'How To' Articles

4 Fun Things You Can Do With V-Drums

Here are 4 fun things you can do with V-Drums!

Add hi-hats easily to any part of the kit

Sample your own sounds of any type just using your phone

Create and trigger your own drum loops

Record your own cymbal collection into your V-Drums

Here we’ll use a TD-27KV kit but these same techniques apply to many other kits in the V-Drums range including the most popular TD-17 series.

Let’s go through each one step by step now and get the fun started.

Add Hi-Hats to your kit easily

Adding a hi-hat to an acoustic kit is a pain. You need to choose exactly which hi-hats you need that will work for all the music you’ll play.

If you want open and close foot control, you’ll need a hi-hat remote pedal system and clamp and then find where and how to mount it in your kit. None of these things is cheap or easy.

Let’s see how you can do it with V-Drums super fast.

See here how to add another physical trigger pad to your kit.

Here's how to add Hi-Hats to your V-Drums kit in 4 simple steps

Choose the V-Drums trigger you want to use as a hi-hat.
Turn off H&R (head and rim link) to just change the rim sound to hi-hat
In the instrument page, select a hi-hat
Do the same for any other trigger zone and sound you like.
PLAY!

“Turn any V-Drums TD-27 or TD-17 trigger zone into a hi-hat or any other sound”

Put your own cymbals into V-Drums

Using V-Drums doesn’t mean saying goodbye to your acoustic drums and cymbals. Record your collection and play the sounds directly from your kit. Use a microphone and recording interface if available but if not, just use your phone and record via Bluetooth directly into the module.

Most phones have a pretty decent recording capability and although it won’t give you the same quality as a dedicated audio interface and stereo studio microphones, it does give you more creative choices and mobility to record interesting sounds anytime that you can use musically. The eq and compression characteristics of the phone also enhance the audio in unpredictable and fun ways.

Record your own cymbal sounds with these easy steps

Using the voice/microphone end of the phone, record the cymbal.
Pair your phone via Bluetooth
Use the song recorder to start recording on the module and playback the recording from your phone
Export the recording in the module to SD Card
Import the recording as a user WAV and edit the volume, pitch/speed
Edit the sample start/end for instant start
Choose the trigger zone and assign the new user sample to it
PLAY!

“Use your phone to record your own cymbal sounds into your V-Drums kit!”

Cymbal Recording Tips

Do some test recordings to find the ideal recording position. Notice how cymbals sound smoother when recorded from directly above and harsher and more aggressive from the side.
Make the cymbals sustain longer with less fade by gradually moving your recording device closer to the cymbal as it naturally fades in volume.
To shorten the cymbal sound, gradually move the phone further away as it decays or use your other hand or finger tips on the cymbal to shorten the decay. This will also use less space in the module and be faster to import.
Experiment with mallets, sticks, brushes and even chop sticks or rubber balls on the end of a stick.
Try stacking cymbals and adding beads and cymbal sizzles for interesting new sounds
Use a violin bow on the edge of the cymbal to make it sing like a wineglass
Dip gongs and cymbals in a bucket of water after you hit them to create interesting pitch bending effects

Create and Trigger Your Own Drum Loops with V-Drums

You’re a drummer and love to play right? Why use someone else’s loops when it’s faster and more rewarding to do it yourself?

Use the song recorder to capture some playing then bring it back in to trigger it from the kit. See how to do it here!

Record and Trigger Your Own Performances with these 5 Simple Steps

Press record on the module and play anything
Export the recording to SD Card
Import the recording as a User WAV into the module
Assign the user WAV to any trigger zone.
Edit the sample
PLAY!

“Record your own drum and percussion loops and trigger them from the V-Drums kit”.

Use anything you have around the house to make percussion loops

Remember how much fun it was as a child to bang on pots and pans? Why stop as an adult? Record anything you have lying around or raid the kitchen to create loops that are unique sounding and fun to play with.

Here’s how.

Here's how to Record Anything into V-Drums

Use your phone to record a performance
Pair your phone to the module via Bluetooth
Use the song player to record your performance into the module as a WAV
Export the recording to SD Card
Import the performance as a user WAV sample
Edit the user sample and assign it to a trigger zone
PLAY!

If this has excited you with the possibilities, that was the aim! For a jump in quality, consider getting yourself a nice microphone and audio interface. See the links below on products related to this topic.

Now go and record something!