Unofficially supported devices

[lalo]

The Gewa 14" Hi-Hat works perfectly set up as Yamaha cymbal supporting 3 zones with 1 single cable, it beats the VH-13 in terms of feel, rebound and, of course, size. Perfect weight, a bit louder than roland but the rebound and playability is much better. I highly recommend it. It also beats the ATV 14" hihat since it doesn't need an external power source which interferes with the edrumin power settings and the clomp of the 2 pieces coming together is much less annoying than the atv's.

[Meydanx8]

Nux 14' cymbal ride 3 zone - The sensetivity and accuracy is very good. BUT when it used as a Ride cymbal with 3 zones sometimes the bell triggering the edge zone. Maybe with more calibration you can get a better results but I didnt succeed to use the cymbal as a ride just because the bell

[Jmannix71]

I was able to convert and extend an entry level Gear4Music DD400 kit. The original kit had 4 single zone rubber pads and 3 single zone cymbal pads. All work well with edge sense to give two zones. The pad inputs are the smaller 3.5mm jack size, so I used 3.5mm trs leads with an adapter at one end to plug into the eDRUMin. I added a Roland PDX-100 snare, Yamaha PCY135 ride cymbal, Roland FD-8 hihat pedal and Roland KD-10 kick pad. The result is very playable.

[thedrumdoctor]

My Experience With a GEWA CP14 Cymbal

Use = top Hi-Hat cymbal.
Hi-Hat controller = Drone optical under Hi-Hat foot-plate.
Bottom cymbal included? = Yes, an old Yamaha 13" converted to fit with a 13" rubber drum silencer-pad to reduce impact.
Hi-Hat clutch = generic clutch, large felt on top instead of small felt.
VST = SD3.
eDRUMin pad profile = Yamaha 3-zone cymbal.
eDRUMin pad function = kit-piece - Hi-Hat.
eDRUMin pedal type = Hi-Hat controller - auto-detect.
eDRUMin pedal mode = Hi-Hat CC
Fast stepping = off

This cymbal replaces a Roland CY-14 I've been using for a while now. The Roland is a lot heavier than the GEWA cymbal and the GEWA seems to have a better design. It is made in Germany and the profile is based on a 14" Paiste 2002. It doesn't spin out of place like the Roland sometimes can and it seems to trigger on a 360° basis - unlike the Roland. It has 2 inputs but I've got it wired with one cable as there isn’t a pad setting (yet) on the eDRUMin which caters for a separate bell trigger with the GEWA internal wiring.

Zone Behaviour

The GEWA is an easy calibration and the edge and tip zone transitions in SD3 are much more natural than the Roland. The bell on the GEWA is actually like a real cymbal in size and profile (like a Paiste). It's streets ahead in design than the old silver Roland CY-14. The bell articulation triggers under the Yamaha pad setting but it works best when the bell-scaler is set to the minimum position (for the following reason).

The only problem I've experienced with this set-up is unwanted bell-trigger. This happened regularly with the CY-14 using bell-sense. The behaviour seems to manifest when striking the cymbal in its open/half open position whilst bringing the pedal to the closed position. It happens too often like the Roland - but nothing which couldn't be edited from a recorded performance. If this became a supported cymbal I guess it could be ironed out. Maybe it’s to do with the surface area of a 14” pad and proximity of triggers. I’ve decided to go back to a 2-zone config without bell articulation for now, in the hope support will happen for GEWA pads.

I'm not sure if positional sensing works on this cymbal. I've tried playing with it but I can't notice a difference.

The bottom line is, this cymbal is not on the supported list right now and it'll be Rob's decision if he believes GEWA pads will be worth supporting. Lemon are obviously getting attention as they have a popular price-point. GEWA though, is a far more expensive brand sitting somewhere between Yamaha and Roland.

I've got the 18" Ride on order now to replace my Roland CY-15R so that will go through the same testing. Maybe the bigger surface area will help eliminate the unwanted bell triggering. GEWA have certainly put a lot of R&D into these cymbal pads and they are very worthy for pairing with the eDRUMin.

[MisterE]

My Experience With a GEWA CP14 Cymbal
Use = top Hi-Hat cymbal.
Hi-Hat controller = Drone optical under Hi-Hat foot-plate.

