.

Once you have the kit loaded, you can samplethe sounds by clicking on the drum and cymbalimages and adjust the mic options (there arethree mics to choose from and to balance).

There’s also a “settings menu” which allowsyou to choose a mapping preset (the V-drumsmap was perfect for the TD-30 kit), selectmono or stereo overheads, tweak the hi-hat

Product review: Acoustic Samples’ StarDrums

--VST--


ddfeb2013_Layout 3 4/01/13 4:29 PM

control, perform MIDI learn, adjust sensitivityand control reverb – all useful tools.

One of the most impressive features of the UVIWorkstation is the FX pane, where you canchoose from 11 different types of effects (fromdelay to three-band processing), each withseveral options and sub-options which can bestacked and adjusted for intensity, etc. Someserious tweaking is possible with these tools.

The kitThe sampled kit is a rock stalwart: a TamaStarclassic with 20” bass drum, 14” snare(head and rim click), three single-zone toms(10”, 12” and a beefy 16”), some nice crisp 14”Zildjian hats, a 20” ride (bow and bell sounds),a 14” crash and 10” splash (neither ischokeable, unless I missed something).

None of the instruments is tunable, which is apity as the snare could do with a bit moreoomph, but the toms are excellent (withappropriate snare buzz), the kick is reasonablypunchy and the cymbals are great, especiallythe swells on the crash and splash. There areactually five versions of the kit with differenttypes of processing, and the red kit (MultiOutUVI) had a lot of presence.

The samples With 2,087 samples for each version, thesounds are rich and fairly varied. There are 25velocity layers for each instrument and eightround robin samples for snares, hats and ridesand two each for the other instruments. The

hats have five levels of openness which reactvery realistically with the VH-12 pedal control.

The programmers claim to have different leftand right hand mappings and four different hitpositions on the snare, all of which translates inreasonably machinegun-free drumming.Certainly, the snare produces some smoothand realistic rolls and good dynamics.

The verdictAt about $60 (promo price) for the pack (plusthe $50 for the iLok!), StarDrums is about thesame price as a multi-kit Addictive Drums packor a Toontrack EZX. It’s not a huge investment,but the iLok component really irked me (in caseyou didn’t notice) and will no doubt deter somepotential buyers. Added to that, we’re reallyonly talking about one kit and one music genre,and at this stage, the Acoustic Samples rangeis fairly limited. One would, of course, like toamortise the iLok cost over a few kits, so it’sworth noting that the other options from thisproducer are a couple of jazzy kits, a smallacoustic kit, an urban kit, some marchingdrums and a percussion offering. I sampled thefirst three and the sounds were excellent, butthe interface frustrating.

The bottom line is that it’s a nicely recordedmiddle-of-the-road kit with decent articulationsand playability. The versatile sounds would suitmost rock and pop genres and would be idealfor a wedding band, for example. But itsinterface is not overly intuitive and it needs anadd-on dongle and an extra USB slot just toensure that you don’t pirate the samples.

ddfeb2013_Layout 3 5/01/13 9:10 AM

more information and demo version available at

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€99Get the bundle

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"The ANALOG87 plug-ins could hold theirown against similar plug-ins at any price,and are simply without equal at this end ofthe market." - Future Music

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€29

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VST Q&AE-drum guru John Emrich is back to answermore VST questions from readers, this timediscussing downloads and DAWs.

--vst--

Q: Many VST packs are now available via download. Do you still get all thecontent from the DVD if you buy the download version and do you need to burnit to disk as a back-up, or would you be able to download it again if you lost itsomehow?A: Many VST instruments and expansion packs have gone download-only for acouple of good reasons. Reason one is that the customer has been asking for it.Some of us just got there a little quicker. Reason two is that the actual act ofdownloading is now easier than ever. Remember that some of these libraries are verylarge.

Once you have registered your product, you should see an account page. The biggercompanies will give you links to those products as soon as you purchase them andthey will always be available in your account. Considering that everyone should bekeeping a copy of their data on a back-up drive, you don’t really need to make disksof each VST pack once you have installed them. As a rule, it is quicker to boot upanother drive than it is to run installers. I do keep disk images of the main programmeinstallers. That way, I can roll back if something goes a little sideways. Those aresmaller than data packages (samples) and are easy to keep in a folder that getsbacked up with the entire system.

Q: Why should I use a DAW?Why not? A DAW (or Digital Audio Workstation) is an excellent tool. Most VST drumprogrammes are capable of running in stand-alone mode or with a supplied hostprogramme. That is fine for running one programme live, but if you want to combineVST programmes, you will need something like a DAW to do it. For example, I useMainStage to combine BFD2 with other VST programmes when I play shows thatrequire me to play drums, percussion and mallet instruments. The drawback is thatMainStage doesn’t allow for recording.

