Author Topic: She's coming together now...  (Read 2360 times)

Offline AngryQuaker

She's coming together now...
« on: February 19, 2017, 06:03:49 PM »
Greetings, Earthlings. The DM10 rig I got for Christmas is coming down the home stretch, methinks. Behold:



For reference, this is the kit I played in days of yore:



Then, I took quite an about-face, and played this kind of kit for a couple years:



And finally, here I am, enjoying the new kit and the festivities of last evening:



With the Roland micro-kit, I ended up using my real ride and hats, as even with excellent quality samples, the response of pads just never did it for me. Unfortunately, I finally admitted to myself that the same holds true for the Alesis module. Thus, the real ride and hats; and thus, the availability of a couple extra inputs on the Alesis module. I'm currently running two of the crashes and a china out of the Roland, as well as two aux pedals. I'm running one extra tom and a china out of the Alesis, for a current grand total of...ummm...I think it's at 29 zones of electronic delight. 17 out of the Alesis, and 12 out of the Roland. Right now. Plus, of course, the actual ride and hats. I can still add another something-or-other on the Roland, and maybe another thingy or two on the Alesis. Right? I think I'm getting pretty happy with it. It's probably more fun than should be legally allowed for the pleasure of one simple fellow.

I've learned a ton about dialing in the DM10 here, and look forward to continuing this journey of enrichment as I go forward. Current challenge: reconciling my in-ear monitor mix with what the FoH guy needs out front. I'm currently running the kick on one main out of the Alesis, everything else on the other. The house needed more snare, which led to my in-ear mix being pretty snare-heavy. Hopefully I'll figure out how to work around this kind of thing. Suggestions are absolutely more than welcome. I've yet to touch the aux-outs on the DM10, so maybe there's that?
« Last Edit: February 19, 2017, 06:16:46 PM by AngryQuaker »

Offline Dobly

Re: She's coming together now...
« Reply #1 on: February 19, 2017, 10:38:48 PM »
It is a thing of beauty.. Nice work.

And what dark magic lets you use real cymbals? Do you just set the edrum volume to match the cymbals and run with it?

I still have my Zildjian 20" Dark Ride and my 14" Sabian Hats. I just could not part with them when I sold my acoustic set. . Could it work? That 20" ride is wonderful and musical sounding instrument. The thought of using real hats and ride....



 

Offline AlanK

Re: She's coming together now...
« Reply #2 on: February 21, 2017, 11:13:41 AM »
Absolutely, Dobly, as long as your levels are ok amongst all the parts.. I used to add a couple of splashes to my ekit and a cowbell.. the fun part was forgetting when playing with headphones and then wifey wondering wtf happened when I hit one of the acoustic pieces by mistake...oops..

But when you think of it, drummers do the opposite all the time and it works.. having an acoustic set and adding some electronics, as long as it's all EQ'd to match up, all good
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

Offline AngryQuaker

Re: She's coming together now...
« Reply #3 on: February 21, 2017, 11:57:59 AM »
Indeed, agree with AlanK here. I used a Roland sampler right alongside my acoustic kit for a number of years. Drums mic'ed, sampler on its own mixer channel. Great. With the reverse going on now, I mic the ride and hats, but most of the places we play aren't huge venues, so the cymbals themselves are loud enough on their own. I don't hit anywhere near as hard as I did back in the day lol. The mics are more for me, so I can hear the cymbals in my in-ears. Actually, Alan, I was thinking about hanging a couple more splashes and my mini-china on this kit, I don't know tho. It's already a lot of work. But yeah, it's not terribly difficult to get a good blend between the electronics and acoustic cymbals.

Offline Dobly

Re: She's coming together now...
« Reply #4 on: February 21, 2017, 05:31:58 PM »
I must say I am intrigued by this idea. I took my Zildjian 20" dark ride out of the cymbal case just a few weeks ago, mounted in on a drum stick in my left hat while my right hand played it so I could remember just how good playing an acoustic  ride feels.

I am going to give this a go.

I'll get a couple of small condenser mics, like a matched pair of Behringer C-2 or the Rode M5. My little mixer has 2 channels for mics and phantom power.

Ride in 1, Hats in 2, AD2 in 3, Sample Rack in 4.


Offline Dobly

Re: She's coming together now...
« Reply #5 on: March 23, 2017, 05:04:22 PM »
My first band rehearsal last night with the acoustic hats and ride.



The difference this made was chalk and cheese. It was so much fun to play and so satisfying as a player.  The other guys in the band all night told me how much better the kit sounded with these two.

Playing these hats last night reminded my just how far off the mark the DM10 hi had pad is.

I will mount the Alesis ride and hats at some stage. They still have the benefits of different sounds.