SD3 + TD-50 issue: drums shockingly loud

[mattjr]

Hello!

I’m new to SD3, and having trouble using it with my TD-50. If I try to trigger SD3 with my TD-50 edrum kit, I need to turn the volume and/or the input gain up quite high for the sound to be usable. That would be fine, except, then when I use my mouse to pick and choose different SD3 drums, the volume is so shockingly loud that I’m literally afraid it will damage my ears. Consequently, I’m hesitant to use the mouse at all when triggering from my edrums.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

Operating system: macOS Mojave (10.14)

Topic

[Scott]

Are you triggering the same velocities with your TD-50 as when you mouse click? IOW, the mouse triggers velocity 127 (highest). Are you triggering velocity 127 when you hit your drum?

You may want to see what USB output gain is set to on your TD-50 and turn it up.

Scott Sibley - Toontrack
Technical Advisor

[mattjr]

Thanks for the info, Scott. Your response leads me to ask 2 questions:

1. How do I know what velocity I am achieving with a given strike on the drums? Is there a meter that displays that information inside of SD3?
2. You said that a mouse click triggers 127. Is there a way for me to change that setting so that the default mouse click is NOT full velocity?

Thanks!

[Scott]

mattjr wrote:

Thanks for the info, Scott. Your response leads me to ask 2 questions:

1. How do I know what velocity I am achieving with a given strike on the drums? Is there a meter that displays that information inside of SD3?
2. You said that a mouse click triggers 127. Is there a way for me to change that setting so that the default mouse click is NOT full velocity?

Thanks!

1. Yes.

https://www.toontrack.com/manual/superior-drummer-3/3/3-5-property-boxes/#3-5-10-midi-monitor

2. Not with a mouse click on the kit piece on the interface but you can using the Preview Pad.

https://www.toontrack.com/manual/superior-drummer-3/3/3-4-drums-tab-header-bar

Scott Sibley - Toontrack
Technical Advisor

[mattjr]

Thanks for that info. If you have a moment, I’d like to ask 2 more follow-up questions:

1. The Preview Pad is helpful, but is there a way to bring up the Preview Pad for a given instrument without first clicking on that instrument or changing the drop-down to indicate that instrument? Both of those actions trigger the sound at velocity of 127. Again, I’m concerned about subjecting my ears to those 127 velocity strikes.
2. I’m listening through headphones plugged into the Td-50. As you suggested, I experimented with Output Gain on the TD-50. That setting seems to have no effect on the volume of anything I’m hearing…either from stick strikes or mouse clicks. What am I missing?

Thanks again.

[Scott]

1. Yes. Right clicking on an Instrument will not trigger a preview but will select it. CTRL plus Alt will bring up the Preview Pad.

2. I made a mistake. I believe it’s the USB input gain that needs to be adjusted. I believe it’s -18db by default.

Also, what are the velocities showing from the MIDI Monitor? Triggering 127 when you hit the hardest? I’m still not sure if it’s the overall volume of the trigger velocity that you are having trouble with. A 127 trigger should should just as loud as a 127 preview.

Scott Sibley - Toontrack
Technical Advisor

[mattjr]

Oh, that’s great to know about right clicking an instrument to select it without triggering it. Thanks!

Yes, I know about input gain being set by default to -18. I can certainly bring that number up…which I have already done…but that affects mouse clicks and stick strikes equally, so the underlying issue remains.

I looked at the velocity of my stick strikes. No, I generally am not striking anywhere near 127. I guess I tend to play more lightly than that…which is why I have the input gain and headphone volume turned up a bit. I just wish that this didn’t cause devastatingly loud mouse clicks. Perhaps in future incarnations of SD, there can be independent volume controls for sounds that are triggered by pads and sounds that are triggered by the mouse. I can’t be the first person to have difficulty with this. Meanwhile, I will use the right click as a workaround. Thanks!

[jorgo stefani]

I wish that too…

[Author]

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