Adding a DAW like Cubase allows you to combine VST programmes with the benefitof recording and editing. The recording aspect is important because you can recordyourself and have instant feedback about how you did in terms of feel and accuracy.The last benefit that I would point out is the ability to add music tracks and record ontop of them. This will allow you to really dial in a good performance for your nextYouTube video.

○ Send your VST questions to [email protected]


ddfeb2013_Layout 3 4/01/13 4:29 PM

Real Reggae and Real Latin Platinum Samples has released two new multi-format MIDI groove libraries.Real Reggae includes over 1,190 grooves and fills in a wide variety of Reggaestyles in a variety of tempos performed live on an electronic drum kit. They areoptimised for a kick, snare, three toms, hi-hat, two crash cymbals, a ride cymbal,cowbell, woodblock and a low and high timbale.Real Latin includes over 1,400 loops in a wide variety of Latin styles includingTango, Samba, Bolero, Calypso, El Beguine, Mozambique, Bossa Nova,Cha Cha, Merengue, Afro-Cuban, Mambo, La Rumba, Songo, La Conga andPop Latin in a wide variety of tempos, formatted for BFD2, BFD Eco,EZDrummer, EZPlayer, Superior Drummer 2.0, Addictive Drums, SSD4,Cakewalk Session Drummer as well as General MIDI which can be used withany GM compatible drum software or hardware.Real Latin was produced and performed by John Emrich on a Yamaha DTX900kit.Price: $35 eachInformation: www.platinumsamples.com

Chris Lord Alge expansion for SSD4Steven Slate Drums has released its first expansion pack for SSD4 consisting of12 kit presets by Chris Lord Alge. Alge, who has worked with James Brown,Prince and Joe Cocker, recorded the kits at Ocean Studio in Burbank and mixedthem in his LA mixroom using his signature processing chains. SSD claims theresult is some of the fattest, punchiest, most mix-ready virtual drums in theindustry.The pack works with the new SSD4 virtual drum instrument and Steven SlateTRIGGER Drum Replacer. (Make sure you choose the right version when youpurchase as they’re not interchangeable.).Available for download, the expansion is easy to install and adds the new kits tothe available kits in the SSD host.The expansion is currently on promotion at a price of $99.Price: $149Information: www.stevenslatedrums.com

Big Mono Redux by Analogue Drums After numerous requests from users of Big Mono, Analogue Drums has revisitedthe original recording session from 2003 and come up with a new drum librarywith the same sweet sound as the original Big Mono, but now with loads ofoptions for sonic control. Round robins, controllable mic layers, adjustablesensitivity and even panning controls are now provided.The kit consists of a 1970s Ludwig maple 22” kick, 1970s Rogers Dynasonicmaple snare, four 1970s Ludwig maple toms, 13” Zildjian Advedis Mastersoundhats, 16” Zildjian K Crash, 17” Zildjian K Dark Crash and 20” Sabian HHXEvolution ride.Big Mono Redux is only compatible with Kontakt Full Version (v3+), andmappings for Slate Digital Trigger are also provided. It can be purchased anddownloaded directly from the Analogue Drums website.Price: $9.95Information: www.analoguedrums.com

New products


ddfeb2013_Layout 3 4/01/13 4:29 PM

MY DESIRE FOR a bigger kit and the spacelimitations of my current home led me on aresearch path of compact solutions for themodern city drummer.

I started from a DD-65 (compact one-pieceYamaha percussion trigger) and the DTXplorerkit. I mounted the bits on a modified three-tierkeyboard stand and eliminated all cross-talkwith well-positioned bits of cloth, creating a kitwith 14 pads and three pedals, two of whichsent MIDI control messages.

Besides increasing the number of pads, myfinal aim was to take full advantage of VSTslike Superior Drummer 2 or Battery.

None of the triggers supports dual or triple-zone triggering, meaning I couldn’t takeadvantage of the sample depth of the snares inSD2, for example.

This is where Ableton Live 8 (you can try thispatch with the free LE version) came to therescue, with its most valuable MIDI rack.

I started by mapping the closed hi-hat note tothree samples (soft, medium and hard). At thisstage, every hit would trigger all the soundssimultaneously, with poor results. The magichappens when, within the MIDI rack, you clickon Vel and discover that you can differentiatethe samples by velocity. As shown in theimage, the simple closed hi-hat sound can nowtrigger three separate pools of samples, withcrossovers, expanding your expressiveness tounthinkable levels. I applied the same to snareand rim shots and bell edge on the ridecymbals.

