Doepfer

Hello all,

excuse the slightly cryptic title, but I've never been good at email 
titles stretching beyond "Hi there!" ;)

I've been wanting to put together a system which would essentially be 
an up-to-date version of the Simmons SDS V electronic drum brain, which 
was an analog brain dating to the early 1980s. You've all heard it, 
used by Thomas Dolby, Talk Talk and that one Naked Eyes song everybody 
knows. I'm looking at the Doepfer modules, and, while proficient with 
virtual synths, I look at them and scratch my head - where to start?

Basically, here's what I'm wanting to put together:
8 - 9 individual sound generators, consisting of:
1 bass drum module
1 snare drum module
3 tom modules
1 clap module
1 cymbal sound module
and 1 hi-hat module - probably two, since a closed and open sound would 
need to be generated.
Of course there would need to be some kind of mixer bring it all 
together, outputs, some sort of trigger input to receive signals from 
piezo-sensors built into pads, and some way to use a footpedal, like a 
keyboard sustain pedal or similar, to switch between open and closed 
hi-hat sounds.

So, anyway, here's the question to you experts: Has anyone here built a 
Doepfer system specifically for the task of generating drum sounds? 
What modules would you guys recommend for this purpose, and how 
feasible is it to think this could have a small footprint (ok, not as 
small as a Simmons module, but manageable in regard to rack size)?

I know, I'm crazy, but it sure beats trying to track down an original 
SDS V, and would most likely be more reliable and serviceable (i.e. 
available replacement parts and the like)

Cheers!

Stuart McConaghy