Alternate Mode KAT Percussion Forum
KAT Percussion and Alternate Mode Discussion Forum => Gig Announcements and Performances => Topic started by: gmbydmit on January 28, 2010, 10:35:47 PM
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ya seen it yet?
I think it looks pretty cool (from what little bit I've read so far) and it also looks like it may need a AM / KAT perspective ... ???
(hint, hint....to one of you midi / controller / module / synth genius types...)
http://www.digitaldrummermag.com/
p.s. didn't know where else to post this. ;D
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ya seen it yet?
Thanks for the link! No, I hadn't seen it. Very nice presentation. And, yes, you're right, it cries out for an AM article (or even some AM ads).
Though I wish the magazine well, the cynic in me wonders how many issues they'll reach before they run out of material; there's only so much e-drum stuff after all (already in Issue 1 there's arguably some 'filler' - the article on Kit Toys cymbals which have (sadly) been defunct for years!)
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Interesting....I just found a Roland TD8 on ebay, and now an article on it....cool! 8)
Upgraded to a TD8 from an Alesis DM5......oops....rather steep learning curve here, but I just might figure it out yet... ;D
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Yeah, getting regular KATvertising it in would be good...
...though I'm with Scotty. All their target audience has internet access. I'd suggest that means a very large proportion will already be reading forums and such like. They're going to need to have some good stuff in there to keep a readership. (The login details being required so they've some figures against which to price their advertising, presumably.)
I found it odd that the reviewer of the DT-HD1 didn't mention something that's stated in the product blurb: not compatible with 64bit OSes. If I can go to the manufacturer's website and get a better understanding of the product than from an independent review, they'll have to watch themselves.
Good luck to them, though.
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If you didn't catch it... It had disappeared when I looked just now.
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I've tried several times - it hasn't worked long enough for me to register.Hope they get their act together.It's new,so I'll bear with them.
9:45 in St. Lou & DD has a title page - nothing else.At least they know the correct date.
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http://www.digitaldrummermag.com/Home.html
Default index page needs resetting; if you leave off "Home.html" you get the listing of files. I'm guessing they changed service provider.
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Hi there,
I'm Allan, the editor of digitalDrummer. Apologies for the technical glitches - we were adding functionality and didn't notice the issues at the front end. And in fact, none of our visitors pointed them out. It has now been restored and should be fully functional.
You will need to register - simply provide a first name, email (which becomes your log-in name) and password. And no, that's not for the advertisers - it's to enable us to alert you when the next edition goes live. Reader information is not shared with advertisers.
We have contacted Alternate Mode several times but didn't hear back - perhaps the groundswell here might trigger a response!
In the meanwhile, please continue to let me know what you like - and what you don't and if there's anyone doing anything different with KAT instruments, please let me know.
As an aside, I'm interested to see that the Kit Toys story was seen as a "filler". It was hard to track Mike down and you will note that there is a chance that he'll restart his business. Interestingly, I've had significant positive feedback on other forums to that particular story as well as to the TD-8 review. But I guess you can't please everyone all the time, no matter how hard you try.
Happy reading - and happy drumming.
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Thanks,Allen.Glad to see you even saw these posts.We're just the small fish in a big pond.Can't wait to see your new editions.
If you want to know about anyone doing anything different with Kat instruments,try my YT channel.
http://www.youtube.com/orbvroomer
Or,I can point you towards some other great Kat performers I've seen in this forum.
Please represent Kat controllers - still the BEST midi drum/perc controllers.
Looking forward to many issues of digital Drummer.Happy Kat tales to you.
Orb.
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Thanks Allan,
Glad that you saw us and that you know of us!
We have contacted Alternate Mode several times but didn't hear back - perhaps the groundswell here might trigger a response!
