How to run Backing Tracks and Click Track on a Roland SPD-SX.

[@AL-CHILE]

You have earned your ticket to heaven with this. Thank you!

[@citizenpcorp1111]

Hard to believe an accomplished professional like yourself cares enough about others to take the time to create by far the finest tutorial video to help others. You are an incredible player and a hell of a bice person. Cheers mate!

[@TroyWright]

Nice vid mate. This helped with an upcoming gig!!

[@poveyzproductions7606]

this was the most helpful video ive ever found on the internet! cheers mate!

[@timmytagnut2381]

Wow, thank you. Top quality education from a top notch drummer

[@marianli-pino5773]

This is one of the most helpful videos I've ever seen. Thank you!!

[@cedmapi]

I’ve been carrying my SPD-SX AND a Zoom R8 for backing track and clicks because I didn’t think there was a way for the band to get the click track without it also going through to the house. This was crazy helpful and I feel crazy dumb since I’ve had this pad for a few years.

[@drumsonly25]

I had been exporting the WAV file as one song, with the click panned all the way left and the track all the way right. Then sending the backing track channel (RIGHT) to front of house, and the left channel to my mixer. I have to say that pad linking is a little more work but probably a better solution. Thanks for this video!

[@bings1988]

Spot on yep that will also work a treat. Personally I find some songs are better to have going out front in stereo for panning purposes.

[@brianberrydj3659]

Just checked this video out.Great stuff sir.

[@mojosoulnoosa8943]

Awesome Video. About to purchase an SPD SX, and this gave me some very good ideas about how to get a rock solid system happening. Thanks SO MUCH

[@asterous6099]

You’re the best! Have been looking for this exact info for a while and you’ve explained it perfectly :) thanks!!

[@adamdrumgiles]

Great video & tidy setup.

[@jamesphillips7211]

Thank you so much for this. Really thorough explanation video. The major disadvantage of this set up (unless someone can tell me where I am wrong please) is that there is no way to separate the rest of the pads you might actually use to play on the SPDX. The engineer would want the backing track to be separate from these voices/hits rather than ask you to adjust the amount of backing in relation to the rest of the kit would they not?

[@bings1988]

Awesome glad you enjoyed it. Yep your absolutely right since doing this vid I've run a few tracks off the TM2 module instead of the SPDSX freeing up the SPD's pads.

[@jamesphillips7211]

@@bings1988 I may well invest in one in that case. I do like the idea of hitting a pad and the next track rolls.

[@peelproductions1971]

If your the only one monitoring the click, how do songs that start with vocals or another instrument start a song that has tracks coming in later?

[@violentene]

Thanks for this Kingsley, very helpful!

[@kcorotron1]

Very helpful, just got my 1st SPD-SX, trying to navigate the 'manual'. I use to have to fabricate my own Midi, Sequencer, Click interface equip back in the 80s when they first came out, as tools. Thanks.

[@tkknows]

Hey, I wanted to thank you so much for this video. It allowed me to pipe everything in correctly for a recent gig. Much appreciated!

[@marcpoulin2808]

Brilliant! Clear and concise-Thank You!

[@davebumcracker7278]

Great work mate

[@TCMagnificent]

Great vid I’d like to hear the click and track how they sound together.

[@HaydesGrooves]

Great Video Man!! I run tracks and loops in the bands and shows I play in. But I never new about the pad link function. So excited to try. Cheers.

[@LilLWH]

Man, I would've loved to see you keep up consistent content. This is great content, super informative and you are a heck of a player! Nothing against deciding if the social game wasn't for you. But if you ever needed the push to want to keep on with content creation, I would love to be the one to encourage you to make a presence via KZbin, shorts, TikTok, insta, etc. if that's a path you want to take.

[@gaurangdesai2816]

Awesome intro !!

[@musicbydavidyoungs]

Beautiful drumming man, great stuff.

[@paulvickers7997]

Thank you so much mate, you've been so so helpful in getting my setup, big respect, and awesome playing!

[@tomyg2766]

Brilliant tutorial, many thanks

[@michaelg1617]

Do you send all of this to front of house via the DI box outs?

