Skin Triggers

[Schon]

Hi,
I not a drummer, but I have a home studio. I have an acoustic set & a DTXpress, 1st model.
I m experimenting using triggers on the acoustic set & the DTXpress sound module, but with mixed results.
3rd & floor tom produces double notes when hit. I adjusted the sensitivity setting to 'O', but still problem persist. The module does not have a compressor built in.
There are no such problem on the snare & second tom.
Anyone knows how to diagnose this?

 

[alvinthedrummer]

If you are sure that the triggers are working fine and the velocity settings are ok, then it must be the vibration from within the shells. Try stuffing up the drums with dense cloth or pillow till the brim, that should fix it.

 

[Schon]

yeah.. some dampening should do it, but playability would be somewhat effected.. anyway, I ve just downloaded the faily thick, manual.
Would study it some more, but if not successful, I d DIY a hoop mounted condenser mic, replacing the triggers.
Thanx 4 d feedback..

 

[alvinthedrummer]

Actually i find it a whole lot easier to play when its all filled up...try tightening the skins a bit...

 

[Schon]

Thanx, I ll try that. Still experimenting here.. If u loosen the sking, its vibrates slower. Tighten it, it vibrates faster. Stuffing some firbres in might do the trick, but might interfere with the drums natural acoustics, which, btw acts as a natural monitor 4 my drummer. Im still experimenting anyway. Tried replacing the triggers with a reversed polarity speaker, like a mini subkick, & it actually works.
I might post d end results with some pics...

 

[alvinthedrummer]

I've done this numerous times when I was gigging with Ellipsis, an electronica band in Melbourne.

You can setup a small personal headphone monitor for your drummer (can get one as cheap as $70+)....send in the final mix to him so he can monitor the actual sound that he is producing. If you are only solely using acoustic triggers, then normal acoustics from the drum kit should not be your concern since you are now more interested in getting triggered samples to the FOH. In this case, I would just stuff up the drum to the point where it triggers properly and not worry about the acoustic drum sound.

On the other hand, if you want to create a mix between acoustic sound and the triggered samples, then you will need to mic up the drum kit too and balance it properly with the triggered samples. In this case, yes, you will have to take into consideration the acoustic sound of the kit. You might need to get double-ply skins which vibrates less and is less resonant...that will give you better control.