They are usually pretty responsive, so I guess (pure speculation) that the silence was either related to them preparing for or being at the NAMM show, or Mario being too busy being involved with setting up Miditronix (hey, Miditronix!, there's a story for Issue 2 ;D)
As an aside, I'm interested to see that the Kit Toys story was seen as a "filler". It was hard to track Mike down and you will note that there is a chance that he'll restart his business. Interestingly, I've had significant positive feedback on other forums to that particular story as well as to the TD-8 review. But I guess you can't please everyone all the time, no matter how hard you try.
Well, I did say 'arguably' ;) ... and it was a good, enjoyable, article too (honest!) I just found it striking that a mag on such a specialist small sector as edrums had an article on a discontinued brand in its first issue - but that's just me.
Best of luck with the magazine. It looks great, is very well-written and deserves success. I hope you prove that my pessimistic overtones were badly misplaced.
Cheers,
Scotty
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Personally I'm all in favour of a good balance between past, present and future. Rhythm features a "historical kit" in each issue and, even though I'm not an a-drummer, it's an interesting read. On e-drums, though, I'm not so interested in other current products than the one I own (a TrapKAT) -- but I am interested in items of historical interest. I've not yet read the TD-8 article, though, but the Kit Toys one was good. And I'm really happy to see a DIY page.
I hope you can get more interest from a wide range of manufacturers (and readers!) and manage to keep an overall balance (rather than a weighed one...). Whilst the market is probably dominated by Roland, I don't think a general interest digital drumming mag needs to be to appeal.
Oh, and I wasn't suggesting you'd share our details with the advertisers. Just be able to have an auditable readership figure. Maybe that's not needed in e-media advertising, I don't know.
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Hi there,
I'm Allan, the editor of digitalDrummer. Apologies for the technical glitches - we were adding functionality and didn't notice the issues at the front end. And in fact, none of our visitors pointed them out. It has now been restored and should be fully functional.
You will need to register - simply provide a first name, email (which becomes your log-in name) and password. And no, that's not for the advertisers - it's to enable us to alert you when the next edition goes live. Reader information is not shared with advertisers.
We have contacted Alternate Mode several times but didn't hear back - perhaps the groundswell here might trigger a response!
In the meanwhile, please continue to let me know what you like - and what you don't and if there's anyone doing anything different with KAT instruments, please let me know.
As an aside, I'm interested to see that the Kit Toys story was seen as a "filler". It was hard to track Mike down and you will note that there is a chance that he'll restart his business. Interestingly, I've had significant positive feedback on other forums to that particular story as well as to the TD-8 review. But I guess you can't please everyone all the time, no matter how hard you try.
Happy reading - and happy drumming.
I'm just happy as heck that someone has taken the initiative to put together something like this...Awesome Job, and keep up the good work....I for one, have no complaints whatsoever (I mean, for the price, how can ANYONE go wrong) :)
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Like gmby,I'm glad to have this magazine.I'm registered & I read through page 8......all else is blank pages.Can't wait to see the rest.
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I'm not sure why you're not able to see past Page 8. I have just retested and can access all the pages. Can I suggest you try downloading the PDF and return to the site later to check again.
If the problem persists, please contact me directly: editor@digitaldrummermag.com
Thanks
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Got it. ;) Didn't need the download - was fine.Just completed reading.Good info. You're talking our talk.
Thanks,Allen.
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A couple additions to the piezo article from dD. It was a fine article,but we've been nit picking our DIY talk in here for a long time,now.So why stop.I haven't looked into the other DIY forums mentioned,but we have some real good threads in OUR AM forum.Here goes.
Just one nit pick : paragraph 2 states "...converts pressure into energy". NOT SO. That would be how an FSR works. A piezo converts "vibration" into energy.Which is the main reason we are trying to move to FSRs,rather than piezos - NO FALSE TRIGGERS FROM SYMPATHETIC VIBRATIONS. Later in the article,vibration was used,instead of pressure.
Why not go all the way- the piezos can be had @ Radio Snatch & the part # is 273-073.I didn't measure the millimeter diameter,but I've used many of these.Or better yet,if you have an electronics store,other than RS,wait RS,that's another chain.I get mine @ Gateway El. in ST. Lou. I've bought small ones for 10 cents - no plastic housing or wires.
