Recently I got the chance to use two SPDs to run track and triggers independently, for a show where I usually use one. In my opinion running tracks while playing triggers all from one SPDSX is completely sufficient, and very reliable if set up right. However, this time I chose to split track and trigger operations not only to separate pages, but to separate systems. A bit about reliability, but mostly me geeking out.
This led me to explore linking two SPDSXs together via MIDI. In the past I have played a setup that was transmitting programme changes to a MOTU interface via MIDI out from the SPD, but in that instance it was to control an Ableton playback rig, and not another SPDSX. This is really niche… most people will not need to run something like this… but it’s cool so I’ll explain the process - it’s actually pretty simple to setup.
Obviously you’re going to need MIDI cables. In my config I had the two SPDs mounted one above another. The top unit was for triggers, and the bottom unit for track playback. I wanted to be able to control page movement with either unit, so I used MIDI OUT on SPD A to MIDI IN on SPD B and vice versa, meaning both units transmitted and received MIDI programme changes.
If synchronising page control between two SPDs is something you’re looking to do, then you need to make sure your track page order matches up perfectly with your trigger page order, and also that both page orders land on the same page numbers.
For the show I was using this setup on, I had 18 pages in total. My pages ran from something like 50 to 68… I can’t remember exactly what. Once configured, hitting page up or down on either SPD moved both SPDs to the same page. For example, if SPD A is on page 10 and SPD B is on page 93, and I hit ‘Page Up’ ( + ) on SPD A, both SPD A and B will jump to page 11. Once they’re synced, both pages on both units will move in tandem based on the page number. . This is why it’s important that page numbers and orders are mirrored on both systems.
setup > midi > setup > PC on
To configure the SPDs, first ensure both units are operating on the same MIDI channel (GLOBAL CH). The factory set channel is 10. Next you’re going to want to navigate to: setup > MIDI. You’ll be met with two tabs: Setup and Control. Select Setup, and you’ll see ‘PC TX/RX SW’. This is where you can toggle on and off the option to transmit and receive MIDI programme / page changes (PC). This needs to be ON for both SPDs.
Running two SPDs together like this meant I had double the outputs I would usually have, with full use of Master Out and SUB Out for both systems. For the ‘triggers SPD’ I used Master Out, with tops samples and bass samples split (as I mention in my SPD Housekeeping blog post. You can find that here).
My triggers setup for this gig (incase you’re wondering) saw all of the SPD’s trigger inputs populated. I used 2 Y split cables in ‘TRIG IN 1/2 and 3/4’. Y splitter cables function by using the metal tip of the jack termination to carry one signal, and a metal ring just behind the tip to carry a second signal. These two signals split off from one cable into two.
What this means is I can run 4 individual triggers from only two trigger inputs. On this gig, for electronics, I used all Roland hardware - I ran an ‘RT-30H Single’ trigger on my snare, an ‘RT-30K’ trigger on my kick drum, a ‘KD7’ next to my kick drum (soon to be a KT-10) and a ‘BT-1’ above my rack toms. 4 triggers is just right for this gig.
On most songs I’m layering acoustic drum parts with the sounds on the record. Stacking claps / electric snare samples on snares and sub kicks / 808s / electronic kick samples on acoustic kicks really allows the song to come to life without affecting the overall sonic of the record when re-arranged for live performance. The KD7 next to the acoustic kick is great for moments where i’m playing purely electric drum parts and no acoustic sounds are required.
Image by austinpaz.com, October 2017
Frequently, I will match the sample on the KD7 with the sample on the RT-30K so the sound doesn’t change between the acoustic kick drum and the electric one. The BT-1 sits just above the 10” rack tom and I use it mostly for backbeat replacement stuff. I LOVE the BT-1s: IMO one of Roland’s best trigger products to date. They’re low profile, and very ideally shaped meaning you can tuck them almost anywhere around the kit without having to compromise on the setup. I have two of these and regularly use them both. 4 triggers is great, but I’d love to experiment with using a TD-50 in conjunction with the SPD for expanded trigger functionality. It would be great to be able to use two RT-30H triggers on a main snare and side snare respectively, an RT-30K on the kick, a KD7 next to the kick, and two or more BT-1s around the kit. I’d also love to explore using triggers to control noise gates for drum mics…
In my first blogpost about Running Tracks On An SPD-SX, I talk about assigning the click track and FOH track to two pads and then linking them using ‘padlink’. With the SPD configuration I used, there was no space to hit pads to fire off the BTs as my triggers SPD was sat right above the track SPD. So instead, I assigned the BT and Click wavs to the Boss FS - 5U footswitch. I then ‘padlinked’ these ‘pads’ just as I would do normally, but this time with footswitch 1 (FS1) and footswitch 2 (FS2).
Using a single switch as opposed to the Boss FS-6 duel switch doesn’t matter in this config as the pads are linked so both tracks will always fire off when you step on the switch, regardless of the fact you’ve assigned a track to ‘FS2’ which technically doesn’t exist in this instance. As long as the track is mapped to a pad option, and the pads are linked and you can trigger at least one of them (by hitting a pad / ext trigger / footswitch), then you’re good to go. For example you could assign a click track to pad 1, and the BT to an external trigger (one not plugged in), and as long as they were padlinked and configured to output properly, everything would work as usual when you hit pad 1.
Triggering the click and track from a footswitch reduces the margin of error when working close to the SPD during playback. I think it’s good practice to distance the process of starting and stopping the track as far from the process of firing off triggers, as is possible. In my previous blog, I talk about moving track and trigger operations to different pages on one SPD in order to avoid accidentally striking the pad with the track assigned to it while playing trigger parts. In the dual-SPD setup, I’m not only moving operations to separate systems, but moving the playback start / stop control physically away from the unit itself.
There is now no way I can start or stop the track by accidentally hitting an assigned pad, as everything is mapped to the footswitch. The only way a track can be started or stopped is if I stamp on the footswitch, and as long as it’s placed away from where my foot naturally lands next to the HiHat pedal, there’s very little chance of this happening. [Oh, and the ‘ALL SOUNDS OFF’ button, but just don’t press that!!]. Use a bit of fluoro tape on top of the footswitch to make it more visible when the lights go down, and there shouldn’t be any mistakes.
This setup ended up working great. There were no problems and everything ran smoothly. It’s maybe important to note here that the purpose of running MIDI between both systems in this instance was to match the ‘page up’ and ‘page down’ commands and nothing else. There is MUCH more functionality that can be had with MIDI and the SPD, something I plan to explore more and talk about in the near future.
You can check out the dual SPDSX setup from the show in the video below:
If you’ve read this far, thanks for sticking with it. I need to work on making these shorter….
As always if you’ve got any questions, please send me a message and I’d be happy to try and help!