DM10 Gig Tips and Tricks

[DeeDubs]

Hey all,

I wanted to compile some "best practices" for those that are actively gigging with their Alesis kits (or aspiring to).
PLEASE SPECIFY WHICH MODEL KIT YOU ARE USING as the subtle differences may not be so subtle on stage.. (i.e. ergo vs. stealth vs new 4 leg rack setups.)

Once there's a good list, we can cut & paste them together (like the crowdsourcing thread) for easier reading..

Have at it 

[DeeDubs]

(Place Holder)

[DeeDubs]

Here's some links

Gig Bags - http://www.dmdrummer.com/index.php?topic=229.msg2133#msg2133

DM10 Case - http://www.dmdrummer.com/index.php?topic=229.msg2919#msg2919

Essentials for the 'Ditty bag'

• #10 metric ratchet wrench
• Drum key bit and ratcheting screwdriver (kicks ass over a drum key)
• Spare instrument cables
• 2 DI boxes (most sound guys have these tho - more of a CYA)
• Spare #10 hex nuts, and drum lugs to fit them

Problems with "Premature e-chokulation" (cymbal chokes out at high volume - hear what I mean here http://www.dmdrummer.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=786.0;attach=586). Go into the settings for each crash and set the decay to "off".

[Yankee]

Couple things off the top of my head that save me time and/or frustration...

Cable Snake - I purchased some longer/better quality cables to run from the drums to the module (dm5 atm in my case). After setting up the kit at home I ran everything neatly and velcro tied the bundles. At the module end I marked the cables so they would all be the same length, cut, labeled and then re-soldered the plugs. Makes for setting up & tearing down much easier, no more cable nightmare either, just roll up the bundle.

No Memory Locks - Since my stock e-kit rack is without memory locks, I've made small reference marks with a sharpie on the cymbal rods, clamps...etc. Almost unnoticeable unless your looking for them. Again, just makes setup easier & faster, things get ball-parked in place much quicker.

Bananas - Probably more for the older guys, I'm 41 and noticed a couple years ago some fatigue would show it's ugly face at a gig once in a while. Another drummer friend explained the potassium thing to me and the miracle cure. Yep, now I have 2 bananas on my way to every gig and feel great all night. Swear by them... 

Spares - Definitely even more important with an ekit. Cables, kick pedal, external triggers...etc. I have my DM6 module with me just in-case of an emergency with the DM5. When the DM10 comes, the DM5 will become the spare.

I'm sure I'll think of a couple more I do, most are pretty common though...

...Yankee

[DeeDubs]

Awesome..  Thanks for sharing!

Never heard of bananas.. probably healthier than Red Bull too

Can you give me more info on the snake (model & brand, how long, etc..).. I would love to tame then cables I have now.. that's half my setup time!

As far as spares go, I have been able to limp through a practice using a Boss FS-5U switch in place of a broken bass pad.. it ain't pretty, but sometimes the show must go on!

[Guinness]

Awesome thread!

[Yankee]

Can you give me more info on the snake (model & brand, how long, etc..).. I would love to tame then cables I have now.. that's half my setup time!

Think of it as more of a DIY thing... Basically I mapped out what I thought I needed and went to the local music store with a list. Just picked up their house brand 1/4" instrument cables which were much better quality than what gets shipped with the modules and not very expensive. I got some 20ft & some 30ft with the intention of making 2 cables out of one when I could... then a bunch of extra, decent quality, plugs. Make sure you're conscious on whether you need a TR or TRS for each trigger.

As it sits now it's about 15ft long total, but only because I need a few extra feet at the module end since it sits in a separate case atop my gig bins. Every stage is different so my module position gets moved around a bit depending on the stage layout.

So in short... Think of it as a custom snake for your kit, on the kit side everything is labeled and the correct length, on the module side they are also labeled and all the same length. In between the cables are all velcro'd together, you could even just run some electrical tape around them every foot or so. No more cable mess!

...Yankee

[inconn]

Think of it as more of a DIY thing... Basically I mapped out what I thought I needed and went to the local music store with a list. Just picked up their house brand 1/4" instrument cables which were much better quality than what gets shipped with the modules and not very expensive. I got some 20ft & some 30ft with the intention of making 2 cables out of one when I could... then a bunch of extra, decent quality, plugs. Make sure you're conscious on whether you need a TR or TRS for each trigger.

