Transcript for the video "How I Made My Drumkit, Part 12"

Introduction

A few weeks back I posted my first update video, which was part 11 in a series of videos called “How I made my electronic drumkit”. The first 10 videos in this series were made 10 years ago. In part 11 I showed which changes I made to the hardware of my drumkit. But of course I have updated my drum module as well. In this video, I will explain why I bought the Roland TD-50X module. I will also explain why I haven’t connected the pads that I play Hi-Hat on, to the Hi-Hat input. And at the end I will make a few suggestions for improvements for the next version of the module (I hope Roland is watching).

Some of the info might be interesting to all of you all drummers, but some details might only be of interest to ‘electronic drum nerds’. So to try and keep all of you onboard, I will put the details that might bore the average drummer in a frame with this text [NERD ALERT]. Nerds can pause the video and read the text, others might want to move on to the next chapter in this video.

1. Four features I was missing before

In the past decades I have always used two or sometimes three different drum modules. In the 90’s I combined the Alesis D4 and DM5 and later on the D4 and DM Pro. Part 8 of this series, you can see an equipment flightcase with a Roland TD-8 and an Alesis D4. From the TD-8 I upgraded to a TD-20 module and I combined that module with a Roland TM-2. Although the TM-2 is designed for use with acoustic drums, I used it for add a few more trigger inputs and to play samples (because the TD-20 can’t do that). So I gradually became a fan of Roland VDrums. Not because of their looks, in fact I prefer pads to look differently than acoustic drums. But I have found the VDrums to have better and faster trigger to sound conversion.

Before I dive into the TD-50, let me explain why I have been using two modules simultaneously for over two decades. There were two reasons. The first was that I played a big kit and no module had enough trigger inputs for my liking. As you may have seen in other videos, I am not just a drummer. I like to add percussion and samples as well. Since most modules follow the standard layout of an acoustic drumkit, I never had enough inputs. Through the years, my kit was roughly a 20 piece kit. So using two drum modules was a necessity for me, because of the amount of pads I use.

The second reason for using two drum mod ules all these years, was that since I am not a standard drummer, no single drum module that could fulfil all my wishes. Not even the Roland TD-20 and TD-30 module (which is almost identical to the TD-20). So by combining two modules and connecting them through MIDI, I got quite close to the setup I wanted. These were things I wanted to do but I wasn’t able to do with a single module:
a) Closed Hi-Hat and open Hi-Hat on a single pad (head and rim)
b) More control over half open Hi-Hat sounds (more than a few fixed heights)
c) Layer sounds like Hi-Hat and kick or snare
d) Play my own samples and loops

Well a few of these things were possible, at the very least the last one (using the TM-2 for example). But I never found one single hardware module that could do all of these things. Using two modules has its advantages and it’s disadvantages. I learned to live with the disadvantages.

[NERD ALERT]
When I used two modules, I always connected pads to trigger inputs on both modules. Also, I connected the two modules through midi. That meant I could layer sounds on the second module. For instance, hitting a pad that is connected to the snare input of the first module, would trigger a sound on that module and it would also trigger a second sound on the second module. So one of the advantages of a dual setup is the option for layering sounds.

I will show in the next video how I send MIDI program change info to my modules. The way to differentiate between two modules is to use different MIDI channels. In several setups, I have used MIDI channels 10 and 11 to send program change. For layering, I sent the MIDI NOTE ON messages through channel 11 to the second drum module (to layer sounds).