[@bings1988]

That's correct yes FOH can take the outs from the DI's, run them to FOH and do whatever they want with it as its seperate from your mix sent back to your desk. Hope this helps

[@marceltoonen]

Clear video! I have simular settings for backing/click track. Works perfectly (most of the time). I do have some interesting challenges randomly that I unfortunately can't reproduce. During a show I had the click or backing starting to stutter and be out of sync of each other. Not always with the same song but also just randomly. Settings are 99% like yours. I only have the Poly/mono set to mono for the click/backing/trigger. I have a click trigger to TRIG 1 for the kick triggers (set to dymamic + shot) I also trigger a lightshow via MIDI when I start the click track. So then, when the click is out of sync with the backing it is mostly also out of sync with the lightshow. A real bummer. Already had a back to factory settings / FW check. V1.08 is installed. File sizes and length have been checked that they are simular. They are and both are 44khz/16bit as specified. Have you ever had this challenge? Or any thoughts on how to solve this / what might influence my setup?

[@MichiMischpult]

Thank You for this real life config help 🎉❤

[@BobBarboza]

MY SPD-SX HAS PADS 3 & 6 WILL NOT LIGHT UP. The will not play and I can't turn them on. Do you have any tips? Great lesson. Thank you.

[@anastasiapettinato5327]

Thank you!! This video was perfectly clear and helped out so much! 🙌🏼

[@rich7662]

Great video!

[@poxcr]

Why did you chose to use the TM-2 instead of connecting the external pads to the SPD-SX and loading the necessary samples?

[@MahneFrame]

thk u !!

[@Damo_Drummer]

Nice one, Kingsley!

[@tatosas]

Great tips, thanks! A doubt, my guitarist want to send me a midi clock, the metronome light of the Roland recognizes the tempo change, but the loop that a play from the Roland don’t (I create the loop directly from the Roland) hopefully you can help me, thanks in advance!

[@ArtDrumz]

Would this also work with a Yamaha DTX 12 Multi Pad? It's basically the same thing but Yamaha brand.

[@bings1988]

Sure don't see why not as long as it has the pad link option or something similar to link the click and track together.

[@thesamuelclemens]

how do i trigger the internal click by hitting a pad? i dont want to hit the start/stop button to start it with my finger. can I link the internal click to a pad?

[@bings1988]

Hi Sam, I found the internal click although the same bpm would go out of time with the backing track. This is why I like to load up my own custom click as a WAV file and upload it to a pad.

[@ImmortalBurns]

Loved your vid and they really helped me out. Does anyone else have an issue where - intermittently - the click and backing track go out of sync? Happened to me a couple of times recently. Different kits. Have double checked the tracks and they’re good

[@bings1988]

Thats strange Cameron can't say I've had that issue sorry.

[@x23digital84]

Great informative video.

[@juliodcunha193]

If any visually impaired person wants to use this system will he or she be able to use it with voice over or voice aid program?

[@NikitaRhbg]

Why you Are you using the tm2 and the spd Sx? Couldnt you Trigger with the Spd Sx?

[@vincentvansantfoort6162]

Thanks so much for this video Do you know if you can send midi notes during a song? Meaning: I want the SPD to switch the scenes of my Quad Cortex live during a certain song through a midi cable. (So i don't have to do this by foot - so i can focus on singing and playing). In other words: can the SPD automatically send midi notes to the midi output after starting a track? I know i could do this though Ableton but I prefer NOT to have a computer on stage... Thanks in advance. Vinny

[@stefanfeist9893]

Why are you using a TM-2 in addition to the SX? Couldn't you use the SX for triggering?

[@bshubo]

thanks! great video! - is there a way to adjust the tempo during a live show?

[@metalsandager]

Only way you can adjust live is if you're using the interior click of the SPD... Then you can tap the tempo... If you're playing to a click (and backtrack you need to know where to go and program it in advance) but I guess that's not your issue ;-) But there's a tap tempo function in the SPD - it can also sync some amples to your tempo...

[@stevekirton]

This video was super helpful, thanks!

