Very interesting video. Thank you. I have been a Mimic user since April this year and agree with all of the points you have raised. Getting an e drum module to sound 'great' in a live setting is challenging but you are spot on in your observations. I think live sound tutorials for e drums are very useful.
You mention you have made some tweaks to the mapleworks toms you are using. I havd the Vex expansions, your versions of the toms sound great. Can you explain the changes you have made?
very nice video, thanks! Can you tell about the trigger settings/callibration you use with the ATV Cymbals incl. the ATV HiHat? I just got my ATV Cymbals (14, 16, 18, 17 China and 14 HiHat) and the Pearl Mimic Pro and about to start setting everything up... thanks!
My apologies for only just seeing this comment / request. Did you get it sorted? The starting point for all ATV cymbals, currently, is the Roland CY14, CY15 and VH11v2 pre-sets. If you have one of the early batches of ATV hats, they work better with VH13v2. After that it is a matter of tweaking to taste. ATV specific pre-sets in the Mimic are currently being developed.
I can't recall - its from the VExpressions expansion and it is one that is basically a Bonham snare. I'll check and let you know - apologies it's taken me 11 months. This is the first time I've logged onto YT since January 2019.
Thank you :) The stage you see is actually part of a modular theatrical stage that the hall I am in owns. I don't know the make. The bit I am on is a shallow rise, which I use as a drum riser - my kit fits perfectly on it. The riser is sitting on a much larger stage.
Excellent technical explanation of transitioning from Studio to Live use. Nice drumming as well, I like your flamboyant style. I still thought the drums didn't sound perfectly balanced in the Live clip. The cymbals had good projection and fidelity but the drums themselves lacked the tonality and depth that is evident in your other clips. Bass tones are missing in the recording. Maybe just the device used to record (I notice the bass tones in guitars was also missing, so maybe just a recording issue)? Or was this how the mix was intended to sound?
Apologies for taking so long to reply. I'm glad you found the explanation useful :) As for the live recording - that was done from a camcorder situated almost backstage, and you are hearing the monitors rather than the main mix. It was only added to the video to give a general impression. So yes, it lacks 'fidelity' and maybe I should not have included it at all!
Great video! As a sound engineer this is what I’ve always done when playing live with an electric kit I.e. use dryer rather than wetter sounds. I just got a Mimic and am doing my first gig tomorrow night so looking forward to that. Btw Love that snare, which one is it?
Hi Stephen, Good point, the thing is that with the Mimic there is something going on with the sound, I've seen lot of people complaining about the weak dry sound of the module in live situations, and that is something I also noticed with some expanxions os Tootrack I need to make a more wetter mix to make it fit in the overall sound of the live gig, I think it is because the sounds are over engineered, Steven Slates is a very cappable sound engineer., but the live sound are too way to dry for live applications, they just need more body, the sound I believe are more intended for studio and mix purposes as with SSD4. Please, it would very nice if you can Record and Upload a video of that gig. Thanks
@EdrumSense, Hello. I'm startled to see you write 'with Mimic there is something going on with sound.' I have been a committed Roland TD20 and TD30 player for nearly ten years, and gigged and recorded with it a lot. The Mimic howver is very clearly superior, in every respect. I've had it for nearly twoyears, and gigged with it a lot. The problem people seem to struggle with, whether Roland, Mimic or anything else, is grasping just why their kit sounds epic in headphones, and then so much different (weaker) in a PA. My video seeks to explain that. Mimic default kits are a mix of dry, and wet, and everything in between. VEX expansion packs bring the kits to life - just as they do for Roland. Roland kits can be made wet and dry also. The issue is that in order to get these kits (Roland or Mimic) to sound great in a PA, you need to keep them pretty dry, and perhaps use a bass scoop. My video demonstrates this point. My band loves my drum sound. My audiences, both here in UK and in Germany, love my drum sound. It sounds like a wonderfully mic'ed up acoustic kit. And I play with some seriously good, experienced musicians. They all love my drum sound. It is not too dry at all. I send a dry mix to PA (which sounds weak in headphones!), and it sounds epic, and somewhat wet out of a PA. This is the important point. There is no issue with MImic sounds at all, it is how we all project them and send them, to PA, that counts. It is much harder to achieve a natural and great acoustic sound, with Roland - but the principal remains the same :)
@Stephen, thank you so much. That is very high praise coming from a sound engineer :) Best of luck with your gig! The snare sound is as stated on video - its the VExpressions Origins Expansion pack, and it is from the 'Bonzo' kit - an epic John Bonham snare sound. I love the ring of it. Can't recall which actual Mimic sample Allan of VEX used, off the top of my head. But he obviously tweaked the bass sample rather beautifully :)
Why all the offended fan reactions? HJ yes, way too dry, when you mic a real drum live, you get all kind of sounds through the overheads (specially) so if you want to match the overal mix you will want to make it less dry also you can see at the end of one my cover videos (99) the I actually gig. And also, I like mimic way too much. My point was to state that the people think that the mimic is a plugNplay and that it will deliver the right sound they want.