PS I have read of modules that could be linked to eliminate crosstalk in multiple modules, but I always wanted to combine two different modules, to make interesting combinations

2. How the TD-50X fulfills my four wishes

After the disappointment when the TD-30 was released (not a big step forward, if it was one at all) we had to wait a while for the Roland TD-50. It was - and still is - quite expensive, but - for me - it is the best hardware drum module available at the moment. With the TD-50 module I can pretty much do everything I wanted, even before the X update. Let’s look at the checklist:

a) Closed Hi-Hat and open Hi-Hat on a single pad (head and rim) If I disconnect head and rim settings for a specific pad, I can assign a closed Hi-Hat sound to the head of the pad and an open Hi-Hat sound to the rim. Then, I can use the “MUTE GRP” function to have the closed sound mute the open sound. So I go to the MUTE GRP page… and on the MUTE SEND row I have set the group number to 1 for the head of the pad. Then on the MUTE RECEIVE row I have set the group number to 1 for the rim of the pad.
You may not see the advantage of playing this way if you play rock music, but if you play electronic music this means you can use your left foot to play other sounds. Muting is also very useful if you want to have a reverse cymbal sound building up in volume towards the first beat of the next measure. Like this.

b) More control over half open Hi-Hat sounds (more than a few fixed heights) When playing rock music without a Hi-Hat pedal, I do not want to be limited to just a few fixed settings (like on the TD-20, where you can select FIXED1 to 4). In the TD-50X I can select a Hi-Hat sound and select the HALF2 setting, to get a decent half open sound. Then I can shorten it, though the ADVANCED page and the Pad Decay setting. Like this.
Although critics may say that the result might not exactly sound like a change in height of a half open Hi-Hat, this is good enough for me!

c) Layer sounds like Hi-Hat and kick or snare
The TD-50 module has the option “SUB INSTRUMENT” that you could use to layer two sounds. It seems that its primary function is to layer two similar sounds. You could program two different snares, to mix a crispy snare and a fat snare. Like this.
Also, you could use this function to layer two completely different sounds.
In this kit I have three sounds on three toms, from right to left: Kick / closed Hi-Hat / Snare. As you may have heard, the kick and snare have a Hi-Hat sound as a sub instrument. On the remaining tom I have selected an open Hi-Hat sound that is muted by the other pads. So I can play a drum pattern on these four pads with just one hand. This leaves my other limbs to play other sounds, like conga, bass guitar or something else.

d) Play my own samples and loops
Well, some drum modules can play samples but my previous module – the Roland TD-20 – couldn’t do it. Since I bought the TD-50X I have been using samples in several songs. You can save WAV files on an SD Card and import the files on the module. Once you have imported the file, you can take the SD card out. The import function copies the samples to memory.

So looking back, it was great to learn that this new flagship module removed all my personal road blocks. But there was a serious disadvantage for me, if I was to replace my two older modules by this new flagship: I had less trigger inputs available. I had to think about that for a while, which pads to take out and how I would use the remaining pads. I managed to find a layout with 16 pads and cymbals, excluding the Hi-Hat pedal.

[NERD ALERT]
Let’s start with a disclaimer: my module looks like a TD-50 but is has been updated. So effectively it is a TD-50X module. I bought this one with the update, so I have never owned a bare TD-50. So I do not know exactly what the differences between the TD-50 and TD-50X are. It may be that if you own a TD-50 without the update, your setting and the menu will be different from mine. I am happy to own an updated TD-50 because I prefer the chrome data wheel (on the real 50X that data wheel is black)

3. The pad to input diagram

The TD-50 module has only 14 inputs. In the previous video in this series I already explained how I am able to connect my 16 pads and cymbals to the 14 inputs of the TD-50X module. I explained that I made two splitter cables that each combine two mono pads into one stereo input. Here is the diagram:

Don’t stop watching because you think the Hi-Hat is not connected right. Stay with me, I play my Hi-Hat sounds on other trigger inputs than the Hi-Hat input, and it is for a good reason. I will explain why in a minute!

Apart from the Hi-Hat assignment, I think the rest makes sense. As I explained in the previous video in this series, my advice with splitter cables is to only use them with two pads of the same brand and type. So I have chosen to use one splitter cable to connect my two 6”rubber pads to the AUX3 input... and the second splitter cable to connect the two trigger pedals in the middle to the AUX4 input...

