V-drums and software and midi and...

[Funkster]

I had a td10 and td20 and sold them and bought a td3 because I never used the sounds, and as far as triggering midi, it does just fine.

I have an iMac i7 and can enjoyably play Superior through Logic at a 128 buffer setting with no issues.

Best of luck! It can be a lot of fun and a very powerful tool!

[CJ1973]

Any further updates here?
I'm looking at a kit to trigger midi really well but also looking to make it hybrid with real cymbals mic-ed.
Is a td20 or td30 needed? Are the drum pads way better? Or would a td3 do?
With the brain, what's a less costly brain for this purpose?
Thx!

[solipsynth]

Originally Posted by CJ1973

Is a td20 or td30 needed? Are the drum pads way better? Or would a td3 do?
With the brain, what's a less costly brain for this purpose?
Thx!

The more expensive vdrum mesh head pads feel more realistic, but unless you really need to simulate the feel of an acoustic kit, the cheaper rubber pads are more than good enough to give you the trigger options and dynamic range you need. In fact I prefer rubber pads due to the uniformity of the trigger response. Since you want to use real cymbals (hihat as well?), you should build your own kit for the rest with something like the following (note that I prefer Yamaha for rubber pads):

1. Snare: Yamaha 3-zone pad
2. Kick: Yamaha KP65
3. Toms: Yamaha single-zone rubber pad
4. Module: Yamaha DTX400 or 500. I recommend sticking with the same brand module (Yamaha to Yamaha or Roland to Roland) since they have some minor incompatibilities.

The above setup should be very economical (<$600USD), granted that you provide the rack, mounting hardware and cymbals.

[was silents]

So, I'm in a similar but cheaper situation.....

Can I do better than a td3 at around $500 used?

I've done a lot of homework and it seems I can't but I thought I'd check with the slutz.

I'm mostly interested in having my drummer friend track midi into my DAW. I thought a mesh snare is pretty important and the td3 has one. The internal sounds are not very important but he will probably be practicing with them. I'm working on an rock/electronic project in the vein of later NIN (for lack of better comparables..I know that he does mostly programmed drums too). Trying to keep the budget as low as possible around $500 give or take. Will probably sell the kit when finished.

Thanks a million!

[solipsynth]

Originally Posted by was silents

Can I do better than a td3 at around $500 used?

For just taking the MIDI out into a VST and practice, basic modules like the TD3 or DTX400 are good enough--as long as you make sure they support all the trigger options you want (eg, 3 zone snare, 3 zone cymbal, etc.). You could always upgrade with better bits and pieces as the need arises.

Regarding mesh heads, make sure your drummer tests them out first--some are bouncier than others, or have more of a center hot spot, etc.

[was silents]

Originally Posted by solipsynth

For just taking the MIDI out into a VST and practice, basic modules like the TD3 or DTX400 are good enough--as long as you make sure they support all the trigger options you want (eg, 3 zone snare, 3 zone cymbal, etc.). You could always upgrade with better bits and pieces as the need arises.

Regarding mesh heads, make sure your drummer tests them out first--some are bouncier than others, or have more of a center hot spot, etc.

Thanks man! Great points. Very much appreciate the input.