Using Triggers with the Roland SPD-SX

[@DrumElectric]

Anyone catch that curl on the side of my head for the whole video? I think it's trying to call the home planet...

[@thecoverup555]

Great channel. Just got an spd sx and this really helped.

[@patrickmorris142]

Your videos are so informative I really have learned a lot from your page. Quick question can you explain sensitivity settings and threshold settings i should use with my external pads when using the SPD SX PRO thanks BT1 in particular

[@DrumElectric]

Thanks so much! So happy I could help! So in a nutshell (and I still get confused by these all the time): Threshold: is how well the trigger will pick up your hit. For example, if you play a ghost note, will it pick it up as a ghost note or nothing at all. To adjust this, I’d pull it all the way down to 1 and play a ghost note, then move the number up until it’s not detecting the ghost note anymore (usually for me it’s at around 13, but this will be different for you!). Go down 1 number until it’s detecting the ghost note. Sensitivity: is the velocity number the trigger will send out. This means - if you play a ghost note, is it going to play the sample as a full accent or ghost note as intended. Same method as threshold to adjust this. Hope this helps!

[@ippacholuk7317]

Newbie question - Any chance of a Roland 30HR triggering tutorial w/ the SPD SX Pro? Seems the Pro user interface is a bit different than the SX UI. thx!

[@DrumElectric]

Absolutely something I can do!

[@SemiSynergist]

Two questions. 1. How does striking velocity work with triggered samples? For example, when you load in a snare sample, but you are striking at different velocities, does the same sample just play quieter or louder? Or are there dozens of different samples that are triggered, depending upon your strike velocity? 2. Do you know you control gates with an SPD while using RT-30 series triggers on an acoustic set?

[@DrumElectric]

Great questions! 1. Depends on the module. For example, the SPD-SX will just play the same sample louder or quieter depending on how hard you hit it. The SPD-SX Pro and Octapad will go between two samples depending on how hard you hit. If you put any of it through MIDI though, you can then go through something like Get Good Drums where it’ll be a different sample hit depending on how hard you play. 2. Yes absolutely! If you check out my video ‘how to use a drum trigger for a noise gate’, I use MIDI to make it work. That means you can still fire off a sample with it too!

[@SemiSynergist]

@@DrumElectric Thanks for getting back quickly. 1. Is there ~any~ way for the SPD SX to play variable samples? Even if it’s through a DAW? What DAW do you use for routing samples? 2. I will check that out. Is there any way to change gate sensitivity on board the SPD SX?

[@carlinmuccular]

Great video!

[@SemiSynergist]

Are you able to upload a shaker sample, set it to the tempo of the click, and have it repeat with the click with ONE hit of a pad to toggle it?

[@DrumElectric]

That’s a great question! I know the SPD-SX Pro can do that, but I’m not sure about the SPD-SX

[@RobAbfallDrums]

Great content in your channel I’m sure I will have a lot more stupid questions as I am going to purchase the sod sx pro shortly and rang the bell !

[@DrumElectric]

Thank you so much!

[@vanialee6881]

awesome video! thank you so much, it was very helpful. I was wondering if you could do a video on how you actually record the roland spd sx along with the triggers into a DAW

[@DrumElectric]

Thanks so much!! That's a great idea, and something I do all the time!

[@CameronMSaliba]

Super High quality! Subbed mate, this is a great channel!

[@DrumElectric]

Thank you so much Cameron, that means so much!! If there's anything you'd like to see, just let me know! 😄

[@CameronMSaliba]

Will do, keep up the quality content! :)

[@renelefeuvre_]

I reckon I'm here doing the same thing you were doing three years ago haha!

[@DrumElectric]

@renelefeuvre_ Haha incredible. I’m still here! Let me know if you need a hand with anything!

[@lawrencesale6400]

Another fine vid. Thanks. Question: How are you getting the BT-1 pad selection to work? I have to use another pad selection in Sys settings for it to work.

[@DrumElectric]

Thanks so much! Exactly the same as you say - I have to use another pad selecting in the settings for it to work. I tend to find this with a few of the triggers, but if it works, it works!

