Vintage Simmons Drums (UK) Users Group

Hi Michael and welcome!

> Hello all! While searching for info on Simmons, I stumbled across a
> link to this group. I got an SDS 5 set in 1982 and still use the
> pads

And not the brain - shame on you! ;)

> from in in my current setup in my project studio for realtime
> input for MIDI drum tracks. Since the first set I added a few more
> pads, including two stereo pads that I use for snare/rim and
> open/close hi-hat.

OK, please let me know how that open/closed works. Same wiring as the other?

> I also have two TMI units to convert the pad
> signals to MIDI. I don't use the bass pad (replaced by two DW pedal
> triggers) or SDS 5 head anymore and replaced the old hard surfaces
> with the soft replacement pad tops they sold many years ago.

Have you still got the harder surfaced pads around? FOr sale? I want the
original ones. I have a genuine bass pad, but my other pads are the SDS-8
ones...

> A group
> like this is great, since I am dreading the day if the TMIs need to
> be serviced.

Amen brother - I have one too...

> I know I had trouble having the lithium batteries
> replaced the last time and I forget how many years ago that was.

For memories I guess... I don't know of any battery replacement history in
mine so I guess it might be time...

electronically yours, jesper
www.electronic-obsession.se
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Polyfoni är överskattat

Hi, Jesper.
You wrote: "And not the brain - shame on you! ;)"

Well, with no MIDI it was kind of just in the way.

"please let me know how that open/closed works. Same wiring as the
other?"

I have the center of the stereo pad trigger the closed hi-hat and the
edge trigger the open hi-hat. It works fairly well once the
sensitivity is adjusted properly. I use a Roland R8M for most of my
drum sounds and you can set the open hi-hat sound to shut off when you
trigger the closed sound to emulate a real hi-hat. The pedal of the
hi-hat is usually triggered by one of the DW pedal triggers, unless I
use it as a second kick. The snare/rim is a little more problematic,
since, of course, we would naturally hit the snare drum a bit harder.
I very often get ghost triggers from the rim sound that have to be
erased on the MIDI tracks.

"Have you still got the harder surfaced pads around? For sale? I want
the original ones. I have a genuine bass pad, but my other pads are the
SDS-8 ones."

I use the pads, I just replaced the tops. Simmons made inserts of the
soft surfaces to replace the hard ones. I still have the hexagonal
hard surface layers, but I don't know what good they would be to
anyone. The old kick still has the hard surface, I don't think they
ever made a replacement for that one.

Michael

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