Ddrum4 module with Magnatrack triggers?

[torbenlj]

Hi,

I´m considering buying a Ddrum4 module with the original mesh head drums.

The cymbals are not the the original ones. Low volume accoustic cymbals and hi-hat comes with the kit, but no triggers for them.

I´ve been searching for triggers for the cymbals as well as the hi-hat. I found these Magnatrack triggers that seems to be able to do the job. 

I wrote Magnatrack support, and they told me that their triggers are Piezo type and will work on any input that supports Piezo.

I´m not sure if the Ddrum4 module supports Piezo?! 

I do find the Magnatrack triggers a bit expensive, so if you guys know another of doing the triggering of cymbals and hi-hat (inclusive pedal controller for hi-hat), plaese let me know.

Link to Magnatrack trigger pack: www.magnatrack.com/shop/drum-and-cymbal-triggers/low-volume-cymbal-pro-trigger-pack/

Looking forward to hear about this...

Thanks in advance!

[kenjwright]

Jun 18, 2023 8:27:05 GMT -5 torbenlj said:

Hi,

I´m considering buying a Ddrum4 module ...

This is interesting as I have a 20" Pintech LTE that I purchased used and which had all of the triggers removed. I wanted to experiment with getting it to work reliably with the dd4 but have been short on time so far. The Magnatrack however appears to be worth a try. I am curious about the edge/choke trigger. From the description it seems it should produce aftertouch naturally which is what the dd4 requires. Just not sure how because typical switch based edge triggers do not work natively with the dd4, however if fronted with say an eDrumIn via MIDI it works perfectly. I plan to order one each of the regular trigger and edge to do some testing with. BTW, piezo is rather standard and yes, the dd4 works fine with piezo as all of the native dd4 pads/cymbals work with piezo. The cymbals rely on positional sensing and velocity to produce the expected sounds. Hits close to the trigger produce the bell sounds and further away, the bow and edge sounds, including swells, crashes, etc. The Hi-Hats are more complicated due to the use of the Hall Sensor (magnetic) to vary the input articulation based on magnet position, positional sensing and velocity. If you don't have the original Hi-Hats, then you can use a Roland style (or just a single pad) or the Roland fd7,8,9 pedal with a Zourman adapter (www.zourman.com).

Pintech also makes cymbal triggers. I struggled to get a dual zone 18" LTE to have clean separation between the bell and bow zones but again the dd4 does not support multi-piezo inputs per channel so a was a reach anyway (tried with fronting by the eDrumIn and also Megadrum). Also the Pintech PC series single zone cymbals work really well with the dd4 and with the 14" in particular you can actually choke by squeezing the trigger box as it flexes enough to produce the required aftertouch (the 16" is a longer reach). Not as easy as an edge switch but will choke nonetheless when you're just looking to mute the sound versus quick chokes in a fast drum fill.

The ddrum4 still offers a lot so you should be pleased if you go that route. Just be aware of the generation gap between 1998 and now! (Although in some ways, little has changed IMO).

Cheers!

Ken