Author Topic: DM10 - VST setup from scratch  (Read 3768 times)

DM10 - VST setup from scratch
« on: September 25, 2017, 02:56:06 PM »
Hey everyone,

I'm brand new to drumming and picked up a DM10 X kit over the weekend. I'm looking to immediately get a VST set up for better sounds. I've read the stickied posts, and can't find a straight answer as to what I'm looking for exactly.

So far I have:
A laptop
DM10 X Studio Kit

I am looking for a list of ALL software & hardware I require to make this happen. I see a lot of different options in the sticky, but I'm not sure what is necessary.

Do I just need:
Studio Drummer 3 (or similar)
Toontrack Solo (or similar)
USB plug from DM10 to Laptop


Is there anything else I need? Do I need an audio interface, does it matter what kind of audio interface it is? What does the interface do? Will a sound card on my laptop or PC suffice?

Thanks for all and any help I can get!

Re: DM10 - VST setup from scratch
« Reply #1 on: September 26, 2017, 02:05:29 AM »
Hi pandaonamic,

The set up I use is a Toshiba Satellite Radius laptop with 12 gigs of ram, a 256 gb ssd hard drive and an I7 quad core processor. It is connected to the DM 10 via usb cable and I run Superior Drummer 2 through ToonTrack Solo. I use an "asio4all" driver on the laptop and the laptops' audio out is ran through a stereo channel of my mixer via a "Stereo Breakout 3.5 mm TRS to Dual 1/4 in TS" cable.
It works really well and I experience no latency at all with this set up.
YMMV depending on your laptop specs.
Hope this helps.

powerhouse

Re: DM10 - VST setup from scratch
« Reply #2 on: September 26, 2017, 06:15:26 AM »
You may not need an audio interface, try it through your computer first to see what sort of latency you have.  I have a PC with a load of RAM, a really fast processor, a huge hard drive, and there's loads of latency.  My cheap laptop with half the RAM, ok processor, and a tiny solid state hard drive has no latency at all.

The problem with using ASIO4ALL driver is it will only play the drums through it.  If you wanted to play along to music/video from the computer as well, it shuts that audio out.  If that's the case then an audio interface would be a good idea.  It basically does the job of your computer's sound card.  Make sure you get one with MIDI in/outs on like a Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 (any below this don't have MIDI) or Presonus (all but the iONE have MIDI).

Re: DM10 - VST setup from scratch
« Reply #3 on: September 27, 2017, 02:49:14 AM »
That's a good point King Haribo about the ASIO4ALL driver. 
I had forgotten about that since I utilize 2 laptops, each on their own channels, through a mixer.
One runs Superior Drummer and the other is used just for play along audio/video tracks.
The DM 10 modules output is also on separate channels of the mixer for when I want to use it's onboard sound files instead of the VST.
My bad!

powerhouse

Offline Dobly

Re: DM10 - VST setup from scratch
« Reply #4 on: September 27, 2017, 06:15:32 AM »
My DM10 is connected to a laptop via usb. This is a very modest laptop compared to the fire breathing beast King H has. Mine is an old Dell with an Intel Core2 Duo CPU running at 2.26Ghz, 4GB of ram and a 250 GB SSD hard drive.

On the laptop I run Addictive Drums 2.

I also have a Focusrite 2i4 audio interface. This is not for the DM10 input. It is for the audio OUT to my mixer. Much better audio out than the crappy old laptop sound chip.

So for that reason I use to Focusrite ASIO driver in Addictive drums. It tried using ASIO4ALL but I could not get my Focusrite output working.

Latency is set it AD2 at 4ms. I cannot detect any latency when I play.  Hope this helps.


Re: DM10 - VST setup from scratch
« Reply #5 on: September 27, 2017, 03:14:43 PM »
Thanks so much for the detailed replies guys! Especially since I know this information is out there somewhere, just not in a super easy way to find.

So I'm going to outline what I've purchased below, if anyone can think of any issues I may have once it arrives and is set up, please let me know. I am literally a brand new drummer (been a childhood dream of mine) so I KNOW this is extreme overkill.. but I hopefully wont have to upgrade for a very long time.

E-Kit: Alesis DM10 X
Software: Superior Drummer 3, EZDrummer 2 (got it for free, not installed, going to use SD3). Will use SD3 with the standalone host it comes with. To my understanding I don't need any other software?
Audio Interface: (Behringer UMC204HD) https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00SAV96JM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Midi Cable: (Connect from DM10 Module to Interface, USB from Interface to Computer?) https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00FC4ZAHM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Hopefully this is right. I got an interface just to be safe as I may be using both my desktop & my laptop. Just making sure my perceived method of connecting my interface to my PC is correct as well. From what I saw I just needed an interface with MIDI, this is a cheap one, but it has MIDI so hopefully it's OK. I know Behringer isn't amazing.