[@HEATLIE_official]

Harry! How can I change snare-trigger sound quickly, let's say, in a song...you know...with one hand? Anyone know the answer? I'm quite new in SPD SX

[@DrumElectric]

Great question, and welcome to the SPD-SX! Probably the most straight forward way would be to put the other sound you want on a different kit. Then you can just quickly press the ‘+’ button to change to it. If you’re on ‘Kit 10’ and the new sound is on ‘Kit 20’ for example, then you can use the ‘kit chain’ feature to get to it without having to press the plus button a thousand times. Just hit the ‘Quick’ button on the front of the SPD, and it should be right there under ’kit chain’

[@davidbrian6253]

Hi - your video was very helpful. I am a totally beginner, and would like to add a kick trigger for a bass drum. You mention the Roland KT10 as one option. What are your thoughts on the Yamaha Ku100? I use the Roland SPD and want it to practice my foot work and have a bass drum. Cheers

[@DrumElectric]

Thanks so much! I personally haven’t used the KU100. But, having a quick look, you should be fine to use it with the SPD! For general practise on your footwork, I would recommend the KT10 though as it’s one of the closest feeling triggers to a bass drum I’ve experienced. If you’re just looking to trigger a bass drum sound, I see no problems with the KU100!

[@davidbrian6253]

@@DrumElectric Cheers. Would the Roland KT-9 be a better feeling than the Yamaha? Am considering costs.

[@DrumElectric]

The KT-9 looks good! Or even something like the KD-7 would do the trick!

[@antrimDave]

Hi - in the end I bought a Yamaha KU100 foot trigger & connected to my SPD SX, following the instructions, but I don't get any sound coming through. I tried all of the different trigger types, to no avail. Any suggestions? Cheers

[@antrimDave]

Hey "Drum Electric" - got it sorted, I didn't have a sound assigned - works now. Cheers

[@thegoodfoot]

Great video, thanks! At the end how did you switch the BT-1 from the cowbell sample to the claps?

[@MyOwnWorst90sBand]

Yea I wanna know also

[@jeffgoodbar]

How did you change the cowbell sound on the Bt-1 to a reverb slap with out touching the spd pad?

[@DrumElectric]

Good catch! I was being fancy and using the triggers through the SPD-SX and into Ableton where they were then automated. I made a video on it called “How to Automate Drum Pads with Ableton”

[@RobAbfallDrums]

for the BT-1 do you have to use a Y splitter in the back of the spd?

[@DrumElectric]

Only if you’re using more than 1 trigger

[@kendall_lantz]

Can you link the cable you're using as a splitter? I have this exact setup, but I don't know what cable to use to get the BT-1 And RT-30HR working at the same time.

[@DrumElectric]

Not sure if I can put a link in the comments without it being flagged! But if you search for a “stereo Jack Y splitter”, you should be able to find a simple Amazon Basics one. Or, a “stereo to dual Jack” if you want it all as one cable

[@MrJomoli]

Nice but how you recording to the Daw the triggerinputs Signal( trigger can not plug to midi out). How you resolve this?

[@DrumElectric]

If you’re just triggering through the SPD-SX without MIDI, then just take the master outputs and put them into your interface. If you are using MIDI to trigger something in a DAW, then just record that MIDI track as well as the rest

[@migoz]

Hey hey, great video. I'm trying to set up two BT-1s on the same trigger input using a splitter. I set both trigger 1 and trigger 2 to PD-8 (instead of BT-1 like recommended on the Roland website) but I only get trigger 1 for both BT-1s for some reason. Did you ever face this? Any advice on this?

[@DrumElectric]

Great question! Two things come to mind - the first, is the SPD set to “Trig x2” or “head and rim”? So did you have to choose the PD-8 twice for each trigger, or just once? And the second thing - what happens if you select both as the BT-1 rather than PD-8?

