drum-tec GrooveBar Trigger Review

Today I'm reviewing the drum-tec GrooveBar trigger with in-depth testing on the Roland TD-50X & TD-17, Pearl Mimic Pro, eDRUMin 10, 2Box DrumIt 5 MKII and Alesis Strike electronic drum modules.
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🥁Roland TD-50X - theedrumworksh...
🥁 Roland TD-27 - theedrumworksh...
🥁 Roland TD-17 - theedrumworksh...
🥁 Pearl Mimic Pro - theedrumworksh...
🥁 Alesis Strike - theedrumworksh...
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Compatible with
► Roland TD-50X, TD-50, TD-27, TD-17, SPD-SX, SPD-S, TM-6 PRO, TM-2, TM-1* & RT-MicS*
► Alesis Strike Module (instrument files included), Strike Multipad
► dbdrums nPad, G4M DD90 Digipad and HXW PD-705
► Yamaha DTX-PROX, DTX-PRO, DTX-Multi 12, EAD10
► Pearl Mimic Pro
► Steven Slate Trigger 2 (.tci files included)
► Gear4Music DD90 Digipad
► dbdrums nPad
► ddrum NIO Percussion Pad
► HXW Avatar PD-705
► Millennium NonaPad
► Ashley DME 705
& any module that supports 44.1kHz, 16-bit stereo .wav samples with a layering function
*TM-1 & RT-MicS may require additional software to load samples
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00:00 - About, Build Quality, Installation
03:55 - Performance (General)
06:15 - Roland TD-50X, TD-27, TD-17 Performance
09:41 - Pearl Mimic Pro Performance
11:03 - 2Box DrumIt 5 MKII Performance
12:18 - Alesis Strike Performance
13:12 - eDRUMin 10 Performance
14:00 - Final Considerations
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[@Ripperx121]

I really appreciate that you run these products thru the paces. I am glad you went this far into it.

[@heloyou2b]

Thanks for not forgetting about the guys with eDrumin man!) appreciate it

[@johndef5075]

So great hearing it on that many modules. Really helps making decisions. Strange that the slot width is still a problem because other reviews complained about it years ago before you even started your channel I believe.

[@TheeDrumWorkshop]

The GrooveBars have only come out in the last few months. But I imagine they're basically the triggers that were in the previous drum-tec Pro shells?

[@johndef5075]

​@@TheeDrumWorkshop Youre right. It was the Groove dot review.

[@graemelaw5808]

good to see another vid up 👍 cheers

[@marknorton2429]

Great review as usual. By the way, I was able to achieve positional sensing with my trigger plate design with the Mimic by using three rim piezos instead of just one.

[@TheeDrumWorkshop]

Thanks Mark! Oh, that's great to know! I do remember hearing something about the rim signal playing a role in the Mimic's PS, so U guess that makes sense (especially since that's how the ATV snare is wired). Where did you place each piezo? In a triangle formation? I might be able to try that out with some of the piezos I've got at the workshop sometime.

[@marknorton2429]

Yes, triangle position, one next to each piezo tower.

[@loquist42]

Are the Groove Bars made of gold? The price is irrationally expensive for some metal bracing, a piece of foam, and a couple of triggers.

[@keithbeardmore530]

Have you tried Diamond Drums drop in triggers. They certainly work very well on Diamond built drums

[@TheeDrumWorkshop]

Unfortunately I haven't had the chance yet. Hopefully I will be able to at some point!

[@stephenhawkingsfootballboo7885]

The video I've been waiting for... I just wish the GrooveBars weren't so expensive! I know it's asking a lot, but is there any way we could see reviews of the R-drums (Rathgeber Drums) triggers and (especially) the Diamond Drums 2-pad and new 4-pad multi-triggers in the future?

[@TheeDrumWorkshop]

Hope it's helped. Yeah, I understand! I'm definitely interested in trying the Diamond ones if I can, but I don't have the budget to buy either of these myself at the moment to try out. I have to pick and choose gear wisely unless things are sent to me. Feel free to suggest to either of them that you'd love to see an independent review, maybe they'll get in touch!

[@stephenhawkingsfootballboo7885]

@@TheeDrumWorkshop Lol... I think you with a premier electronic drum channel and 14,000 subscribers would be more persuasive than a nobody hobbyist like me from the U.S.! It would seem that Diamond would love to have you review their triggers... especially since you're both in the UK. R-drums is probably a different story, but at least I've seen SOME video reviews of their products; I haven't found a single video that reviewed the Diamond triggers. I'd hate to be a costly 'guinea pig,' but I might have to when it comes to Diamond. They look interesting and their prices aren't as high.

[@Dou8leShot]

Curious if you feel that the bar gives an appreciable difference over the dot for snare.

[@stickboyjp]

Great video. I think these might be my next purchase. Also, I have been looking through your channel on how when to use Mask and Threshold. Do you have a video that you recommend?

[@TheeDrumWorkshop]

Thanks! I don't currently have anything that goes into detail on that, sorry. I've had a trigger calibration video planned for a long time, I really need to get that out the door at some point. Just been trying to work out whether a "general" video or a few module-specific ones would be best.

[@metinosman9842]

How sbout triggering on mylar heads??

[@ElectroPercs]

The 'Groove bar' looks like one of the original Roland triggers that were in their high end edrums.

[@law35penn]

They do, but they are expensive too. It will cost you a little if not more than roland drums if you have a big set. I was looking into this for a 7piece set. It's about 1500 plus and not include any modules yet. Roland modules are not cheap either.

