Roland VH-11 motion controller with Yamaha PCY135 cymbaltop?

[stefan1982]

Could someone tell me if this combination is possible with MegaDrum?
I could buy a Roland VH-11 motion controller, to stuck on my HH-stand, and use the more superior Yamaha PCY135 as a top cymbal?
Would the foot control thing still work, or does the motion controller of the VH-11 require the top cymbal of the VH-11 hihat combination?

Hope someone could tell me if this would work, and if the combination would be a good thing..
IMO the PCY135 is superior to the VH-11 top hihat because of it's size, and playability.

Kind regards, Stefan

[dmitri]

I cannot tell for sure but if I remember right when I had it for testing, the position electronics on VH-12 is located in the cymbal.

[fbourdet]

On the VH-11, the positional electronic is on the lower base. So in theory, you can use any cymbal pad with it.

I'm not at home this week, if it can wait until next week, I can test it.

[fbourdet]

I've just made a few tests with my PCY-135 as a hi-hat cymbal with the V-11 controller.

The cymbale fits well with the controller. The Jack connector doesn't block the cymbal movement as it could be with a CY-12R/C

IMG_20160514_141437.jpg

IMG_20160514_141443.jpg

The bow, edge and bell works perfectly !!! (On BFD3, the pedal has no effect on the bell sound)

[stefan1982]

fbourdet: thank you for your reply, and my apologize for this late reply.

Could you tell me how the Yamaha top compares to the standard Roland top cymbal?

To me it seems that the Yamaha is a better candidate to use as a top cymbal, as the standard VH-11 top cymbal due to:
- size 13,5" instead of 11";
- 3 zones over 2 zones;

What could you tell me about the differences, when you played the Yamaha after the standard Roland top cymbal on your hihat?
Any other pro's or cons?

So, Am I right when I assume that *all* the electronics of the motion controller to function properly are inside the motion controller itself? (So, no need for the standard VH-11 top cymbal, to get step-less transition from open->close and visa versa?) Just any cymbal will function as a top cymbal.. Is that correct?

[Narbicus]

So, Am I right when I assume that *all* the electronics of the motion controller to function properly are inside the motion controller itself? (So, no need for the standard VH-11 top cymbal, to get step-less transition from open->close and visa versa?) Just any cymbal will function as a top cymbal.. Is that correct?

Yes. You can buy just the motion controller direct from roland for around £40. Its basically just a tube on a spring mechanism with an optical sensor.

The cymbale fits well with the controller. The Jack connector doesn't block the cymbal movement as it could be with a CY-12R/C

Did you have to modify the clutch atall? Is the cymbal held tight when playing closed hats?

[fbourdet]

Could you tell me how the Yamaha top compares to the standard Roland top cymbal?

That's just my personal opinion, but I much prefer the Roland top cymbal. It's much louder, there's no 'holes' on it like there is on the yamaha. And I also don't like the edge of the Yamaha which seems to be "hollow". That said, the PCY135 is not a Hi-Hat cymbal. I currently use it as a Ride cymbal, while I'm looking for an affordable second hand cy-15r.

To me it seems that the Yamaha is a better candidate to use as a top cymbal, as the standard VH-11 top cymbal due to:
- size 13,5" instead of 11";
- 3 zones over 2 zones;

That's the reason why I wanted to test it. Finally, I prefer the Roland's 2 zones.

So, Am I right when I assume that *all* the electronics of the motion controller to function properly are inside the motion controller itself? (So, no need for the standard VH-11 top cymbal, to get step-less transition from open->close and visa versa?) Just any cymbal will function as a top cymbal.. Is that correct?

The bottom controller replaces a hi-hat pedal controller. Any cymbal can work with the roland controller. The only think to check is that the cymbal must fit physically with the controller.