As it sits now it's about 15ft long total, but only because I need a few extra feet at the module end since it sits in a separate case atop my gig bins. Every stage is different so my module position gets moved around a bit depending on the stage layout.

So in short... Think of it as a custom snake for your kit, on the kit side everything is labeled and the correct length, on the module side they are also labeled and all the same length. In between the cables are all velcro'd together, you could even just run some electrical tape around them every foot or so. No more cable mess!

...Yankee

I was wondering if you could snap a few pictures of your setup, I'm sure a visual cue could be way more inspiring than all these words

[DeeDubs]

Add one more.. Power Conditioners.. I had glitches at one gig due to power problems.. drums freaked out and died mid song. Switching to the bass player's furman strip saved the day, and the incident only cost the band about 3 minutes of downtime, and me one pair of underwear.. 

[danthevan]

Definately a spare power supply! Usually the first thing to die when you don't want it to!

[edrumguy]

put wheels on your kit! nothing to tear down or setup. throw it in the back of your truck or van. wheel it in wherever your playing and just plug in a power cord and your line outs to the P.A.

easy peasy

[evilcartman]

This is from Gerdy not me. (I wish) This guy has a standing offer to do my cable management for me if he is ever in the states.

http://www.dmdrummer.com/index.php?topic=1542.0

[th_wolf]

AWESOME THREAD!!! I have just started gigging on the DM8 Pro kit, which looks a lot better/professional on stage than the Yamaha kit i used to use! Alesis definitely got the looks right when they designed that kit. I have to second the need for power conditioners... especially playing at pubs out in the country here in NZ, we blew a few bits of gear before making the power conditioners mandatory! Not just drums, but lighting rigs get pretty sensitive too.

[Danney]

Thanks for all the resources. Let's get it on!!!

[Higgy]

Hey just wanted to mention that I put my snare pad on a snare stand. That did a couple of things for me. It makes set up time faster. It also keeps the position of the snare, seat and pedals consistent. When I had it mounted on the rack it would move around during transit and it could take time before I could get it in a comfortable position. What about some ideas in monitoring live. Great idea and info thanks DeeDubs

[Giffo]

What about some ideas in monitoring live. Great idea and info thanks DeeDubs

I use 2 x QRC15A by QTX Sound, 15" Active speakers.
Just the job.

[Rocket2112]

I am thinking about getting this for drums and cymbals. Damn it's pricey. I will keep the box for the brain for its transporting. Not sure if I should just fold up the rack though. I have the DM10 Studio Pro.

[recklessrog]

Just one more thing I would add, instead of a power conditioner, buy a cheap un-interupable power supply, ( only needs to be a very low power unit) They are a Godsend if the power goes down for even a moment. prevents you losing any adjustments that you made on the fly and hav'nt saved. 

[vtdrummer]

+100 on the UPS battery.  I've been using one for a year, and although it's a bit heavy to tote around, it's WELL worth the effort.  I have had NO problems since I started using it.  I run my drums/multipad off it, and my DA200S, too.

Just one more thing I would add, instead of a power conditioner, buy a cheap un-interupable power supply, ( only needs to be a very low power unit) They are a Godsend if the power goes down for even a moment. prevents you losing any adjustments that you made on the fly and hav'nt saved. 

[loomex]

Two things I have used on any set I have had. A sharpie to mark positions on stands and multicolored electrical tape to mark the carpet.

[pbear5]

One thing I have been thinking about lately are spares. Even as a non-gigging hobbiest it is a real drag when you have to wait for replacements to play again. If you are going to expand your kit it might be a good idea to stay consistent with your gear choices and think about how you could use that 2nd Tom 12" as a backup for your snare or buy the same cymbal as your main crash for accents so you could just swap them out without changing size and position.  It can be cool or even cheaper to have a bunch of different sizes but having some duplicates could just save your a$$.

