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MIDI USB connection with Alesis Turbo Mesh electronic kit

Hypercaffium

Hypercaffium

Jan 5, 2018
2,957
4,231
Rome, Italy
#1
Hi,
I want to be able to use my kit as a MIDI trigger for drum plugins, so I can change all the sets I want depending on the music.
I connected my Turbo Mesh to my PC using the proper cable. Windows recognized the kit without problems and installed drivers, but when I started REAPER and tried to use my kit to trigger my drums plugin (PowerDrumKit) I've got no sound. The plugin works ok, because if I use my mouse to make sounds it works, but it doesn't "talk" properly with the drum kit. I also selected "MIDI" on the input and selected "all channels", armed the track... but I get no sound. Am I missing something?
Thanks.
 
#4
Most drum software requires the use of MIDI channel 10, but not all MIDI controllers default to channel 10. Are you certain that the brain/module from your e-kit is transmitting on MIDI channel 10? If it's not can you adjust it (probably check the manual)? If not, record some MIDI notes onto an empty channel in Reaper and confirm which MIDI channel is being used by the drum brain/module and then manually adjust them to MIDI channel 10. Now add in your drum VST and see if it plays what you have recorded.

EDIT: Here's some discussion on changing MIDI channels in Reaper if you're unfamiliar with the process - Changing MIDI channels? [Archive] - Cockos Incorporated Forums
 
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#5
Hi, it seems that I wasn't doing anything wrong.
I've discovered that REAPER was constantly disabling my drum kit (options>preferences>midi devices), probably because of the wrong drivers, I don't know. I uninstalled/installed them and now everything works.

The only problem I have is that the hi hat doesn't work properly. The "closed hi hat" sound is literaly on the press of the left pedal. If you keep the pedal down and hit the hi hat, it still sounds open. I'm sure it's a pretty common problem with some electronic kits.
 
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#6
Hypercaffium said:
The only problem I have is that the hi hat doesn't work properly. The "closed hi hat" sound is literaly on the press of the left pedal. If you keep the pedal down and hit the hi hat, it still sounds open. I'm sure it's a pretty common problem with some electronic kits.
Click to expand...
In my experience it’s the single biggest failing of e-kits used as a MIDI trigger. On all three of the Roland kits and the one Alesis kit I’ve owned I ended up disabling many of the hihat articulations in Superior Drummer.
 
#8
Hypercaffium said:
Can you please elaborate? Thanks.
Click to expand...
Superior Drummer has lots of nuanced hihat articulations. I deleted them so that the hats and pedal would only allow for three things: Closed sticking on the edge, fully open sticking on the edge, the sound of the hats closing when the pedal was depressed from open which would also cut off the sound of an open hat. It wouldn’t allow for any partially open sounds or differentiation between sticking on the edge of the hats versus on the top, but it made the hats on all of my former e-kits behave in a predictable way which was ultimately more important and useful than nuance.
 
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