[@migoz]

@@DrumElectric yeah, I set it to "Trig x 2", and set both triggers to "PD-8", when I set both to "BT-1" weirdly nothing at all triggers. I tried switching things around, like having spitting a BT-1 and PDX-8 on the same y-splitter, but still nothing. Is there any mode on the kit or the pad in general that I have to change or should the "trig x 2" setting do the trigg? (pun intended)

[@DrumElectric]

@@migoz How strange! The trig x2 should do the trick. I have found that sometimes they need to be set to trigger settings that aren't it (like you have with the PD-8), so it might just be worth having a play with it. Great pun!

[@migoz]

@@DrumElectric thanks for appreciating my pun #youhonorme I tried different settings, all either only fire on trigger 1 or trigger 1 and 2 in case I chose a dual zone trigger (like PDX-8 for instance). I also tried stereo and mono cables. Could it be that I need a different splitter? I have one of them Hosa Y Splitters.

[@DrumElectric]

@@migoz How very strange indeed! It'll always be worth trying another cable, as they can be temperamental! But asides from that, I have no idea, I'm so sorry!

[@paulwerle1]

On the SPD-SX if im playing to music can i listen to the music and then hear the SPD-SX sounds too if im using in ear monitors? thanks!

[@DrumElectric]

It depends on your outputs, but yes! If you're just using the headphone out on the SPD, then you can plug in an aux directly to the back of it and listen to both the SPD and your music device. If you're running it through a laptop/computer then it's a little more complicated!

[@Kenzie2270]

Hey man, I’ve set up my triggers through my Roland spd sx pro. I’m having issues with the snare. When I do a rim-shot, the snare will not trigger. Other than that it works. What am I doing wrong?

[@DrumElectric]

You’re not doing anything wrong! It could be two things - which snare trigger are you using? If it’s a dual trigger, then it might be that you don’t have a sound on the rim part of the trigger. If it’s not that, then it may be the threshold and sensitivity settings

[@Kenzie2270]

@@DrumElectric bro! It’s a dual Roland rt-30hr. The rim does not have a sound. That could be it? I’ll try changing that. Btw, your content is really good. Your videos deserve more views. Keep it up!

[@Kenzie2270]

@@DrumElectric also, it would be awesome to see you do a video of you setting them up with your Roland pro, and see how you do all of the settings. I’ve spent about 6hrs of trial and error and being on the phone with a technician lol.

[@Kenzie2270]

@@DrumElectric okay, I’ve tried that and it’s still not registering at times. Any other suggestions?

[@thomasalnor8119]

Nice video! I use the same two triggers on SN and BD. When playing live, I use the triggers to spice up and tweak my sound along with the acoustic drums. Im having trouble with latency though - aprox. up 'till 12millisec. Do you have any solution to that?

[@DrumElectric]

Thanks so much!! I ran into this problem a while ago and it could be a few things. Presuming you’re running them from the SPD-SX, check that you haven’t maxed out the memory, as it can run a little slower from that (as I’ve found!). The other thing, is check the start time of the sample. Sometimes they can export with a little bit of silence on them - you can fix this in the ‘Sample’ part of the SPD-SX itself!

[@thomasalnor8119]

@@DrumElectric It's my samples... thx for the tip

[@justinevachaudez4224]

Hey, thx a lot for your video. When I use splitters to have 4 triggers, of course, I have 4 mono signals. For example, I hear the kick only on the left ear and the snare only on the right ear. How can I setup it to hear everything in both ears ? P.S. : I use it alone not with a computer. Thx in advance ;)

[@DrumElectric]

Thats a good question, and not something I've experienced before! Check the settings on the individual pad to make sure it's centred. If not, check that the trigger settings match that of the one you're using

[@justinevachaudez4224]

@@DrumElectric I'm sure it's centred, I'll check the settings. Thx for your help ;)

[@Chriswright90]

How did your sounds change mid way in the track, without you physically changing them on the SPD or Abelton?

[@DrumElectric]

Good catch!! They're running through Ableton. There'll be a video all about it coming soon!

[@starshipcreativenetwork7427]

I have the SPD-SX, and an Alexis kick pedal to connect. HOW do you connect a non-Roland trigger, without having to now buy another one by Roland that'd be on that preset list??? Please advise!

