MIDI merger and BFD thoughts/comments

[ksiragusa]

Hi
I'm finally getting around to setting up the electronic kit (yamah DTXII) in the studio for drummers to use for composing.
What I am trying to achieve is the lowest possible trigger latency and here is what I've come up with so far....

MIDI out from DTX to Protools HD midi track > MIDI out to receptor > receptor adat out back to protools.
This setup is easiest, however latency is low but I believe noticeable for drummers.

What I then tried was connecting midi directly to receptor and I noticed an even lower latency, which would be very useable for drummers. Which would lead me to the thought of a midi merger from MIDI Solutions. I already have a midi splitter which means I could send midi both to the receptor and to protools for recording at the same time (mute protools midi while tracking). Then have the merger connected to the receptor so no need for repatching. Do these midi merger devices add any noticeable latency?

I must add that I'm running BFD at 32k buffer and it is running fantastic! This is with 64 layers. I'm not sure if OS 1.6 helped with BFD but it is definately rockin!

Running Protools HD at 96k lowered the latency even further but I don't know if I could do that every session as resources get chewed pretty quickly on a HD2accel.

This weekend I am hoping to get a more accurate picture of what is going on in these scenarios by recording the sound of the pad when being hit and the actuall sound out of the receptor. I will post the delay in ms if anyone is interested.

Sorry for the long blurb but if anyone has any other suggestions comments about this type of setup or about the midi merger devices, I would love to hear them.

Cheers
Kim

[three_eyed_otter]

Kim,

I am really interested in how this turned out for you. Could you please elaborate on your conclusions...Thanks a bunch!

have a good one
3Eo

[kurtr2]

i am interested too!

let us know,

kurt

[digitalelements]

Hi There,

I can give some input on the subject here ......

I can tell you for sure !!! it is much better to split the MIDI to Receptor and Protools while recording. The system latency is way to big to get a good solid and good feeling "live track"

You should try to avoid it if you can .... and the proof is in the pudding for sure. So ... try it for yourself!

Most sessions that I do with this setup, the MIDI and Audio are recorded at the same time.
We use the ADAT output to get audio into protools or any DAW and record the MIDI as a backup.
The MIDI is very rarely if ever used to play back the drum take. And If the MIDI is used, it's not nearly as accurate as one would hope for. not only the overall timing but the push me pull me timing of the system as it records MIDI with CC data while playing back the reference tracks. even on the biggest of high powered systems with a high end MIDI interface that does time stamping ....

The live drum take from the ADAT audio to protools is very true to the performance.


Best,


Chris

[three_eyed_otter]

Chris,

Thanks for responding...What version of the receptor are you using, as well as electronic drums, e.g., Roland V-drums?

have a good one
3Eo

[digitalelements]

Hey There,

I use a Rev C Receptor ... and a drumKAT.
I'll use the drumKAT and 2 pedals most of the time but will add extra pads depending on the session.


Chris