To many people, the Roland SPD-SX has nothing in common with the Roland TM-2. It’s almost like they are rivals. Chalk and cheese. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Contributed by Michael Schack and Simon Ayton
Actually, it never has been that way.
Surely they can work together and just … get along!
Of course they can. You just need to know how to use them effectively and in unison. When we thought about the best person to help get that message across effectively, we instantly thought of Michael Schack. Not only does Michael understand each product, he uses them both at the same time on the one kit. Something he can do whether he’s playing an acoustic kit or an electric kit.
Michael was only too keen to prove all of this technology could work together in the combined worlds of drumming, sampling and DJing. Luckily, we managed to capture the magic on video.
As you can see (and hear), the SPD-SX has the ability to record samples (among other things). The TM-2 has the ability to playback samples when triggered by the drummer through the drum kit (among other things). Those are the basic differences.
But as Michael explained, when used together, these differences allow you to expand your recording and playback opportunities to levels never before seen in the drumming environment. Sounds recorded on the SPD-SX can easily be transferred to the TM-2 and quickly become drum-triggered sound effects that can be used in unison with the effects stored/played on the SPD-SX.
It’s perfect teamwork.
It’s through this teamwork that you also gain much greater control over the delivery of your own audio output. The combined usage of the SPD-SX and the TM-2 means you can output your audio into separate channels to your front of house audio engineer. Any vocals that are trigger by the SPD-SX can go to individual stereo channels while the TM-2 output goes to its own stereo channels. Just imagine what that means for the quality of your sound. It’s the kind of control you’ve always dreamt of and it’s available right now.
Of course, the SPD-SX and the TM-2 can be used in isolation as well. Knowing what each product is capable of and intended for helps when trying to decide which product is best suited for your needs. Hopefully Michael’s video provides you with enough understanding of each product to allow you to determine which product works best for you—individually or in unison.
If you’d like to learn more about the SPD-SX and/or the TM-2, then check out any/all of the links below.
Others in the series:
Michael Schack talks Hybrid – TM-2: Trigger Module
Michael Schack talks Hybrid: Acoustic Kit Setup
- TM-2
- The Easy Way to Bring Hybrid Versatility to Your Acoustic Drum Set.
- SPD-SX
- The Ultimate Percussive Sampling Instrument.
Image: file404 / 123RF