@EdrumSense Not offended at all. 'Startled', was the word I used :) Yes, I am a Mimic 'fan', but my observations on this video are relevant to all brands of module. I used to be a Roland 'fan' too. I simply am trying to provide people with helpful information about live edrumming. I agree about the overheads - that's why my OH volume is up aquite high, as you can see in this video. The room mic then needs to go up or down to provide the required dry/wetness - which depends on the acoustics of the venue. Like any module on the market, the Mimic requires you to set it up the way you want it to be set up and to sound how you want it, for any given situation. I don't see that any module can ever be 'plugNplay', unless all you want is to play in headphones. Are people really saying this? I'm not aware of it. Anyway, I'm not offended, and I'm glad you do actually like the Mimic! :)
I just got get mimic pro paring with the drum-tec Jam. I sounds nowhere nearly as good as yours. A disappointment for me really. You have any videos on how you get your sounds?
Hello. If you are using the default factory kits in the Mimic, then it will not sound like my Mimic, and so you may be disappointed. I have purchased 3rd party sound expansions which I have loaded into the Mimic. These are from V Expressions - I have all 3 of their expansion packs for Mimic. These really bring the sounds to life, relatively cheaply. If you are an experienced sound engineer, then you can actually do the required modifications yourself in the module with the default sounds. That is beyond my ability hence I purchased from VEX. Regarding the Drum-Tec Jam, as far as I know it triggers as well as say the equivalent Roland pads. I am certain your issues are not related to the pads - it is simply the module sounds, which you probably should consider upgrading. VEX provide similar packages for all the Roland modules - it is not peculiar to the Mimic. Hope this helps 😊
Very interesting video. Thank you. I have been a Mimic user since April this year and agree with all of the points you have raised. Getting an e drum module to sound 'great' in a live setting is challenging but you are spot on in your observations. I think live sound tutorials for e drums are very useful.
Thank you so much for this - makes all the hard work in putting this video together worthwhile :) My iMovie skills were really tested!
You mention you have made some tweaks to the mapleworks toms you are using. I havd the Vex expansions, your versions of the toms sound great. Can you explain the changes you have made?
I will have to go and check - I cannot recall now. Apologies for taking so long!
Sounds so fake
SD3 is the best for me
nice video Alex.
I like that better. Much better. Don’t change
very nice video, thanks! Can you tell about the trigger settings/callibration you use with the ATV Cymbals incl. the ATV HiHat? I just got my ATV Cymbals (14, 16, 18, 17 China and 14 HiHat) and the Pearl Mimic Pro and about to start setting everything up... thanks!
My apologies for only just seeing this comment / request. Did you get it sorted? The starting point for all ATV cymbals, currently, is the Roland CY14, CY15 and VH11v2 pre-sets. If you have one of the early batches of ATV hats, they work better with VH13v2. After that it is a matter of tweaking to taste. ATV specific pre-sets in the Mimic are currently being developed.
What snare and hihat are you using here? Samples I mean
I can't recall - its from the VExpressions expansion and it is one that is basically a Bonham snare. I'll check and let you know - apologies it's taken me 11 months. This is the first time I've logged onto YT since January 2019.
Very helpful. Great chops too. Thanks for posting.
That's very kind of you, and I'm glad you found it helpful :)
Great video? What stage are you using in the gig? Thanks so much!
Thank you :) The stage you see is actually part of a modular theatrical stage that the hall I am in owns. I don't know the make. The bit I am on is a shallow rise, which I use as a drum riser - my kit fits perfectly on it. The riser is sitting on a much larger stage.
Excellent technical explanation of transitioning from Studio to Live use. Nice drumming as well, I like your flamboyant style. I still thought the drums didn't sound perfectly balanced in the Live clip. The cymbals had good projection and fidelity but the drums themselves lacked the tonality and depth that is evident in your other clips. Bass tones are missing in the recording. Maybe just the device used to record (I notice the bass tones in guitars was also missing, so maybe just a recording issue)? Or was this how the mix was intended to sound?