Here are some sizes I've used,& more are available.
http://www.box.net/shared/mbv6qyxyy7
We DO have quite a lot of DIY info in here.I think we should re-invigorate our DIY FSR thread - daveb ? - you the man.I last posted in there - sounded negative - but all I was saying is we're NOT quite there yet.Or we can wait & see if & WHEN Miditronix will have an external FSR trigger. I want to move forward NOW. You guys who want 50 cymbal triggers - might be too expensive - unless we can build our own.Even Poles used to cost 160. So 25 (dual zone) X 160...$4,000. TOO MUCH $ ..of course...that choice is gone. Ray...Scotty.....any ideas ?
If not FSRs,then I have another variation of a pole pad....I saw many years ago @ NAMM. About as successful as the $3,000 leather - piezo - jumpsuit. But it was a good design - simple & hardly any parts.It has a playing surface similar to pole,not exact.Played with shaft - not tip. So we will have 2 alternative pole designs with piezos ,plus if daveb or others get our FSR DIY - that would be awesome.
If 2010 is the decade of the digital drummer......then where in the hell are our FSR triggers ? Been in Kats for 20 years. What in the Force Sensing Resistor hell is going on here ?
And where is my George Jetson jet pack ? :-\
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So ORB;
Are we sure 'the shack' still carries these piezos? I know radio shack did, but what about now? I was quite surprised over the holidays when I sent my wife to grab a universal wall wart, like the kind we would use as a backup power supply. They used to have one that had switches to determine volts, and whether ac or dc, and they also had all the different adaptors with it. It used to be like ten bucks....A giant convenience!! I sent my wife with confidence, because I've got many over the years.....so anyway; They don't carry any such thing anymore.....yikes? Where do we go now? I saw noone answered the poster that asked where to get them......I was waiting for someone to answer. The new Shack?
Vince
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Just one nit pick : paragraph 2 states "...converts pressure into energy". NOT SO. That would be how an FSR works. A piezo converts "vibration" into energy.Which is the main reason we are trying to move to FSRs,rather than piezos - NO FALSE TRIGGERS FROM SYMPATHETIC VIBRATIONS. Later in the article,vibration was used,instead of pressure.
If we're gonna get picky ;). What's a vibration other than a low frequency wave form? Which means it's a variable pressure wave, just like any sound wave. Hence you can use a piezo as a mic and a mic as a trigger. I don't think (and I'm not entirely clear on how they work) that an FSR will pick up the waveform well -- my feeling is that doesn't respond to "negative" pressure - the other half-cycle of the wave.
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Yeah,plj, I prefaced with the 'nitpicking' concept. OK - hit a pad & keep pressure on it ( a piezo trigger). Now - as you are applying continuous pressure,does it trigger a 'roll' of notes ?
Now- beat on the housing of a piezo pad structure.Does it cause false triggers ? Now - beat on the case of a DK or TK.Does it false trigger from 'vibration' ? I KNOW WE know the answers to these ?s. I still say "if this is the decade of digital drumming", then give us some external FSR trigger pads !! piezos are OLD SCHOOL.It's 2010.We put a man on the moon 40 years ago !! ???
A kid has a demo on piezo pads on YT - 40,000 hits.....then he puts a meter on the piezo to check for polarity - he is suddenly confused - it works both ways ! So .....he concludes polarity test un-needed. I take everything I read & see with a grain of salt.Even 'expert' advise. :-\
Vince - Radio Snack still has those ! different packaging - same sku. It's in that case with the slide drawers,now.Under piezo ' buzzers'. I bought several in December for my Santa's band toy. One was in there with a 3 wire connection & a little circuit - I don't know what it is for. Bummer about the adapter- wonder if Lowws has one ? I'll check.
And if you want another test for 'vibration' ,find a car with an alarm,& put 'pressure' on the body.Alarm go off ? Now (not advised) ,hit the car body. Trip the alarm yet ? It's a piezo.
