You want to get VST-e-drum engines / fixes and/or personal support? ➜ get in touch! (shoot me a PM) 🙂

September/October 2024 ➜ new Roland "V-Drums 7" series : ...no reason to upgrade for VST e-drummers!


📢 To all software e-drummers who own a TD-27 or a TD-50(X) and the digital pads (incl. the first generation digital snare):
There is almost no reason to throw money down Roland's throat and upgrade to the new "V-Drums 7" stuff!

Save your money ❗️

[Abbey Road Drummer + Studio Drummer] Left / Right ∙SNARE DRUM∙ sticking distinction on a mesh pad ➜ workaround engine ❗️😊👉


One of the biggest drawbacks of (mesh) pad e-drumming is the fact that it is not able to translate and sonically represent the sticking played. (➜ on acoustic drums: the sound from your left hand/left stick is always different compared to the right -> the sound details from sticking (patterns / rudiments) are super relevant for musical drumming!)

I have no hope that there will be a pad soon. (There have been no further updates so far from the guy who claimed that his DIY mesh pad provides L/R distinction... ( LINK ) - so I've created a workaround engine with regular Positional Sensing-capable mesh pads (the Roland digital snare is highly recommended here) : you can use the 'center' zone for right hand samples and the 'off-center' zone for left hand samples :)

So you can play NI Abbey Road Drummer libs and NI Studio Drummer with that nice authentic sticking feature ❗️👌


ENJOY ❗😊

new e-drum monitor reference recommendation: Hisenior 'Mega5EST' 🙂👉

I play e-drums with DSP-tweaked AKG-K872 headphones (on LakePeople G100 / G109P / G111 mk2 headphone amps), and that's my reference class so far.

I have now had the opportunity to test “Hisenior Mega5EST Tribrid 5-Drivers” in-ear monitors, and I have to say that they have expanded my concept of 'e-drum sound heaven' even further. What these monitors are capable of (and for relatively little money) is pretty amazing and quite game-changing. Electrostatic tweeters for the treble range meet dynamic drivers for the bass range and the result is something that you should really experience for your good-sounding VST e-drums ❗️ You don't really need to do any DSP tweaking here; I just add a small HighShelf attenuation at 3.2 kHz (of 1 dB): this makes them even more noble.
The insulation behavior is also exemplary with the right ear tips and can keep up with my K872 reference.👍

So, despite the fact that unfortunately there are basically no headphone/monitor-VST-e-drum constellations to test in any music stores, you can buy these in-ears blindly, full recommendation from me.

ENJOY ❗😊

eDRUMin & Drum-Tec Diabolo 3 👉

The hotspot-free and yet positional sensing-capable Drum-Tec 'Diabolo 3' snare works perfectly with the eDRUMin when a potentiometer (like a passive monitor controller*) is used. Otherwise the trigger signal is too hot.

(* I used a JBL Nano Patch Plus (something like this should work as good: https://www.musicstore.com/en_OT/EUR/Now...-REC0011607-000 ))


I pointed out the hot signal issue to Drum-Tec yesterday, and they may come up with a pad update (a built-in voltage divider optimized for each 'Diabolo 3' and 'Pro 3' pad) in the near future.

Until then, at least the 13” snare will work perfectly with the workaround described above. And the PS data do not suffer from the intermediate device.

The rim trigger should also be fine. And if in doubt, the rim piezo can also be left out completely and not sent through the monitor controller: simply connect the 'ring' side of the Y-cable with a double-female coupling 😊.

Trivium Drums (by Bogren Digital) 'Dream Kit' e-drum FIX 😊👉


Features:

∙ Hihat : 2-zone Variable Hihat Engine (for BOW ↔ EDGE distinction with 2-zone hihat pads: Variable Tip vs. Variable Edge)
∙ Hihat : Roland TD-17 / TD-11 (and similar) Hihat Pedal CC range adaption
∙ Hihat : Pedal Splash Engine for Roland modules 👉 LINK


∙ CUSTOM hihat curve :
The hihat curve tool in Trivium Drums cannot provide a really detailed custom response.
So if you want detailed control you'll have to remap CC values -> YOU decide what pedal position will trigger a certain hihat open-closed stage.
...and skip stages of your choice if you don't want them! (i.e. assumed you want the more crunchy "Open 1" stage instead of the "Closed" sound at fully closed pedal position) ;


∙ additional Variable Hihat Feature: Consistently controllable 2-closed-stages Variable Hihat for e-drummers 👉 LINK

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∙ Snare : separated CENTER ↔ RIMSHOT ( + Sidestick) --> the range of Center Head Snare Samples is translated to the whole velocity range -> so the high velocity CENTER layers will be played when hitting hard ( = no Rimshots on the center head)
<->
the Rimshots will be available on the snare pad's rim (also the "Sidestick" with a velocity border, if you like) 🙂 ;


∙ additional Snare FIX feature: Snare Engine toggle in order to switch between separated Center ↔ Rimshot state vs. original merged state -> So switch (by pad hit) during a song/drum performance after your current musical needs! (in 'Trivium Drums' it will be the same as in GGD) 👉 LINK


∙ additional Snare FIX feature: Snare Drum Throw Off Switch 👉 LINK


∙ additional Snare FIX feature: Snare Drum Positional Sensing for PS-capable pads+modules (as Trivium Drums provides an 'Off-center' snare articulation) ;


∙ additional Snare FIX feature: Rimshot Positional Sensing ( = Center Rimshots vs. Shallow Rimshots) for Rim-PS-capable pads+modules like "Roland PD-140DS" ;

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∙ advanced Cymbal Choking : choke all Trivium Drums Crashes / Chinas / Splashes with any of your cymbal pads ❗️😊 ;

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∙ Double Bassdrum Sound for single Kick Pads :
play a DoubleBassdrum feel with alternating Kick sounds ('Kick Main' + 'Kick 2') in order to sound authentically and to avoid machinegunning and toggle the kick drum engine (Single-Sound vs. Double-Sound) after your needs during a song (by pad stroke) 👍👉 LINK ;
- note: this feature has nothing to do with the provided "Auto Double Kick" -> so YOU decide when you want to switch to A-B sound and when to switch back to single Kick sound.

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∙ detailed separated dynamical translation of single articulations (including 'Gate' and 'Ceiling' settings + can be much more detailed than the provided curve tool) - example: adjust the 'Hihat Pedal Chick' independently from the 'Hihat Tip' and 'Hihat Edge' articulations
or
adjust the 'Ride Main' vel curve independently from the 'Ride Bell' or 'Ride Crash' articulation.

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∙ adding a Side Snare ;



-- supported DAWs: "Reaper" , "Cubase Artist/Pro" , "Logic Pro" , "Bidule" , "AbletonLive Suite"
(+ any DAW that can host 'Bidule' as a VST(3) or AU plugin)



ENJOY ❗️😊