I think I looked at the DM5 module at one point, I was considering using it with triggers on my acoustic set. But I had not thought about adding that to my Nitro! That's a great idea
It's a great idea. I was going to do that but I found a killer deal on a Roland VAD306 set this week so I snagged it. I'm not sure what its base output capabilities are but I'll find out when it arrives. Can't wait. I'm gonna have to sell my acoustic kit and my Nitro kit though to pay for it lol :(. But the upside seems worth it right now!
This is definitely the route, I'm going to take, in the near future. I'd love to get a full-on acoustic kit, but I'd never use it live and it would be near impossible for me to isolate background noise due to having 4 kids. haha.
Yeah it is really convenient! I like the versatility of being able to change kick and snare sounds afterwards. And my neighbors will like me better haha
I recorded in an dat/adat studio in 2000. Recorded in my living room on the first version of cakewalk home studio in 2004. I still use cakewalk sonor producer edition. It's crazy how far technology has come along in 23 years
It is! I remember researching electric drums about 10 years ago and didn't think the technology was quite there yet but it has really improved in just a short period of time. I remember trying Cakewalk years ago! Probably right around 2005 too!
@@vandarth my cousin bought the first set of high end Roland's that were like $2000. A cheap $350 set today is just as good. I always used triggers and an alesis dm5 rack mount for live and recording. It's amazing how easy it is to get quality sounds with so little effort these days. These kids don't know the struggle of packing pillows and blankets around a drum set and running the snake through the hall into the dining room and building a vocal booth in the tiled in shower 😂
@@nathanquasar468 hah yes I remember those days!! And the horror when I recorded a song and didn't get the kick or snare sound that I originally thought I was getting!
@@vandarth bro I'm telling ya. I made the whole band re record an entire album because I hated the drum sounds. The singer was mixing everything and I bet him $10,000 I could get a better drum sound. He said it was impossible with what we were working with. 2 hours later they were willing to redo everything 😂. Then they shot us in the foot by being assholes and jacking everything up louder than the drums. I was trying to get the best out of what we had and they were spiteful shitheads. 😂
@@nathanquasar468 ah man so sorry to hear that! I also pre-recorded the drums on an entire album once but I was lucky because I was doing it all at home. Didn't have to pay a studio. Can't imagine how frustrating it would be if I had to do that and pay a studio! Ouch!
Thanks! Yeah, it's a pretty cost-effective solution. The new dynamic cymbal samples are probably what has impressed me the most. That used to be the hardest part to make sound realistic on e-drums!
Great advise! I did this a few years ago 'cause I'm a solo home recorder and got pretty solid results. Due to the fact I'm not a full-time live drummer there's no cons for me getting my beats that way into the machine 👌😉
Same here, I'm also a solo home recorder. I have been considering upgrading to one of the new Roland kits that feels more like an acoustic kit. But to afford it I would probably have to sell my acoustic drum set. Lol the agony!! I don't know if I'm ready to part with it but I do really love how the electric kits are progressing. Impressive technology!
Nice! I may add a DM10 to my setup because currently, I've been manually separating the kick, snare, toms and overheads during the mixing process but duplicating the tracks. But the DM10 could potentially separate the tracks during recording, is that correct?
@@vandarth Reaper has a function "Insert Virtual Instrument", which after you select your VST will handle all of the routing needed. The main track is the MIDI data and depending on the VST, the remaining tracks are the individual drums within the VST kit. I usually don't separate mine out, but it would be useful for mixing later. Here's a video on how to do it. ruclips.net/video/5i1ZaO9CR6I/видео.html
you can probably change the output to a sound device plugged into the pc through your daw, just google how to change output device in 'daw' (whichever youre using) i.e. fruity loops is f10 to bring up the input/output menu. :)
Not sure. It depends on what hardware you're using. I'm using a Focusrite Scarlett 8-channel DAW, so for me, my drumset comes out of the main speaker output and headphones when I run Pro Tools.
How'd you map the hi-hat controller open close in SSD 5? That's what I can't do in SSD 5. Ezdrummer 3 has an alesis crimson ii preset which assigns it automatically.
I didn't have to, it automatically mapped the hi-hat for me. I didn't have to use a preset or anything. The only thing I had to change is one cymbal and one tom weren't mapped to anything but I think that's because I have the special edition kit.
I went this route 2years ago. The only downfall was the hihat, control was awful on the Alesis. I switch to a Rolad VAD306 kit. Running that into either Slate or EZDrummer3 is perfect for me. The Roland sounds are better than Alesis, but the software is even better.
I noticed that too. Sometimes my hi-hat doesn't respond fast enough for intricate parts. I have been looking into the Roland kit as a solution so thank you for sharing that! Maybe that will solve my problem. Otherwise sometimes I have to go back in and add hits that didn't register on the recording (usually 16th notes or faster)
Nice. I've heard good things about EZ Drummer. I think I actually tried it briefly a few years back for sampling. Does that setup work pretty well for you?
@@vandarth Setup works good for me. USB to midi connection with i7 10th gen windows 11 and 16 Gb RAM and almost no latency with my Nitro (the black one 😏) kit. Sometimes I also use a Focusrite 4i4 audio interface. EZ Drummer is the 'lite' version op superior drummer 3 but enough for me and quite easy operation.
@@Ludo_A Nice! I'm also on a Focusrite interface. The only issue I've run across so far is that occasionally my PC disconnects USB devices. I cannot for the life of me figure out why. I've tried changing the power settings. I think maybe my computer is underpowered (it disconnects flash drives frequently too). So I blame my crappy Dell. For regular gigging I'd probably upgrade my computer.
@@vandarth I have not had that issue with an HP and 4i4 Scarlett but mostly when using the Scarlett I power my laptop to the mains. Higher versions of Focusrite get their power with power supply and not via USB (4i4 is USB).
@@Ludo_A yeah, I would have thought I shouldn't have this problem because I'm on a Focusrite 8i8 gen 3, but maybe it's because I am running 3 internal hard drives and my power supply or motherboard just can't support that many devices. That's the only thing I can think of. I'm pretty sure it's computer related because I don't remember my last computer (iMac) ever dropping USB devices.
That's a possibility. I haven't tried this via a regular PC soundcard, although you can. I tend to find a small USB recording interface will have a cleaner signal than a built-in soundcard (once I tried to run guitar software off an iPad and the built-in iPad soundcard had way more buzz on the output than I thought it should have). Instead I use something like a small 2-channel Presonus USB interface (I think mine is the iTwo but the current model looks like a Studio 24c or USB 96, that one is only $89). For the simplest setup, I plug the drum set into the computer via USB, then I would use the two stereo outputs on the Presonus interface to send to the soundboard via two XLR cables (or 1/4 inch cables if you're using the USB 96 interface). That's the basics. So, basically drum set plugs in straight to the computer via USB, then another USB cable connects from the computer to a 2+ channel USB interface which will function as your output, then go from that interface to the soundboard via two cables. You could always try just running it through your computer's soundcard first, maybe your hardware will be quiet enough that you won't have to buy an external USB interface. Worth a shot! Hope that helps!
Hmm I don't have any experience with Superior Drummer 3 but something similar happened on my Roland. Check the settings on the drum module itself. Maybe look for volume or sensitivity. I had to turn those up so I didn't have to hit some of my drums so hard
Why do I need the interface to play live with computer midi software? I was hoping I could use the direct outs on my td50x module into front of house...Does the interface have multiple outputs?
You can use the direct outputs too especially if your kit has good high-quality sounds. My cheaper Alesis kit and even my Roland VAD306 couldn't compete with the sound of using samples, but your td50x might already sound great so the direct outs might work well for you
@@vandarth actually i don’t know but ityroland. There’s no functions of adjusting like snare hihat crash or something else, if we want we need to adjust it from the sound operating room
Any good recommendations for the brain part of an electronic drum set? We have a good electronic drum set at our church but no matter which of the 3 tom's you hit, they sound the same. It's 10 year old "Brain".
