Can sampler be used w e-drums?

C

C. Anthony

New member
I don't have a sampler and am just this close to getting some e-drums. The module to get is the question. It seems most people recommend the Roland td-8 or td-10. It's very expensive. I've heard pro's and con'e concernigng the Alesis modules. I was wondering if and/or why not use a sampler w edrums? There must be a reason 'cause I've never seen it mentioned. Many samplers have multi outputs. Is it because only one drum can be played at a time or in other words the sapler animal just isn't made to play "kits" and thus not compatable with edrums? I really don't know and so thats why I'm asking for some input.
For that matter can any drum source (drum machine , drum kit patch on any keyboard module) be used with e-drums?
Thanks, Carlo
 
Well, on my e-kit I use the TD-10/TDW-1 for most of the main sounds, and a DM5 for a few extra cymbal sounds and odd percussion stuff. There's no reason whatsoever that you can't use either the Roland or Alesis drum modules to trigger a sampler via MIDI to get different sounds. I'm sure that there are a lot of folks who do just that. However, most people are usually so broke after buying the drum modules that they either never take the next step, or wait a long time indeed... After all, you need the e-drum brain to interpret the pad trigger outputs, and once you have that, the built-in sounds really come for free...

I use, and am pretty well satisfied with, the sounds in the modules, with a pretty clear preference for the Roland sounds. This is especially true since I got SoundDiver: it has made editing and tweeking the sounds in the TD10 much more straightforward. They are much more usable after fine tweeking than as they are out of the box. Additionally, the TDW-1 expander is absolutely worth its weight in gold for helping fine-tune the triggering setup in the TD10 (I use Hart and Pintech pads), as well as making some much improved sounds available.

I'd say to get whatever module you favor, and then really dig into setting up the triggering and sounds to work for your style (hint: this will take time, and can't be rushed). Only then, if you really can't get what you need from it, should you invest the cash and try backing it up with a sampler. The current run of sounds from these products is remarkably usable.

I've lately started tracking to MIDI, and not actually commiting the sounds to an audio track until I'm well and truly happy with them. It's really quite astonishing to me (as a MIDI neophyte) to be able to go back and replace the entire kit with another one, or tweek the snare head up a tad bit tighter and boost the rim sound a few dB, or move the "room ambience mike" a few feet on the fly, on a finished take... It's kind of addictive!
 
You can't go direct from electronic pads to a sampler, (unless you have a drum module with sampling ability) you first need to convert the signal from the pad. You can go from a drum module via MIDI to a sampler and assign MIDI notes (kick #36, snare #38, etc.). The sampler can be assigned multiple samples to correspond to the MIDI notes - but it takes work and a decent understanding of both sampling and MIDI note assignment.

I agree with Skippy, that the sounds in the modules can be very functional (with or without tweaking). I have used my TD-10 to trigger a sampler but in very specific applications, in most cases I use the sounds in the TD-10 or combine them with an Alesis D-4.

As Skippy said, one of the best uses of E-Drums is tracking the MIDI performance so that you don't have to commit drum sounds to tape/disk until you hear other tracks and determine what sounds are really needed - you can then bring the drums in last (even as "virtual tracks").

Regarding different sources - certain pads do not communicate well with certain modules. Example - Yamaha pads may not work with a Roland module (make sure you have a handle on this before you commit to buying anything.

The lowest cost E-Drums are the Yamaha DTExpress for $999.99. However, it is my understanding Roland will soon be releasing a low cost E-Kit in the $1200 range - which may be better than the Yamaha. Also, Pintech and Hart make reasonable cost pads which work well with most modules
 
C. Anthony,

A year ago I bought the TD5 off of a drummer I played with. He threw in some extra pads. My plans are not to use the module sounds at all except for monitoring, since these are older low quality sounds. Instead, I plan to use unit midi to trigger gigasampler drums. This way, I can not only fix my mistakes but also change sounds in and out on the fly. I bought the TD5 kit for $550. I'm sure there out there, used, on e-bay.
 
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