Roland KD-120 Kick Sensitivity Problem

[dmitri]

Did you test KD-120 on one of the inputs with the Positional sensing addon (inputs 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12) ?

[airflamesred]

Could it be that the piezo is not located at the center of the mesh pad in the KD-120? On the KD-120, the piezo is located about 2 inches from the rim of the drum. Could this cause some type of incompatibility between the KD-120 and the MD?

This had crossed my mind but the fact that it triggers the Roland module well enough is very odd.

[mdefiore]

Did you test KD-120 on one of the inputs with the Positional sensing addon (inputs 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12) ?

According to the graphic you posted http://www.megadrum.info/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1393 which specifies the name of each input the 56 input MD you sell, I tested it on the Kick, Aux6 and Aux26 inputs. I'm not sure what input number these correspond to.

[mdefiore]

Could it be that the piezo is not located at the center of the mesh pad in the KD-120? On the KD-120, the piezo is located about 2 inches from the rim of the drum. Could this cause some type of incompatibility between the KD-120 and the MD?

This had crossed my mind but the fact that it triggers the Roland module well enough is very odd.

The KD-120 also has a memory foam cushion located directly below where the beater hits the head. This has the effect, I think, of reducing the vibration of the mesh head which triggers the piezo. See pic below:

[dmitri]

Did you test KD-120 on one of the inputs with the Positional sensing addon (inputs 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12) ?

According to the graphic you posted http://www.megadrum.info/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1393 which specifies the name of each input the 56 input MD you sell, I tested it on the Kick, Aux6 and Aux26 inputs. I'm not sure what input number these correspond to.

The inputs with the Positional sensing addon are SnareH (4), RideB(6), CrashB(8), Tom1H(10) and Tom2H(12).

[mdefiore]

Did you test KD-120 on one of the inputs with the Positional sensing addon (inputs 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12) ?

According to the graphic you posted http://www.megadrum.info/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1393 which specifies the name of each input the 56 input MD you sell, I tested it on the Kick, Aux6 and Aux26 inputs. I'm not sure what input number these correspond to.

The inputs with the Positional sensing addon are SnareH (4), RideB(6), CrashB(8), Tom1H(10) and Tom2H(12).

Do you want me to turn on the positional sensing algorithm on the MD when I try it on these inputs, and if so, which algorithm number: 1, 2, or 3?

[dmitri]

Do you want me to turn on the positional sensing algorithm on the MD when I try it on these inputs, and if so, which one; 1, 2, or 3?

No, you don't need to configure any positional sensing stuff. These inputs have precision rectifiers and according to your signal readings in viewtopic.php?p=26640#p26640 the first half wave is several times higher than any subsequent half waves. If this first half wave is negative then it will be ignored on any inputs except inputs with the precision rectifier. Testing the pad on these inputs can test this theory.

[mdefiore]

Do you want me to turn on the positional sensing algorithm on the MD when I try it on these inputs, and if so, which one; 1, 2, or 3?

No, you don't need to configure any positional sensing stuff. These inputs have precision rectifiers and according to your signal readings in viewtopic.php?p=26640#p26640 the first half wave is several times higher than any subsequent half waves. If this first half wave is negative then it will be ignored on any inputs except inputs with the precision rectifier. Testing the pad on these inputs can test this theory.

This fixed it. Even though I'm still getting low AutoHighLEvel values of 111 on this input, the settings below, which I'm still refining, provide sensitivity and dynamics at least as good as the TD-30:

Threshold=1
Gain=5
HighLevel=168
DynLevel=9
DynTime=4
MinScan=40

Dmitri, Thanks!

I plan on sharing the MD pad settings for my Roland session kit when I'm done with the entire drum set configuration. I'll make note that you recommend using a precision rectifier with the KD-120.

For future reference, can you confirm accuracy of the following sentence, or modify it so that it is true:

"A trigger signal which has a negative first half-wave that is at least double the amplitude of the second half-wave requires the use of a precision rectifier on the input."

[workroom]

Since the first cycle is negative would it help to polarity reverse the cable?

[dmitri]

Since the first cycle is negative would it help to polarity reverse the cable?

This was exactly my reason why I asked to test it on inputs with positional sensing. You can most certainly use this pad on regular inputs but you either have to revers the polarity of the piezo or better yet use a crossover cable where sleeve at one end goes to tip on another end and vice versa.