DRUMMER CAFE - Community Forum

Im looking to maybe get into triggering my kick, any suggestions, help?

what do I need exactly

also, im a little confused as to what exactly triggering is, I think I have an idea, but im very unsure.

help? :-\

Triggering is putting an electronic sensor on a drum head to 'trigger' a sound clip from a controller of some sort.

You need:
The trigger (ddrum makes some good ones)
A midi controller of some sort (lots of brands make them, look around)
and an amp or PA to run the sound through

Use the 'Find It!' function here on DC to find previous threads about this. There are MANY out there.

What do you want to accomplish by triggering your bass?  What are you going for?

good luck!  Welcome to DC!

im lookin to be able to sound quicker almost, kind of what some pros do.

yeah, just a standard trigger (like ddrum or roland) into a drum module, alesis makes some good ones, so does roland. there are many options out there; shop around and read reviews.  I personally do not currently use triggers.

Maybe someone with more fast db trigger experience than I could jump in and offer some advice?

It's a technique to model a particular sound, not to make you seem to play faster.

but it makes it easier to play faster because you dont have to play nearly as loud as normal. you can hit the head at nearly half of the normal force and the trigger will pick up the vibration and que the sound. am I right?

I guess so.
Although this seems like winning a foot race on a bike.

I agree but it is very common practice in modern metal.

I think Chris's point is, learn to play well and get the best sound you possibly can without triggers, before you look too far into triggering. That way you're not boxing your musicality into a corner so to speak.

for modern-day triggering you'll need a trigger and either an all-in-one box that combines a trigger interface and a sound module (like an alesis dm5) or a trigger-to-midi interface and a sound module, or a trigger-to-midi interface, a midi-to-usb interface, and a lapop (and software).

it ain't cheap and, at its best, it's an inexact science-- especially on kicks.

getting a good kick mic (d4 or d6, d112, or beta 52) and cranking up the kick through your PA would be an easier solution, and would save you a couple hundred dollars.

Question:
Can you use the DDrum triggers with Roland and Alesis trigger to midi devices (such as the I/O or TMC6)?

chris-- my ddrum redshot triggers (the cheap, kinda triangular ones) used to work fine when I had a D4, and seem to work fine w/ the alesis controlpad I have now.  I'd imagine they work oK w/ the roland brains but chances are you're not going to get the vdrum info--though you'll probably get basic velocity info.

You can change the trigger settings on the Roland brains, and you can make them work with different triggers.

I think the biggest thing to watch out for is the Scan Time and Retrigger settings, you don't want the trigger firing off several times for each hit. 

The other issue is to be make sure that the triggered sample blends well with the overall sound of your band and drumkit.  I've heard some bands where the kick drum sounds completely separated from the band, and dominates the mix.  The sample also makes it real obvious when your sixteenth notes are uneven or your feet are sloppy.

Case in point, I have the Strapping Young Lad DVD, and Gene Hoglan is certainly no slouch on the double bass.  It takes him a few songs to get warmed up, and the triggered kick drum really makes some of the mistakes and sluggish blast beats stand out.  If the drum had a more natural sound with less attack, it would be less noticeable.

Nate

edit:  Thinking about this quote:

There's some youtube footage on the making of the S.Y.L. cd, Alien, and it shows Gene playing some of his drum parts.  He's using a double kick, not a double pedal, with wooden beaters.  The springs are loose and the beaters are swinging in a fairly full arc.  He's a big man, too.  The Gene part is at 1:30.  Just a little inspiration...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v75fLDZG9Lk