Seams to work great. Well done!

there are a lot of more complicated ways to do this that _look_ high tech and cool. but here in 2022, this 10yo video still seems the simplest way to go

Thanks for your kind words! For the rim-shot sound (or really any sound you want to trigger on the rim of the drums) you would have to mount a piezo on the side of the shell or use some sort of metal tab to sit on the edge of the drum under the rim that would need to be set a bit lower in sensitivity so that it's not triggered by the drum hit. You can also wire this as a dual trigger, which instructions can be found for online, so that you don't have to worry about that.

Good clean and easy setup, thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the kind words. I think the design is great and it works much better than many of the other methods i've seen. And yes, the sound is a direct recording from Superior Drummer, not ambient room.

Thanks for your video. Great stuff and well presented.

great work dude!

Nicely done!

Great work man!!!

Im getting a 4 piece kit from a friend that Im doing this to. Thanks so much for the awesome idea!

Although, I haven't tried this yet, in theory, this is genius, because it wont have the center head hot spot issues that Roland and pintech, etc have. On the Roland and Pintech, the trigger foam point contacts the center of the mesh drum creating a hot spot and higher velocity in that region. My only question, and I'll know when i build this is, how is the cross talk between the drums? Cross talk is sometimes an issue when you convert acoustic drums to electronic. Electric drums by comparison are mounted on a frame to reduce vibrational crosstalk.

Outstanding video Sean. Clear easy to follow instructions for a fantastic idea you're sharing. Thank you very much as you've inspired me to give this a try. The snare will be the tough part as the rim is necessary for the full dynamic -I'll do some research and share if I find anything noteworthy.

Great job man! I have built several ekits over a 30 year period, designing my own triggers. Now days, the drum modules are fast enough and sensitive enough to do a wicked job. Most drummers do not get the fact that pro recordings use triggers a LOT. I capture both audio (mics) and midi performances from the module and mix and match in a daw, I used to be an acoustic snob. I usually use the midi performances for fast, great sounding work. IMHO, as good as acoustic & tons EASIER! Regards e;)

Very good choice to use this aluminium or metallic disc to increase the sensitivity area of the piezo. Great build, simple and clear also you can put and a second piezo glued to the shell and change the input and connectivity to stereo so you can have and a sidestick sound!!

I agree with @drummaplumma, I bought the ddrum pack of triggers and it was not nearly as sensitive as the triggers I built.

Yes, sounds are played back in real time, either by your module (which has the sounds built in - not the Alesis Trigger i|O though, that is only for triggering) or by your VSTi software (such as EZDrummer, Superior Drummer, BFD etc).

One additional comment to my prior post. I removed the air hole sleeve and installed female 1/4" jacks (Stereo for the snare). I removed the wires from the piezo and soldered new wires directly to the jacks. This way the 1/4" cable to my TD 20 plugged directly into the side of the drum. For the snare, I used the bolts for the DW logo to secure a second piezo and then connected it to the stereo jack. This allows me both the snare and a rim shot. Didn't see that mentioned in the video, so FYI

Drums are cool. :D

Thanks mate well done

Nice! I'm confident with my skill for wood but I don't know electric stuff at all, so that was quite interesting. thanks!

@sherlie1953 No, you would definitely have to add another piezo to the shell to get rim shots. You'd also have to do a little bit of creative wiring if you want to run both piezos into a stereo 1/4" jack. Not sure how that works, but there are tutorials out there to show you how. It's not super complicated.

I converted my DW kit using this method. Instead of trying to save money, I had a cabinet shop cut perfect circles with MDF, a sheet metal co. do the same. NOTE: I made a mistake here and didn't get thin enough sheet metal, which had to be corrected for the snare and small tom, Lastly, I got an upholstery shop to cut black high density foam in perfect circles too. This was as easy as it looked in the video, but I went slow to make sure I did everything right. They work great with my TD20!