[NERD ALERT]
In my other videos you can see I use a multi-cable and a multi-connector. It holds 72 pins, and I use it to connect all my pad signals, my switches and lights. The nerds out there might be interested to know which pins transmit which signals. So here is the pin layout for freaks (like me).
As you can see, I reserved 3 pins for each pad or cymbal, even though some of my pads are mono. As fare as the tom pads are concerned, I might to stereo pads in the future. As far as the 6” rubber pads and the two middle pedals, as I explained they are converted to stereo using splitter cables.
As you can see, I have reserved pins for USB Pads although I do not own a digital pad or ride at the moment. Even though I do not plan to buy digital pads or cymbals right now, I am open to the idea of using these digital products in the future.
One USB cable is already in the multi-cable, you can see it on the right side at the ride position. The other two USB cables are hanging loose on the left side, along with a DMX cable. For LED I also reserved 3 pins, but my current LED strips only use two pins.
The two footswitches are combines into one cable and that cable is included in the multi-cable, in the middle. I made a splitter cable to connect both footswitches. There is also a volume pedal jack in the middle, which I might use in the future, for audio volume or light intensity.

4. The reason why I do not play Hi-Hat sounds on the Hi-Hat Input

About 20 seconds ago I showed the current layout and pad to input diagram. Let me pull that back up. In this diagram you can see that I have connected the cymbal that I usually play a China sound... to the Hi-Hat input of my module. If you have seen other videos of me, you would have seen that I play most of my Hi-Hat sounds on these two pads. And those two are connected to the Aux1 and Aux2 inputs. I will explain why.

The short version: I prefer to play Hi-Hat sounds on a mesh head pad and if I connect one of these pads to the Hi-Hat input, I cannot use the rim or edge of the Hi-Hat. At least not in the current version of the TD-50X. I can understand that this might sound strange to you, so let me demonstrate this by doing two different tests.

For this short demonstration I have unplugged the black jack cable that runs from my multi-connector into the Hi-Hat input. I now have this silver cable inserted into the Hi-Hat input, which is input number 7. I plug the other end of the silver cable into this the PD-85. So now the PD-85 on my left is connected to the Hi-Hat input and the PD-85 on my right is still connected to the AUX1 input. I have assigned the same Hi-Hat sound to each of the two pads.

[NERD ALERT]
Of course I have set the type of pad on the HH input to PD-85 (the type of pad that is currently connected). The TD-50 module shows a full list of pad and cymbal types for the HH. So it seemed logical to set the type to PD-85.
However, leaving the type to CY-12C (the cymbal that I usually connect to this input) gave unexpected results. Most hits on the rim were not considered to be a hit on the edge of the HH, but occasionally it seemed to work. Unfortunately, the results were not reliable enough to say it is possible to play head and rim with this setting.

In drumkit number 1, I can play Hi-Hat by hitting the head of both pads, using the Hi-Hat pedal I have connected to open and close the Hi-Hat.

Now let me play head and rim. If you listen closely, you can hear the edge sound on the PD-85 that is connected to the Aux1 input but NOT on the PD-85 pad that is connected to the Hi-Hat input!

Earlier in this video I have showed you that sometimes I play Hi-Hat on a single pad, using the rim for the open Hi-Hat sound and the head for the closed Hi-Hat sound. Again, this works well on the Aux1 input but NOT on the PD-85 pad that is connected to the Hi-Hat input!

In the module itself, I am able to set instruments on the edge of the Hi-Hat and on the mute group page I am able to make the mute settings that I have showed you earlier. (Since I do not want the pads to mute the other one, I have assigned the head and rim of the Hi-Hat input to mute group 2). To show you that the muting does work, I can use the trigger and preview buttons on the module.

So after these two tests, I think we can draw the conclusion that we can’t play the rim or edge sound on the Hi-Hat input, from a PD-85 pad (or even a PDX-100 pad). At least not on the TD-50X with my version number.