[Rocket2112]

One thing I have been thinking about lately are spares. Even as a non-gigging hobbiest it is a real drag when you have to wait for replacements to play again. If you are going to expand your kit it might be a good idea to stay consistent with your gear choices and think about how you could use that 2nd Tom 12" as a backup for your snare or buy the same cymbal as your main crash for accents so you could just swap them out without changing size and position.  It can be cool or even cheaper to have a bunch of different sizes but having some duplicates could just save your a$$.

At my last gig, I did just that (swapped the 4th tom for the snare) as a check for issues I was having with mis-hits. I should invest in another cymbal as well.

[doggyd69b]

A spare module (if you use the DM10) of course buying another DM10 is overkill for most of us, but a cheap DM5 can save the day, have it pre-programmed. (2 or 3 saved kits and the trigger/pad locations) if your DM10 has issues, you could quickly switch to the DM5 and continue the gig, not the best sounding setup, but better than being dead in the water.
Of course spare cables and a multimeter or cable tester. cheap multimeters can be purchased in the auto section at Wal-Mart. Spare batteries if you are using a DI box and the house doesn't have a PA with phanthom power ( or if your guitar player "forgot" to bring one for his pedal, you can save his ass) and like most here have mentioned, always, always have spare pads, toms as well as bass drum and cymbal pads. you never know when one is going to die and nothing worse than having a dead bass drum and no replacement. Of course a spare pair of sticks, yes it is an e-drum set but sticks still break and need replacement once in a blue moon, And they will break in the middle of a song at the beginning of the gig. (Murphy's law). Snax (someone recommended bananas, more healthy than Red Bull/5hr Energy.) I agree that with age stamina decreases ( I used to be able to play 4 hrs straigth of death metal blast beats and double bass craziness) now I get tired with a couple of songs ( of that genre). 22 years later surely makes a difference. 

[vtdrummer]

I use a Simmons SDMP-1 drumpad for a couple very small venues, and bought a spare one for this very reason!  I've had two occasions that scared me...  One time my complete system stopped producing sounds (I think that was a power issue, and therefore got a battery), and another time, at an open mic night, a guy hit the pad SO HARD that the display went dead on it!  I was very lucky that it just came back on after powering off and back on...

[437boxed]

As of today I have drummed four live gigs using my DMX10 kit and have some reflections.

First show was a small, neighborhood corner bar, a dive if you will. For sound I was playing thru a Kustom double-barrel lead guitar amp. Think about it. Ya know, the overall sound really wasn't too bad. Not all too great, but not too bad. All went swell, no issues and I was satisfied with the kit.

I'd always known that the true test of this e-kit would be after playing out live a dozen times, breaking down, loading, unloading, setting up, and all that.

Second gig was at a very large, cavernous place where national acts play. Frankly, it'd be a stretch to say that there were more than 15 people in the crowd. I had purchased 2 of the Alesis Transactives to replace the Kustom. Nice little speakers. I made a real dumb error in positioning the transactive's IN FRONT of my kit, facing towards the crowd. Perhaps one of the strangest experiences I've ever had as I did not hear one single note from the drums all night and had to basically play on blind faith. Well, all worked out well, come to find out. The sound guy was very good and I heard no complaints at all. But let me tell you - lesson learned!

Gig #3 was at the same spot as above. Only issue I had was when the striker on the kick pedal came loose and so I had to play for roughly five minutes using my right hand on the floor tom to fill in for the missing in action kick.

Finally, so far, gig 4 was at a very nice venue which has fantastic sound, stage, and sound guy. I am well aquainted with this place also. I was utilizing my 1978 acoustic Pearl export kick drum in place of the Alesis (I am very fond of my old kick drum) Well.... heh. I was REALLY caught off guard. After a couple songs, the sound guy came up on stage to check something, so I asked him how the drums were coming thru. Keep in mind that I am still very ignorant in the full flexibility of the DMX10. He said everything sounded good but that I needed to turn up the crash cymbal. Man was my mind racing! I then realized I could simply adjust the equalizer on the brain.

Ok. So far, so good. Hardware-wise, it seems like the kit holds pretty well, but I'm also being very careful in handling it. I've been able to get some cool sounds, but am keeping things as basic as possible until I learn alot more. I will certainly push this kit to its limits. It's already pushing me to mine