1) I did it similar to how I did the other drums, but I used a 2x4 to span across the size of the drum instead of the round piece of plywood. 2) The heads were not included in the price, but I would guess that you could use standard heads as well as mesh heads, it just might not have as much bounce/spring when you strike the head. All of the other supplies came to around $40. Honestly if you're just looking to get a cheap electric kit, I would recommend going with a Yamaha DTXpress II or III.

Great job. I have a TD-11 kit and have done some diy drums but most don't respond the way yours does. I've been using cones, which create an incredible hot-spot. Gonna give it a try. Thanks.

You're very welcome. Thanks for watching.

Thank you Sean!!!! I will be working on this and will show the final product as a I finish!!! Chiao!!!

Very cool project, I think I m going to do the same. You ve inspired me a lot!!! My goal is to trigger sound from my Mac where I ve Superior Drummer 2.0 installed, via an external soundcard. I just need a module for the MIDI signal such as Alesis Trigger IO... Thank you very much

Great tutorial. Who knows, you may well have created the best triggers out there using that design. I'm guessing we only heard the output of the module and not ambient room sound. Great natural sound. Yes, this makes me feel like playing drums again, but midi this time.

great work men! and your kit sounds awesome especially I like the kick bass drum sound,my quiestion is what is your drum sound module is it a ROLAND,ALESIS or YAMAHA?

Amazing, thanks!

thanks a lot for this video and your help. i was wondering how is the “feel” comparing to a cone trigger? since the foam is touch the whole mesh head. does it change on the bounce?

really awesome set up, do you have any details on the Cymbals you have seen at the end of your Video?

It really depends on the drum machine/software that you are using. Yes, this setup is sensitive enough to make a double stroke roll sound great at pretty high speeds, but your limitation may be with your module/software to make it sound natural. Sometimes you have to play around with the trigger sensitivity too.

Great work Sean! I just have some questions, read all the comments but couldnt find it. How thick is the metal sheet you are using? And do you know the exact density of the foam you are using? Like 35 kg/m³ or 180m? Thank you.

Yes it does. I actually had mine putting too much pressure on the head and those heads started breaking pretty quick, so not too much pressure. Just enough to deaden the bounce from the mesh head a bit.

Amazing! Thank you, now same thing for the kick drum right?

Great vid thanks :) A couple of questions. How thick is the metal sheet? Do you need the wood? couldn't you attach the metal sheet directly to the brackets?

Hi.Nice tutorial.I was wondering what drum module/audio interface you were using for this?

Hi. What module are you using. I've done the conversion but getting loads of cross talk and double triggering on my yamaha DTX502. Tried playing with the various trigger parameters and still have issues. Great video. Thanks

I was using the Alesis Trigger IO in the video, but now I actually use a Yamaha DTXpress IV to capture my drum hits. For scratch tracking, I'm using the whole kit, but for final tracking I'm using the drum pads with actual acoustic cymbals that are mic'd (probably an understatement, I'm mic-ing the crap out of them)

This is kinda how the dm10 pads are built...great vid how is the rebound with the foam under the mesh does it feel more damped or cushioned??

Rebound is great, I like it to feel as much like an actual drum head as possible. These were slightly more bouncy.

Great video. Where did you get such a small port hole protector?

Yes, a smaller foam pad might work better if you're getting too much signal. A lot of these DIY triggers actually use a foam cone which only slightly touches the bottom of the head, but I found the mesh heads to be too bouncy, so the foam helped.

Thanks for the vid. Q: What's your sound module or Software? Sounds Great, good velocity dynamics.

thanks a lot this is pretty helpful, do you know what's the output signal level ?

Pretty much, except for I made a smaller plate (around 6" wide) and mounted that on a 2x4 piece of plywood that was mounted to the two brackets (which were mounted to the back side of the lugs)

This is the best video I've seen out there. I'm converting a kit the same way. I have an issue though. I've done 2 toms so far the larger one works fantastic. The small one is very sensitive. Too sensitive!!! It picks up every touch even around the drum. I have the sensitivity all the way down on my Roland TD 10. Any thoughts on what I can do?

