# What is a triggered drum?



## Brett89 (Mar 7, 2007)

What does it mean that the drum is triggered, in live or in the studio?

I saw this in a Morbid Angel interview where Pete said he use this the get a clean, tight sound?

So could someone help me out?


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## darren (Mar 7, 2007)

It means they're not actually using the sound of a mic-ed up drum kit. They're using software to use the attack on individual drums to "trigger" a digital sample.


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## metalfiend666 (Mar 7, 2007)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigger_pad


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## darren (Mar 7, 2007)

Triggering can also be done entirely in the digital realm, where acoustic drums are actually recorded, but the hits are digitally extracted to trigger other sounds.


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## huber (Mar 8, 2007)

Most bands, especially modern ones, use a miced/trigger combo. I'm not a big fan of triggers, but I understand in a lot of situations (extreme metal imparticular) it's really hard to get the bass to cut through at high speeds and triggers are almost mandatory.


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## JJ Rodriguez (Mar 8, 2007)

I wouldn't say triggers are ever mandatory if someone tunes/mics their kit right, but they sure a shit make everything easier.


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## irg7620 (Mar 8, 2007)

darren said:


> It means they're not actually using the sound of a mic-ed up drum kit. They're using software to use the attack on individual drums to "trigger" a digital sample.



and alot of engineers use a triggering contact pad where the pedal beater hits this pad to make a sound through the computer software. i prefer this over any acoustic mic'ed up bass drum. the sound stays the same, no matter how hard or soft the player hits this pad. musicians friend used to have these. they may still.


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## JJ Rodriguez (Mar 8, 2007)

irg7620 said:


> and alot of engineers use a triggering contact pad where the pedal beater hits this pad to make a sound through the computer software. i prefer this over any acoustic mic'ed up bass drum.  the sound stays the same, no matter how hard or soft the player hits this pad. musicians friend used to have these. they may still.





That's actually the bad part about them, or at least the part I don't like. No dynamics. Of course, a lot of them are velocity sensitive, so you can still hit it softly, but I hate bands that use triggers so they can just twitch out a bunch of soft hits and trigger it.


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## lailer75 (Mar 8, 2007)

irg7620 said:


> and alot of engineers use a triggering contact pad where the pedal beater hits this pad to make a sound through the computer software. i prefer this over any acoustic mic'ed up bass drum. the sound stays the same, no matter how hard or soft the player hits this pad. musicians friend used to have these. they may still.


not all triggers work this way, some pick up the vibration of the shell(ddrum,roland) some pick up the vibration of the skin(fishman) some are built into the pedal. all these methods still allow micing the acoustic drum


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## Vince (Mar 8, 2007)

Brett89 said:


> What does it mean that the drum is triggered, in live or in the studio?



It's when the guitarist gets sick to fucking death of the drummer's inability to maintain tempo, and uses a handgun to destroy the drumkit.


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## Stretchnutz (Mar 8, 2007)

desertdweller said:


> It's when the guitarist gets sick to fucking death of the drummer's inability to maintain tempo, and uses a handgun to destroy the drumkit.


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## huber (Mar 23, 2007)

JJ Rodriguez said:


> I wouldn't say triggers are ever mandatory if someone tunes/mics their kit right, but they sure a shit make everything easier.



In something like brutal death metal where the bass is usually 16ths at around 200+ bpms, the bass usually can't cut through and it sounds quiet and muffled. You lose your dynamic ability, but in this case triggers are worth it. You need that rapid fire bass to cut through.


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## JJ Rodriguez (Mar 23, 2007)

huber said:


> In something like brutal death metal where the bass is usually 16ths at around 200+ bpms, the bass usually can't cut through and it sounds quiet and muffled. You lose your dynamic ability, but in this case triggers are worth it. You need that rapid fire bass to cut through.




I know some death metal guys who can do 200+ bpm stuff and they don't use triggers. It makes things a lot easier, but it's by no means the only way to get it done.


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## Tombinator (Mar 24, 2007)

I'm not a big fan of triggers, and I don't use them myself. Yeah definately, a loss dynamics, and most of all, organics. I still prefer to mic up the bass drum/s from the front, and another where the beater is to get the click sound.


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## Cancer (Mar 24, 2007)

JJ Rodriguez said:


> That's actually the bad part about them, or at least the part I don't like. No dynamics. Of course, a lot of them are velocity sensitive, so you can still hit it softly, but I hate bands that use triggers so they can just twitch out a bunch of soft hits and trigger it.




For many metal bands though, volume dynamics tend not to exist, especially for drums in the faster metals. So for this reason, and for consistency of sound, I understand and accept why triggers are used. 

<rant>
What I don't understand, and cannot accept, is the seemingly non-exceptance of non-acoustic electronic drums (like the v-drum) ini the metal world. Seems like this would make life easier across the board, and introduce some other sound potentials.