Oh! Yeah I don't know a ton about all of the brains available but I have a Roland now. TD-27 brain I think. TD-17 is cheaper and you can upload custom samples to both. Be aware though that they're not "dynamic" samples with a Roland though so they don't sound as good as going through sampling software using a laptop. I have read Simmons drumsets let you upload your own samples. You'd have to verify that but if it's true, that is a cheap way to go. My Alesis did not allow custom samples but their higher end Pro Strike is supposed to. None of that really matters if you run it through software though, as you can make an old kit sound good as long as it has a USB port
I just bought a set of Simmons SD1250’s.. it’s a nice sized kit that feels like an acoustic. It has 50 decent acoustic drum kits in it and can be contoured through the module. But, the snare has rim, center and edge triggers but is not programmed To get a real rimshot out of it because you can’t get both rim and skin to trigger simultaneously.. very frustrating..also the kit sounds great stand alone but when playing music you just can’t get a sound out of it that sounds good with the music. I just sold a cheap set of Titan 50’ that to me actually sounded way better while playing with prerecorded tunes. I’ve looked at EzDrummer, Superior drummer and now you’ve introduced Pro so Now I’m wondering if an app/program like this might solve my dilemma. (?) I am old so I’ve had my band experiences. I just want to slip into the basement and kick on the jams in my headphones while the wife and dog are sleeping and jam out to prerecorded stuff and sound like I’m the guy while I’m doing it. You think this program can make the kit sound better than the module sounds.?
Hello! Yes, I definitely think SSD5 would improve the sound. I think it would also allow you to get the snare hit and rim shot at the same time, as I believe my Alesis kit is able to do that. Worst case scenario, you can add the rimshots on top of the other hits in the MIDI editor. I actually tried an SD1250 earlier this week, I was curious about it because I want an electric kit with bigger pads (I feel cramped on the Alesis). But I didn't pay much attention to the stock sounds since I plan on running it through Pro Tools and SSD5. I wish there was an iPad version of SSD5 but there doesn't seem to be one yet. Not sure about EZDrummer or Superior Drummer. But yeah, I'd definitely try running your kit through a program to get the sounds you want. Garage Band might even work.
Is there a way to install the sounds directly onto the module itself so that I could eliminate the need to always have my laptop connected? I have an Alesis Nitro MAX
I wish there was! Unfortunately the Alesis support page says there is no way to upload new samples to the module itself on my Nitro kit or the Max. Bummer! So we're stuck with using laptops as an in-between, or something similar.
I actually haven't had many latency issues with this method overall. Certain mixing plugins do create lag if you're trying to perform live or through a computer for Livestream, so that was just a matter of figuring out which ones were causing the lag and choosing other plugins that don't lag. Like, I believe I had to turn off Ozone on the master bus to play live if I'm remembering correctly, but could still use some of my other drum plugins.
Unfortunately no. And even if you get a Roland, you can only pair your own sample with a pre-existing kit. Which is an improvement but still not as dynamic as going through a laptop or something. I don't know why they wouldn't add that feature. I thought I heard that Simmons would allow that. I do not know if it allows true dynamic sampling or if it just works like the Roland kits though
wow amazing info, thanks for the effort to make this video! I read in comment you also own a Roland VAD edrum now, which one you prefer to use for drum recording now? How about sensitivity/dynamic? Expensive and cheap edrum set make any different in recording?
Thank you! I greatly prefer to play on the Roland but that mainly has to do with comfort. The Roland is bigger and I felt cramped on the Alesis. Sound-wise they are similar. The Roland has a couple zones on the cymbals so you can differentiate between bell hits and normal crash hits. I cannot remember if the Nitro has that or not, but the biggest jump is made by going up to an even better Roland kit. I think it might be the TD-27, I can't remember for sure, but one of the next Roland models up switches over to digital sensors and it has quite a bit more dynamic capability than mine. Honestly I think what I have is dynamic enough for me other than they still don't have an ultra-accurate hi-hat. If you play rolls on the hat, no Roland I have played yet can clearly articulate every single stick hit. That is the one thing that bothers me. I'm waiting to see if the new Zildjian kit is an improvement but right now it's like $4k!
It is a bit of a shame that the usb connection does not show the drumkits of the alesis and make it possible to upload custom kits. this way you would not have to bring your lapot with you when you must gig
It's okay, not terrible but unfortunately it wasn't as responsive for more complex hi hat parts. Although I'm having the same issue with my Roland VAD306, I was hoping it would be more accurate. It could also just be a matter of dialing in the right sensitivity setting, not sure yet.
I experienced delay with some VST instruments and plugins awhile back too. For me, I just had to turn on and tweak the delay compensation settings in Pro Tools. Maybe take a look at those settings in Ableton? That's my first guess at least. Hope that helps!
I've been trying to do this for many days, spent hours watching videos. I have all the stuff needed, but getting nowhere. I have Alesis Nitro Mesh which is connected to an interface from L/Mono out on the drum module to the XLR input on Scarlett Solo interface. I'm using Reaper as a DAW. SSD5 is connected on my DAW. I can make the drum sounds by clicking etc on my computer, but for some reason, I haven't found a way to get my drums to change. I have the USB out from the drum module to my PC, but how do I do the mapping part? I've tried hitting the kit, nothing lights up on the mapping section. I've tried pressing midi learn and then hitting the kit, again, nothing. Would really appreciate if you could advise? Do I have to disconnect my L/Mono out - XLR? As this is how I'm gettin sound to my speakers. I can't find an IOM file anywhere to load a preset for this specific drum kit.
Hmm you should be able to run the drum set to the computer with only the USB cable. If you hit the map button in SSD5 and scroll through the piano keys, do you see anything mapped at all? Sometimes hits are mapped to keys that don't correspond with the drum set and in that case, I just manually remap things with the right mouse button
Oh, there is one other thing I can think of that might cause the drum set to not register on the computer. With my PC, after I turn the drum set on, I have to restart my computer or Pro Tools won't recognize it. Maybe it's the same with Reaper?
@@vandarth Apparently the Midi to USB only transfers midi data and not sound, so if I did this, how would I get sound? My speakers arent too important as I've started playing through headphones connected to my interface. But even if I did this, without my XLR connecting the kit to the interface, the only thing connecting would be the Midi USB. But Alesis say it doesn't transfer sound.
@@vandarth I can try it, but I hear the ping sound when it's connected. On pro tools, how do you know its been recognised? Do you have to manually select the USB or tell it to so something in settings anywhere? Just curious if there's a step im missing which no video seems to talk about. Like, do I have to tell Reaper about the midi cable, assign it to a setting etc. It's the most complicated set up I've ever known, for something that seems so simple in the tutorials
@@SupMitchiz for USB connection, in Pro tools I just had to make an Instrument stereo track and then add SSD5 as a plugin. Pro tools automatically recognized the USB after that.I also tried it with a Midi cable but for that method I had to create a midi track instead of an instrument track. So I would guess in Reaper, you also have to somehow set the track input as Midi too
Hi! I just got my e-drum kit and I will get ssd5.5 to make it sound like yours. Do I also need the recording program to trigger it through my in-ears? Thanks and great video!!
Thank you! Yeah, SSD5 and Trigger2 are not standalone programs, so they have to be used with recording software of some kind. But it does work with a wide variety of recording software. Reaper is a cheap option. There's an official list of compatible software on the Steven Slate Drums site
This was my initial plan when I purchased an Alesis DM Lite without doing enough prior research to learn that getting a midi signal out of that module was going to be such a frustrating & ultimately unsuccessful endeavour. I would avoid that kit if midi is important.
