Converting practice pads in e-pad and Cymbals

[LUKESK]

Hello,
I’m new in this forum and I’ve read with interest your projects in E-drum for free.
I’d like to add pads and cymbals to my e-drum utilizing practice pads and CY that I use no more.
For E-Cymbals it seems that there aren’t problems by simply adding triggers on them bottom. Even if I don’t understood if I’d like to obtain a 2Z CY using 2 triggers for bow and edge, how to do to avoid that a stroke could be received and trasmitted by both sensors, since them are placed both on the same surface even if in two different places, and when I strike it I think that vibration is feeled by both triggers, isn’t it?
 
Also for pads the interesting guide about Remo practice pad triggering is very well explained, but I’ve a doubt about metal plate’s thickness that have to be fixed upper to the trigger and between the two foam rubber. Infact reading the guide posted at electronicdrums.com, it seems that the classical standard tinfoil or silverpaper used for kitchen is not what I should utilize, as them are speaking about “galvanized steel plate” or “large coffee can lid”, that is very thicker than silver paper. But in other forums I’ve read that to improve trigger some have used silver foil and it works.
 
Also in your Scarmike’s guide you speak about aluminium/tin can sheet but thick how much? Results may change if metal plate is too thick or too thin?
Thanks and regards
Luca

Topic

[PFozz]

Hello Luca,

2Z/3Z cymbals

You’re right about your strokes being transmitted to both piezos, and the solution is all about the way you rcymbal is dampened.
In the related thread of this forum, you can see that the extreme part of the cymbal is not dampened :

A stroke an the edge of the cymbal will significantly excite the edge piezo, while a stroke on the bow won’t do that much.
The Keith Raper’s Circuit acts as a switch which is “on” when the signal provided by the edge piezo is “strong” enough.
That’s how it works 🙂

Practice pad conversion

The steel plate must be rigid enough, but not too much… You’re right again.
This steel plate is used to transmit vibrations, so the silverpaper from your kitchen is useless in such a situation.
The thickness of a “large coffee can lid” is quite good (more generally something that you can slightly bend)
If the metal plate is too thick, the signal produced by the piezo won’t be “strong” enough.
If it is too thin, it will be useless or problematic (false triggering, …).

Hope this helps,
Best regards,
PFozz

www.eareckon.com

[LUKESK]

Hello,
Your reply has been exhaustive!
But I’ve still some doubts about plate’s thickness. Infact there are a lot of possibilities up from a silverpaper, for how much it should be thick (in mm). Perhaps a 0,1-0,3mm thick plate could be enough?
 
Another question’s about material to be used for damping cymbals. I will utilize plastic ones (not real cymbals dampened), and I think that I could place trigger directly under the edge/bow of them. But as them are made of rigid plastic (practice cymbals), I think that stroking them without any damping soft material (rubber, neophrene or something else) noise will be high and it could be also fastidious for trigger as them seems to vibrate a lot, when stroked.
I’ve seen that some cycles stores sell neoprhene sheets that are 0,5/1mm thick and have the back face adhesive. So I think them could be used to add a more or less noiseless damping part in that zones that I would stroke, as are made for Roland or other E-cymbals.
What do you suggest to use or to do for best results?
Thanks so much and regards
Luca

[Irish916]

PFoz, can you recommend good dampening material for an acoustic to e-cymbal ride project I’m working on. It’s a 20″ crash/ride I’m looking to convert and quiet!

Thoughts?

[PFozz]

Sorry again for the delay…

LUKESK,
The 1mm neoprene sheet on top of your cymbal may work but it will be damaged (and inefficient) in no time.
Your best bet is rubber (type: PARA – approx. 45 shores).

Irish916,
A layer of bitumen tape on the back of your cymbal will work nicely (my 18″ chinese cymbal is dampened this way, actually).

FYI, I wrote something in the last issue of digitalDrummer magazine (april 2010) about cymbals dampening.
You can freely read this magazine at http://www.digitaldrummermag.com

Best regards.

www.eareckon.com

[prr]

Hi,

I have experimented a lot with practice pad conversions, I’m a fabrication engineer by trade so had access to loads of materials/thickness and I found the ideal metal plate material is from a stove top element cover that you might find at a home improvement type store, (oddly, in NZ I found some at a chain store called the plastic box which sell storage containers, bean bags and anything plastic in between).

Regards

Dave

[Author]

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