Alesis D4 Users Manual

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Set-Up

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QUIGK 5EI-UP OUIDE

The D4 has twelve trigger inputs designed to accommodate the

most widely used drum pads and other triggering sources. It's

triggering mechanism is an advanced signal to midi converter

which incorporates five user controllable parameters. Trigger

parameters are independent for each of the twelve inputs, and

the set up is global for all drumsets.

The five types of user controlled parameters are:

1. VCURVE. There are eight separate curve tables, 0 through 7

which represent the velocity curve, or sensitivity of the trigger

input. Curves 1-3 have the least amount of sensitivity; curve 4

has the median, or "average type of play" sensitivity; and

curves 5-7 are the most sensitive. Curve 0 is "Unassigned".

This is a special situation parameter which is fully explained

in section 5.2 of the D4 Reference Manual.

2. XTALK. The crosstalk parameter is the trigger suppression

level adjustment. It is used to control interaction problems

between pads or drums. Crosstalk problems can occur when

two or more pads are mounted on a single stand or rack.

3. DCAY. This represents the signal decay time and threshold

of the D4's trigger inputs. In other words, DCAY controls the

amount of time between once a pad has been struck and

triggers, to when it will trigger again from another hit.

When properly adjusted, this parameter defeats "double

triggering " by allowing the D4 to determine which signals

are actual hits, and which are secondary decay signals.

4. NOISE. The NOISE parameter allows you to control the

noise floor, or the signal level threshold that an exterior

vibration or sound must exceed before it will trigger a drum

sound.

This is used mostly in situations where the stage

volume and vibrations are strong enough to "rattle" the

drum hardware to such a point that the D4 "thinks" these

vibrations are actual hits.

5. GAIN. This is the signal strength that the transducer

is

sending to the triggers in the D4, It's adjustment is very

similar to that of a tape recorder's

VU meter. With the gain

threshold set too low, soft hits may never be recognized.

With the gain set too high, you may experience false, or

double triggering. A properly adjusted gain setting will allow

the highest dynamic range for the pad being used.

Nofe: For more detailed information and examples, regarding

the functions of these individual parameters, please refer to

Chapter 5 of the D4 Reference

Manual.

When triggering from pads

always follow these 5 basic steps:

1. Plug

io a!! of the triggers you will be using.

. Plug all of the triggers you will be using into the rear panel

jacks. Since the triggers are interactive, the D4 needs to "see"

all of the signals simultaneously.

. Use the following guide for your trigger inputs. The trigger

default note numbers correspond to these drum sounds.

1. Hat

2. Bass

drum

3. Snare

4.

Toml

5. Tom2

5. Tom3

7. Ride Cymbal

8. Crash Cymbal 1

9. Crash Cymbal 2

10. Conga

11. Hi Timbale

12. Hi Agogo

Nofe: Drum sets 17 &18 use a different set of default note

numbers. The trigger default note numbers for all pre set drum

sets

can be found in the D4 Factory Drumset Reference

Chart.

Turn the note chase feature off.

o Do this by pressing the note chase

button on the front panel

so that the LED is off. Note chase is a feature that

automatically displays the data of the most recently struck

pad, enabling you to easily "move" around the kit for editing

purposes. Flowever, the active trigger should always be

selected

manually since other unadjusted inputs could "fire"

simultaneously during editing resulting in confusion on the

display.

Note; The note chase LED also functions as a signal indicator and

will flash when a trigger is generated.

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t

3. Next, manually select a trigger to ediL

. Press the Ext Trig button once to enter the page showing the

editable parameters for the TRIG number, VCURVE

selection, and MIDI note assignment. The cursor will appear

under the trigger number field.

. Use the Data wheel to select the trigger you wish to edit.

4. Select the velocity cunte.

r Move the cursor under the VCURVE field.

o Choose the sensitivity value which bests suits the style of

play, or the pads being used. For average

play, (hits ranging

from very soft to very hard) the default setting of 4 will give

you the full range of sensitivity which corresponds to MIDI

velocities 1 through 127.

Nofe: VCURVE 0, Unassigned, is fully explained in the D4

Owners Manual.

5. Choose the MIDI note number.

Note: The default trigger note numbers in the D4 correspond to

General MIDI, so in many cases

it may not be necessary

to change

the assignments. These default settings can be found in the

Factory Drumset Reference

Guide included with your D4

literature.

If you choose to make changes:

. Move the cursor under the NOTE field and select the desired

MIDI note number.

5. Adiust the GAIN for the selected

higger.

. Press the Ext Trig button twice to get to the page showing the

trigger number and GAIN editing parameters.

. Move the cursor under the gain field and strike the pad.

Now the lower LCD line will urn into a bar-graph meter that

shows the peak strength of the trigger.

o Adjust the gain by gradually turning the Data wheel until a

powerful suike results in the

meter reaching the

right-most

',

i*

side of the display. Be aware that the gain values are

extremely sensitive

even in small increments.