[@link-1825]

Great Video! I have a Mini mix desk and a dual DI box, what’s the best way to connect to front of house? I.e what leads would I need plus what slots would they go in on the Roland etc? Cheers 😊

[@DoubleBassProductions]

Thank you for this video. helped me a lot

[@campbellabbott1655]

Awesome video man! very clear and easy to follow. One question I have, I use my SPDsx for backing tracks live with my band but we are only pub covers band etc so mix our own sound, as the drummer thats my responsibilty. As we don't have a desk out the front and the mixing desk that runs FOH sits right beside me is there any need for DI boxes for the master outs of the SPDSX before they go into the main mixer as its only a couple of feet away from the SPDSX and i am using short (2m) cables to connect it currently Or would I still benefit from adding a DI box to this setup? Cheers Mate!

[@Bruce11Black11]

Hey, there Thanks for the great video. It's really helpful. I have 2 questions. One, must I use di boxes between my desk and foh? Second, how do I ensure that only I hear the separate click track sample, won't that also be sent to foh? I get that I route it sub out from spdsx to desk, what then tho to prevent to from being sent from desk to foh? Thanks so much for your time.

[@alexbarghmusic]

This video is so good. Explained clearly and eloquently. Do you think I can use the same kind of cabling and routing for backing tracks, samples and click tracks to an Alesis Strike Multipad?

[@bings1988]

Hi Alex, Im sorry I don't know that unit. If you have the same inputs and outputs I don't see why not. Thanks for the feedback.

[@cameronrobertson5209]

Quick Question! Can you also send MIDI Clock from the Roland SPD to a synth bass? The synth bass is sequenced/latched or arpeggiated and needs to stay in time with the click. Any help would be great thanks!

[@CanaDCmusic]

Super helpful! Thank you.

[@sarahstockholm5943]

So good - thanks heaps

[@getupunder]

Does anyone have a diagram for this set up?

[@guy539]

Now how do I make the click track?

[@tjgr1969]

Hey Kingsley please can you show example of how this whole set up works from the start of a song? Ie you strike the pad and it starts. I’m wondering how the band gets a count in? Do you add extra bars at the beginning of the click and BT? So it’s like 4 count for you then 4 count for the band assuming only you had click? On the bands 4 count you’d click your sticks for example? Great video by the way thank you.

[@TotalEvo7]

Can you run the tracks and click on a laptop to a DAW via MIDI, and still have both sounds come out through the pad? Using a Radial Backtrack, God forbid something happens to the laptop, if you were running tracks and click there, using a footswitch to the Backtrack to switch the outputs and not have any drastic changes? (This is for a praise/worship scenario)

[@DennisBergDrums]

How do you cycle through multiple backing tracks? Or are the backing tracks limited to the number of pads on the spd-sx?

[@jnorriect]

Pick a different Kit

[@kevinparadisdrummer]

Hey ! Thanks a lot for this video, I was a bit confused looking at the manual of the device ! You made think clearer and your playing amazed me a lot too ! I would have 1 question : let's say you have 9 songs. With the pad link, that mean you can load 3 songs with one kit. So then, I guess you can load 3 more songs on an other kit, and the 3 last songs on a 3rd kit right ? And so then you just switch kit during the show ? Is that correct ?

[@drumsonly25]

For me, I use a new kit for EACH song, and label it accordingly. That way I won't accidentally start the wrong song.

[@kevinparadisdrummer]

@@drumsonly25 thanks !

[@JuditasDude]

I don't think you can since you can only link two pads per kit, so you'd have to use one kit per song.

[@voederbietels]

oh man this is so complex . but verry interesting. greetings

[@sean---the-other-one]

Excellent video. Clear enough that I can tell where I can alter your setup to suit my requirements. One question on the length of track vs length of click. What happens if the backing track and click wav files are slightly different? Let’s assume they both start at exactly the same time and are both at the same tempo; if the click track finished a couple of seconds before the backing track, does the SPD-SX stretch the click track (or compress the backing track) to make them both run for the exact same time, thereby altering the tempo of one of the files and effectively unsyncing them? Of does it run the risk of one of the tracks looping until the other track finishes?