That's funny, I've never heard it pronounced any other way... but actually I just looked it up, and phoenetically, it's PY-EE-ZO. You learn something new every day!

You will need a drum "brain" of some sort, which has a trigger to midi converter as well as a sound generator built in. You could also do as the author has and use an Alesis Trigger iO, which only converts to midi, in which case you will need to connect that to a laptop to generate the sounds. I believe it comes with software that would cover kick/snare, but I'm not sure about a complete kit. You could also use a software instrument from just about any DAW to generate the sounds.

Yes, this will work with drumagog or Superior/EZ Drummer softwaer. Basically anything that will accept midi as an input and output drum sounds.

I was using a drum module, specifically an Alesis Trigger i|O. You can use pretty much any drum module and midi out to the computer though. As far as I'm aware, there is no software available (as of yet) that will allow you to record directly from an analog source and convert to a midi note (although that would be a great and extremely useful VST plugin to have).

@DeepDoubleD

Жыл бұрын

Good news! Ableton now has this (10 year later zombie post)

are the velocity and sensitivity settings managed through the drum module or the piezo? does it make a big difference if you have a quality drum module like a roland td series vs an osp dd502?

Are those cymbals diy? If so, they are mint: one owner! They should be the next tutorial.

Maybe you mentioned but; which module do you use? And what about the sound (noise) without the module. Can you use it without sound insulation in an apartment flat for example.

Sean, Since you are using a mesh head does this make your drums acoustically mute???? In other words can you play quietly using just the headphones? Great video!!!!! Thanks, Robert

Basically, make a smaller version of this, but mount it to a 2x4 that mounts across from one lug to the other diagonally across the kick drum. The piece of wood is just to mount the trigger/sensor and foam pad on.

The acoustics of a drum are based on the sound vibrating in the cylinder, so this would definitely affect the overall sound of the drum. You may want to consider buying a different product (like the ddrum triggers that are available) to get the signal out to your effects processor.

How does having the piece of plywood that large affect the sound?

Hi Sean Thanks for the cool tutorial! Could you maybe please specify which drum module you are using? Thank you very much!

@JosephHF

8 жыл бұрын

+Robert E Johnson (Pet Dander) *"Alesis"

Hi Sean, what cymbals are you using for this kit? i can see they also have sensors.... Also, does the sensor detect rim hits?

This is actually my OLD edrum. I am now using the DTXpress IV, which I love. But I also recently bought some of the ePro Live Tru Trac heads from pearl on eBay... have yet to set them up but there WILL be a video demo... coming soon!

@princewarior2554

4 жыл бұрын

SEANTHEPR0DUCER Hi bro, What cymbals do you use on this video?

Nice job. Obviously you put a lot of work into the making and filming of your project. Don't forget you can purchase piezo elements on Ebay very cheaply. I'm using 35mm units to replace the broken units in my Octapad II They are exactly the same size and came prewired.

hey thank you sooooo much :) it works very well i trigger my millenium tom for a test bought a alesis trigger io with ezdrummer lite and it works :) so great no i have to trigger my whole drumset :D thank you :)

Do you have any hotspots ? Also, how quiet are the drums ? Are they as quiet as mesh head e-drums ?

Interesting video. How well does this method work with a computer program like Drumagog ?

Yes, unless you want to add a dual zone for a rim shot or something, then you have to put a sensor on your shell and wire it in a manner which I am not familiar with, but you can find directions online.

What are those cymbals you have? I'm going to do this conversion to an old acoustic kit I have. I know in the world of electronic drums, cymbals are still a little far behind haha. However, I study music in College and I have full access to some amazing kits so I'm only really doing this as I like to practice when I get home and I don't want to piss anyone off. SO yeah...... The cymbals!

Hi, great job, can you share some more details on the foam you used? Im going to do same but my foam is very light and soft so i think i must look other option.