Hi mate, I just tried to download this and when I open pro dums, my software looks completely different to yours. Been fiddling for an hour or so and can't work it out. My Pro Drums is completely blank, then when I add a new track its a different page. Has the software updated, am I an idiot or all of the above? Cheers mate
Well I found the screen finally to map the drums. Every option says (not loaded) and I have no idea how to map anything. Cheers in advance if you've got any advice mate
Hello! What I did was double click on the sample kit I wanted in the main SSD5 screen and then click on the map page (looks like a piano roll). You should see that some of the piano keys have a sound linked to them. Sometimes those need to be changed to the sound you want that drum or trigger to make. It will treat your drum set like a USB midi piano so you just have to hit your drums and see which piano keys are triggering. There may be an easier way, I'll try to look into that
Hello! What I did was double click on the sample kit I wanted in the main SSD5 screen and then click on the map page (looks like a piano roll). You should see that some of the piano keys have a sound linked to them. Sometimes those need to be changed to the sound you want that drum or trigger to make. It will treat your drum set like a USB midi piano so you just have to hit your drums and see which piano keys are triggering. There may be an easier way, I'll try to look into that
My first E-drum kit was an Alesis DM-6 and the onboard sounds were just awful. Then I began using it with Toontrack's EZDrummer & SPD2. Later on I completely ditched the DM6 module for an Alesis MIDI Trigger I/O unit, and then began upgrading the pads to mesh heads and the cymbals to Lemon brand dual and triple zone 13" cymbals. However, I've recently purchased a second hand Roland V-Drum TD-6V module off Reverb for a mere $150, and while it's nearly a 20 yr old module? It's onboard sounds (1,024 total!) are actually quite good IMO. Although my main intent overall was to replace the rather clunky & unreliable Alesis MIDI Trigger I/O. Lastly, I've begun to part out and sell off all of the parts and upgrades to that DM6 as I'm soon to be embarking on a full DIY acoustic to electric conversion project on my early 1990's Mapex Mars Series 4pc (12",16", 22") shell pack that's been collecting dust in storage. I have to give credit to Justin of the Demonic Sweaters/Alternative Drummer RUclips channel for convincing me to undertake the task of building my own full size e-kit BTW. Hopefully I'll have it completely up and running by the first of next year? I don't have a good 13" positional sensing E-snare as of yet, but I've actually been in recent contacts with the Lemon brand sales rep on Alibaba about maybe doing a possible bundle deal on one their 13' x 5" dual zone e-snare w/ a pair of 15" & 18" triple zone cymbals. Anyway, I've obviously been rambling away about gear in this comment like a nerd. Ha! My ASPD/ADHD be like dat sometimes.🙃 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ BTW... Great video content my dude! I absolutely just hit the "Like & Subscribe" and rang the notification bell! Cheers! ✌🤟🖖
Thank you! Hah I totally understand. I too went Roland since making this video. Three weeks ago I sold my Alesis kit and put my acoustic kit up for sale (that was kinda hard for me lol) but I got a Roland VAD306 which is pretty phenomenal. I'm still trying to dial in the triggers to maximize accuracy. I have looked at some Lemon cymbals as well. I'm interested in some of the new Roland cymbals that are supposedly thinner but I think they're fairly new and still pretty pricey. I might keep my eye on them for when they come down in price. E-drums is definitely a really cool rabbit hole to go down. I was so anti e-drums for years but the recent technology improvements convinced me to finally switch. I will someday buy an acoustic kit again, but I need a basement first!
@@vandarth E-drums were also very cringe for me way back when I was actively a recording/touring drummer. Unfortunately at the end of that published ASCAP union career? I allowed the whole cliche rock and roll chemical "lifestyle" throw a big 'ole wrench into everything, and became completely strung out & jaded overall with the music industry entirely. I genuinely think dropping names is tacky, but I'm legitimately good High School/Music scene friends with Adam Lazzara. The frontman of Taking Back Sunday. Also, my ex punk band's guitarist is currently a top tier commercial jingle & TV/Film composer! Drugs 'er bad M'kaaay? LMAO! However years back amidst my dificult recovery process?! Two miraculous things happened... 1st: Rocksmith for the Xbox 360 came out, which as also being an uber geeky game nerd? It totally helped get me back full swing into obsessively playing guitar and bass again! 2nd: I then discovered Toontrack's EZDrummer/SPD, immediately got myself a beat up second hand Alesis DM6 kit, and well? The rest as they say is history. Ha! Those Roland VAD306 kits definitely look snazzy AF my dude! Alas, definitely out of my meager budget price range. That's kind of what recently got me into the whole DIY A2E conversion thing, because honestly? Drum trigger technology overall is not that complicated by any means if you know what you're doing, and I like the fact that if I eventually do start playing acoustic again? Switching back isn't really that big of a hassle at all IMO. I'll definitely keep you updated on my DIY progress, and who knows? You may want to inevitably embark down the whole A2E drum conversion rabbit hole yourself?! Ha! Thanks for the genuinely awesome reply mi amigo! I'm definitely eager to view more of your future content. As an oversharing bonus? LMAO! Here's a link to one of the first freakin' impossible drum cover vids I attempted right after I got that old Alesis DM6 kit linked to EZDrummer freakin' 10 yrs ago! LMAO! ruclips.net/video/9KyK6A5_lME/видео.htmlsi=HBp5j6T3LD2QPbsl 🔥🤟🔥
@@EasyHeat That was a pretty killer Tool cover! Nice job! Kit sounded great too. Yeah, the VAD306 is really cool looking and very comfortable to play, but I think the TD-17 is almost just as good aside from slightly more comfortable mesh heads to play on. It even comes with the TD-17 module. Other than that the differences are mostly cosmetic. But I kinda wanted the looks for future videos. I snagged a used one at Guitar Center, the price was the lowest I'd ever seen so I must have gotten lucky! Keep rocking!
Alesis nitro dont have 4th cymbal but need this, what cheap sets would you recomend with 4 cymbals? And also bass drum pad, so i can put double pedal on it (looking for my first drum set, sorry for my english)
Hello! There is an expansion pack for the Nitro kit that comes with a 4th cymbal and an extra tom. I would look into that first, that's probably the cheapest reliable option. You can still hook up a double kick pedal to one drum pad so you won't have to buy a 2nd bass drum pad
@@vandarth thanks! Sadly in my country this upgrade pack is not available but i think later i will find it, for double bass i think just buy 1 double pedal and put it on standart alesis pad
Some people are in different stages in life. Some dont know until even just now. This is still cool & helpful to me & someone new to electronic drums. With love to you give peeps a break. God bless
@@tweakthatproductions1648yeah, me myself dont know many things but it is strange that he says that he just discovered this "little trick" since there are millions of videos on the subject.
It kind of depends on what recording software you're using. I'm using a recent version of Pro Tools to run my samples which requires a beefier processor, but theoretically you could use an older computer and be fine with the right software. I actually tested a kit with a 2012 Mac mini, so any laptop with a decent amount of RAM should be ok. But if you wanna run Pro Tools, get the best laptop you can
They're actually not that bad if you catch them on sale. I bought SSD5 on Black Friday a couple years back, but even their free kit is pretty good. Recently I got a Roland VAD306 kit but it is still more advantageous for editing purposes to use the kit as a trigger and record with midi. I still think the SSD5 expansion packs sound better than Roland but that could just be my opinion
Haha! Yeah! I can not tell my story often enough, because that really changed my ... freetime life. I am a hobby metal/prog drummer and edrums were a no go for me. But then my wife dared to ask me, if it would be a good idea to buy an ekit for the kids. And I was like: Noooooooope! Nah! But you know: Happy wife, happy life! And I started to check out RUclips and I saw clunky video where an edrum set was used together with a drum VST (EZDrummer2) and I was like: Ok, sounds usable! So I ordered the low priced MPS850, EZDrummer2 and Cubase 10. I was already familiar with programming drums with Cubase and Reason but not at this level. And I got an audio interface already. Damn ... that was it, with - for the kids. That was Xmas 2019. And since then ... I got gear addicted. A 12" mesh pad or a 15" cymbal pad is way cheaper than a DW tom or a 20" china, so I extended the kit. :-) I use rather cheap pads but not the MPS850 module. Now I use Superior Drummer 3 and got lots of SDX. Dude! That is so satisfying! See my profile for some links. Maybe some time I will convert an acoustic kit to an electronic kit. If you have a notebook available, try it! There are also many free drums vsts available.
