Triggering Performance inside an eDrum

UFODrums head triggers start with a high-quality 35mm Murata Piezo that are hand soldered, using quality 24 gauge zip-wire and amble solder beads on those wire leads.  These wire harnesses are finished off with shrink protected Quick-Connects for slide-on-post connections of a panel-mount jack.  The piezo receives an adhesive foam dot on the underside and is capped on top with 3M foam adhesive that assists in protecting the solder-points, but also helps minimize hot spotting on all UFODrums head trigger products.

Finally, the OctaCone is adhered to the 3M foam interface and with double adhesive, adding to its long-term, durable adhesion on the piezo.  The OctaCone is a 2017 UFODrums design, comprising of 8-faceted conical shaped sides, optimal foam density for energy transmission and durable longevity.  With 9-years in use, the durability of this OctaCone is far superior to the OEM foam cone used inside Roland’s products.

The eBridge is built & shipped with the trigger platform positioned on the center of the bridge.  Repositioning the trigger platform anywhere on the bridge diameter takes several seconds during install OR down the road, should you want to change its position (head removed makes it real easy) to off-center or closer to either shell side.

Common issues with all internal triggers systems:

Hot Spot - a common concern and widely discussed around internal trigger systems on electronic drum forums.  Center mounted triggers have been and still are the norm, but hot-spot issues are a driving factor why more conversion products are locating their trigger positions near the shell-edge, away from the playing zone, and as a result of the trigger locating further away from the playing zone, many vendors are adding multiple triggers to compensate for trigger proximity.

Triggering Dynamics - are maximized when stick strikes are within the optimal trigger zone.  Trigger dynamics are negatively impacted the further away the trigger position is from the playing zone.  Trigger dynamics are not only influenced by distance, but also Piezo & Foam Interface Quality & Design.

Let’s discuss the key parts that contribute to the two concerns above:

Piezo & Foam Interface Quality & Design - As with anything else, there are high quality and low quality parts that are selected for a products design.  From entry level edrums to top-of-the-line v-drums or electronic drum designs produced by the big name brands, there is a varying degree quality and performance, just with the internal trigger parts - the piezo and the foam interface (cone or column shape).

Not all 27mm or 35mm piezo’s are created equal by manufacturer design specifications.  Not all wires soldered to a piezo are done in a quality and durable way.  Many of the available pre-soldered piezo’s with extremely small gauge wires available on eBay or Amazon are from China and have to handled in an extremely delicate way so as to not break the solder connections of either wire.

The conical shaped cone is the best foam interface shape to use for a head trigger.  Secondly, the foam type, density and durability of the foam used to produce the cone is an important contributing factor to trigger performance.  The foam columns interface that many used on top of the piezo while Roland’s patent was in effect (1997-2017) was a compromise since Roland called out the use of a conical shaped cone (along with a 2-ply mesh head) in their positional sensing patent, which was mostly about their software Intellectual property.

Head Type - Mesh heads are available in single-ply, 2-ply and 3-ply.  The additional ply’s make the head more stable and durable.  Single-ply are less stable and more erratic in how they react to wave energy.  Conversely, multi-ply’s are more stable and less erratic, more predictable in how they handle wave energy, making them a better choice for internal trigger performance.  For this reason, single-ply mesh heads aren’t the best choice for internal triggered edrums - trigger performance is more challenging and they are generally best for silent practice with acoustic drums, not triggered drums.

When Roland came out with their revolutionary v-drums 30’ish years ago, they used a 2-ply mesh head to get the desired triggering response.  Roland wrote their original software algorithms to match the performance characteristics of a quality piezo specs, foam conical cone interface and a 2-ply mesh head.  As Roland’s competitors entered the space, they too followed in Roland’s lead, but had to steer clear of Roland’s patent or pay them their royalties.

3-ply’s arrived on the scene in late 2010 as a response to Roland’s rigorous patent defensive that began in 2007, forcing everyone else, large or small, to either stop selling 2-ply mesh heads and a conical cone, use a single-ply and a non-conical cone or to pay Roland for the rights to use a 2-ply and a conical cone.  The 3-ply was not only a work-around Roland’s active patent, but addressed tension (feel) and durability needs.