[@D.Ghost92]

Very intuitive video! One question, when I plug headphones into the headphone port on SPD-SX and pad link both click and backing track, I still hear the backing track through headphones. Is having a mixer + (sub out) the only way to isolate click with no backing coming out of headphones?

[@Benbrattondrums]

thank you so much! nice playing too!

[@KitCatStudio]

This is really helpful I’ve written some of it down. I’m starting tomorrow to work out my gear for a new gig and this is really important stuff! What is the use of Tm-2 ? Why do u need it to be separated from spd-sx? Tnx and cheers from Tel-Aviv !

[@bings1988]

Hi Buddy, Good question. I like to send it seperate so I am only running the backing tracks from my SPD. Just feels more solid. If I was using the Spd for samples as well as the track id be scared I would miss a pad and maybe stop the track. Although you can run extra pads off the SPD so yeah really no need for the TM2.

[@khalenjamoimusik6554]

Really helpful thank you brother 🥁❤️

[@christopher_bryant]

Hey man thank you for sharing!

[@corybergeronrecordings]

great video! thank you

[@rozdour]

Great vid. Great drumming. Thank you for posting. Is there a way to make sure your BT runs til the end? IOW, if it is set to alternate and I hit it again by accident while playing other SPD pads it’ll stop mid-song, right? Then I’m screwed. I can’t even hit it again real quick to try to keep going, bc it’ll start over. That sounds like a horrific stage situation!

[@ignzomby4544]

that's why i use the foot switches. you can start backing tracks and click with them and not worry about hitting the "wrong pad" mid song and stopping everything

[@bings1988]

@@ignzomby4544 Thats it man spot on.

[@phatgroover79]

@Kingsley Dude!! Great playing. Which channel on your Yamaha mixing desk receives the band mix from the FOH monitor send? Wouldn't that require an additional XLR input to the 4 channels already used by the SPDS-X & TM-2? Cheers! :)

[@bings1988]

Hey man, thanks. I have the SPD and TM2 going into stereo channels via trs (can also be run in mono). Then click via a mono trs. Then the mix into an XLR. 4 channels. Cheers

[@Jay-Go]

Kingsley, thanks for making this video. Good info here. Question for you: why are you running your sound to FoH in stereo? Is the full mix being put out in stereo?

[@zephyrgutierrez4046]

Can you only run 1 song with backing track per kit? Or can you do multiple songs in 1 kit?

[@bings1988]

Hi Josh, You can run multiple songs if you like. Just add all the songs after one another in your DAW (Logic, Protools ect) before you upload to the pad.

[@abcnech]

Quick question. How do you setup your set list ? It will be loaded all as one song with few seconds spaced out and you hit the pad to stop and start again ? Or you actually have individual songs loaded separately and you jump from song to song ? How do you control which song to play live ? Thanks

[@ChrisandersonmusicCoUk]

Great video man! What's the name of the company that makes the loom/cable?

[@bings1988]

Thanks Chris, Im trying to find it. I got it a while back from an electrical goods company in Australia called Jaycar. They don't seem to sell it anymore.

[@tomnewnhamTDD]

Fantastic video mate. Really cleared up some confusion I had about routing. Can I ask why you decided to run a tm2 and didn’t plug your pads into the ‘trigger in’ on the Roland? Do you get more control that way? Cheers

[@bings1988]

Hey Tom, Glad it helped man! I actually already had the TM2 when I bought the SPD, for the sake of leaving the SPD to souley run the tracks I set up the TM2, but you’re totally right you don’t need to.

[@tomnewnhamTDD]

Kingsley Oldmeadow Thanks for replying and clearing that up for me. Looking forward to more vids 👍

[@markzecchino6179]

KIngsley, I am brand new to the Roland SPD-SX and your video was one of the best ones I've seen. Is it possible to just direct the click from the Roland to a pad and then link it to a sample on another pad or do I need to actually create my own click as a sample?

[@bings1988]

Hi Mark, thanks for the positive feedback. You may be able to do that. I found I couldn"t get the pads in built click to properly sync up with my track so I just sampled a seperate click and linked the pads.