Hahahaha!! I know what you mean about free time life. Wow yeah your setup looks awesome. I listened to your demo. My wife and I are expecting, and if e-drums are sort of the future, maybe I should think about trading my kit for a nice Roland... They seem very versatile. I'd gain 25% of my studio space back! Right now I have the acoustic kit right next to the Alesis kit!
@@vandarth That is an old demo. Haha. For a colleage. No, I switched from this strange but powerfull MIDI software Plogue Bidule to Cantabile Solo 4 to route MIDI to several instances of the drum VST or KONTAKT or Decent Sampler. These edrums are so versatile: Switching a pad from a spock to a 2nd hihat to a cowbell, tambourine ... I use a Taiko drum library. Haha! Or chromatic percusssion in Decent Sampler (Glockenspiel etc.). Triggering backing tracks, samples, scenes, clips in Ableton. That's what I mean ... with freetime life. I came from edrums (incl. DIY stuff, Hall sensor hihat controller, snare trigger) to DAW and VST - again - with all these good free VST stuff. Now, I am deeper into music than ever. From a simple drummer to now learning a lot of studio mic setup stuff (because Superior Drummer 3 offers already 3 mics just for the kick + ambiences ) mixing, synth stuff, sound synthesis, music theory (how many drummer know mixolydian flat six, hihi). I bought a guitar just to check out the free VST amp sims. And it's so good. Also my nice MIDI controllers with colored blinking pads... Beautiful! Now I am trying to program some DMX light and a pixel strip to react to the drumhits through the MIDI data. Unfortunately there is no real output until now. But I will get there! So, mates, listen: You NEED an edrum set!!! Don't spent thousands of dollars for recordings of a clunky drum set in a creepy studio with a wanna-be sound engineer. It won't be better than a drum library recorded from high class drum kits with 2000$ mics in an awesome acoustic environment through world class consoles by famous engineers! Ha, sorry. But I am so, so convinced and happy with this type of drumming. Another great improvement: Grab a rather cheap butt kicker, tactile transducer or ass-shaker or whatever you wanna call it and mount it on your drum chair. I feed it through an subwoofer amp. Now, playing the ekit real fun! tinyurl.com/drum-refs -- These are songs (Invisible I) from 2006. First contact with Nuendo and VST. In 2014 we quitted that project because of job, family, house - you know! 😞 That was the first time performing with a studied musician. He also arranged all the keys etc. That was dope! Spirit Corpse was kind of zombie metal! I was young ... :-)
@@eDrumsInANutshell wow that was some very cool stuff! Intricate and energizing. I wish I could figure out how to get my guitar to sound like that too, that's something I'm working on (I'm primarily a guitarist). I love the recent vst amp software for guitar, I've been using Amplitube Max and comparing it to my tube amp. I like both for different things! I use Kontact as well, mostly for Heavyocity's plugins. Ok, you may have convinced me to invest in a nicer ekit.. I'm starting to lean that way!
I guess it depends on which kit you have and how much space you need. The Nitro is definitely small but honestly it was too small for me to play a gig with. It was a good intro to e-drums for me but I upgraded to a Roland. For that, the only space I saved is the kick drum and toms are more compact. That was helpful for me in a tight room but may not be noticeable if you're not in a space where you need every inch you can get.
So I can just buy a cheap electric drums kit and just plug it into my phone or computer and just apply drum samples and the shitty cheap drums will sound good??? I need to know because I don’t care for how it feels just the sound for recording but I don’t want a shit sound but I don’t want to spend a crap Tom if money just for the sound
Yes! You can use a cheap kit with Steve Slate Drums or similar drum trigger software. If you don't mind the feel of a cheap kit then you can mostly get the same sounds. The benefit of expensive kits is some have more sensors but the Alesis Nitro sounded more than good enough through my software. I have since upgraded to a Roland and I really don't notice a difference in tone quality, only feel.
Best way to make then sound pro is to do MIDI out and use Extinction Level Event by Spectre Digital. These samples are recorded to sound like a real kit - no processing, there's bleed between the mic and other super realistic things like room mics for that in the room sound. I use ELE with my Donner DED200 (it was rather pricey at £300, but the internal sounds are cheesy). Steven Slate and all those other drum libraries are also fake as fuck and you can tell because they wind up ruining many professional records - they are processed to shit so they won't even sound like a real drum, they usually are too good to be true also recorded in isolation without the rest of the kit, so no bleed or room ambiance meaning that you get a very detached and obviously fake sound. ELE is good as you get to control the mics and room mics and get room sounds and stupid amounts of round Robins and different sounding hits and bleed between the mics for an in the room, ultra realistic sound. To see what I mean check out my channel and my recent demos on BandCamp that I recorded to tape.
Interesting! I feel that way sometimes about Steven Slate. I have to mess with them a lot to get them to sound more natural, and I can hear when a professional record comes out that didn't do much to make them sound organic. Recently I got Modalics Mindst on a Black Friday sale which sounded a lot more natural in the demos to me, so I can't wait to try it. Has more options like mic bleed. I'll look into Spectre Digital, thanks for the tip!
Lol! That's a hot take! I used to hate electric drums but I have changed my mind. I am very impressed with recent electronic drum technology. I miss a real hi hat but hopefully the tech will get there to where it feels similar soon!
I run my Nitro kit through a DM5 module so I get more outputs. Then I trigger that with Logic Pro and Get Good Drums. Sounds amazing!
I think I looked at the DM5 module at one point, I was considering using it with triggers on my acoustic set. But I had not thought about adding that to my Nitro! That's a great idea
It's a great idea. I was going to do that but I found a killer deal on a Roland VAD306 set this week so I snagged it. I'm not sure what its base output capabilities are but I'll find out when it arrives. Can't wait. I'm gonna have to sell my acoustic kit and my Nitro kit though to pay for it lol :(. But the upside seems worth it right now!
Dm5 is only 16 bit. I had one back in the early 90's not worth it tbh.
This is definitely the route, I'm going to take, in the near future. I'd love to get a full-on acoustic kit, but I'd never use it live and it would be near impossible for me to isolate background noise due to having 4 kids. haha.
Yeah it is really convenient! I like the versatility of being able to change kick and snare sounds afterwards. And my neighbors will like me better haha
I recorded in an dat/adat studio in 2000. Recorded in my living room on the first version of cakewalk home studio in 2004. I still use cakewalk sonor producer edition. It's crazy how far technology has come along in 23 years
It is! I remember researching electric drums about 10 years ago and didn't think the technology was quite there yet but it has really improved in just a short period of time. I remember trying Cakewalk years ago! Probably right around 2005 too!
@@vandarth my cousin bought the first set of high end Roland's that were like $2000. A cheap $350 set today is just as good. I always used triggers and an alesis dm5 rack mount for live and recording. It's amazing how easy it is to get quality sounds with so little effort these days. These kids don't know the struggle of packing pillows and blankets around a drum set and running the snake through the hall into the dining room and building a vocal booth in the tiled in shower 😂
@@nathanquasar468 hah yes I remember those days!! And the horror when I recorded a song and didn't get the kick or snare sound that I originally thought I was getting!
@@vandarth bro I'm telling ya. I made the whole band re record an entire album because I hated the drum sounds. The singer was mixing everything and I bet him $10,000 I could get a better drum sound. He said it was impossible with what we were working with. 2 hours later they were willing to redo everything 😂. Then they shot us in the foot by being assholes and jacking everything up louder than the drums. I was trying to get the best out of what we had and they were spiteful shitheads. 😂
@@nathanquasar468 ah man so sorry to hear that! I also pre-recorded the drums on an entire album once but I was lucky because I was doing it all at home. Didn't have to pay a studio. Can't imagine how frustrating it would be if I had to do that and pay a studio! Ouch!
Got this kit yesterday, defs ging to look into some software, get things nice and beefy
Awesome! Yeah, there are some great sounds available! I wish I could upload them directly to the kit itself but I guess I can't have it all :)
Very nice project, it sounds fantastic
Thank you!
You just totally confirmed what I've been thinking lately. Great vid!
