Anyone use a BT-1?

[monospace]

Has anyone been able to get the BT-1 to work better?

I understand that the BT-1 has two operating modes: switch, and sensor. The switch mode uses some kind of built-in crosstalk cancelling, and it's used for when you mount the thing to another pad. It basically means that soft hits (or vibrations) don't register. This apparently is the default mode, and it means you have to smack the thing pretty hard for any hit to register.

Sensor mode supposedly makes it function like any regular old rubber pad, and if you have a new enough Roland module, you can select the mode in your trigger settings. I'm using mine as a cowbell, and it's mounted on its own stand, so crosstalk isn't an issue, and I would like to get some more sensitivity out of it. I can get a pretty good dynamic range out of it with eDrumIn, but I still have to to whack it more than I'd like to.

There's a discussion here on VDrums.com, but I'm wondering if any users here have any insight on how to make this thing perform better with eDrumIn.

[Rob]

Can you try setting it up as a dual mono input and then see if you get the raw peizo signal coming through on the ring?

[monospace]

Thanks for the suggestion, I got it to work. When switching to dual mono input, I could only get the left signal to trigger, which clearly was the "switch". Nothing on the right.

I reversed the polarity on the cable (by using one of these 'cause I suck at electronics) and got the rightmost signal, which must be the "sensor" because it has all the dynamics.

Hope this helps somebody.

[Karbonfaiba]

I have a Roland BT-1 and the switch is definitely on the ring.

Reads 0.386k ohms resistance / 0.192V when pressed if that is useful.

If you have any normal basic level of pad head/rim crosstalk suppression in eDrumin - it probably needs a bypass or something different for the BT-1 for it's unconventional sensor arrangement.

Dual mono should be the correct way to access the piezo directly and ignore the switch zone. But also If you split it with another trigger, plugging the TRS from the BT-1 into the head zone (the tip) should have the same result.

[monospace]

I've been messing with this thing all night and I'm still not convinced I set it up right. Sure I get a decent dynamic range once it triggers, but I still have to strike it quite a bit harder than any of my other pads (including the CY-5) for a hit to register. When a hit does register, it starts at velocity 2, all the way up to 127, but the physical force required to do so is decidedly off. I wonder if anyone has a strategy to try and tackle this. I have a multimeter and soldering iron and plenty of spare cables, but I don't exactly know where to start.

[Rob]

If you set the input to dual mono and hit it very lightly, so you get signal on either the tip or ring?

[monospace]

That's the thing though. No real difference on tip or ring. If I hit it very lightly, I get no signal at all. If I hit any other pad with the same force, I do get signal. Once I do get it to trigger, I can get the full dynamic range, but it just feels off. From what I'm reading, if you have a Roland module that supports "sens" mode, you should get triggering as responsive as any other pad. I have nothing to compare it to though. My old TD-9 did not natively support it.

I'm using it as a cowbell trigger so it's not the worst thing in the world, but with the eDrumin I can hit all my other triggers with the touch of a feather and get excellent response, just not this thing.

[Rob]

If I had a wiring diagram....

[monospace]

Maybe the piezo is on the sleeve and they fooled us all.

[Rob]

I just ordered one, so I'll find out one way or another.