How do you like the Drone optical hi hat controller? I'm looking to see if Mike (KitToys) has one to ship out.

[thedrumdoctor]

How do you like the Drone optical hi hat controller?

I love it! After coming from the dated mechanical Roland VH-11 ‘plunger’, it was incredible to be able to send 127 reliable CC notes to a VST. I originally started using it passing through a TD-20 to Addictive Drums 2. No more missing CC notes in the MIDI monitor. No more fiddling with space or the clutch spring on the VH-11 cymbal. It was at that point I realised Roland actually don’t really want you using their hardware outside of their module environment. Their hardware is designed exclusively for their software and their own sound libraries. So the Drone optical controller was the key to get me outside of the Roland prison. Once I paired it with the eDRUMin I realised my relationship with sound modules was over.

[mikej1592]

I did a search of this post thread and didn't find a single mention of one brand that I unfortunately bought because of a youtuber's review and no other research.

Anyway, long story short, I want to save some money and buy the eDRUMin 4 or 8 input kit so I can still use the drum pads as they are double mesh heads and a nice kit but the module is, let's just say, less than optimal.

That being Donner, the e-kit Donner ded400 to be specific if necessary. single trigger toms, dual trigger snare (head and rim) a high hat and two chokeable cymbals (ride and crash) and of course a kick pad.

~TLDR:
Can I use this module with my Donner heads?

I know it can use many listed in the main thread, mostly Roland and Yamaha among other big names, but the Donner seems to be the neglected stepchild locked in the basement chained to a radiator living off insects and whatever falls through the cracks in the ceiling.

I was about to shell out $$$ for a Simmons kit but then I found eDRUMin and thought wow for about $200 I can keep the drums I have and use my PC and this module to have a better, more enjoyable sounding kit.

I do hope this question can be answered, every time I try to research anything about Donner I run into dead ends. Even Donner doesn't want to sell upgrades to their own kits. Please help, it is hard to find motivation to practice and play when the kit sounds like I would have been better off using a bunch of home depot buckets instead.

Thank you all for coming to my Ted talk.

[thedrumdoctor]

Can I use this module with my Donner heads?

The Donner looks like a standard generic Chinese build (the manufacturer Medelli springs to mind).

These should calibrate easily with the eDRUMin. Just apply the correct pad-type (single zone/dual zone/side-mount/centre-mount) and you’ll be able to get the best possible MIDI info to whatever VST you want to use.

The basic single/dual piezo and FSR sensor technology has been around since probably the late 1970s, so the eDRUMin will cope with variations on this build, including generic Chinese stuff. The tricky stuff starts when pads start being fitted with 3+ piezos which are normally built around use specifically with the manufacturer’s module and software.

At the end of the day, the eDRUMin is going to open more doors for your choice of pads, now and in the future.

[mikej1592]

The Donner looks like a standard generic Chinese build (the manufacturer Medelli springs to mind).

These should calibrate easily with the eDRUMin. Just apply the correct pad-type (single zone/dual zone/side-mount/centre-mount) and you’ll be able to get the best possible MIDI info to whatever VST you want to use.

The basic single/dual piezo and FSR sensor technology has been around since probably the late 1970s, so the eDRUMin will cope with variations on this build, including generic Chinese stuff. The tricky stuff starts when pads start being fitted with 3+ piezos which are normally built around use specifically with the manufacturer’s module and software.

At the end of the day, the eDRUMin is going to open more doors for your choice of pads, now and in the future.

Thanks so much for the info, now I just hope the 8 input version is available soon like the site says. I have 7 inputs counting the high-hat pedal. the 4 input would get me started but ultimately I need at least 6 inputs plus pedal. I'm looking forward to picking one of these up.

Thanks again for your reply.

[thedrumdoctor]

Thanks so much for the info, now I just hope the 8 input version is available soon like the site says. I have 7 inputs counting the high-hat pedal. the 4 input would get me started but ultimately I need at least 6 inputs plus pedal. I'm looking forward to picking one of these up.

I took the plunge with a 10 and a 4 as I was coming from a Roland TD-20 and a lot of dual-zone needs. I think the problem is with the supply, there's only one place in the world which makes a component which the units require. It'll be worth the wait though.