Thanks! Yeah, it's a pretty cost-effective solution. The new dynamic cymbal samples are probably what has impressed me the most. That used to be the hardest part to make sound realistic on e-drums!
Thank you was wondering on all of this getting a e set soon
Very cool instructional and review video!!👍😀🥁
Thanks I appreciate it!
Great advise! I did this a few years ago 'cause I'm a solo home recorder and got pretty solid results. Due to the fact I'm not a full-time live drummer there's no cons for me getting my beats that way into the machine 👌😉
Same here, I'm also a solo home recorder. I have been considering upgrading to one of the new Roland kits that feels more like an acoustic kit. But to afford it I would probably have to sell my acoustic drum set. Lol the agony!! I don't know if I'm ready to part with it but I do really love how the electric kits are progressing. Impressive technology!
Love this vid! Thx for making it & the demo! Rock on bro!
Thank you I really appreciate that!
Been doing the same thing here with SSD5, only using midi i/o instead of usb (vintage roland td-10, no usb port).
Ah, I ran into that recently too. A friend of mine was also using an old Roland kit with no USB.
I use the Alesis DM10 (or Nitro. I have both) and use Reaper and SSD VST plug in and it works great!
Nice! I may add a DM10 to my setup because currently, I've been manually separating the kick, snare, toms and overheads during the mixing process but duplicating the tracks. But the DM10 could potentially separate the tracks during recording, is that correct?
@@vandarth Reaper has a function "Insert Virtual Instrument", which after you select your VST will handle all of the routing needed. The main track is the MIDI data and depending on the VST, the remaining tracks are the individual drums within the VST kit. I usually don't separate mine out, but it would be useful for mixing later.
Here's a video on how to do it.
ruclips.net/video/5i1ZaO9CR6I/видео.html
@@ronsissons8994 awesome thank you!
Thank you for this.
Sounds great 👍
Good job!!!!
Thank you!
Is there a tutorial for how to set it so it plays the sounds externally through a headset or an amp.
you can probably change the output to a sound device plugged into the pc through your daw, just google how to change output device in 'daw' (whichever youre using) i.e. fruity loops is f10 to bring up the input/output menu. :)
Not sure. It depends on what hardware you're using. I'm using a Focusrite Scarlett 8-channel DAW, so for me, my drumset comes out of the main speaker output and headphones when I run Pro Tools.
Also the mixwave kits are really good (jay weinberg's drum pack and the guy from underoath)
I'll check those out, thanks! Always looking for more good drum sounds
How'd you map the hi-hat controller open close in SSD 5? That's what I can't do in SSD 5. Ezdrummer 3 has an alesis crimson ii preset which assigns it automatically.
I didn't have to, it automatically mapped the hi-hat for me. I didn't have to use a preset or anything. The only thing I had to change is one cymbal and one tom weren't mapped to anything but I think that's because I have the special edition kit.
I went this route 2years ago. The only downfall was the hihat, control was awful on the Alesis. I switch to a Rolad VAD306 kit. Running that into either Slate or EZDrummer3 is perfect for me. The Roland sounds are better than Alesis, but the software is even better.
I noticed that too. Sometimes my hi-hat doesn't respond fast enough for intricate parts. I have been looking into the Roland kit as a solution so thank you for sharing that! Maybe that will solve my problem. Otherwise sometimes I have to go back in and add hits that didn't register on the recording (usually 16th notes or faster)
Exactly what I did, but I use EZ Drummer 3 and EPX's.
Nice. I've heard good things about EZ Drummer. I think I actually tried it briefly a few years back for sampling. Does that setup work pretty well for you?
@@vandarth Setup works good for me. USB to midi connection with i7 10th gen windows 11 and 16 Gb RAM and almost no latency with my Nitro (the black one 😏) kit. Sometimes I also use a Focusrite 4i4 audio interface. EZ Drummer is the 'lite' version op superior drummer 3 but enough for me and quite easy operation.
@@Ludo_A Nice! I'm also on a Focusrite interface. The only issue I've run across so far is that occasionally my PC disconnects USB devices. I cannot for the life of me figure out why. I've tried changing the power settings. I think maybe my computer is underpowered (it disconnects flash drives frequently too). So I blame my crappy Dell. For regular gigging I'd probably upgrade my computer.
@@vandarth I have not had that issue with an HP and 4i4 Scarlett but mostly when using the Scarlett I power my laptop to the mains. Higher versions of Focusrite get their power with power supply and not via USB (4i4 is USB).
@@Ludo_A yeah, I would have thought I shouldn't have this problem because I'm on a Focusrite 8i8 gen 3, but maybe it's because I am running 3 internal hard drives and my power supply or motherboard just can't support that many devices. That's the only thing I can think of. I'm pretty sure it's computer related because I don't remember my last computer (iMac) ever dropping USB devices.
Would this work with the Simmons sd1250?
Yes!
Can you do a video where you send this out through your soundcard into a mixing console for FOH production
That's a possibility. I haven't tried this via a regular PC soundcard, although you can. I tend to find a small USB recording interface will have a cleaner signal than a built-in soundcard (once I tried to run guitar software off an iPad and the built-in iPad soundcard had way more buzz on the output than I thought it should have). Instead I use something like a small 2-channel Presonus USB interface (I think mine is the iTwo but the current model looks like a Studio 24c or USB 96, that one is only $89). For the simplest setup, I plug the drum set into the computer via USB, then I would use the two stereo outputs on the Presonus interface to send to the soundboard via two XLR cables (or 1/4 inch cables if you're using the USB 96 interface). That's the basics. So, basically drum set plugs in straight to the computer via USB, then another USB cable connects from the computer to a 2+ channel USB interface which will function as your output, then go from that interface to the soundboard via two cables. You could always try just running it through your computer's soundcard first, maybe your hardware will be quiet enough that you won't have to buy an external USB interface. Worth a shot! Hope that helps!
I have connected a extra cymbal in the extra tom input but no matter how hard I hit it's volume is very low in Superior drummer 3. Please help!
Hmm I don't have any experience with Superior Drummer 3 but something similar happened on my Roland. Check the settings on the drum module itself. Maybe look for volume or sensitivity. I had to turn those up so I didn't have to hit some of my drums so hard
Why do I need the interface to play live with computer midi software? I was hoping I could use the direct outs on my td50x module into front of house...Does the interface have multiple outputs?
You can use the direct outputs too especially if your kit has good high-quality sounds. My cheaper Alesis kit and even my Roland VAD306 couldn't compete with the sound of using samples, but your td50x might already sound great so the direct outs might work well for you
That was cool. Thanks
Our church drum hihat sounds very loud how to fixed it
Which kit do you have? Usually you can adjust the volume of individual drums and cymbals in the drum kit module
@@vandarth actually i don’t know but ityroland. There’s no functions of adjusting like snare hihat crash or something else, if we want we need to adjust it from the sound operating room
Any good recommendations for the brain part of an electronic drum set?
We have a good electronic drum set at our church but no matter which of the 3 tom's you hit, they sound the same. It's 10 year old "Brain".
Oh! Yeah I don't know a ton about all of the brains available but I have a Roland now. TD-27 brain I think. TD-17 is cheaper and you can upload custom samples to both. Be aware though that they're not "dynamic" samples with a Roland though so they don't sound as good as going through sampling software using a laptop. I have read Simmons drumsets let you upload your own samples. You'd have to verify that but if it's true, that is a cheap way to go. My Alesis did not allow custom samples but their higher end Pro Strike is supposed to. None of that really matters if you run it through software though, as you can make an old kit sound good as long as it has a USB port
I just bought a set of Simmons SD1250’s.. it’s a nice sized kit that feels like an acoustic. It has 50 decent acoustic drum kits in it and can be contoured through the module. But, the snare has rim, center and edge triggers but is not programmed To get a real rimshot out of it because you can’t get both rim and skin to trigger simultaneously.. very frustrating..also the kit sounds great stand alone but when playing music you just can’t get a sound out of it that sounds good with the music. I just sold a cheap set of Titan 50’ that to me actually sounded way better while playing with prerecorded tunes. I’ve looked at EzDrummer, Superior drummer and now you’ve introduced Pro so Now I’m wondering if an app/program like this might solve my dilemma. (?) I am old so I’ve had my band experiences. I just want to slip into the basement and kick on the jams in my headphones while the wife and dog are sleeping and jam out to prerecorded stuff and sound like I’m the guy while I’m doing it. You think this program can make the kit sound better than the module sounds.?