At first I thought this was a software shortcoming, a software restriction related to the special character of the Hi-Hat. But after giving this some more thought, I now believe this may be hardware related. The wikipeda VDrums page is a great resource, there you can check how many pads on your module are which h type. The numbers for the TD-50 module are 1 mono + 3 piezo/switch + 9 piezo/piezo + 1 threeway. So let’s put it in a diagram.

Input 1 kick is the mono one and the Ride is the threeway. The inputs for the Snare and Toms and Aux must be of the piezo/piezo type. That means that besides the two Crashes, the Hi-Hat must also be of the piezo/switch type. The mesh head pads are obviously a piezo/piezo type pad. That must be the reason why these pads do not work well with the Hi-Hat input.

So to summarize. I prefer to play Hi-Hat on these two PD-85 pads, but these pads do not seem compatible with the Hi-Hat input. My work-around is to connect these two PD-85 pads to the AUX1 and AUX2 inputs. Since I want to get the most out of my module and want to use all the trigger inputs, I now connect this CY-12C cymbal to the Hi-Hat input. It is not ideal, but since I use the copy function a lot, I can live with this strange limitation!

5. Suggestions for Roland updates

The topic I covered in the last four minutes or so, could be seen as the first suggestion I have for Roland. But I already found a workaround and also, I am not sure whether this change can be done through a firmware update. It might need a hardware update. So to start with some simple suggestions, let me first give you five suggestions for updates that - I think - could be easily applied to the TD-50X.

TD-50Y Suggestion 1: moving control functions from global memory to kit memory
Currently control functions can be triggered by using footswitches and by AUX3 and AUX4 inputs. But these settings are global settings. That means you have to choose what to do with these inputs, for every song you play. But during a rehearsal or concert, your preferred function may chang e, depending on the song. While you may have a few seconds to change the function during a rehearsal, you probably will not have enough time during a concert. If a drummer would be able to set the control function per drumkit (!), that would be helpful for creative drummers that play lots of styles.

[NERD ALERT]
This doesn’t necessarily mean the global function should be taken out. They could co-exist. If the local and global control settings are in conflict, the local setting could take precedence.

TD-50Y Suggestion 2: making control functions available to more inputs than just Aux3 and Aux4
If suggestion 1 would be honoured, it seems that it would not be a big step towards extending the control functions to other pads. Just as you can set a sub instrument per input, you could assign a control function to any pad in your kit (whether it is Aux3 or Aux4 or another pad).

[NERD ALERT]
I am aware that incrementing to another while sounds is being played can results in unwanted effects, but that also applies to the current situation (when I play a cymbal sound on Aux3 while the increment function is assigned, the selected sound and effect will be affected). At best, the user could decide whether to play an instrument, a sub-instrument AND a control function. But if that is asking too much, having a choice between either a sub-instrument OR a control function would be a great step forward.

TD-50Y Suggestion 3: multiple [H&R] settings
When I edit drumkits, I find myself switching the H&R option on and off quite frequently. For pad inputs with acoustic sounds like the snare or a crash cymbal, I usually want head and rim to stay connected. But when I play electronic music, I often disconnect head and rim in order to set two totally different sounds, on the head and rim. When I am editing two or more inputs to make sure they sound well together… I may forget to switch the H&R option on or off again. Sometimes the result is that I lose sounds that I have carefully programmed. That is annoying!

[NERD ALERT]
It would be an improvement if this function could be set or kept per input (an even greater improvement would be if it was done per input and per kit). Especially useful if you combine inputs using splitter cables. In my case, I use splitter cables on AUX3 and AUX4 so I will never need to connect head and rim on these two inputs. Ever.