A period will

appear to the right of the gain number signaling that the

trigger level is reaching it's full dynamic range. If a trigger's

gain is adjusted properly, the period will appear only on the

stronsest hits.

Now repeat steps 3 through 6 fot the remaining ttiggers you anill be using.

After completing these steps, you should be able to play on all of

the pads plugged in to the D4 and hear the sounds being

triggered.

Before going on to steps 7 -9, you should be aware that the

amount of adjustment needed for the remaining parameters

will depend on several variables. Since all drum pads do not

utilize the same design and materials, they vary somewhat in

sensitivity and how they respond to "outside" surroundings

The factors that most effect the performance of triggers will be

your hardware configuration, the different types of pads or

drums being used, and the environment in which you will be

using the D4. First we should define the parameters which

enable you to control these various "factors."

7.

CROSSTALK

Nofel In our crosstalk scenario we will use two pads, a snare pad

and the tom 1 pad, both mounted on a single stand.

If you are using a set up which consists of several pads mounted

on one rack or stand, you may be hearing some crosstalk as you

play around the kit. Crosstalk is when you hit the snare pad and

the tom pad also triggers. This is usually the result of stand

vibrations causing the pad (the tom 1 in this case) to trigger. If so,

the XTALK for this pad needs to be re.calibrated.

The important thing to determine is which pad needs the

XTALK adjustment. Remember, the trigger that needs

adjustment is the pad that is false triggering, not the pad being

struck.

So, if you are hitting the snare

pad and the tom 1 pad triggers,

adjust the tom pad, not the snare pad. Now, to correct the

problem...

Set the XTALK value.

1. Press the Ext Trig button twice to enter the page showing the

parameters for XTALK DCAY, and NOISE.

2. After selecting the desired trigger (tom 1), place the cursor

under the XTALK parameter value.

3. Now, gradually increase the XTALK level of the tom 1 trigger

until it stops triggering when you hit the snare pad (00 is

minimum, 99 maximum).

A properly adjusted crosstalk level will stop the pad's

interaction,

and still allow you to play quick hits without loosing

any notes.

8. DECAY

Note: In this scenario we will use only the snare pad.

Depending on the type of pads being used and your mounting

configuration, you may be experiencing some "double

triggering". If shortly after the initial strike to the snare pad it re-

triggers or sounds a second time, the pad is "double triggering".

This can be controlled by altering the DCAY parameter value.

Set the DCAY value.

1. First select the snare trigger.

2. Now place the cursor under the DCAY parameter value.

3. Gradually increase the value until the snare stops double

triggering on hard hits.

A properly adjusted DCAY parameter will end double triggering,

and still allow you to play fast, repetitive hits on the snare pad.

NOISE

Nofe: In this scenario we will be using the tom 1 and the tom 2

pads in a live performance situation. The two tom pads are

mounted together on a single floor stand, and the crosstalk and

other parameters have already been correctly adjusted. When

you play the pads while no other instruments are being

sounded, all of the hits are triggering and tracking properly.

Now as the band begins and the stage volume is very loud, the

stage starts trembling which causes the drum hardware to

vibrate. At times the tom 1 and the tom 2 pad are triggering

when not being played. This is because

the D4 is interpreting the

signals from the stand vibrations as hits. By adjusting the NOISE

parameter the D4 can determine which signals are vibrations

caused by the surrounding noise level, and which signals are

actual hits.

Set the NOISE value.

1. First select the desired trigger to edit, tom 1 in this case.

2. Next place the cursor under the NOISE parameter value.

3. Increase

the value to a level that will stop the pad from false

triggering when the strong vibrations occur. If the triggering

is frequent and strong, try starting with an increase

of 20

or

more. If the triggering is not as often and is softer in volume,

first try adding 10 to the value, then gradually add more if

necessary.

4. Repeat steps 1 through 3 to correct the problem with the tom

2pad.

5. Finally, return to the Drumset mode by pressing the Drum

Set button. This will protect from the possibility of

accidentally

editing your settings.

Nofe: Whenever possible, keep some distance between your

drum kit and the nearest

speaker cabinets (especially bass

cabinets), and make sure they are not facing directly at your set

up. Remember that the closer and louder in volume the cabinets

are, the greater the chances

are that they will cause

false

triggering problems.

J'PS OIU EXTENilAT JnJGGEN'il@

FROTN

ACOUSJTC

DRUMS

When triggering from an acoustic

drum, that is using a contact

pick up (transducer)

mounted to the head

or shell, the same

general

set-up

procedures and parameter

principles of triggering

from pads apply. However, due to extreme

head

vibrations and

resonance

of acoustic

drums, keeping the "factors"

under control

is considerably

more difficult.

These tips should help

you in

eliminating potential problems.

There are several

things to consider when purchasing

transducers

(triggers),

and when mounting them to your drums.

Output Sensitivity

The difference in output levels

between

transducers

is

considerable. While a really

"hot" trigger might work great

on

the snare,

it may not work as well on a bass

drum. For

example,

a high sensitivity trigger

will detect the softer

"grace"

notes

on a

snare drum and

provide the best tracking in a tight pressed

roll.