Hello! Yes, I definitely think SSD5 would improve the sound. I think it would also allow you to get the snare hit and rim shot at the same time, as I believe my Alesis kit is able to do that. Worst case scenario, you can add the rimshots on top of the other hits in the MIDI editor. I actually tried an SD1250 earlier this week, I was curious about it because I want an electric kit with bigger pads (I feel cramped on the Alesis). But I didn't pay much attention to the stock sounds since I plan on running it through Pro Tools and SSD5. I wish there was an iPad version of SSD5 but there doesn't seem to be one yet. Not sure about EZDrummer or Superior Drummer. But yeah, I'd definitely try running your kit through a program to get the sounds you want. Garage Band might even work.
I have that same shirt lol! great video
@@gabepiano30 that's awesome!
Is there a way to install the sounds directly onto the module itself so that I could eliminate the need to always have my laptop connected? I have an Alesis Nitro MAX
I wish there was! Unfortunately the Alesis support page says there is no way to upload new samples to the module itself on my Nitro kit or the Max. Bummer! So we're stuck with using laptops as an in-between, or something similar.
Thanks for the food for thought! What about latency? High latency gives me nightmares lol.
I actually haven't had many latency issues with this method overall. Certain mixing plugins do create lag if you're trying to perform live or through a computer for Livestream, so that was just a matter of figuring out which ones were causing the lag and choosing other plugins that don't lag. Like, I believe I had to turn off Ozone on the master bus to play live if I'm remembering correctly, but could still use some of my other drum plugins.
Is there a way to download your own sounds to the module
Unfortunately no. And even if you get a Roland, you can only pair your own sample with a pre-existing kit. Which is an improvement but still not as dynamic as going through a laptop or something. I don't know why they wouldn't add that feature. I thought I heard that Simmons would allow that. I do not know if it allows true dynamic sampling or if it just works like the Roland kits though
wow amazing info, thanks for the effort to make this video!
I read in comment you also own a Roland VAD edrum now, which one you prefer to use for drum recording now? How about sensitivity/dynamic? Expensive and cheap edrum set make any different in recording?
Thank you! I greatly prefer to play on the Roland but that mainly has to do with comfort. The Roland is bigger and I felt cramped on the Alesis. Sound-wise they are similar. The Roland has a couple zones on the cymbals so you can differentiate between bell hits and normal crash hits. I cannot remember if the Nitro has that or not, but the biggest jump is made by going up to an even better Roland kit. I think it might be the TD-27, I can't remember for sure, but one of the next Roland models up switches over to digital sensors and it has quite a bit more dynamic capability than mine. Honestly I think what I have is dynamic enough for me other than they still don't have an ultra-accurate hi-hat. If you play rolls on the hat, no Roland I have played yet can clearly articulate every single stick hit. That is the one thing that bothers me. I'm waiting to see if the new Zildjian kit is an improvement but right now it's like $4k!
It is a bit of a shame that the usb connection does not show the drumkits of the alesis and make it possible to upload custom kits. this way you would not have to bring your lapot with you when you must gig
Yeah that is true. I was a little bummed about that too!
how is the functionality of the hi hat pedal?
It's okay, not terrible but unfortunately it wasn't as responsive for more complex hi hat parts. Although I'm having the same issue with my Roland VAD306, I was hoping it would be more accurate. It could also just be a matter of dialing in the right sensitivity setting, not sure yet.
I thought I tried to do this a while back with Ableton but there was lag. How do you avoid this? I have a high end pc so it's not that.
I experienced delay with some VST instruments and plugins awhile back too. For me, I just had to turn on and tweak the delay compensation settings in Pro Tools. Maybe take a look at those settings in Ableton? That's my first guess at least. Hope that helps!
Can you add these onto the module so you don't need to keep using a laptop every time?
From what I've read, this kit doesn't allow users to upload new sounds to it. Some other kits do though
Great video!
Thank you!
I've been trying to do this for many days, spent hours watching videos. I have all the stuff needed, but getting nowhere. I have Alesis Nitro Mesh which is connected to an interface from L/Mono out on the drum module to the XLR input on Scarlett Solo interface. I'm using Reaper as a DAW. SSD5 is connected on my DAW. I can make the drum sounds by clicking etc on my computer, but for some reason, I haven't found a way to get my drums to change. I have the USB out from the drum module to my PC, but how do I do the mapping part? I've tried hitting the kit, nothing lights up on the mapping section. I've tried pressing midi learn and then hitting the kit, again, nothing. Would really appreciate if you could advise? Do I have to disconnect my L/Mono out - XLR? As this is how I'm gettin sound to my speakers. I can't find an IOM file anywhere to load a preset for this specific drum kit.
Hmm you should be able to run the drum set to the computer with only the USB cable. If you hit the map button in SSD5 and scroll through the piano keys, do you see anything mapped at all? Sometimes hits are mapped to keys that don't correspond with the drum set and in that case, I just manually remap things with the right mouse button
Oh, there is one other thing I can think of that might cause the drum set to not register on the computer. With my PC, after I turn the drum set on, I have to restart my computer or Pro Tools won't recognize it. Maybe it's the same with Reaper?
@@vandarth Apparently the Midi to USB only transfers midi data and not sound, so if I did this, how would I get sound? My speakers arent too important as I've started playing through headphones connected to my interface. But even if I did this, without my XLR connecting the kit to the interface, the only thing connecting would be the Midi USB. But Alesis say it doesn't transfer sound.
@@vandarth I can try it, but I hear the ping sound when it's connected. On pro tools, how do you know its been recognised? Do you have to manually select the USB or tell it to so something in settings anywhere? Just curious if there's a step im missing which no video seems to talk about. Like, do I have to tell Reaper about the midi cable, assign it to a setting etc. It's the most complicated set up I've ever known, for something that seems so simple in the tutorials
@@SupMitchiz for USB connection, in Pro tools I just had to make an Instrument stereo track and then add SSD5 as a plugin. Pro tools automatically recognized the USB after that.I also tried it with a Midi cable but for that method I had to create a midi track instead of an instrument track. So I would guess in Reaper, you also have to somehow set the track input as Midi too
not having any latency probs using this rig live?
I haven't had any trouble with latency. It's been pretty spot-on for me.
I use Reaper and don't have any problems. Just adjust the buffer size if you have any problems. I do 256 and it works amazingly
Hi! I just got my e-drum kit and I will get ssd5.5 to make it sound like yours. Do I also need the recording program to trigger it through my in-ears? Thanks and great video!!
Thank you! Yeah, SSD5 and Trigger2 are not standalone programs, so they have to be used with recording software of some kind. But it does work with a wide variety of recording software. Reaper is a cheap option. There's an official list of compatible software on the Steven Slate Drums site
@@vandarth thank you so much for the answer, really helpful:)
This was my initial plan when I purchased an Alesis DM Lite without doing enough prior research to learn that getting a midi signal out of that module was going to be such a frustrating & ultimately unsuccessful endeavour. I would avoid that kit if midi is important.
Ah okay. I have only tried Midi on my Roland kit. Had the best luck with USB though on both my kits
Don’t bother with using general midi (the weird lookin port)
Just use the big ol USB port
@@Wakawakawakawakawakawakawaka7 yeah, I found that to be a lot easier too
Hi mate, I just tried to download this and when I open pro dums, my software looks completely different to yours. Been fiddling for an hour or so and can't work it out. My Pro Drums is completely blank, then when I add a new track its a different page. Has the software updated, am I an idiot or all of the above? Cheers mate
Pro Tools* sorry, not pro drums.