TD-50Y Suggestion 4: changing the “Shift + SD Card” menu
There is an “SD CARD” button. Pressing that button with out shift, brings up functions to make backups to the SD card. But loading samples from a SD card, requires the unexpected combination “Shift + SETUP”. That is confusing, the combination “Shift + SD Card” would make much more sense. But that combination brings up the Copy functions. But that is strange, because copying does not really require an SD card! Since I use these copy functions a lot too, I have gotten used to these two key combinations. But for new users, I believe that switching these two combinations would be better. In the TD-60, I would like to see a dedicated COPY button!

TD-50Y Suggestion 5: selecting pads by hitting them, when copying instruments When copying sounds from one pad to another, it helps when you can hit a pad to define source and destination. This is faster than using buttons and the chance of making a mistake is reduced. This is possible in lots of drum modules, even in the old Alesis D4 which I used in the 90’s (through the NOTE CHASE function). It would be nice to be able to go to the copy page and hit the pad to define the source and hit on another pad to define the destination. Just like you can hit pads to set mute send and mute receive inputs on the MUTE GROUP page. This should be a very simple update.

That concludes the first 5 suggestions, for which I believe they do not need a change in hardware. I can also think of 5 suggestions, that I believe would probably do need a change in hardware. So I guess these might be suggestions for the future TD-60 module. Let me add these five suggestions in text only, to shorten this video.

Suggestion 6: Connect faders to sound groups
For the TD-60: the faders can be used to increase or decrease the volume of certain sounds, like snare or tom sounds. However, they have a strict connection to the outputs. When I play a snare sound on an input that Roland believes it should be used for tom sounds, the TOM fader will apply. Since I do not use the faders myself, I do not feel very strongly about this. But other drummers might appreciate it, if the actual sound would decide which fader applies, instead of the trigger input.

Suggestion 7: Connect the individual outputs to sound groups
For the TD-60: same thing applies to the individual outputs. On the AUX2 pads, I could play a Hi-Hat sound or a snare sound, or a tom sound or a sample. When I am using individual outs, the sound engineer might want to apply specific effects on the individual outputs like ‘snare’ or ‘toms’. But if I play identical sounds on an AUX pad, the sound engineer is not able to apply these specific effects. Therefore, the snare and tom hits that I play on the AUX pads, will result in a different sound compared to the snare and tom hits that I play on pads that are plugged in the snare and tom inputs.

Suggestion 8: Increase the total trigger inputs from 14 to 16
For the TD-60: please increase the total trigger inputs from 14 to 16 to accommodate the creative and/or electro drummers. I started as an electronic drummer using the Roland PM-16 which (obviously) had 16 inputs. Make the circle round, increase to the binary logical 16 inputs… OR disconnect the USB inputs from the analog inputs to make a total of 17 pads!!!

Suggestion 9: making it possible to layer complete inputs
For the TD-60: I have shown an example earlier in this video, where I added a Hi-Hat sound to a kick and a snare sound. But if I want to do that with a snare that already has a sub instrument (for example a crispy snare mixed with a fat snare) I have to give up on one of these sounds. It would be great, if there is a function that enables me to hit on a single pad and generate sounds for two inputs. As if I have hit both pads at the exact same time.

Suggestion 10: enabling the Hi-Hat input to handle rim signals from piezo/piezo drum pads.
My 10th and last suggestion in this video is the topic that I covered in great detail in chapter 4 of this video. To summarize: I want to play Hi-Hat on mesh head pads, but in the current module I can’t use the rim of the mesh pad to play the edge sound of the Hi-Hat input.
Traditional drummers will not run into this problem, but there must be other creative drummers out there and they may not find my ‘work-around’ to move the HH. I am not sure whether the change can be done through a firmware update, or that this requires a hardware update…

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Well we have come to the end of this second update video, in which I have explained why I chose the TD-50X and I have shown you that even though I am very happy with the module, it is not perfect.

I hope you have enjoyed this video. Like and subscribe and I will try and post a new cover or update video soon!

Click here for the transcript of the next video in this series