As I relegated all the cymbals to the DD-65, Ialso linked them to a pitch transportationdevice, connected to the hi-hat pedal. If you hitone with the pedal depressed, you get thenormal crash/splash sound, but if you hold yourfoot down, you get the choked sound.

The toms work around a round-robin principlethat simulates the constant right-left pattern.Don’t expect hyper-realistic paradiddles, but itcertainly humanises the final product.

Since I like my Bossanova afternoons, I usedthe spare kick pedal as a toggle betweennormal snare drum and rim-click sounds.

The patch is built around an SD2 Metal pre-setand the default notes on the kit. In order to usethe patch to its full potential, with all its hiddenfeatures, I suggest you either re-map the notesof your kit or, very patiently, tweak the MIDIrack within Ableton.

To download the patch, click here.

Big performancefrom small kits

In search of maximum triggers and minimal footprint,Enrico Bertelli fused two basic products and cameup with a software solution to enhance theperformance of his mini-kit.

--TWEAKING--


ddfeb2013_Layout 3 4/01/13 4:29 PM

http://enricobertelli.co.uk/performance/sites/all/themes/bluemasters/images/SuperDrumKit%20Project.zip

To DATE, ThERE have been two approachesto electrifying acoustic drums – mountinginternal triggers under the head or stickingexternal triggers onto the hoop.

There have recently been a number ofinnovative DIY triggers solutions fromGermany, the latest of which combines thedesign of external triggers with the ease offitting and stealth looks of internal triggers.

Metal worker Jörg Wronka has designed adual-zone Easy Trigger that simply attaches toa lug screw on the inside of the shell. Theclever design allows you to slide the trigger upor down to adjust the head tension.

The trigger assembly takes a few minutes toinstall, simply requiring the removal of the headand loosening of the lug screws.

The design works best with open-bottomeddrums, since the instrument cable attachesdirectly to the trigger, but Wronka also sells anadaptor kit (€12) which allows the trigger to beconnected to a shell-mounted jack.

The one-piece trigger is shipped with simpleIkea-like instructions that are easy to follow.

While the installation takes just minutes, theset-up may take a bit longer. Connected to anolder Roland module, the trigger was virtuallyplug and play, with good sensitivity across thehead and rim.

With a 2box module, a bit of tweaking wasrequired, but again, exact triggering andexcellent rim response were easily achievedwhen the stock rim setting was dialled down.one thing to watch with the 2box is themounting position as the trigger presents adefinite hot spot. So, even though the triggersensor is small (about the size of a US 25cpiece), it’s best to locate it where you’re lesslikely to hit it directly.

The fussier Roland TD-30 took a bit more workto dial in, but good triggering was achievedafter tweaking. of course, since the trigger isedge-mounted, positional sensing is notachievable.

The triggers are beautifully crafted and seemrobust and reliable. The only potentialvulnerability, as with all triggers, is the piezosensor, and it seems relatively easy to replace,should that ever be necessary.

The score*Price: €34Ease of installation: 5Non-invasiveness: 5Performance: 4.3*Scores out of five

Wronka makes it easy--DIY--


ddfeb2013_Layout 3 5/01/13 1:53 PM

Kick the habit

A new compact trigger solution is changing theway e-drummers play their bass drums. AllanLeibowitz stepped up to try the Triggera Krigg.

WHILE SOME DRUM makers have adaptedthe traditional bass drum for electronictriggering, there have been a few attempts tore-invent the wheel. Many of those haveinvolved inverted beaters and small triggersensors, but it’s often tricky getting the beaterangle right for a natural feel and motion.

A new product from Europe eliminates theneed for a beater, working instead off thebottom of a traditional bass pedal.

What’s in the boxThe Krigg is essentially a two-piece assembly:a frame which clips onto the base plate of a

kick pedal and a bracket which houses thetrigger sensor and jack. There were noinstructions or pictures of a fitted version, sothe novice may be a little confused initially. Butthere’s really only way to fit the Krigg to apedal, so everyone will soon work it out.

How to mountThe bracket is height-adjustable, with a full 55mm of play, which should be enough to fitunder most pedals.

My first attempt to mount the Krigg on a cheapPearl pedal didn’t quite work out. The Pearl’smounting hardware, designed for a thicker

--Gear--


ddfeb2013_Layout 3 7/01/13 9:09 AM

hoop, was not tight enough to hold the Krigg inplace, so it just kept slipping out. The makerspoint out that you can pack the base with apiece of rubber to add thickness, but instead, Itried a different “standard” pedal and there wasno such problem. The Krigg was held in place(even firmer with the addition of a leatherspacer ring which ensured more grip), and thebracket easily adjusted so that the beater sideof the pedal could easily strike the sensor.