Well I found the screen finally to map the drums. Every option says (not loaded) and I have no idea how to map anything. Cheers in advance if you've got any advice mate
Hello! What I did was double click on the sample kit I wanted in the main SSD5 screen and then click on the map page (looks like a piano roll). You should see that some of the piano keys have a sound linked to them. Sometimes those need to be changed to the sound you want that drum or trigger to make. It will treat your drum set like a USB midi piano so you just have to hit your drums and see which piano keys are triggering. There may be an easier way, I'll try to look into that
Hello! What I did was double click on the sample kit I wanted in the main SSD5 screen and then click on the map page (looks like a piano roll). You should see that some of the piano keys have a sound linked to them. Sometimes those need to be changed to the sound you want that drum or trigger to make. It will treat your drum set like a USB midi piano so you just have to hit your drums and see which piano keys are triggering. There may be an easier way, I'll try to look into that
@@vandarth Awesome man will give it a go this arvo! Thank you for the quick reply
My first E-drum kit was an Alesis DM-6 and the onboard sounds were just awful. Then I began using it with Toontrack's EZDrummer & SPD2.
Later on I completely ditched the DM6 module for an Alesis MIDI Trigger I/O unit, and then began upgrading the pads to mesh heads and the cymbals to
Lemon brand dual and triple zone 13" cymbals.
However, I've recently purchased a second hand Roland V-Drum TD-6V module off Reverb for a mere $150, and while it's nearly a 20 yr old module?
It's onboard sounds (1,024 total!) are actually quite good IMO.
Although my main intent overall was to replace the rather clunky & unreliable Alesis MIDI Trigger I/O.
Lastly, I've begun to part out and sell off all of the parts and upgrades to that DM6 as I'm soon to be
embarking on a full DIY acoustic to electric conversion project on my early 1990's Mapex Mars Series 4pc (12",16", 22") shell pack that's been collecting dust in storage.
I have to give credit to Justin of the Demonic Sweaters/Alternative Drummer RUclips channel for convincing me to undertake the task of building my own full size e-kit BTW.
Hopefully I'll have it completely up and running by the first of next year?
I don't have a good 13" positional sensing E-snare as of yet, but I've actually been in recent contacts with the Lemon brand sales rep on Alibaba about maybe doing a possible bundle deal on one their 13' x 5" dual zone e-snare w/ a pair of 15" & 18" triple zone cymbals.
Anyway, I've obviously been rambling away about gear in this comment like a nerd. Ha!
My ASPD/ADHD be like dat sometimes.🙃
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
BTW...
Great video content my dude!
I absolutely just hit the "Like & Subscribe" and rang the notification bell!
Cheers!
✌🤟🖖
Thank you! Hah I totally understand. I too went Roland since making this video. Three weeks ago I sold my Alesis kit and put my acoustic kit up for sale (that was kinda hard for me lol) but I got a Roland VAD306 which is pretty phenomenal. I'm still trying to dial in the triggers to maximize accuracy. I have looked at some Lemon cymbals as well. I'm interested in some of the new Roland cymbals that are supposedly thinner but I think they're fairly new and still pretty pricey. I might keep my eye on them for when they come down in price. E-drums is definitely a really cool rabbit hole to go down. I was so anti e-drums for years but the recent technology improvements convinced me to finally switch. I will someday buy an acoustic kit again, but I need a basement first!
@@vandarth E-drums were also very cringe for me way back when I was actively a recording/touring drummer. Unfortunately at the end of that published ASCAP union career? I allowed the whole cliche rock and roll chemical "lifestyle" throw a big 'ole wrench into everything, and became completely strung out & jaded overall with the music industry entirely. I genuinely think dropping names is tacky, but I'm legitimately good High School/Music scene friends with Adam Lazzara. The frontman of Taking Back Sunday. Also, my ex punk band's guitarist is currently a top tier commercial jingle & TV/Film composer!
Drugs 'er bad M'kaaay? LMAO!
However years back amidst my dificult recovery process?!
Two miraculous things happened...
1st:
Rocksmith for the Xbox 360 came out, which as also being an uber geeky game nerd? It totally helped get me back full swing into obsessively playing guitar and bass again!
2nd:
I then discovered Toontrack's EZDrummer/SPD, immediately got myself a beat up second hand Alesis DM6 kit, and well? The rest as they say is history. Ha!
Those Roland VAD306 kits definitely look snazzy AF my dude! Alas, definitely out of my meager budget price range. That's kind of what recently got me into the whole DIY A2E conversion thing, because honestly?
Drum trigger technology overall is not that complicated by any means if you know what you're doing, and I like the fact that if I eventually do start playing acoustic again? Switching back isn't really that big of a hassle at all IMO.
I'll definitely keep you updated on my DIY progress, and who knows?
You may want to inevitably embark down the whole A2E drum conversion rabbit hole yourself?! Ha!
Thanks for the genuinely awesome reply mi amigo! I'm definitely eager to view more of your future content.
As an oversharing bonus? LMAO!
Here's a link to one of the first freakin' impossible drum cover vids I attempted right after I got that old Alesis DM6 kit linked to EZDrummer freakin' 10 yrs ago! LMAO!
ruclips.net/video/9KyK6A5_lME/видео.htmlsi=HBp5j6T3LD2QPbsl
🔥🤟🔥
@@EasyHeat That was a pretty killer Tool cover! Nice job! Kit sounded great too. Yeah, the VAD306 is really cool looking and very comfortable to play, but I think the TD-17 is almost just as good aside from slightly more comfortable mesh heads to play on. It even comes with the TD-17 module. Other than that the differences are mostly cosmetic. But I kinda wanted the looks for future videos. I snagged a used one at Guitar Center, the price was the lowest I'd ever seen so I must have gotten lucky! Keep rocking!
@@vandarth will do, and thanks for the kind words!
Alesis nitro dont have 4th cymbal but need this, what cheap sets would you recomend with 4 cymbals? And also bass drum pad, so i can put double pedal on it (looking for my first drum set, sorry for my english)
Hello! There is an expansion pack for the Nitro kit that comes with a 4th cymbal and an extra tom. I would look into that first, that's probably the cheapest reliable option. You can still hook up a double kick pedal to one drum pad so you won't have to buy a 2nd bass drum pad
@@vandarth thanks! Sadly in my country this upgrade pack is not available but i think later i will find it, for double bass i think just buy 1 double pedal and put it on standart alesis pad
@@renattiurkin128 oh sorry to hear that! You might try the Simmons Titan 50 or Titan 70
This guy discovered vst drums last week ? Where has he been for the last 2 decades ?
I've been using vst drums since 2007.. just showing my current setup for those who might find it helpful
Some people are in different stages in life. Some dont know until even just now. This is still cool & helpful to me & someone new to electronic drums. With love to you give peeps a break. God bless
@@tweakthatproductions1648yeah, me myself dont know many things but it is strange that he says that he just discovered this "little trick" since there are millions of videos on the subject.
That's what I thought! But hey, ea to their own I suppose - you gotta start somewhere....? 😊
What laptop would you recommend? Something that works good enough for the samples and recording.
It kind of depends on what recording software you're using. I'm using a recent version of Pro Tools to run my samples which requires a beefier processor, but theoretically you could use an older computer and be fine with the right software. I actually tested a kit with a 2012 Mac mini, so any laptop with a decent amount of RAM should be ok. But if you wanna run Pro Tools, get the best laptop you can
Witch recording software do you use, I am having a hard time.
I normally use Pro Tools. Which software are you using?
I have the GGGarth 'death kick" drum set from TOOL. CHUDDER!!! :D
For all the money you spent on that software you could have just bought a higher end edrum kit with sounds you liked better
They're actually not that bad if you catch them on sale. I bought SSD5 on Black Friday a couple years back, but even their free kit is pretty good. Recently I got a Roland VAD306 kit but it is still more advantageous for editing purposes to use the kit as a trigger and record with midi. I still think the SSD5 expansion packs sound better than Roland but that could just be my opinion
This is how I’ve set my drums up using SSD 5.5 and Chris Lord A.