@drummer4christ81

5 жыл бұрын

If you live in the USA Joan's sells the right foam. Is green high density foam.

I had issues with double triggering with the Alesis IO, do you have it hooked up via USB or MIDI. If you are using both, that could be what is causing the double triggering.

Is the foam touching the mesh head? When I have it touching the mesh it double triggers often even after adjusting the Alesis IO settings. When I have it 1/8" below the head I have to hit the mesh quite a bit harder to get the sound. I like that you are able to do ghost notes on yours. Need a bit of help if you have time. Thanks!!

Great job!! very instructional!! I just have a question for you, can i get other drum sonuds out of that kind of triggers? and i mean sounds like some oriental drums. Thank you.

@JasonWelchMusic

4 жыл бұрын

You can get any sound you want. Its a trigger. So it sends a midi signal to your module. If you have the sound you want on your module, you can assign it to any trigger.

Why would you put the bottom head in place and not leave it open? And is the distance between the foam and the mesh head not to big? Thanks for sharing?

Sean, Does this set up allow you to do rim shots or do you need to add another piezo to the shell of the drum for rim shots????

@HangKebon Unfortunately I have since sold this entire setup. Maybe someone else out there that gets this up and running could respond to your request?

hi! you did great job,just wanna ask how about the kick? just wanna know...thanks!

What does this do to the acoustic sound of the drumset? Will it still be good for a small live performance where you aren't mic'd, or do you have to run it through an amp no matter what after this?

By making the foam sensor contact over the whole head you remove positional sensing, which is based off the time between pulses on the flapping head picked up by the piezo at a small contact in the middle of the head as opposed to the whole thing.

@seanbrown7477

9 жыл бұрын

What type of hardware/software do you need to take advantage of positional sensing?

@myrk-4645

9 жыл бұрын

And a foam cone so there is a small point of contact, otherwise you are preventing different vibrations from making it properly to the sensor. The drum building method in this video will not give accurate positional sensing.

Hey SEANTHEPR0DUCER, great video, I enjoyed it thoroughly, always nice to see a do it yourselfer like yourself doing it right, so I am converting my Sonor Force 2007 soon using this method, but I do have one question for you, there is a way to make a dual zone trigger for one input correct? i swear I've seen a video instructing how to do it but can't seem to find it. Also, I like those cymbals, where did you buy them? and do you perhaps have a video coming about converting acoustic cymbals to electric? thanks for your time

@SEANTHEPR0DUCER

9 жыл бұрын

Hi Alex. I do believe there is a way to make dual zone triggers with one input, using stereo instead of mono. It involves a bit more wiring skill. The cymbals were Pintech that I purchased on eBay.

@fearbeforethegates

9 жыл бұрын

SEANTHEPR0DUCER Thanks for your reply, haven't been on in awhile so just now seeing the reply, what is the series for pintech cymbals? I am currently looking at the TC series but don't see any cymbals that are clear like yours

@seanbrown7477

9 жыл бұрын

Alex Arsenault Unfortunately, I don't think they make them anymore. You might be able to find them on eBay....

@fearbeforethegates

9 жыл бұрын

Ok fair enough, thank you

@pumpalBo

9 жыл бұрын

Alex Arsenault About the cymbals, these look like Pintech PC series. I recently got one - at the moment they are brown semi-transparent, not clear - and albeit working good, it is too loud acoustically and hitting it feels weird. I had to dampen it with some car-audio rubber dampening to make it as quiet as my Roland cymbals. It also definitely won't feel right when used as a ride. If you are after cheap e-cymbal pads, consider Yamaha's PCY135s & 155s but mind they may need modding for modules other then Yammies to get all the 3 zones. Other then that they feel much better then Pintech' IMO.

