NEW secondhand TD12

[dekkar]

Hi guys, I just purchased my first roland drum kit.... it is a second hand TD12... Everything seems to work Ok, but I have a few questions I was wondering if someone could help me with...

(I didnt get a manual)..

The floor tom drum sounds as if it is way out of tune or broken, no matter which I choose (16' birch, etc etc)it just sounds crappy..... Does tightening the mesh skin on the drum alter the sound?

The snare seems to have a sweet spot right in the center of the drum, maybe a 2x2cm area.... when hit, the drum sounds almost twice as loud as when hitting the rest of the head. Is this normal?

All the cymbals dont seem to be able to make the bell sound.... If I tap it on the bell, 9 times out of 10 I get a crash or edge sound....

Im not sure if I'm just not doing it properly or if the triggers on them are bad..

Finally... again I dont know if its me, but I cant seem to find a snare or tom sample I like..??

Any ideas?


Thanks,
Dekkar

[tisgnitch]

welcome to the forum!
firstly, i would suggest doing a full factory reset of your module to get rid of any strange noises/happenings the previous owner had in there..

(I didnt get a manual)..

download one here

The floor tom drum sounds as if it is way out of tune or broken, no matter which I choose (16' birch, etc etc)it just sounds crappy

see hint no.1

Does tightening the mesh skin on the drum alter the sound?

no, but it shouldn't be loose - a few turns with a drum key should do it

The snare seems to have a sweet spot right in the center of the drum, maybe a 2x2cm area.... when hit, the drum sounds almost twice as loud as when hitting the rest of the head. Is this normal?

search here for 'hotspot on snare'

All the cymbals dont seem to be able to make the bell sound.... If I tap it on the bell, 9 times out of 10 I get a crash or edge sound....

adjust your thresholds - in your manual you just downloaded

Finally... again I dont know if its me, but I cant seem to find a snare or tom sample I like..??

Any ideas?

Vexpressions

good luck!

[BarT]

The floor tom drum sounds as if it is way out of tune or broken, no matter which I choose (16' birch, etc etc)it just sounds crappy.....

What are you listening through? I think it's likely that your headphones or amp/speaker are not coping well with the lowest frequencies.

All the cymbals dont seem to be able to make the bell sound.... If I tap it on the bell, 9 times out of 10 I get a crash or edge sound....

Im not sure if I'm just not doing it properly or if the triggers on them are bad..

You can't get bell AND edge from any cymbal with a single cable. Typically, only the ride is set for a bell sound. For crashes, you would normally use only the bow/edge output of the cymbal. It may help to understand cymbal setups if you download the manual for your kit (TD-12K, TD-12KV or TD-12KX) as well as the module.


Bruce

[sciomako]

The snare seems to have a sweet spot right in the center of the drum, maybe a 2x2cm area.... when hit, the drum sounds almost twice as loud as when hitting the rest of the head. Is this normal?

That's what people here call the "hotspot". Tighten the head mitigates it. So are reducing the sensitivity, lighter drumsticks, different snare patches, different EQ. But it never goes away completely. You generally need to avoid hitting dead centre.

All the cymbals dont seem to be able to make the bell sound.... If I tap it on the bell, 9 times out of 10 I get a crash or edge sound....

Assume you have it set up correctly, only the ride has bell/bow/edge. And you need to whack the bell with the shoulder of the stick to get the bell sound.

[Swaledale]

Before you start changing too many parameters, as it's a second hand kit you might want to do a factory reset on the module (see your nice downloaded manual for instructions).

[drdiaboloco]

(I didnt get a manual)..

Well, as has been suggested you could DL one, or if you're in the USA:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Roland-TD-12-Own...item2560557f7d

$15 shipped, unless you get outbid. As of this time there are no bids, so who knows? I'm sure Roland would even sell you one, though if I had to guess it wouldn't be $15.

[dekkar]

Thanks for all the replies... I downloaded the manual, and everything seems to be coming together..

True what you say about the headphones... I have never thought about that... I just use some 50 dollar sony headphones, I did run it through my stereo, but it sounded like complete garbage, which I kind of expected.


I'll take all the good info here into consideration and work on making it sounds right!


Thanks again..

[dekkar]

PS, any recommendations on some not too shabby headphones?


That wont cost an arm and a leg?

[Audioholic]

Senheiser 280 pro. Best headphones in the 100 dollar price range imo

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/HD280Pro/

[ChristianGeek]

All the cymbals dont seem to be able to make the bell sound.... If I tap it on the bell, 9 times out of 10 I get a crash or edge sound....

A 15-minute DIY fix for the CY-12 (I just did it on mine), makes a world of difference:

http://www.vdrums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37891

Craig

[Fullback32]

Before you start changing too many parameters, as it's a second hand kit you might want to do a factory reset on the module (see your nice downloaded manual for instructions).

Totally agree with this. When buying a second hand module, this should be the first thing you do Dekkar (unless it already has VEX installed of course). The previous owner might have and probably did have had all kinds of tweaks set on his personal preferences.

[audiopat]

Senheiser 280 pro. Best headphones in the 100 dollar price range imo

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/HD280Pro/

I second these headphones. great cans for the price.

[drummadness]

I second these headphones. great cans for the price.

I too concur. I have been utilizing this pair for a while and for the price they are great.

[sciomako]

Folks,

How's the bass response of the 280 Pro?

I have an old 212 Pro which I like. But lately it starts developing some buzzing sound when the bass is heavy. I think it's getting towards its end of life...