Thanks again everyone, you've all been great. Happy I found this community. :)

Offline Dobly

Re: DM10 - VST setup from scratch
« Reply #6 on: September 27, 2017, 07:00:33 PM »

Midi Cable: (Connect from DM10 Module to Interface, USB from Interface to Computer?) https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00FC4ZAHM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


The cable you need is a USB. Like this.



That will give you the DM10 midi signals into your laptop with out any overhead of passing through an interface.

Then, plug your Behringer in and make it the THE sound card on the laptop. Then in the software set the Behringer as the output for your drum software.

Here is a screen shot of my setup in AD2



You can see at the bottom my active midi input is my DM10. Nothing in between. DM10 directly into the laptop.

At the top you can see I use the Focusrite USB 2.0 asio driver with the latency set at 4ms. I tried 3ms and it almost works. This setup works great.

I don't know the Behringer interface, but I'm sure it will have it's own fast asio driver. 
« Last Edit: September 28, 2017, 03:11:39 AM by Dobly »

Offline Dobly

Re: DM10 - VST setup from scratch
« Reply #7 on: September 27, 2017, 07:17:02 PM »
Will use SD3 with the standalone host it comes with. To my understanding I don't need any other software?

Here is a good video that will help I'm sure.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ7U-8wt0TM

Offline vaikl

Re: DM10 - VST setup from scratch
« Reply #8 on: September 28, 2017, 02:17:52 PM »
So for that reason I use to Focusrite ASIO driver in Addictive drums. It tried using ASIO4ALL but I could not get my Focusrite output working.

The manufacturers driver software is mostly better and much more up-to-date than the very old, very simple ASIO4ALL. Please use ASIO4ALL only if you have serious problems with your hardware OR if you are using a windows pc that is still running on Win95.

Offline Dartanbeck

Re: DM10 - VST setup from scratch
« Reply #9 on: January 21, 2018, 02:13:57 PM »
I haven't ordered anything VST yet, and am wondering:

If the audio interface is basically a sound card replacement with better drivers (entirely understandable so far), why is the Midi I/O a necessity, does that somehow provide an individual mix to a digital mixer?

So basically, are you going stereo or mono out of the interface to the soundboard/snake, or are you using the Midi Out?

Kinda trying to wrap my head around this.
Alesis DM10X Mesh - Laurin Drums & Cymbals - Strike Module
Dartanbeck.com Digital Artist

Offline Dartanbeck

Re: DM10 - VST setup from scratch
« Reply #10 on: January 21, 2018, 02:23:26 PM »
Here's the thing:

I've been gigging with my DM10 since I got it. We've been using the Main Outs and in some smaller gigs using a single Mono out.

Recently we've decided to try setting up the kick as a separate out, as with the snare, using the Main Outs and panning them left and right respectively, and sending everything else out through Aux.

I saved that as a separate kit so that we could still run the Stereo/Mono config we've been using all along for, like I say, smaller gigs.

Well, since I've set that all up, we've yet to try it. But it raises the question as to whether going Midi to my Laptop will disable the ability to grab individual outs?

I don't really know about DAW capabilities, so I was thinking that, for individual outs I'd need to use a DAW with some special Send to the board?

Before I forget, Thank you ALL for all of the posts on this amazing forum! You folks really have calmed my concerns in a HUGE way!

I'm really looking forward to moving forward into this exciting world of VST. I'd just like to try and be prepared to make sure I got what I need, for the actual workings of it all, in the first order.

So far I just have Addictive Drums 2 and the above named Behringer interface in the cart.
Alesis DM10X Mesh - Laurin Drums & Cymbals - Strike Module
Dartanbeck.com Digital Artist

Offline korakios

Re: DM10 - VST setup from scratch
« Reply #11 on: January 22, 2018, 03:27:51 AM »
Hi ,
Most drum software & all DAWs can have separate outputs . You will also need an audio interface with multiple outputs , but before buying check that all the outputs are analog and not digital ( some manufacturers tend to count the digital on the total number )
I recommend Reaper for DAW since it’s very light and is highly customizable.

Offline Dartanbeck

Re: DM10 - VST setup from scratch
« Reply #12 on: January 22, 2018, 10:00:58 AM »
Reaper looks great.

The strange part is that these interfaces are all being promoted as a means to get into the computer, like mics and guitars, etc., and they don't talk much about the capabilities we're looking for.

But if the interface has four outputs I should be able to send four channels out of, say AD2?  But to do that I'd need a DAW. Otherwise I could run AD2 by itself without a DAW and use stereo outs. Am I understanding this right?
Alesis DM10X Mesh - Laurin Drums & Cymbals - Strike Module
Dartanbeck.com Digital Artist

Offline korakios

Re: DM10 - VST setup from scratch
« Reply #13 on: January 22, 2018, 11:48:19 AM »
Unfortunately I am not aware if a standalone drum app that can route to multiple audio outs. I always use Reaper .
Also , if you don’t plan to do heavily editing on  audio / midi ,you can check Harrison Mixbus , it sounds great on emulating analog gear. ( but search for audio routing on the forums or support before buying)

Another option is Savihost (freewere) but I haven’t tried multiple outs.