sticks with triggers inside them

[joeq]

just what the title says:

I can't believe nobody doesn't just put a small trigger inside a stick and give you a thin wire with a jack to plug into your module

I am not talking about the First Act or Siverlight toys - they don't seem to track well and besides, they use motion sensors, not contact mics. Nor do I want those "shock reducing" sticks designed to be played on a pad. They call them "trigger sticks" but that's a lie - clearly designed to foil my Googling.

I mean a stick where the stick IS the 'pad' so to speak, and will produce a trigger event upon striking any surface. Does anyone know of such a product?

[BLUElightCory]

How would the stick/trigger know what it's hitting, i.e. how would it differentiate between a high hat, snare drum, tom, ride, etc.?

[Milliken]

Originally Posted by BLUElightCory

How would the stick/trigger know what it's hitting, i.e. how would it differentiate between a high hat, snare drum, tom, ride, etc.?

Midi instrument stupid.

You should save this thread as proof of your copyright and intellectual rights. It's a fantastic Idea. USB interface cable would be nice and it sounds like it wouldn't be too hard to make.

I would love to get some midi drum rolls for snare and hi-hat that you can't get from keys or pads.

[joeq]

Originally Posted by BLUElightCory

How would the stick/trigger know what it's hitting, i.e. how would it differentiate between a high hat, snare drum, tom, ride, etc.?

For my purposes, it would not matter. I am not thinking of using it as a drum set replacement.

I just want to trigger a couple of basic sounds by playing on a tabletop, back of a chair, the floor, my knees, whatever.

I suppose if I wanted to get fancy, I could get to different sounds by velocity layering. Random would be OK, too.

My application is kind of abstract, percussion solo-ish. So if the 'wrong' sound came out because I hit it too hard or too soft, it wouldn't be a problem.

[joeq]

Originally Posted by Tom Orrow

You should save this thread as proof of your copyright and intellectual rights.
.

I hereby grant a license to anyone who will build and sell such a thing - all I want is a free one of whatever they build.

[toolskid]

The interface cable would limit stick spinning options and impair the velocity of the spin.

I'm very seriously thinking of deleting this thread...

[joeq]

Originally Posted by toolskid

The interface cable would limit stick spinning options and impair the velocity of the spin..

I have already experimented with taping a wire to the end of the stick and it does not greatly interfere with playing . Sure it plays easier with no wire, but putting the wire up my sleeve, I can get around.

It is certainly far easier to play than those motion-sensor toy sticks which have the approximate shape and heft of a butane barbecue lighter.

I'm very seriously thinking of deleting this thread..

that seems rather arbitrary.

I am sincerely interesting in finding out if anyone has heard of such a product being available.

[toolskid]

uhm...ok... perhaps you are missing the required irony glands required to participate in online forum banter....

[joeq]

Originally Posted by toolskid

uhm...ok... perhaps you are missing the required irony glands required to participate in online forum banter....

OK slow to catch on here...

when you said 'spin' I though you were just using a hip slangy term for 'play'!

[BLUElightCory]

Originally Posted by Tom Orrow

Midi instrument stupid.

What? Oh right, why would I ever assume that someone would want to invent a set of DRUM STICKS with a trigger inside of it and not use it to perform MIDI drum tracks? That's so stupid of me. The QUESTION was how would the stick-trigger be able to differentiate between the different elements of the kit (snare, toms, cymbals) so that it knew which samples to trigger on the MIDI instrument, if you were using the sticks as part of a traditional-style drum performance? It's just a QUESTION, a question that I'd really like to know the answer to.

I really hope I'm just missing the sarcasm in your post.

To the O.P. - I did find these online; I'm not sure if it's exactly what you're looking for or not but it might help...

MIDI Sticks

[joeq]

Originally Posted by BLUElightCory

To the O.P. - I did find these online; I'm not sure if it's exactly what you're looking for or not but it might help...

MIDI Sticks

Thanks Cory! This seems like it might be promising. And they seem to have solved the question you posed by having the sticks able to 'learn' the sonic imprint of different materials. So if you tap the wooden back of chair it will trigger a different midi event than if you tap the cushion.

I just wish they had some photos or a video. Not even one pic.

They probably have yet to strike a deal with a manufacturer - though there are some invention awards.

[kieranfantastico]

What about a little trigger to stick to your right shoe for the bass drum? Left foot switch for the hi-hat? Think i'm taking this too far.

[RockManDan]

im really surprised someone hasnt developed a low-cost electronic drumset replacement out of some sort of rollup pad with a usb controller...remember those rubber/nylon looking roll-out pianos that you press on and they would play notes? well why not one that has a few regions designated for different drum voices? then have a remote one that can be foot-controlled. its completely doable with current tech and it should cost like 100 bucks. would make millions in the bedroom studio world. being able to just tap out a drum beat using your hands or sticks and use that midi in your favorite vst module would be awesome. sure beats spending 1000s on an electronic drumset when all you want to do is make demos at home without having to program drums or mic up a kit.

[TheFirstThird]

^+1; that would definitely take off. I'd get a set for sure....

[nebzero]

Additional ideas: finger drum pad. I can't keep time with sticks, but drumming on my desk/steering wheel I'm a prodigy.

More on topic: Why couldn't these be wireless/battery op? I'm sure the electronics and battery could be made to re-balance the stick. Also, the whole "I break a stick and the lithium in the battery explodes" trick could be awesome!

If the stick itself were multi-padded (tip, shoulder, etc) multiple sounds could be triggered. Or, in a non-drummer context one could simply arm different samples to be midi controlled.

[hearingdouble]

Originally Posted by nebzero

Additional ideas: finger drum pad. I can't keep time with sticks, but drumming on my desk/steering wheel I'm a prodigy.

YouTube - M-Audio Trigger Finger (advertising video)

(amongst hundreds of other Drum Machine inspired midi controllers...)

[Tibbon]

I could see this being useful data to record for triggering and helping stop false triggering on electronic drums. Kinda like a double verification. You wouldn't use the stick trigger alone, but it would be useful to differentiating brass (no triggers) from other drums that might have triggers on them.

[nebzero]

Originally Posted by hearingdouble

YouTube - M-Audio Trigger Finger (advertising video)

(amongst hundreds of other Drum Machine inspired midi controllers...)

Yeah, those controllers would work. I just haven't demo'd one that really was sensitive enough. (perhaps operator error )

Thanks for the link, fun stuff for sure.

[soundsundergroun]

Like many other drummers, I break sticks. Why would I want to break these hypothetical trigger sticks? Such a dumb idea.