TD-9 owner's tips, tricks, reviews

[goony]

Masters50 or the Acustix vex packs are good...

[Drummer-64]

Hi!
Want to work on your half-time/Porcaro/Bonham shuffle?
Take an onboard song, eg Fusion/Jazzy Funk, dial it back to around 76BPM and rock on. (loop it and keep going till it hurts)
D./

[Mr. Green]

Originally Posted by instabusto

1)
Tuning the head tension on the toms: Are there any guidelines or a range that the head tension needs to be in? All I've read is "tune to get preferred tension" and that too loose and too tight can be a big problem, but I havent read anywhere that what is too tight and what is too loose. Any pointers?

I tune them to where I get the same kind of bounce with my stick as I'd get from an acoustic snare. No tighter and no looser. My heads have been going strong since I got it almost a year ago...

As far as VEX packs go, I never used any myself. They sound really great but they don't include any sounds you can't get on your own. If you want to save some cash try adjusting and changing around the instruments on the presets until they are more to your liking. If I find a preset that I like I'll change certain cymbals, maybe I'll change the snare, etc. until I get something that sounds/feels good to my taste.

The VEX packs are still great and should save you time/effort though. Go to their site and listen to the samples until you hear something you really like and buy that pack. It's all about personal preference really.

[ALLEN32444]

Got a question. I have a Yamaha DTXtreme II and have just purchased a Roland TD9 kx for our church praise band. I really like one of the drum kits in the Roland. Is it possible to take a drum kit from the Roland and add the the Yamaha?

I like the Roland better and if the pads were bigger I would keep it and give the youth my Yamaha. I think I got a great deal on it. Six months old, $1,200. Thanks

[saku]

Originally Posted by ALLEN32444

Is it possible to take a drum kit from the Roland and add the the Yamaha?

No, not really. If you are really enthusiastic, you could sample the roland by recording the sound it makes when you play, and uploading that to the yamaha, but it would be a lot of work, and you won't get the same sort of effect. I,e, it would be impossible to replicate all the velocity layers of the drum kits.

[nycvape]

After reading this entire thread I’d though I’d chime in. I just did the bell mod removing the lower part of the cymbal, as opposed to the way the word file mentions. I used 3 sheets stacked of thick photo paper, stuck together and onto the sensor with small pieces of double sided scotch tape. It’s hard to believe how well it works now compared to stock.

I’ve done some preliminary work adding LED lighting to my rack, but still looking for a good combination cord management that can hide the LED sticks as well.


I’ve also achieved what I think I think is extremely realistic stereo drum monitoring. With reverb set low, each part of the kit truly sounds like the sound is emanating from the drum or cymbal.

The image is a little blurry but have a look.

[Colquhoun]

Originally Posted by nycvape

The image is a little blurry but have a look.

Nice lights!
In addition, in all the photos of all the TD-9 kits on this site, you are the only person other than myself to put the hihat to the LEFT of the module. I do it so that my hands cross more at the wrists rather than at the sticks...but it's funny how you and I seem to be the only ones with this setup.

[Tazed]

Originally Posted by nycvape

After reading this entire thread I’d though I’d chime in. I just did the bell mod removing the lower part of the cymbal, as opposed to the way the word file mentions. I used 3 sheets stacked of thick photo paper, stuck together and onto the sensor with small pieces of double sided scotch tape. It’s hard to believe how well it works now compared to stock.

I’ve done some preliminary work adding LED lighting to my rack, but still looking for a good combination cord management that can hide the LED sticks as well.


I’ve also achieved what I think I think is extremely realistic stereo drum monitoring. With reverb set low, each part of the kit truly sounds like the sound is emanating from the drum or cymbal.

The image is a little blurry but have a look.

Hmmm... Could they be the Tazed-special Ikea lights?!!!
Makes hours at the kit much more fun!
Must try the CY-12 bell mod myself - can't for the life of me understand why they built it that way.
I mean, it's not like an acoustic bell needs more of a whack to make a sound!

[nycvape]

Colquhoun - I studied your kit photos many times before (and after) my kit arrived.

I was most concerned with the KD-120 clearing the rack, and also noticed your module mounting position. I took the rack apart many times to get the orientation I wanted (lower bar high enough for the KD to clear, and the pads mounted rather low to match my height.

It seemed that the hi hat should be mounted further left.

I also have 2 small electronic boxes (mic pre/compressor and blue sky monitor volume/bass) on the rack next to the TD-9 I need to correctly mount, probably with the another drum module mount I have to buy.

My big project is to make a vibration platform for the kit. I am looking into high tech solutions, but need the vibrational frequency of the KD-120 to determine which is the correct product to order.

I have tried some interesting solutions, multiple layers of corian and wood with rubber in between, all sitting on soft garage interlocking flooring tiles. But the vibration from the KD-120 still manages to work it way to the floor. I'm trying to isolate/damp just the 120, rather than float the whole kit on a tennis ball platform.


Tazed- Yes these are Ikea multi color LCD lights. 3 bars are mounted under the kit, and 5 bars are mounted on the ceiling. They are on 2 circuits, so I can have different colors underneath the drums, and overhead lighting up the pads. And it can be set to auto change, so I have a literal light show when playing to songs. Much more fun that Rock Band, IMHO.

I should upload a small video for people see how much this enhances the experience.

[Tazed]

Originally Posted by nycvape

...Tazed- Yes these are Ikea multi color LCD lights. 3 bars are mounted under the kit, and 5 bars are mounted on the ceiling. They are on 2 circuits, so I can have different colors underneath the drums, and overhead lighting up the pads. And it can be set to auto change, so I have a literal light show when playing to songs. Much more fun that Rock Band, IMHO.

I should upload a small video for people see how much this enhances the experience.

A video would be good - people have been commenting on my lights for the last 6 months, but I've never posted a vid.
I just run mine on the floor, they light the whole room from there and I can see them through the drum heads as well!

[nathan321]

Originally Posted by saku

anything you are missing? To me the td9 works fine, especially vexed.

the features I would like to see can't really be implemented in a firmware update, but rather need a new module (tap tempo, more sounds, more backing tracks, compressors, etc), but what did you have in mind?

I think the feature I'd like should be possible with a firmware update: adding the hi hat foot "chick" to the Scope function...

[jeroencrezee]

Originally Posted by nathan321

I think the feature I'd like should be possible with a firmware update: adding the hi hat foot "chick" to the Scope function...

My TD9 shows the foot chick in the scope function, I have a VH11.

[nathan321]

Originally Posted by jeroencrezee

My TD9 shows the foot chick in the scope function, I have a VH11.

Really? Nice. It definitely doesn't work with the standard hi hat pedal, in fact the manual explicitly says that it doesn't work...

[jeroencrezee]

Originally Posted by nathan321

Really? Nice. It definitely doesn't work with the standard hi hat pedal, in fact the manual explicitly says that it doesn't work...

This has to do with the fact that the VH11 actually moves, and when you push the pedal down, the bow piezo is activated by the shock, showing it on the scope.