I have the CLA drums plugin too. It's pretty sweet! Easy to dial in some great sounds
Haha! Yeah! I can not tell my story often enough, because that really changed my ... freetime life.
I am a hobby metal/prog drummer and edrums were a no go for me. But then my wife dared to ask me, if it would be a good idea to buy an ekit for the kids. And I was like: Noooooooope!
Nah! But you know: Happy wife, happy life! And I started to check out RUclips and I saw clunky video where an edrum set was used together with a drum VST (EZDrummer2) and I was like: Ok, sounds usable! So I ordered the low priced MPS850, EZDrummer2 and Cubase 10. I was already familiar with programming drums with Cubase and Reason but not at this level. And I got an audio interface already.
Damn ... that was it, with - for the kids. That was Xmas 2019. And since then ... I got gear addicted. A 12" mesh pad or a 15" cymbal pad is way cheaper than a DW tom or a 20" china, so I extended the kit. :-) I use rather cheap pads but not the MPS850 module. Now I use Superior Drummer 3 and got lots of SDX. Dude! That is so satisfying!
See my profile for some links. Maybe some time I will convert an acoustic kit to an electronic kit.
If you have a notebook available, try it! There are also many free drums vsts available.
Hahahaha!! I know what you mean about free time life. Wow yeah your setup looks awesome. I listened to your demo. My wife and I are expecting, and if e-drums are sort of the future, maybe I should think about trading my kit for a nice Roland... They seem very versatile. I'd gain 25% of my studio space back! Right now I have the acoustic kit right next to the Alesis kit!
@@vandarth That is an old demo. Haha. For a colleage. No, I switched from this strange but powerfull MIDI software Plogue Bidule to Cantabile Solo 4 to route MIDI to several instances of the drum VST or KONTAKT or Decent Sampler. These edrums are so versatile: Switching a pad from a spock to a 2nd hihat to a cowbell, tambourine ...
I use a Taiko drum library. Haha! Or chromatic percusssion in Decent Sampler (Glockenspiel etc.). Triggering backing tracks, samples, scenes, clips in Ableton.
That's what I mean ... with freetime life. I came from edrums (incl. DIY stuff, Hall sensor hihat controller, snare trigger) to DAW and VST - again - with all these good free VST stuff. Now, I am deeper into music than ever.
From a simple drummer to now learning a lot of studio mic setup stuff (because Superior Drummer 3 offers already 3 mics just for the kick + ambiences ) mixing,
synth stuff, sound synthesis, music theory (how many drummer know mixolydian flat six, hihi). I bought a guitar just to check out the free VST amp sims. And it's so good.
Also my nice MIDI controllers with colored blinking pads... Beautiful! Now I am trying to program some DMX light and a pixel strip to react to the drumhits through the MIDI data.
Unfortunately there is no real output until now. But I will get there!
So, mates, listen: You NEED an edrum set!!! Don't spent thousands of dollars for recordings of a clunky drum set in a creepy studio with a wanna-be sound engineer. It won't be better than a drum library recorded from high class drum kits with 2000$ mics in an awesome acoustic environment through world class consoles by famous engineers!
Ha, sorry. But I am so, so convinced and happy with this type of drumming.
Another great improvement: Grab a rather cheap butt kicker, tactile transducer or ass-shaker or whatever you wanna call it and mount it on your drum chair. I feed it through an subwoofer amp. Now, playing the ekit real fun!
tinyurl.com/drum-refs -- These are songs (Invisible I) from 2006. First contact with Nuendo and VST. In 2014 we quitted that project because of job, family, house - you know! 😞
That was the first time performing with a studied musician. He also arranged all the keys etc. That was dope!
Spirit Corpse was kind of zombie metal! I was young ... :-)
@@eDrumsInANutshell wow that was some very cool stuff! Intricate and energizing. I wish I could figure out how to get my guitar to sound like that too, that's something I'm working on (I'm primarily a guitarist). I love the recent vst amp software for guitar, I've been using Amplitube Max and comparing it to my tube amp. I like both for different things! I use Kontact as well, mostly for Heavyocity's plugins. Ok, you may have convinced me to invest in a nicer ekit.. I'm starting to lean that way!
I don’t get why people keep pitching the idea that EDrums are a space saving alternative. My Edrums are easily bigger then my acoustic kit.
I guess it depends on which kit you have and how much space you need. The Nitro is definitely small but honestly it was too small for me to play a gig with. It was a good intro to e-drums for me but I upgraded to a Roland. For that, the only space I saved is the kick drum and toms are more compact. That was helpful for me in a tight room but may not be noticeable if you're not in a space where you need every inch you can get.
Damn dude, do you ever leave the studio? Do your captors bring you food at least? Or do they make you just pump out the videos? Lol
I live there, eating the sawdust that falls off of the drum sticks 😆
So I can just buy a cheap electric drums kit and just plug it into my phone or computer and just apply drum samples and the shitty cheap drums will sound good??? I need to know because I don’t care for how it feels just the sound for recording but I don’t want a shit sound but I don’t want to spend a crap Tom if money just for the sound
Yes! You can use a cheap kit with Steve Slate Drums or similar drum trigger software. If you don't mind the feel of a cheap kit then you can mostly get the same sounds. The benefit of expensive kits is some have more sensors but the Alesis Nitro sounded more than good enough through my software. I have since upgraded to a Roland and I really don't notice a difference in tone quality, only feel.
Best way to make then sound pro is to do MIDI out and use Extinction Level Event by Spectre Digital. These samples are recorded to sound like a real kit - no processing, there's bleed between the mic and other super realistic things like room mics for that in the room sound. I use ELE with my Donner DED200 (it was rather pricey at £300, but the internal sounds are cheesy). Steven Slate and all those other drum libraries are also fake as fuck and you can tell because they wind up ruining many professional records - they are processed to shit so they won't even sound like a real drum, they usually are too good to be true also recorded in isolation without the rest of the kit, so no bleed or room ambiance meaning that you get a very detached and obviously fake sound. ELE is good as you get to control the mics and room mics and get room sounds and stupid amounts of round Robins and different sounding hits and bleed between the mics for an in the room, ultra realistic sound. To see what I mean check out my channel and my recent demos on BandCamp that I recorded to tape.
Interesting! I feel that way sometimes about Steven Slate. I have to mess with them a lot to get them to sound more natural, and I can hear when a professional record comes out that didn't do much to make them sound organic. Recently I got Modalics Mindst on a Black Friday sale which sounded a lot more natural in the demos to me, so I can't wait to try it. Has more options like mic bleed. I'll look into Spectre Digital, thanks for the tip!
all you did was bury it with music
its called putting it into context. if he played the drums with no example of them in a mix what would be the point lmao.
why are you green screened into your own room? 😆
Lol usually I don't do that but this time I had some extra stuff in the room and it was temporarily a mess, so I just used my green screen
Get. a roland td-27 AT LEAST if you think of playing live
@@luisutil9070 I actually ended up getting a Roland VAD306 not too long after I made this videl
Excuse me- the DISRESPECT at the beginning for E players. Cool vid tho lol
Lol I apologize, I didn't mean to offend! I was hoping to contrast how far electronic drum sounds have come.
Maybe it was your playing that was the issue...
Whatever...Go away. He's giving out awesome information not trying to be John Bonham.
Heres a tutorial oh wait you need this thing that cost a mf fortune or you need somthing that i wont show you how to get
I disagree that this sounds terrible.The sounds while not professional are not that bad.Believe me I’ve heard worse.
ACOUSTIC DRUMS SUCKS.... NOTHING SOUNDS BETTER THAN A GOOD ELECTRONIC DRUM SET..... THERE, I SAID IT.
Lol! That's a hot take! I used to hate electric drums but I have changed my mind. I am very impressed with recent electronic drum technology. I miss a real hi hat but hopefully the tech will get there to where it feels similar soon!
@vandarth Nothing prevents you from using a Real high hat on an electronic drum set... get what's good from both worlds