If i'm making this for my bass drum for the purpose of running the signal through an effect board, in your opinion, how much will the wood cut from the jigsaw effect the overall acoustic sound of the bass drum?

did that allow you to hear it back in real time, right? like when you hit a tom it plays a tom sound in your headphones in real time or did you have to wait to hear it as the tom sample AFTER you had already recorded it?

great video, should the foam be touching the mesh head, i the video it looks quite a way down from it? Thanks

@seanbrown7477

9 жыл бұрын

Yeah, it should. If not, it won't get enough vibration to the metal sheet.

men good work.. i really dont know how piezoelectric works but can i use piezo buzzer instead of piezo transducer?

Hi Sean, what sort of foam did you use? I have some flightcase foam laying around, would that work?

So you're running 5 1/4" cables to your interface? I think I'm going to build mine with a volume knob on each drum for more control

do you think this way is better than other methods out there, like the cones?

Hello Sean how are you!!! Very inspiring ideas!!! To the point that I see myself converting one of my sets into electric very soon!!! I have a question for you: After I do this to my snare drum, How can I get a side stick sound??? That will be very important to me!!! I will really appreciate an answer for this!!!! Than you Joel Enriquez

silly wuestion but after searching there are a few different sizes of piezo transducer,,what size do you reccomend,,cheere in advance

how does a roll sound with this setup? is the piezo sensitive enough to distinguish buzz roll from double stroke?

+SEANTHEPR0DUCER Can you attach the drum triggers to any electric drum module? If the foam isn't touching the head, can you have positional sensing if you've connected it with a Roland module?Cheers

Hello Sean How are you!!! I followed all the instructions from your video and the drums look very nice and clean but I have a problem. The sensibility of the four drums I made is awful!!!! How can I get a more real response from them!!!! My module is a Roland TD-6V. Please give me some kind of advice to resolve this problem!!! Thank you Joel Enriquez

if I connect the piezo plug is a stereo female jack? .... then can I connect it to a roland control unit via mono jack-jack cable?

mknerr is correct, you will need some sort of interface to utilize these triggers. Whether it be a Trigger iO into a computer with Battery, Superior Drummer, EZ Drummer, etc... or a drum module from one of many available by companies like Alesis, Yamaha, Roland, etc... Although that setup may be more difficult to configure as they generally prefer to use the pads on those units.

I have a question about the bass drum: would you go through the same steps as the other drums except make the sheet metal much smaller? I don't see the need to have the entire surface area of the bass drum triggered because the beaters would be in a static position right?

@JesseLeiker

10 жыл бұрын

In my experience, you are correct. My bass drum trigger is about the size of my 6" tom. I actually quit using it altogether because it was a hassle keeping it in place and replaced it with a REMO 8" practice pad affixed to a triangle-shaped wood support inside the bass drum and did the triggering inside of the practice pad assembly (kept the practice pad head on, just cut the factory foam in 1/2 to affix the plate + piezo). It works really well and still has the responsiveness of a bass drum.

TO CONVERT TO MIDI... GET AN ALESIS I/O THAT HAS ANALOG TRIGGER INPUTS AND A MIDI AND USB OUT. DDRUM HAS IT AS THE DDTI . ($150) THAT WILL GIVE YOU MIDI OR USB INTO THE COMPUTER. THIS WILL TRIGGER INTO THE LAPTOP AND CAN BE USED IN YOUR DAW OR DRUMS SOFTWARE (EZDRUMMER ) OR OTHER VST SOFTWARE . HOPE THIS HELPS....

Thats awesome, I'm a bass player and I want to try this LOL

What kind of cymbals/pads are you using? I have not seen those before.

I did this back in 1989. you have ower worke this,

I can't seem to find any quarter inch female jacks with the exposed wire. Did you cut them yourself? Do you think I could use a quarter inch female to rca cable?

@SEANTHEPR0DUCER

10 жыл бұрын

Yes, I cut them myself. I actually found them on eBay. Pretty cheap. You could use pretty much any quarter inch female cable.

Hey Sean, what kind of Sheet metal did you use ?