Author Topic: Calibrate DM10X with BFD3?  (Read 2046 times)

Calibrate DM10X with BFD3?
« on: November 26, 2015, 05:16:11 AM »
Hi Guys - long time since I posted.

I now use a DM10x mesh with BFD3 on my mac.  Trouble is, the midi levels coming out of the module seem too hot.  I'm registering 127 max velocity on kick and snare, even though I've backed the midi levels of the individual triggers down to 80%.

My question is - Is there a way to reduce the overall "hotness" of the kit, without having the trials of dialling in each trigger output level and velocity curve individually?

Has anyone achieved a satisfactory calibration, which allows them to capture all the nuances of their live playing?

Many thanks

Mark
Premier Royale 7 piece A to E with T-Trigger mesh heads on a Dixon Chrome rack.
DIY piezo triggers. 
Alesis I/O.
BFD2. 
Reaper.
ETrigger.


Kit album:http://www.vdrums.com/forum/album.php?albumid=228

Offline AlanK

Re: Calibrate DM10X with BFD3?
« Reply #1 on: November 26, 2015, 08:50:13 AM »
Pressing TRIG (F3) from the Main Utility menu lets you access a page that contains the various trigger settings for the module. TRIG 1. Press UTILITY to enter the main Utility Menu. 2. Press TRIG (F3) to access the trigger settings. 3. Use VALUE UP / DOWN or the VALUE DIAL to adjust the settings: a. Trig Sens: The sensitivity of all the connected triggers – "LOW," "MEDIUM," or "HIGH." Adjusting this setting lets you roughly set the sensitivity of the entire Kit but conveniently keeps the proportions of your individual trigger settings. (To adjust the sensitivity of individual triggers, see the TRIGGER INPUT PARAMETERS section of the EXT. TRIG MENU chapter.)


quoted from the manual, excuse the crazy web url, they've changed things on the website recently:
http://5a18fcdc5c8aa2617926-54d68a14e2e7c1f76563a2d8c3e9fd82.r82.cf2.rackcdn.com/908/documents/dm10_module___operator__s_manual___revc.pdf
DM10X with Addictive Drums 2, Pro X hi-hat, 4 crashes, foam cone conversion w Roland mesh heads, Laurin Drums snare and kick, Mapex P710W double kick pedal, Mapex 2 legged hi-hat, Behringer 8 channel USB mixer, Tascam 144MK AI, Samson Expedition Escape powered speakers

Re: Calibrate DM10X with BFD3?
« Reply #2 on: November 03, 2016, 08:24:00 AM »
Alan - thanks very much for taking the rime to reply.  And apologies for the massive delay in replying.

It's taken me ages of fiddling with the individual instrument sensitivities to get anywhere near a satisfactory recording setup.
My observations are:

1.  That's really disappointing.  I'd assumed shelling out for a more premium product like the DM10x studio would be plug and play - nowhere near.

2.  I've had to reduce sensitivities down to 20 on most of the instruments.  The midi output seems WAAAAY too hot

3.  There are serious fluctuations in the recorded velocities.  I KNOW I'm a better/more consistent drummer than that.  The hihat can show fluctuations between 40-50% in the recorded velocity for instance.  The only way I've been able to find to combat it is to use input curves such as Log 4 to max out the midi, then manually drag them back in the DAW for some kind of consistency.  It would be great if there was a compressor/limiter for the midi output from the DM10 brain. 

4.  What you hear from the audio out is far more consistent than the output of the Drum VST in terms of hit velocities.


I guess in summary, it's a fun kit to generate audio for live performances, but is some way short of a decent studio product.

I'd be interested in hearing any other users experiences.

Thanks again



Premier Royale 7 piece A to E with T-Trigger mesh heads on a Dixon Chrome rack.
DIY piezo triggers. 
Alesis I/O.
BFD2. 
Reaper.
ETrigger.


Kit album:http://www.vdrums.com/forum/album.php?albumid=228