In actionAll the physical adjustment is done on thebracket, and it was very easy to select acomfortable position so that impact occurredroughly where the beater would hit the drumhead (had there been a beater and a drumhead!).

Because of the pedal design, the impactoccurred just where the chain mounts on thepedal, so it presented a hard surface whichwas not quite silent. If the slight clicking isunacceptable, it is, of course, possible to sticksome gaffer tape to the pedal to soften theblow. Even unprotected however, the sound issofter than a KD-8 or KD-9-type trigger.

The action takes a bit of getting used to,requiring less force than a conventional beater,but after a few minutes, you won’t notice thedifference.

Triggering capabilityI hooked the Krigg up to a TD-30 module andgot perfect triggering on a number of settingswithout any tweaks. It worked well on all thekick drum presets, from KD-140 to KD-8, butwith a little adjustment, also performedflawlessly on other presets. The only thing Icould not reproduce was the “bury the beater”effect that comes with some of Roland’s meshand fabric bass triggers.

On the 2box, a slight adjustment was required,but once dialled in, the Krigg did its jobperfectly. As they say, it didn’t miss a beat.

The verdictThe Krigg is a no-fuss bass trigger thatperforms perfectly. It has a tiny footprint(pardon the pun) and attaches easily to mostbass pedals.

At €43 (plus €15 for shipping anywhere in theworld), the Krigg is exceptional value. It evencomes with a four-month money-back warranty.

UPDATE: Since this review, a new version ofthe trigger, the Krigg V2, has been released.According to its makers, the new model retains“all the good features of the original ... and nowit's more robust and has (a) better finish”.


ddfeb2013_Layout 3 5/01/13 5:05 PM

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Basic triggeringDo you have a DIY question? Philippe Decuyper will solvereaders’ problems in each edition of digitalDrummer.Whether repairing existing equipment or building yourown, Philippe will find the answers. Just email yourquestions to [email protected] month’s question comes from a subscriber inSouthampton, England, who asks: “What’s the best way toadd a trigger to a bass drum?”

PHOTO

S: LES HUFFM

AN


--diy--

ddfeb2013_Layout 3 5/01/13 1:55 PM

WHETHER YOU ALREADY have a basicrubber kick pad or a compact multi-pad devicewith a trigger input, you will probably want toget an electronic kick drum that looks like –and importantly, feels like - the real thing.

An electronic kick sounds like an easy one tobuild. It is a mono trigger which will becompatible with almost any module available,provided the brain has tweakable thresholdand sensitivity settings. However, the kicktrigger is not without its challenges, primarilyassociated with its “piezo-killing” beater andthe bounce inherent in large drum heads.

Placing the piezoA piezo transducer is a fragile device and itcannot survive repeated violent impacts from abeater. Unlike a snare trigger, which seldomgets direct hits as sticks use almost the wholeplaying surface, a bass drum is always struckin the same place and a foam “shield” is notenough to protect it from such abuse.Fortunately, we don’t really care about gettingpositional sensing from a bass drum, nor do weuse the rim of such a foot-played instrument.Our single piezo can therefore be placedwherever we want in the shell. In order to avoidit being broken after two bars of a first“Message in a bottle” test, it should not beplaced right in the centre, where the beater isgoing to smash the mesh head.

We can still use a crossbar and do our best toisolate the piezo from the shell as we wouldwith a snare/tom trigger because our drumpedal will be mechanically linked to the shelland could cause false triggering. Furthermore,the “piezo-platter” should be placed off-centreon the crossbar.

How big should the drum be?It is practical to use a small kick drum. Roadieswill be happy and you will not have to share theback seat of your car with your home-madeboring friend. That said, if you are used toacoustic drums, it may take some time to adaptyour foot techniques to a small head.A good compromise may be a converted 16”tom. There are commercial risers that are easyto use if you are not very handy.

Filling the drumHere is one important thing to take intoconsideration: a large head mounted on a bigempty shell has the potential to generate someunwanted signals for your piezo. Generally,the ideal situation is to get your piezotransducers to convert each hit to a shortwaveform to be processed by the module.This is usually the case with a tightly set 12”head beaten with a stick. But this is not thateasy with a large head placed on a big shelland beaten with a hammer!

Actually, even small electronic bass drums areaffected by this problem.

We can then attempt to get rid of this by“compressing” a large piece of soft foambetween a platter (on the crossbar) and thehead. This is another good reason to place thepiezo off-centre.