Of course,the threshold setting has to be rather high,or else every time a heavy vehicle passes......vibration.....no pressure until the vehicles slam together - that should be enough 'pressure' to trigger the alarm.Or else the threshold is set a bit high.
How anal. How does Webster define pressure VS vibration ? Does vibration CAUSE pressure ? Maybe I should check before I write.I got a definition wrong before.Bottom line _ we all know & agree on the superior performance of an FSR VS piezo device.That's why the FSR pads on Kats have after touch - CONTINUOUS PRESSURE. Impossible for a piezo to do this.But if it continually vibrates - that's a problem.
Most of this is for the novices in here - I know plj doesn't need my rantings..Rebuttels welcomed & encouraged.Another high jacked thread.Sorry.Maybe we should start a new thread.I will build some protos ,with piezos & when working I'll start a post with pictures.It's the 'ring of triggers' concept we've been talking about for our DKs & TKs.One curved bar.
Edit : after 15 minutes of contemplation ....it seems - piezos trigger by pressure OR vibration,whereas, FSRs ONLY trigger from pressure.So I'll say Dd was correct & I was incorrect. 'Continuous' is the adjective that's needs to be used for FSRs,not piezos.I just kept arguing with myself until I won. ::)
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I'm glad you sorted that out!
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Had a look at Wikipedia to see if it would help me understand...
Piezo = Piezoelectric sensor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piezoelectric_sensor). Which answers why you can't lean on a piezo and get a constant readout - they leak electrons. But someone's commented: "Anyhow, it would be a misconception that piezoelectric sensors can only be used for very fast processes or at ambient conditions. In fact, there are numerous applications that show quasi-static measurements while there are other applications that go to temperatures far beyond 500°C." (Vibration counts as a process; not sure what frequency counts as "very fast" here.) "The voltage V at the source is directly proportional to the applied force, pressure, or strain." So you get a variable voltage in response to vibration, which is how you use a piezo pickup on a guitar, for example.
FSR = Force-sensing resistor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force_Sensing_Resistor). Does what it says: you determine the force by measuring the resistance (i.e. you supply your own voltage with an FSR rather then measuring a voltage as with a piezo). A varying pressure gives you a varying resistance.
Now you can get false triggering from an FSR. They're just less sensitive to it. Looking at the physics, I'd say they're less sensitive overall, which means you have to build a much cleverer circuit to avoid false triggering with piezos.
Eventually I'll read the DIY article, honest!
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Thanks,plj & Allen. With some of the technical talk,I must avoid brain mush. ??? Plus,I had that steel cage death match argument with my own brain. :o
Plj - you didn't read the article yet ? That's funny.You should read it,for sure,but I don't think you'll find anything you don't already know.It is more of a starting point (ya know,1st issue),than some of our threads with more complete designs.This way,the dD mag can have articles dealing with other design concepts,in future editions.Oh yeah,that article was a response to a ? , so, lets ask "how do I build a complete 10" electronic drum ? " Those instructions may not fit on just one page.But I'd like to see the answer. ;)
Drumkat & malletKat got a mention from Zdrum dude.It would be nice to see the premier interfaces get some face time in there.Can we 'drum' on a malletKat ? Do I 'drum' on synthesizer sounds ? Will Digital Drummer cover tuned percussion ? & non percussion instruments,played via drumming ? I'm just wondering about a few things.I'll let dD sort it out.Can't wait to see the next issue.It was a great first issue.
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Hey, I drum on my Evolution MK-249 keyboard when it's the only thing handy! :D I'm sure you could do it better on a MalletKAT. Gotta read the ZenDrum bits, too! (I've been busy. Finally fixed up some software bugs that have been outstanding since mid December... hopefully.)
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pl, hadn't noticed the Tony quote before. Great thoughts. The man is missed.
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I think I nicked it from John Riley's "The Art of Bop Drumming". One day I'll get past Comping 1... :o