I'd also like to add:
If you've never used (or realized that you were using) MIDI and, upon a glance decide that it's just too darned geeky to get into, I urge you to reconsider.
Yeah, the creation of MIDI and its rules makes for some really geeky reading. If it seems a bit overwhelming, don't let it be so. Let anything just go over your head and just keep going. When it comes to MIDI, in many cases that over-the-head stuff will either make sense later or at least make more sense when/if you realize you need to go back and read it again - you'll know when/if that time arises. You will.
Musical Instrument Digital Interface, in my (currently) limited understanding is a language set about to allow, as it says, musical instruments to communicate digitally. It sends velocity, note and timing information and is designed from the start to give only the required information necessary so that that information can be sent SO FAST that it feels instantaneous - because to humans, it really is.
The topic of this thread begins with the information that we DM10 module owners have an additional 35 MIDI notes to play with, beyond the 22 (varies with different set versions, I suppose) being used by the triggers that came with the kit.
Knowing how many sounds we have available to use via each drum, rim, cymbal, etc., already... the thought of more than doubling that is pretty cool. Of course, it'll take some know-how to get at all of them - even just any of them, I guess. That's where knowing a bit how MIDI works will come into play.
On this topic, I don't think it's required to become a Certified Master in the field to get what you need from it. We really just need to know to send MIDI OUT from another interface, whose outgoing notes can be assigned to the notes available within the DM10 Module, to the MIDI IN of the DM10 Module.
That's the simple part - just a MIDI cable going from the one interface's MIDI OUT to the DM10 Module's MIDI IN.
In the old days I speak of a few posts up, MIDI was getting popular and was more of an in-your-face type of notion on the modules (like sound modules to be controlled by a MIDI keyboard, guitar, drum, or something else) since we didn't really have it taken care of for us auto-magically behind the scenes as we really kind of have it now. Nowadays we're almost all using MIDI whether we realize it or not. But back then, setting the MIDI NOTE value was just one of the parameters we had. Today, just seeing that something has the MIDI IN and OUT jacks doesn't necessarily mean that it will allow us to change values of triggers MIDI NOTE.
This is where it's nice that most major companies allow us to download the User's Manual to products before buying them. Just look up the MIDI section in the manual. Unless you're getting something specifically made to work intimately with MIDI, it's likely that the MIDI information section of the manual will be short.
If it never gives a clear indication as to whether each trigger's MIDI NOTE can be set manually, yet you're really hoping to use this particular product, I'd advise contacting their support team and/or their forum and finding out for sure first.
General MIDI is a set of rules (if I understand correctly) that manufacturers must (their best interests in mind) obey in order to use MIDI with their product. This is a good thing. If Roland's "A" was "32F" on Yamaha, it would quickly become something that no longer means anything to anyone. "It has MIDI" - "Who cares"
So according to the rules, the DM10 module is using MIDI Channel 10. 10 is for Drums. I'm fairly certain that MIDI boxes meant to be used with Keys and other devices are also capable of accessing the Drum channel, but it might be good to just check that before going for something not made to work with Drum Triggers and the like.
DAW are really cool in how they let us grab MIDI information and drag it around, alter it and even automate procedures to even out imperfections in timing - or even the other way around to add a more human feel.
But we're all drummers here, right? Drummers or drum owners. That said, I think it's fair to assume that we all know who Neil Peart is, right? Let's think about him for a bit, just as an example.
So imagine Neil Peart as you sit behind your un-modified DM10 kit. The Professor had a lot more stuff to play, didn't he? More drums, chimes, bells... In all actuality, even with those extra 35 MIDI notes we wouldn't be able to fill out our DM10 to match his - but we could get a LOT closer, and without having to stop using our convenient Stereo Outputs and our own headphone jack.
Without having to resort to adding more stuff via MIDI, we can add one more trigger pad (DM10X). That's not enough to make a YYZ kit, is it? No.
With an interface that's set up to allow the user to set the MIDI Note Number of each individual SEND, we can gain as many of those extra 35 NOTES as that new interface allows. What's happening is: the triggers we plug into the new interface get renamed (a number) to something the DM10 module will recognize as a completely new part of the kit - something we can assign sounds to, just like any of the other pads we're already using.
In the DM10 module, we'll know these new trigger by a number instead of a convenient name - but once we have the sounds we want assigned to each NOTE, the names of the sounds will clue us in as to which trigger we're looking at in the module.
Adding three extra tom drums can be huge to a live drummer. It immediately makes songs like YYZ a lot easier to play. Adding three more cymbals is a boon to any drummer - even just one new cymbal is enough to make me happy!
Okay so if we start small with what I've just said, that's six of those thirty-five available NOTES. Can you already start to see how it's not going to be a game changer if the interface we get can only give us 12 more triggers available? That would still give us eight tuned bells, two timbale and two conga, for example. Or three timpani, four guitar crunches and five bass notes.
So when Hellfire's talking about getting access to 20 of those 35 NOTEs with one interface, and that we'd need a special piece of equipment to gain the last 15 - or whatever... please take a moment to understand how powerful just adding 15 more triggers to an already impressive drum kit can be!
..and that it's MIDI that can take us there.
Yeah, I'm probably over-simplifying things here. It can sound easier in my head as I'm typing this that it might actually be in practice. But the point is the same. Try not to get put-off by using MIDI just because learning it always starts off with stuff that sounds like you're about to learn how the Universe works. Try not to just skip over all of that either. But if it wants to go over your head for now, just let it go over. If you want to turn back around and get a firm grasp... go head. I'm just saying that you don't really have to. It'll come back when you have enough treats in your hand to tease it back!