Currently, the drum situation in modern metal can be likened to a metal rhythm guitar trying to get a good sound by putting an Invader in an Ovation acoustic and running through a **** (<----feel free to insert your metal amp of choice). Will it work, sure. Does it makes sense? Eh, not an much.

IMO There's nothing wrong with triggering samples using a human clock. Given the choice I'd take this to straight sequencing ANY day, even in lieu to DFHS, which does a scaringly good of emulating human timing dynamic (notice I didn't say 'volume', again because, in metal, you don't see it "as much").
</rant>


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## Tombinator (Mar 24, 2007)

Hell, they should trigger kicks to cowbell samples at 230 bpm!

Yea, triggers seem to be favored in metal, except for a few. Deicide's drummer mentions why he dislikes triggers in a Modern Drummer issue from a few months back. To each their own...

The V-drums were used on Mayhem's Grand Declaration of War and all of Leviathan's releases. They sound lifeless, sterile and like utter shite IMO.


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## garcia3441 (Mar 24, 2007)

desertdweller said:


> It's when the guitarist gets sick to fucking death of the drummer's inability to maintain tempo, and uses a handgun to destroy the drumkit.



I've always used a shotgun.  

And sometimes I even warn him before I open fire.


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## noodles (Mar 24, 2007)

psyphre said:


> What I don't understand, and cannot accept, is the seemingly non-exceptance of non-acoustic electronic drums (like the v-drum) ini the metal world. Seems like this would make life easier across the board, and introduce some other sound potentials.














Which looks more metal to you? Metal drummers who want big kits are no different than guitarists who want amp stacks. I'm pretty sure I could get my sound out of 1x12 cab, but it isn't going to look menacing on stage.

Although there is this guy's approach:






Still, with the cost of V Drums, versus the cost of acoustic drums plus triggers, it just doesn't make sense. One is limited to only electronic triggering, while the other can also be miced up and played normally. Most people really only trigger the bass drums. Plus, it is common to mix triggered and miced sounds to get a consistent attack with an organic feel. Then you have the problem of guys who are used to the floor tom being 16" across, not 10".

Modeling is still very much in its infancy. Give it some time to grow up.


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## JJ Rodriguez (Mar 24, 2007)

Damn, that's quite the e-kit.


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## huber (Mar 30, 2007)

Everytime I play a fast fill on an electonic kit in Sam Ash I feel like a cheater. The rebound difference is immense.


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## nyck (Mar 30, 2007)

I have a question. Ok so you hook up the trigger pad to the acoustic bass drum, then what do you plug the trigger pad into?


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## Tombinator (Mar 30, 2007)

huber said:


> Everytime I play a fast fill on an electonic kit in Sam Ash I feel like a cheater. The rebound difference is immense.



Dude, I agree. I would be and feel so lazy if I played those all the time. I probably wouldn't even bother conditioning and/or working out to keep up with the stamina, strength, endurance and agility demands that acoustic drums may require. I think that's why acoustic drums are still enamoured by many, it's the interest in pushing human feats and limits.



nyck said:


> I have a question. Ok so you hook up the trigger pad to the acoustic bass drum, then what do you plug the trigger pad into?



A sampler and/or MIDI. Then they may quantize it in a DAW.


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## JJ Rodriguez (Mar 30, 2007)

Just get mesh heads and tune it so the rebound feels like an acoustic kit.


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## Durero (Mar 30, 2007)

psyphre said:


> For many metal bands though, volume dynamics tend not to exist, especially for drums in the faster metals. So for this reason, and for consistency of sound, I understand and accept why triggers are used.
> 
> <rant>
> What I don't understand, and cannot accept, is the seemingly non-exceptance of non-acoustic electronic drums (like the v-drum) ini the metal world. Seems like this would make life easier across the board, and introduce some other sound potentials.
> ...


 
I do think it's pretty funny when I hear drummers knocking down anyone who uses electronic drums when every other instrument in their band is electric.

The possibilities enabled by electronic kits for some original combinations of percussion sounds seem under-explored.


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## Cancer (Mar 30, 2007)

Durero said:


> I do think it's pretty funny when I hear drummers knocking down anyone who uses electronic drums when every other instrument in their band is electric.
> 
> The possibilities enabled by electronic kits for some original combinations of percussion sounds seem under-explored.



Y'know, as a "kid" my first instrument was actually drums, we lived in an apartment so having a full kit was out of the question, so I moved to guitar. But if I was a kid, today, playing drums, there is no way I would get an acoustic kit. I would get my chops together, and pull a Slipiknot Joey. The first person to integrate digital drums (with all the sound potential that goes with it) into a metal context, and have the balls to be in people's faces about it, is going to make history. It'll signal the death knell to the acoustic kit in metal, something I think is long overdue, especially given the rampant use of triggering.


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