Amp for Kick triggers?

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granlobo12

Member
Hello all! I’m a metal drummer and just getting my first pair of triggers, specifically footblasters. I have the equipment I need to record them into my DAW, but I am unaware of the type of amp I would need to play with them casually/in a live situation. I have heard that some amps cannot handle the clickiness or low end of triggers as well. Any input on a preferably budget option that can handle triggers would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time!
 
Typically triggers don't output into an amplifier in a live situation; they go from the module into a PA or sound system so the sound gets sent to everywhere it needs to go (house sound, monitors, in-ears, whatever) with enough power to be heard. Most amps can't push the low-frequency sound of a bass drum past the rest of the sonic wall on the stage.

The very best budget option for playing casually by yourself is to have your triggers output into a small mixer, into which you can plug speakers, or preferably headphones or in-ears. This has the added benefit of being able to mix in music for playing along to, plus other microphones for the rest of your kit. You can do this for around $100 ($50 for the mixer, $50 for some decent headphones or in-ear monitors).

Here's my setup at my church, where there's a trigger on the bass drum. The Roland trigger module and all the mics for the rest of the kit are going into the house mixing desk, and from there to the PA (for the audience) and monitors (for the rest of the band). I have an in-ear controller that allows me to mix the band and vocalists in, and a mixer that allows backing tracks or anything else that's not in the house mix to play directly to my headphones. (My set list is sitting on top of the mixer, so it's not the easiest to see.)
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Thank you for your response. Would a Focusrite Scarlet 18i20 be able to be used as a mixer? And what kind of budget speaker/pa could be used for casual playing with others using medium 50-100 watt guitar amps? Any further input you can provide is greatly appreciated!
 
Yes, you *could* use an 18i20 as a mixer - I used a TASCAM interface for a drum submix for some time - and it would definitely work as a personal playing solution. Plug all your mics and trigger modules into it, add a music source, plug in a pair of headphones and go. It also has 1/4 outs so you could send it to another mixer for front-of-house sound.

What will define the PA rig you use is more the size of the place you're playing, how many channels you need, and whether you're doing it for live sound (like gigs) or to rehearse. Guitar amps can also go into the PA for fully mixed front-of-house sound. Most bands can get away with a 12 to 16 channel rig, unless you're using a channel for each individual drum being miked. A couple of main speakers will suffice for a small band in a small practice space; the larger the space or the more musicians you have, look at additional speakers, larger speakers, and monitor wedges and/or in-ear channels out. There's no short answer to this, so I recommend talking with someone in person. You could always look at used gear.
 
My first question is do you have neighbors that would be upset with the added noise?
Drums are loud and running kicks through a PA makes them louder and low frequencies like to travel long distances. Your neighbors may not be able to hear you now, but with amplification things in their house.might start to sympathically vibrate, yet they still can hear the bass drum sound.
How big is the room that you're playing in? If it's a small room don't put a.PA in there because you won't hear anything clearly due to all the in a small space, not to mention will destroy your hearing without hearing protection.
As far as a PA goes you will need 15" speakers at a minimum for the mains/tops. 12" speakers don't put.out enough depth for kicks.
 
SYMBOLIC DEATH said:
My first question is do you have neighbors that would be upset with the added noise?
Drums are loud and running kicks through a PA makes them louder and low frequencies like to travel long distances. Your neighbors may not be able to hear you now, but with amplification things in their house.might start to sympathically vibrate, yet they still can hear the bass drum sound.
How big is the room that you're playing in? If it's a small room don't put a.PA in there because you won't hear anything clearly due to all the in a small space, not to mention will destroy your hearing without hearing protection.
As far as a PA goes you will need 15" speakers at a minimum for the mains/tops. 12" speakers don't put.out enough depth for kicks.
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Noise is not an issue. Its a relatively medium sized basement, and I have adequate hearing protection, I just need the other people I play with to be able to hear my kick triggers.
 
alparrott said:
Yes, you *could* use an 18i20 as a mixer - I used a TASCAM interface for a drum submix for some time - and it would definitely work as a personal playing solution. Plug all your mics and trigger modules into it, add a music source, plug in a pair of headphones and go. It also has 1/4 outs so you could send it to another mixer for front-of-house sound.