[@sisterc.thebadhabits7294]

Great vid, Thanks for the info. One question. How do you mount your mixing desk so it's easy to get to and is close to the pad?

[@metalsandager]

Any reason you're using sub out - and not phones out for you?? - just curious? (And thanks for a nice video!) You're an awesome artist! ;-)

[@bings1988]

Hi Morten, haven't used this setup in a while so I can't really remember but to my knowledge no reason in particular. Cheers

[@kevinenghauser3710]

Hey Kingsley, great video and super helpful! This may be covered somewhere else, but if the click and backing tracks are the exact same length, how do you get a count in, or intro count? Is that already part of the click track you made prior to bouncing it down? Thx!

[@ynghendricks8168]

Yes you bounce one with count in only click track and the one with the same lenght with no click to the same count in but no click in the track

[@spaghettimeatballs1749]

Terrific video Kingsley. My question is what if you are in a small band that does not have a front of house, and the band is mixing the sound themselves. With your mixer, can you mix the volume of the triggers and backing tracks yourself, or would you still need someone on the main mixer to mix the volume of the triggers and backing tracks? Thanks!

[@bings1988]

Just run the appropriate leads from your Di's to the main mixing desk. Turn those faders up to unity on your main mixer. You then have more then enough volume control on your personal desk.

[@spaghettimeatballs1749]

@@bings1988 Got it thank you so much

[@ryen57]

Thanks so much!!!

[@sandercools3605]

This is perfectly well explained! Awesome to have a clear and steady tempo of mapping out how you do stuff :) Question: Do you ask the FOH to fully eliminate all SPD-SX and TM2 sounds in your monitor mix? Otherwise they might double up in your ears, no?

[@bings1988]

Hey Sander! Thats right yeah. I send the signals into my own desk so I can run the volumes needed for track and click so no need to get a send from FOH. The TM2 on the other hand I generally have big sub bass drops and snares ect so I send that via my desk to my in ears and also from FOH to my speaker monitor for extra BEEF. Hope that helps.

[@ringocancount]

Thanks for this vid - I'm using it to make my own set up. Are you using an active or passive DI box?

[@bings1988]

Hi Matthew, I am using passive. Its great, no power source needed.

[@ringocancount]

@@bings1988 mine arrived yesterday. Very excited!

[@peterbekken3550]

Wow! This video was exactly what I was looking for. Btw, do you have the full concert video from the drum clip in the beginning? And did you mix it? All the live video clips that you used in this video was better mixed than most of the live videoes Ive ever seen!

[@bings1988]

Thanks Peter, Unfortunately I only have a bunch of snippets. Also it was mixed by a friend in Sydney. All the audio was taken of a desk mix. Glad you like.

[@Renos25]

very good video!!thank you! i have only one question.i understand that you prefer two stereo outputs,the backing track and the click track.but with this way you lost two pads.what if the baking tracks are more than the pads.what you can do then?thank you!

[@DUALMOTION]

Thanks for the vids mate! Did you play the Pick up with a click coming from SPD-SX, or you played on your own? Well, I'm about to do the same next week.

[@bings1988]

Hey, Im not sure I completely follow your question but If your asking if I used click on Pick Up The Pieces then no I didn't for that! If that isn't what you asked then maybe re phrase and I'll try again. Thanks

[@FantasticF113]

If I had a dollar for every time this guys tells people he "runs backing tracks on stage..." I'd be a millionaire 🤣🤣🤣

[@dandavvson333]

Neato

[@anxee]

Dayum that intro…

[@stillebenfilm]

Why dont you guys show us and play what you get in you ears? Is it a secret?

[@bruceperkins2921]

"dont want too many people on stage interperting the click.."-aint that the truth!

[@19501960]

Good info, but there must be easier ways.

[@Ninjas_Rule]

That looks so painful. Hopefully, there's an easier way 3 years later. :)

[@diggs0110]

I couldnt watch it because he kept smacking his lips tooo much , real sassy

[@digitalsea9147]

Thats to much expensive shit man..im a starving artist my man

[@kursesandkarma3224]

If you say "basically" one more time, please...........omg! Your'e helpful but it's annoying.