Ableton Forum

when i play live shows im usually playing drums OR laptop. i want to start using some pads or triggers on my kit to integrate things better. im not really interested in using drum modules (brains?), but rather use a hardware synth or trigger samples/synths in live. how many of you out there is doing something like this?

- is it necessary to have a trigger to midi converter unit, or is it possible to plug a trigger/pad directly into a sound card and convert the signal using max/msp type programming or some kind of plug in?

- does it take long to get used to pads after playing acoustic?

I'm a drummer, and I use a DrumKat to trigger sounds in live. This thing is built like a tank, and the sensitivity of the pads is surprisingly good. Easily set up in tandem with my kit, and it has a foot pedal for changing programs. Not only single hits, but you can trigger chords, arpeggios, and layers. It feels good too, much like a rubberized practice pad. Sure you can play it with sticks or mallets, but you can also play it with your hands- it's got aftertouch, and is very fun and solid.

Also a bunch of inputs on the back for triggers mounted on actual drums, as well as a breath controller input.

It's easy to get used to, but of course it doesn't have the nuances you can get by playing an acoustic drum. But it does a good job at picking up your accents. I tried some triplet jazz on it, and it's pretty good at translating the performance. It's also great for quiet, headphones practice sessions.

Yeah +1 for the drumkat.
Might be more expensive than the Roland spd but definitely worth it.

Cryptic UK wrote:Yeah +1 for the drumkat.
Might be more expensive than the Roland spd but definitely worth it.

right - i was thinking to try it out on a lower budget first.

anybody using funky contact mics / rubber pads / etc?

Try the alesis controller pad or performance pad....
Or whatever it's called now, only about £150

you can use home made contact mic. or rubber pads but you need something to convert them to midi, i use a roland tmc 6 and i'm very happy with it, but you can look for an older roland drum brain (like a td 10) and use it like a converter and never bother about the internal sound, they come out quite cheap on ebay sometimes.

freshdrumma wrote:you can use home made contact mic. or rubber pads but you need something to convert them to midi, i use a roland tmc 6 and i'm very happy with it, but you can look for an older roland drum brain (like a td 10) and use it like a converter and never bother about the internal sound, they come out quite cheap on ebay sometimes.

cool - thanks for the tip!

sorry to resurrect this thread, but im still working on this setup.

im thinking it might be possible to use a software solution like this (http://www.apulsoft.ch/aptrigga/index.php)

instead of a trigger to midi converter (plugging pads / contact mics straight into my motu) has anyone tried this out yet?

Cryptic UK wrote:Try the alesis controller pad or performance pad....
Or whatever it's called now, only about £150

Avoid at all costs..

midi on acoustic drums. insane....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oD3pbOBP50

Cryptic UK wrote:Try the alesis controller pad or performance pad....
Or whatever it's called now, only about £150

Do you mean the DM5 ? I've used it with piezos and it seems to work ok.

outershpongolia wrote:

Cryptic UK wrote:Try the alesis controller pad or performance pad....
Or whatever it's called now, only about £150

Avoid at all costs..

Hi Outer,

Could you elaborate? I was thinking of getting this next week to trigger Kontakt libraries. What is it you don't like about it?

Thanks.

mattcellitti wrote:

outershpongolia wrote:

Cryptic UK wrote:Try the alesis controller pad or performance pad....
Or whatever it's called now, only about £150

Avoid at all costs..

Hi Outer,

Could you elaborate? I was thinking of getting this next week to trigger Kontakt libraries. What is it you don't like about it?

Thanks.

Low Quality POS..

Bought it, and I think I had 3 of them before I demanded my money back.

First one, horrible crosstalk.. Like, the top left pad would trigger the sound on the bottom right pad. Completely Unacceptable.
Second one, apparentely you couldn't hit two pads at the same time or else it THOUGHT there was crosstalk going on.. So basically if you were messing with a beat playing hi hats, kick, snare (simple as fuck right?)
when you hit the hi hat and snare at the same time.. No sound.. Neither of them.

I got the 3rd one and didn't even leave the parking lot and realized it had no manual, no power adapter, and no usb cable.. So I took that one back in and told them I wanted my money back, not some fucked store credit. I realize it wasn't exactly Sam Ash's fault, but at the same time I was wicked pissed at the quality of the product and the amount of grief they gave me for taking it back so many times..

I would say, if possible, try it out before you buy it.. I know that's not completely realistic but if you do buy it make sure you can get cash back, because most likely you'll be driving your ass back to the store to get rid of it...


and i KNOW there are others that will tell you the same thing.. Some people like it and had no problems but that's a mystery to me.

Hi Outer,

Could you elaborate? I was thinking of getting this next week to trigger Kontakt libraries. What is it you don't like about it?

Thanks.[/quote]

Low Quality POS..

Bought it, and I think I had 3 of them before I demanded my money back.

First one, horrible crosstalk.. Like, the top left pad would trigger the sound on the bottom right pad. Completely Unacceptable.
Second one, apparentely you couldn't hit two pads at the same time or else it THOUGHT there was crosstalk going on.. So basically if you were messing with a beat playing hi hats, kick, snare (simple as fuck right?)
when you hit the hi hat and snare at the same time.. No sound.. Neither of them.

I got the 3rd one and didn't even leave the parking lot and realized it had no manual, no power adapter, and no usb cable.. So I took that one back in and told them I wanted my money back, not some fucked store credit. I realize it wasn't exactly Sam Ash's fault, but at the same time I was wicked pissed at the quality of the product and the amount of grief they gave me for taking it back so many times..

I would say, if possible, try it out before you buy it.. I know that's not completely realistic but if you do buy it make sure you can get cash back, because most likely you'll be driving your ass back to the store to get rid of it...


and i KNOW there are others that will tell you the same thing.. Some people like it and had no problems but that's a mystery to me.[/quote]

Thanks for the insight. Did you go with something else then?

I don't want to blow money on something that has sounds in it. For $150 it seems like the only thing out there if you simply want to trigger midi notes

just an update - in case anyone cares about this ...

i got a couple pads - plugged them straight into my motu ultralite and it seems to work really well. not getting any latency and getting a wide range of velocity.

the trick now seems to be converting this crazy input signal into a midi note:

- apulsoft has a cool plug for triggering one sample, but it would be nice to have more.
- kt drumtrigger would be great for this - if only they updated it to intel
- expert sleepers could be the answer, but i cant get it to hone in on one note.. just posted on their forum.