Setting your moduleFinally, once your electronic bass drum isready to rock, you will probably get rid of someremaining problems by setting your module’sthreshold and sensitivity parameters so theymatch the new baby.


ddfeb2013_Layout 3 5/01/13 1:55 PM

My

MONSTERMONSTERkit

The Triggers13” DIY dual-zone snare20” bass shell with 10” trigger padVarious dual-zone DIY tom padsDIY mesh screen headsAll covered with Merlot Sparkle wrap customcut by Precision Drum Co.CymbalsDIY conversions including dual-zone 12” hi-hat, dual-zone chokeable crashes, splashesand China and an 18” three-zone ride withchoke.HardwareTama Speed Cobra double bass pedalHome-made drum rack and tom holders ElectronicsRoland TD-20 with TDW-20 expansion

Two Roland TMC-6sRoland FD-7 pedalYamaha foot trigger (right of bass drum)Tapco 4x4 MIDI interfaceSoftwareSuperior Drummer and BFD2 standaloneplatforms and various sound packsMatt’s storyI started my foray into building a mesh headDIY kit in 2008. I went from single-zone todual-zone drum pads. I created some singlezone acrylic cymbals, then graduated to myfirst AtoE conversion using J-Man's StealthTriggers. Last year, I finally broke through thebarrier and created chokeable e-cymbals ofmy own design.

This month’s monster is a DIY triumph oftrial and error, created by Matt Claymorefrom Houston, TX.

--gear--


ddfeb2013_Layout 3 4/01/13 4:29 PM


Matt (above) with his DIY kit,powered by an expanded TD-20module and two TMC-6s. Right:Matt’s dual-zone cymbal design.

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ddfeb2013_Layout 3 4/01/13 4:29 PM

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www.stealthdrums.com

The leading DIY acoustic-to-electroniccymbal conversion kit is now availablein 2box versions.Stealth Drums’ popular kits can nowbe used for crashes and splashesand for the most responsive three-zone ride on the market.The kit contains all the parts you’ll needplus easy-to-follow instructions.


Got gear to sell?We’ll buy your used e-drum gear for a greatprice with no messing around. Why waste time and money listing on eBay oryour local classifieds when we can seal the dealwith one call?Whole kits, single triggers, modules, hardware -we buy it all.Sell to someone who knows the market andguarantees a fair price and prompt payment.Email us at [email protected] if you’re looking to buy, go toour eBay store, jjdrumz.

digitalDrummer cable label sheetsare running out at just $5 each(including postage).

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January 2010Reviews:

Yamaha DTX M-12Korg WavedrumRoland TD-8

Comparatives:Amps and Powered Speakers

April 2010Reviews:

Diamond Electronic Drums12” snareCrappy Triggers externaltriggersJman cymbal conversion kit

Comparatives:Mesh headsHeadphones

July 2010Comparatives:

External TriggersRacks

October 2010Reviews:

Roland HPD-10JamHub682Drums e-conversion kit

Comparatives:Double pedalsNotation software

February 2011Comparatives:

DrumsticksE-cymbals (stick noise)Cymbal VSTs

May 2011Review:

DrumIt Five 2box kitTuff Mesh

Comparatives:Auxiliary triggersE-cymbals (crashes)

August 2011Reviews:

Gen 16 AE cymbalsNative Instruments AbbeyRoad IVThe ClassicAddictive DrumsVirtually Erskine

Comparatives:Drop-in trigger kitsMesh headsIn-ear monitors

November 2011Reviews:

Pork Pie thronesStudio Drummer

Comparatives:E-snares

February 2012Reviews:

Midi Knights ProExtreme Drum Triggers kit

Comparatives:E-ridesMesh heads

May 2012Reviews:

ddrum Hybrid kitKorg Wavedrum MiniBFD Eco 1.5Platinum Studios RockLegends Quick Pack

Comparatives:Drumsticks

August 2012Reviews:

Roland TD-30KVRoland SPD-SXSteven Slade Drums 4.0r-drums conversion kit

Comparatives:Mesh Heads

November 2012Reviews:

Mark Drum YES kittrapKAT 5KS

Comparatives:Multi-pads

Here is a summary of our reviews to date:

Your definitive guide to e-drum gear

*For reviews prior to May 2012, click here.

COMING SOON: The entire digitalDrummer back catalogue on DVD with bonus extras.

Using the search function and thearchive option, you can search thepast three back issues* for anycontent, including our reviews andhead-to-head comparisons.

Missed a review?

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digitaldrummer february 2013

Documents