drum triggers !

rhythmic5 · 17th August 2006, 09:37 AM

ok, I've sort of juggled this idea for a while without actually trying it out.

I was thinking of instead of spending thousands on Neumann and AKG overheads and Shure drum mics and then getting a suitable mixer for it all, that I could simply use drum triggers, a MIDI brain module, and some sort of drum sample library (like, say the fxpansion BFD).

so, I would hook up the triggers to the head of each drum, and have the MIDI brain record all hits the drummer makes into the computer, then simply replace them with drum sounds of my choice.

the only thing I have trouble with, is deciding if its actually worth it, and which drum trigger(s) or drum trigger package to buy.

thoughts?

joeq · 17th August 2006, 06:21 PM

you could certainly go this route, especially if you are cynically thinking you would be replacing all the drum hits anyway...

Don't most of the software drum replacers work directly on audio tracks? - so you could also just use cheap mics and skip the whole trigger/MIDI mess, MiIDI latency, false triggering etc etc. A cheap mic is no more expensive than a reliable trigger and needs no MIDI brain.

you would still need a decent pair of overheads, because sampled cymbals just don't cut it. Also keep in mind that many of the people sucessfully using "sample replacement therapy" are blending the samples in to the original drum sounds, instead of replacing them entirely.

The advantage to MIDI is that you can trigger from a pad, and you can trigger live. I used to trigger a lot of stuff live and I used barcus-berry triggers mounted on putty inside the bearing edge with the sensitive side pointing up at but not touching the head. Some guys would glue them to the head, but then every time you change head....

contramark · 17th August 2006, 06:35 PM

i do drum replacement and id defidently recommend at least getting a decent pair of overheads, sm57 and d112 then some triggers and youll be ok. blending the hits from the snare and kick drum is important for the mix and the drummers sake. i use the 57 and d112 as triggers and drumagog to convert the audio into midi for toontrack DFH samples. for toms i use roland triggers into my interface preamps.

bcgood · 17th August 2006, 07:04 PM

I think many people are using drumagog these days. You might want to check it out.

bcgood

http://www.drumagog.com/

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17th August 2006, 09:37 AM	#1
rhythmic5 Gear Head Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 56	drum triggers ! ok, I've sort of juggled this idea for a while without actually trying it out. I was thinking of instead of spending thousands on Neumann and AKG overheads and Shure drum mics and then getting a suitable mixer for it all, that I could simply use drum triggers, a MIDI brain module, and some sort of drum sample library (like, say the fxpansion BFD). so, I would hook up the triggers to the head of each drum, and have the MIDI brain record all hits the drummer makes into the computer, then simply replace them with drum sounds of my choice. the only thing I have trouble with, is deciding if its actually worth it, and which drum trigger(s) or drum trigger package to buy. thoughts?

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17th August 2006, 06:21 PM	#2
joeq Lives for gear Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: New York Posts: 3,876	you could certainly go this route, especially if you are cynically thinking you would be replacing all the drum hits anyway... Don't most of the software drum replacers work directly on audio tracks? - so you could also just use cheap mics and skip the whole trigger/MIDI mess, MiIDI latency, false triggering etc etc. A cheap mic is no more expensive than a reliable trigger and needs no MIDI brain. you would still need a decent pair of overheads, because sampled cymbals just don't cut it. Also keep in mind that many of the people sucessfully using "sample replacement therapy" are blending the samples in to the original drum sounds, instead of replacing them entirely. The advantage to MIDI is that you can trigger from a pad, and you can trigger live. I used to trigger a lot of stuff live and I used barcus-berry triggers mounted on putty inside the bearing edge with the sensitive side pointing up at but not touching the head. Some guys would glue them to the head, but then every time you change head....

17th August 2006, 06:35 PM	#3
contramark Gear maniac Join Date: May 2005 Location: philadelphia, pa Posts: 257	i do drum replacement and id defidently recommend at least getting a decent pair of overheads, sm57 and d112 then some triggers and youll be ok. blending the hits from the snare and kick drum is important for the mix and the drummers sake. i use the 57 and d112 as triggers and drumagog to convert the audio into midi for toontrack DFH samples. for toms i use roland triggers into my interface preamps.

17th August 2006, 07:04 PM	#4
bcgood Lives for gear Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: West Coast Posts: 3,064	I think many people are using drumagog these days. You might want to check it out. bcgood http://www.drumagog.com/