Settings for Piezo/switch hihats

[estregan]

1. The circuit you showed suggests that the pad is actually piezo/piezo. How can you do choke with it?

The circuit converts the signal from the aux piezo to a switch signal. With roland modules, even pressing the aux piezo and thereby flexing it activates the switch and sends aftertouch midi signal to create choke.

2. With this piezo/piezo pad and this circuit you can simulate a switch on the rim/edge input by puting a pull-up resistor of 1k-10k value between the input and +5V. But again, choke won't work since it is not a real switch.

I'm not sure I understood what you suggested, but I think I understand how cymbals are implemented with megadrum as compared to roland.

I tried using my snare (piezo/piezo design) as the pad for my cymbal input in megadrum and set it to dual head piezo/piezo. I can get both sounds of bow and edge but no choke. Then I set it to dual head piezo/switch and I can get both sounds of bow and edge with switch. Please correct me if I'm wrong in concluding that megadrum accepts dual zone cymbals only with piezo/piezo design i.e. the edge only receives signal from a piezo and not a switch. The switch is only for choking and not sending signal for the edge to sound.

With Roland modules, the cymbal inputs are designed to accept piezo signal for the head(bow) and switch signal for both the rim(edge) and choke. So only 1 piezo is needed with roland modules which is logical if you need isolation between zone signals. When you hit the head(bow) only the head piezo is activated and the module knows it should send a note for the bow sound. if you hit the rim(edge) both the head piezo and the rim switch is activated and knows it should send a note for the edge sound. But if you only press the switch only the switch is activated and the module will send a note for aftertouch for choke sound.

With a piezo/piezo cymbal design, it will be hard to get isolation between the two zones since both piezos will be activated whenever the cymbal is hit.

I hope I made sense in this long ramble and did not irritate anyone. Maybe we could use this idea to further improve megadrum. Heck, if this can be implemented then so much the better.

Btw, Dmitri, I remember you said you'd put a crosstalk setting for each input. Is that plan still on the way?

Thanks again for this very nice project!

[dmitri]

Please correct me if I'm wrong in concluding that megadrum accepts dual zone cymbals only with piezo/piezo design i.e. the edge only receives signal from a piezo and not a switch. The switch is only for choking and not sending signal for the edge to sound.

You are wrong here. MegaDrum handles both dual piezo/piezo and piezo/switch pads and Megadrum is velocity sensitive on both inputs with either version. Again, piezo/switch functionality was tested with real piezo/SWITCH pads like Pintech PC Series cymbals and Yamaha TP80S.

[Beamtreetaker]

I would like to build a two zone choke capable cymbal, basically as described in this diy-edrum thread : http://www.toontrack.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=46574. According to this tutorial it should be possible to get a choke functionality by using just two piezos and no tapeswitch-whatever-kind-of-thing, transforming one piezo signal (the edge) to a switch-like signal. This works because the dampening of the edge differs a lot from that of the center.

Now I am wondering if Megadrum could handle a two piezo cymbal and provide a choke function even without the piezo->switch conversion. What exactly would happen if the edge piezo gives a medium/high output while the inner one is giving a much lower one? And would Megadrum play a bow sound if the bow region is hit ( =inner piezo producing output) and the outer one also having an eventually higher output? Do you think I could get an 2piezo/choking cymbal working with the Megadrum parameters available and maybe one additional pot at the edge piezo or is this completely beside the point?

[Beamtreetaker]

Unfortunately noone answered on my last post...
So just one simple question:
Did anyone get the choke function working on a piezo/piezo cymbal (keith raper circuit) with megadrum? With roland modules it shall be working according to some other forums.

[slayer666]

Unfortunately noone answered on my last post...
So just one simple question:
Did anyone get the choke function working on a piezo/piezo cymbal (keith raper circuit) with megadrum? With roland modules it shall be working according to some other forums.

I don't know, I'm using a Roland CY5 hihat and a couple of diy cymbals, all of them are Piezo/Switch.
And they work fine with Megadrum.

[estregan]

I don't know, I'm using a Roland CY5 hihat

I remember you said before you were having trouble getting your CY5 to work, what did you do to make it work?

[slayer666]

I don't know, I'm using a Roland CY5 hihat

I remember you said before you were having trouble getting your CY5 to work, what did you do to make it work?

I followed the instructions Dmitri gave in the beginning of this thread, that's all I did.

I still have 1 problem though.
After using the chokeswitch I have to wait 2 seconds before I can use it again. Setting the retrigger makes no difference. This makes it difficult to play fast metal chokes.
These are my settings:
CrashB
note 49
channel 10
curve log1
crosstalk 2
threshold 20
gain 6
Hilevelauto no
highlevel 900
retrigger 4
Minscan 20
Dual Head yes

CrashE
note 49
channel 10
curve log1
crosstalk 2
threshold 20
gain 4
hilevelauto yes
hilevel 1023
retrigger 4
Minscan 20
Type switch

Can anyone confirm if it's a bug or not.

[dmitri]

I still have 1 problem though.
After using the chokeswitch I have to wait 2 seconds

I'll make it shorter in next firmware.

[elrules]

I still have 1 problem though.
After using the chokeswitch I have to wait 2 seconds

I'll make it shorter in next firmware.

A half of a second would be fine I think. I don't think anyone can play 2 chokes so quickly. By the way, how is the choke implemented so it produces that undesided delay?? Just out of curiosity

[slayer666]

If a cymbal/hihat is set to dual head and rim/edge set to switch, shouldn't the retrigger values be linked?
My Cy5 hihat has the switch topside and half a second would still be too long delay between switch trigs.
piezo/Switch
1+0=Bow
1+1=Edge
0+1=Choke