On a

bass drum however,

because that same

trigger

is

so

sensitive,

it may be over-driven

due to the sheer velocity

of each

impact from the

beater on the

head.

Over-driving

the trigger

can

allow it to detect every

slight vibration as you hit the bass

drum.

This

results in double triggering and

contributes to cross

talk

problems. It can also reduce

the

life of the

trigger

itself.

When considering

trigger output sensitivity towards

applications,

generally

these tips will apply.

1. Use

"hotter"

triggers for shell

mounting.

Sensitive

triggers

can detect

signals through

the shell

more accurately

than

others.

2. For direct head mounting use less

sensitive triggers.

When

possible use a trigger that

contains

a built-in sensitivity

adjustment

There are

several types available.

Mounting

One of the most important

aspects of triggering

is mounting. For

any

trigger to work properly

it must

be correctly mounted

to the

drum. Always use

some type

of a foam

tape,

and

make certain

the trigger is firmly mounted

with little or no movement.

In

addition to forming a solid

foundation for the trigger, the foam

tape

also acts

as a

shock

absorber

which helps

to deter double

triggering. Most of the trigger manufacturers supply several

pieces of mounting tape with their trigger products. It is also

very important to be certain that no part of the trigger wire,

which connects the trigger to the audio jack, is touching or

resting on any part of the drum or rim. This wire is sensitive

enough to trigger signals from the drum vibrations which

would then cause double triggering.

Trigger Placement

Placement is another very important part of triggering

performance, but unfortunately there is no right or wrong set of

rules. It simply takes a lot of experimentation to arrive at the

correct combination for the type and size of drum, and the drum

kit configuration you are using. These tips will help you get

started with a step in the right direction.

BASS DRUM

1. Mount the trigger directly on the impact head.

2. Place the trigger approximately 2-4 inches in from the rim,

and level with the beater.

3. Slightly reduce the sensitivity of the trigger if it has an

adjustment.

SNARE DRUM

If you play with a fairly tight batter head,

try this:

1.. Mount the trigger on the batter head.

2. Place the trigger approximately one inch from the rim, on the

opposite side of the drum from the player.

3. Slightly reduce the sensitivity of the trigger if it has an

adjustment.

If you play with a looser head, try this:

1. Firmly mount the trigger to the shell approximately one-half

inch from the batter rim.

2. Placement of the trigger should be on the players side of the

drum, within a lug or two of where the stick would hit if you

plaved a rimshot.

3. Use a high sensitivity setting if the trigger has an adjustment.

SMALL TOMS 8'L13''

With smaller toms it is possible to get proper tracking using either head

or shell mounting. You will need to experiment with both to determine

which will work best in your situation.

For head mounting:

1. Mount the trigger so that it is within one and one-half inch

from the batter rim.

2. Placement

of the trigger should be on the players side of the

drum, within a lug or two of where the stick would hit if you

played a rimshot. (In some cases the opposite side of the

drum, directly across from the player may work well).

3. Slightly reduce the sensitivity of the trigger if it has an

adiustment.

For shell nounting:

1. Firmly mount the trigger to the shell so that it is

approximately one inch from the batter rim.

2. Placement

of the trigger should be on the players side of the

drum, within a lug or two of where the stick would hit if you

played a rimshot

3. Use a mid to high sensitivity setting if the trigger has an

adjustment.

LARGE TOMS 14''-18''

In most cases shell mounting will work the best. However, you might

experiment with head mounting and find great results.

1. Firmly mount the trigger to the shell so that it is

approximately one inch from the batter rim.

2. Placement of the trigger should be near the side you sit,

within a lug or two of where your stick would hit if you

played a rimshot

3. Use a mid to high sensitivity setting if the trigger has an

adjustment.

Nofe; In most caseg when shell mounting triggers, internal

permanent mounting will provide the best results. This

permanent form of mounting allows the trigger to be more

firmly attached to the shell, which tends to improve the

performance. However, when using this technique it is usually

necessary

to install an audio jack into the drum shell to connect

the audio cable to the trigger.

Muffling

Another important part of triggering from acoustic drums is the

degree of muffling you apply to your drums. The amount a head

vibrates when it is struck is what causes

most of the problems

related to triggering from an acoustic drum. I know most

drummers don't want to put a lot of tape or muffling on their

heads, but the degree of improvement it makes may be well

worth at least a little sacrifice.

A slight amount of muffling can

make a huge improvement in any triggering units ability to

properly track your playing.

Mounting Hardware and Configuration

The quality and sturdiness of your hardware will make a big

difference in eliminating potential problems. When you use

unsteady hardware, it is an open invitation to crosstalk

problems. Toms that are mounted on the bass

drum, and drums

which share a stand with other instruments such as cymbals, are

areas

where you should be sure your hardware and mountings

are solid and sturdy. Always check to be certain that none of your

stands or drums are leaning up against, or touching any other

drums or piece of hardware. To sum it up, the more heavy-duty

your hardware is, the better.