[@Rhythmic1]

Thanks Luke, I've been waiting for this review. I was able to deal with the narrow slot problem with my Drone Triggers by using a dremel but I had to go out and buy one to do it. So that sucked. Also since drum-tec claims the new triggers will work with mylar heads I'd love to see a review on that too. As far as I know that's not something that's been possible up to this point. Or am I wrong about that? The reason being I gave up on external triggers a long time ago because they are hard if not impossible to dial in. I've also become accustomed to positional sensing and I wouldn't want to live without it now.

[@TheeDrumWorkshop]

Hey Robyn! Ah, that's annoying! I think the sizes of the slots in the DRONE triggers may have already been adjusted - I'm sure at least one of my sets could accommodate both anyway. If this video didn't already take so long to make/end up so long, I would have tried out triggering inside acoustic drums. I think it's probably possible to use other triggers the same way, as long as the foam is the right size/density for the application and the trigger itself isn't on a plate or something that would massively change the acoustic quality. It's definitely one to test if I get the chance - I'm very interested to see how "minimal" the change of sound really is, especially with a centre mount.

[@djashjones]

Drum tec make Roland look like value for money, lol.

[@codersexpo1580]

Nice vid. Have you tried the Extreme triggers?? I'm really trying to decide which choice to make.

[@kbarb3071]

I was also looking for an independent review on KZbin for extreme triggers but I'm only finding videos from the extreme drums channel 🤔

[@TheeDrumWorkshop]

Unfortunately I've not tried them, no. A lot of the time I only get the chance to try things out if they're sent over to me which isn't always ideal/possible for small companies from overseas. I hear good things about them, but not able to verify that!

[@kbarb3071]

@@TheeDrumWorkshop I'm just finding out how strange the A2E internal trigger market is... In the US at least, seems like I have to email some guy named Glen to get info/pricing on any given US made trigger (if I can find the company's website), and that's only after I find someone mention said company deep in an edrum forum thread. Anyway, I appreciate you trying to help us all out on this weird journey of creating our own conversion kit

[@ericbanks5333]

Luke this has nothing to do with this video but when using a MacBook and EZ drummer is there anyway I can plug the Mac into something to get more direct outs instead of running the 4 direct outs on the TD27 module?

[@TheeDrumWorkshop]

You can use an audio interface with more outputs. Something like a Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 or equivalent would give you at least 8 jack outputs with the potential for more outputs through different means.

[@robertbagley403]

Having some issues with mine (drum-tec GrooveBar trigger) on a Gretsch 14" snare with RealFeal Mesh Head. OK in the center, but drops out completely as drum strokes move outward. Using with a Yamaha DTX-Pro. Mixed and matched other pad type selections, and trigger types in the module, and messed with sensitivity, threshold, and velocity settings with no improvement. My Yamaha XP125SD-M Two-Zone 12" Mesh Electronic Snare Drum Pad works perfectly. But so far for me it's a no-go unless somehow setting adjustments and trigger selection can solve the issue. Any/all advice is greatly appreciated....

[@TheeDrumWorkshop]

Most triggers that output signal levels that work well on Roland modules (like this trigger) are usually too hot on Yamaha modules and it leads to poor performance. I showed off some issues I had with third-party triggers on the DTX-PROX when I reviewed it. If I had a Yamaha module to test on (the review kit went back) I could have confirmed this, but my assumption is that they might not perform correctly with Yamaha modules. I noticed that Yamaha aren't listed on the drum-tec site as one of the brands it works well with too. Have you tried reaching out to drum-tec about it?

[@johndef5075]

I've had new foam cones compress where I had to readjust them after playing a little. Also with multi ply heads high tension can cause a loss of sensitivity sometimes. But I suspect it may be the Yamaha module too.

[@MatthewRunyon-n4g]

I bought this trigger and I've been using it for many months now, and honestly it's really not worth it. There's quite a few trigger companies that make a trigger like this for quite a bit less. The included jack cable to mount in a shell without any modification worked for 1 week before having issues with it's connection. I wasn't terribly impressed with the triggering overall, it's fine, but at this price, fine isn't good enough.

[@sonexdeluxe]

The groove bar seems really nice but dang they're expensive.

[@stephenhawkingsfootballboo7885]

I really wish there was an American distributor for the Drum-tec stuff... the shipping fees are often a deal-breaker.

[@georgejohnson2046]

Isn’t DCP distributing Drum Tec?

[@thewhitesideofthemoon2238]

Yes they do Contact them!!

[@stephenhawkingsfootballboo7885]

@@thewhitesideofthemoon2238 Really? Cool! Thanks!

[@dimakeylin]

It is so pitiful that none of the "non Alesis" pads don't work with the Strike module directly...

[@TheeDrumWorkshop]

Stay tuned for the next review 👀

[@robertlangley6002]

Right??? I've had no problems using triggers and non alesis brand pads with all kinds of alesis modules and they've all worked great on all of the modules EXCEPT the strike. It's horrible.

[@itsgmani]

That’s odd. I’ve had a strike and used a Roland vh11 and Roland ride and they worked so much better then the Alesis stuff did.

[@TheeDrumWorkshop]

@@itsgmani I maybe should have clarified a bit more but it seems to be other brand drum triggers/drum pads that are the issue, mainly the rim zones (as shown here). You're right that cymbals are a different beast - I've had Roland and Lemon cymbals working great on the Strike (such as the Lemon hi-hats I reviewed a while ago).

[@dimakeylin]

@@TheeDrumWorkshop I'm sure it all depends on the potentiometer that controls the rim and head zones. As I understand it, this potentiometer adjusts the balance between zones and is the reason why most third-party pads don't work

[@ElectroPercs]

A rat tail file will solve the mounting issue.

[@CanadianTexaninLiguria]

What UFO drums triggers?

[@TheeDrumWorkshop]

I'm not sure I understand the question!

[@arbogast4950]

They need a US distributor 😂

[@thewhitesideofthemoon2238]

Contact DCP