What will define the PA rig you use is more the size of the place you're playing, how many channels you need, and whether you're doing it for live sound (like gigs) or to rehearse. Guitar amps can also go into the PA for fully mixed front-of-house sound. Most bands can get away with a 12 to 16 channel rig, unless you're using a channel for each individual drum being miked. A couple of main speakers will suffice for a small band in a small practice space; the larger the space or the more musicians you have, look at additional speakers, larger speakers, and monitor wedges and/or in-ear channels out. There's no short answer to this, so I recommend talking with someone in person. You could always look at used gear.
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Thank you! Do you have any idea of any specs a speaker/pair of speakers would need to handle the triggers?
 
Buy a used drum amp. I have a 200 watt Simmons, I paid $120 for it. It should work fine for rehearsals.
 
granlobo12 said:
Thank you! Do you have any idea of any specs a speaker/pair of speakers would need to handle the triggers?
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Like @SYMBOLIC DEATH said, at least 15"s. I'd go with powered over passive, because eventually you'll need/want powered. And unless you're putting mesh heads on your bass drums, their acoustic hits will probably still be audible too in the space you;re describing.
 
granlobo12 said:
That might be what I’m looking for, are they the kind used for ekits? Thank you!
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Yes. I don't have experience with them so I can't say if they're an option with a full band.

My PA is probably more than I need, but sometimes it's nice to feel the kicks in your chest. Most times when I'm playing I'm using a mixer for my kicks and audio and I don't use the PA.
 
granlobo12 said:
Hello all! I’m a metal drummer and just getting my first pair of triggers, specifically footblasters. I have the equipment I need to record them into my DAW, but I am unaware of the type of amp I would need to play with them casually/in a live situation. I have heard that some amps cannot handle the clickiness or low end of triggers as well. Any input on a preferably budget option that can handle triggers would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time!
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The venue PA. The band PA. A PA you've bought.
 
granlobo12 said:
Hello all! I’m a metal drummer and just getting my first pair of triggers, specifically footblasters. I have the equipment I need to record them into my DAW, but I am unaware of the type of amp I would need to play with them casually/in a live situation. I have heard that some amps cannot handle the clickiness or low end of triggers as well. Any input on a preferably budget option that can handle triggers would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time!
Click to expand...
Depending on your budget of course a drum amp like the Simmons or the Alesis would work, and you can even get two and run them in stereo.
But if you have a higher budget, I recommend getting an 18 inch powered sub and a 15 inch powered top, that will be more than enough to be heard at small clubs and of course perfect for rehearsal, your kicks will come to life like you never heard them before (yes better than with your headphones because you will feel the bass not just hear it). Bonus you can have that great bass at low volume where you can actually talk to your bandmates. I have tried this and it's awesome. But the Drum amps would be second best.
 
granlobo12 said:
That might be what I’m looking for, are they the kind used for ekits? Thank you!
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Yes, so they should be able to produce a good kick sound.
 
granlobo12 said:
https://simmonsdrums.net/dp/da200s/
I found a used version of this Simmons Amp online. It has 2 individual input on it, so would it be possible to run my individual footblasters into each input? Again thank you all for your input
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No, the footblasters alone do not produce any sound, they are just triggers which means they trigger sounds in a module, so they will have to be connected to a module , then you would connect from the output of the module to the input on the drum amp.

a module such as the one below which is used by tons of metal drummers:
 
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doggyd69b said:
No, the footblasters alone do not produce any sound, they are just triggers which means they trigger sounds in a module, so they will have to be connected to a module , then you would connect from the output of the module to the input on the drum amp.

a module such as the one below which is used by tons of metal drummers:
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I have a TM2, I was asking if the footblasters going through the tm2 would work with the amp, sorry for the lack of clarification.
 
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