digi 002 as drum module?

[Ryan Mac]

So.... after researching plans on the internet, I have decided to build my own electronic drum kit using piezo elements wired out to 1/4" jacks and sandwiched between practice pads. The construction of the actual kit seems pretty straight forward. My question has to do with the drum module I would need to plug the pads into. I am looking for a low cost option to trigger the sounds as I am not even sure how effectively this thing will work. The obvious solution would be to get a cheap drum module off ebay or go for something like an Alesis I/O as I am planning to trigger via midi (Steven Slate) samples from my computer. However, i was thinking maybe I would be able to use my digi 002 to test the pads somehow. Anybody got any ideas of how to do this? I was thinking I could use some sort of audio to midi software like Midifier to trigger Kontakt.....or simply use drumagog. However, since the piezos aren't exactly like mics, i dont know if they would trigger such software. Like I said, it would be cool if I could test the homemade pads before investing $150 in something that might not work that great to begin with. Anybody got any ideas, thoughts, or experiences?

 

[broken81]

Alesis trigger
http://www.alesis.com/triggerio

or Alesis Dm5
http://www.alesis.com/dm5

I'm sure there is other options to turn the triggers into midi but I think the Alesis trigger is pretty cheap and looks sweet! Though the dm5 works great for this as well. I have personally used it with triggers and sent the midi to my digi002 and triggered dfhs 2.0. I cant wait for Steven to release some software to trigger his samples via midi.

 

[xFkx]

why not just route the audio peaks from the triggers into the DAW and use apTrigga or drumagog. Didn't try it, but it promises lower latency...

using MIDI (my experience from running the DM5 into a DAW running Battery) induces a lot of latency which makes you lose the feel of what you are drumming

 

[Ryan Mac]

Thanks Broken81. I realize that the Alesis trigger and the Dm5 would work but I guess what I am asking is if there is a way to trigger the drum pads using only the digi 002 and some sort of software. My thinking is that if its possible, I might pick up an 8 channel mic preamp to connect to my 002, which I've been wanting to get for a while, and have it serve the purpose of being both a mic preamp and drum brain. I am not planning on ever playing the drum kit live, its just basically so i can mess around and learn on....which is why I'm trying to keep it as cheap as possible. I could, however, justify getting a mic preamp which I would use and which would also happen to give me the ability to trigger my diy kit.

 

[Ryan Mac]

xFkx, that definitely seems like the easiest solution. I'm gonna try using drumagog as soon as i finish building my first pad.

 

[broken81]

dude In protools there is low latency monitoring and also if you set the hw buffer to like 256 (if your computer is fast enough) there is no latency. Both options give you no latency. Well I'm sure there is some latency but not that you can even hear. The Alesis trigger is stupid cheap also, your gonna spend more money on a 8 channel mic preamp then the Alesis would cost. Plus its cool to be able to edit your drums in midi and fix anything!

Either way will work....

 

[Metaltastic]

Eh, I would say that there's no perceivable latency at 128 samples, 256 is pushing it for me...

 

[broken81]

Eh, I would say that there's no perceivable latency at 128 samples, 256 is pushing it for me...

Good call Metalastic, I should have said 128.

256 is ok and works but the latency is just beginning to be heard. Most drummers will not even notice it though.

 

[Ryan Mac]

Thanks for the advice guys. Broken81, I think your right.....I might as well just get the Trigger I/O. It is cheap and will be way less hassle when dealing with any latency issues that might occur. I think I'm gonna build a pad, test it with the 002 and drumagog and, if it seems to work, pick up the Trigger. On another note, anybody have any experiences with building DIY electronic kits? Theres a whole wealth of information on the internet about making them and it seems like a totally reasonable and much cheaper option than dropping a lot of cash on a factory made one. I'm gonna start gathering the materials for it today. Any tips or tricks from those who have done this before?