Trigger Modules...

[SpencerSetters]

I have never used triggers in a studio environment before, so I need some help here. My main concerns are getting the clicky and punchy kick drum sounds, and also great snare sounds that I can blend into the mix. Due to the fact that more and more drummers are coming into the studio without a hole cut in the front bass drum head and poorly tuned kits, but that's besides the point.

1) What is the best drum module regarding a wide variety of clicky/punchy kick drum sounds and a wide variety of great snare sounds?

2) What are the most responsive and most accurate triggers I can get without it costing me an arm and a leg?

Thanks guys!

 

[Tim Brown]

Ddrum wins hands down for drumsound and Trigger to MIDI Conversion, with the Roland upper level Vdrum units coming in at a close second. You can pick up a used ddrum 2 online for about $450 or so.

ddrum3 is a waste of time - it's a great unit, but you can't get replacement parts for it - the sole reason it was discontinued. It had a sampler built in and these things regularly go for up-wards of $2,0000 for something that's over 10 years old, and can't be repaired if broken. No thanks.

The ddrum2 model was used both by Megadeth and Manowar. I have it, and love it. It's the ddrum 3 without the on-board Sampler. (I chose to buy a Yamaha A3000 Rackmount sampler for $200 on E-bay. LOL Works the same, and was a whole lot less than the ddrum3 unit. )

You may want to go with the ddrum4, since you can connect it to the PC and download sounds from the internet. It's not a sampler, per se, but people can create their own sounds and then put them on the net to share. Eventually I'll get one of these just for the heck of it, but to be honest I like the stock sounds in the ddrum2.

When it comes to external triggers - Don't waste your money - you need triggers that can be repeatedly put on a drum and removed and put on another drum when a different drummer comes in - there are only two worth having for that purpose - the top of the line ddrum models (not the "Red shot" models - those require removing a tension rod to mount them) and the Roland triggers. I prefer the ddrum triggers. I feel they are much more durable....plus ddrum has been in the electronic drum game for a long time - they were making pro units while Rolands was still an expensive toy that sounded like a Simmons ripoff.


Tim

 

[Farview]

I second the Ddrum comments. You can also just record the triggers into you DAW (by plugging them straingt into the mic preamps) and use something like Drumagog or Aptrigga to trigger the sounds. One of the advantages to this is that you are recording the performance, you can shoose the sound during mixdown.