[@DrumElectric]

Great question! From my knowledge, the Alesis kick pedal should work with something like the KT-10 preset (Roland's equivalent). But sometimes the presets don't match up with the trigger and work a treat! So your best bet would be to start with the KT-10 and work through them until one works fine. I hope this helps!

[@starshipcreativenetwork7427]

@@DrumElectric The/my SPD-SX reads only the connectivity to the connection cable (as the tiny on-screen icons light up when I plug into the main unit), but not to the pedal on any of the presets, even though I made sure I was in plug 1/2 separate from 3/4. Crap. I may just have to buy all Roland, cos there is NOTHING online ANYWHERE discussing this.

[@DrumElectric]

@@starshipcreativenetwork7427 How odd! So just to be clear - you’re getting a signal into the SPD-SX from the trigger when you plug it in, but when you change to the presets, it no longer detects it? Thanks for bringing this up! It’s good to know this problem exists!

[@starshipcreativenetwork7427]

@@DrumElectric Yes. When I plug the CABLE in, the box detects the CORD being plugged in. But the box doesn't read any signal from the TRIGGER, no matter what preset I try. It reads the CORD but not the TRIGGER that the cord is plugged into.

[@Altdrumschool]

Lovely Stuff!!

[@adfeldr]

I have an Alysis electronic drum kit. Could I use the drum heads from it as triggers for my Roland SPD SX? If so how do I configure it.

[@DrumElectric]

In theory you should! If there a Jack able going from the drum pad to the Alesis drum brain, then all you do it disconnect it from the brain and plug it into the back of the SPD-SX. Then all you have to do is choose what sound you want it to make and you’re good to go!

[@mssprrz]

Using the RT-30HR, how can you set up the two different sound, one for the rim and another for the head? Thank you!

[@DrumElectric]

In the settings of the SPD-SX, set the trigger type to 'Head & Rim' - Easy as that!

[@marianli-pino5773]

@@DrumElectric Thanks for your helpful video! I've got an RT-30 HR set up, but find that if I try to hit the rim and head at the same time, only one of them will play. I have it configured to head and rim, tried it with both mono and poly and that hasn't made a difference. Have you run into this problem before/know a solution?

[@DrumElectric]

That's a great question! Not one that I've run into, sadly. It'll be worth checking out the sensitivity settings for each trigger point in the SPD-SX settings. For example, just hit the rim and see what the settings are, and then just hit the head and do the same. It might be that one is more sensitive than the other!

[@Chriswright90]

Great Vid

[@sayitloud9053]

How can I change the sensitivity on trigger

[@DrumElectric]

Nice and easy, just head to Menu -> Setup -> Pad Sens -> and then adjust the threshold until you're happy!

[@castilloz7886]

Where do i put custom sounds into like a snare through wave manager?

[@DrumElectric]

Yep! Plug the SPD into your computer, open up wave manager, import the custom sounds, drag them onto the SPD, and you’re good to go! Feel free to check out my other videos on importing samples

[@castilloz7886]

And when playing should the mixer mute the snare and kick or keep it on??

[@DrumElectric]

@@castilloz7886 Totally up to you! If you want the sound of the snare, keep it on. If you just want the trigger, turn it off

[@castilloz7886]

So I guess I need to do that if I wish to do cross stick?

[@castilloz7886]

I am totally new to triggers and thanks for helping me on the way

[@abi.n3945]

Can I connect hihat pedal?

[@DrumElectric]

Great question! You should be able to, but I’m not sure if it would work in the same way that it does on an E-Kit. A Hi-Hat trigger usually takes up 2 inputs, so in theory you should be able to connect it an assign two different sounds to it. If you have both the Hi-Hat Pedal and SPD-SX, try it and see what happens!

[@abi.n3945]

Yah that correct ☺ thanks for your reply 👍

[@dariousmarshall2838]

🔥💯✊🏾.

[@brownhooque]

This video easily coulda just been 2.5 minutes.