Recording was from poor mic from camera recording, same quality like cell phone mic , you cannot get any real result as the real live presence.
Apologies for taking so long to reply. I'm glad you found the explanation useful :) As for the live recording - that was done from a camcorder situated almost backstage, and you are hearing the monitors rather than the main mix. It was only added to the video to give a general impression. So yes, it lacks 'fidelity' and maybe I should not have included it at all!
Great video! As a sound engineer this is what I’ve always done when playing live with an electric kit I.e. use dryer rather than wetter sounds. I just got a Mimic and am doing my first gig tomorrow night so looking forward to that. Btw Love that snare, which one is it?
Hi Stephen, Good point, the thing is that with the Mimic there is something going on with the sound, I've seen lot of people complaining about the weak dry sound of the module in live situations, and that is something I also noticed with some expanxions os Tootrack I need to make a more wetter mix to make it fit in the overall sound of the live gig, I think it is because the sounds are over engineered, Steven Slates is a very cappable sound engineer., but the live sound are too way to dry for live applications, they just need more body, the sound I believe are more intended for studio and mix purposes as with SSD4.
Please, it would very nice if you can Record and Upload a video of that gig. Thanks
@EdrumSense, Hello. I'm startled to see you write 'with Mimic there is something going on with sound.' I have been a committed Roland TD20 and TD30 player for nearly ten years, and gigged and recorded with it a lot. The Mimic howver is very clearly superior, in every respect. I've had it for nearly twoyears, and gigged with it a lot. The problem people seem to struggle with, whether Roland, Mimic or anything else, is grasping just why their kit sounds epic in headphones, and then so much different (weaker) in a PA. My video seeks to explain that. Mimic default kits are a mix of dry, and wet, and everything in between. VEX expansion packs bring the kits to life - just as they do for Roland. Roland kits can be made wet and dry also. The issue is that in order to get these kits (Roland or Mimic) to sound great in a PA, you need to keep them pretty dry, and perhaps use a bass scoop. My video demonstrates this point. My band loves my drum sound. My audiences, both here in UK and in Germany, love my drum sound. It sounds like a wonderfully mic'ed up acoustic kit. And I play with some seriously good, experienced musicians. They all love my drum sound. It is not too dry at all. I send a dry mix to PA (which sounds weak in headphones!), and it sounds epic, and somewhat wet out of a PA. This is the important point. There is no issue with MImic sounds at all, it is how we all project them and send them, to PA, that counts. It is much harder to achieve a natural and great acoustic sound, with Roland - but the principal remains the same :)
@Stephen, thank you so much. That is very high praise coming from a sound engineer :) Best of luck with your gig! The snare sound is as stated on video - its the VExpressions Origins Expansion pack, and it is from the 'Bonzo' kit - an epic John Bonham snare sound. I love the ring of it. Can't recall which actual Mimic sample Allan of VEX used, off the top of my head. But he obviously tweaked the bass sample rather beautifully :)
Why all the offended fan reactions? HJ yes, way too dry, when you mic a real drum live, you get all kind of sounds through the overheads (specially) so if you want to match the overal mix you will want to make it less dry also you can see at the end of one my cover videos (99) the I actually gig. And also, I like mimic way too much. My point was to state that the people think that the mimic is a plugNplay and that it will deliver the right sound they want.
@EdrumSense Not offended at all. 'Startled', was the word I used :) Yes, I am a Mimic 'fan', but my observations on this video are relevant to all brands of module. I used to be a Roland 'fan' too. I simply am trying to provide people with helpful information about live edrumming. I agree about the overheads - that's why my OH volume is up aquite high, as you can see in this video. The room mic then needs to go up or down to provide the required dry/wetness - which depends on the acoustics of the venue. Like any module on the market, the Mimic requires you to set it up the way you want it to be set up and to sound how you want it, for any given situation. I don't see that any module can ever be 'plugNplay', unless all you want is to play in headphones. Are people really saying this? I'm not aware of it. Anyway, I'm not offended, and I'm glad you do actually like the Mimic! :)
That SNARE....!!!!!
Is this good, or bad?
Great video, so helpful - and man that is some fantastic drumming on the Sultans clip.
Thank you so very much - both for the comment about the helpfulness of the video and the Sultans of Swing drumming :)
I just got get mimic pro paring with the drum-tec Jam. I sounds nowhere nearly as good as yours. A disappointment for me really. You have any videos on how you get your sounds?
Hello. If you are using the default factory kits in the Mimic, then it will not sound like my Mimic, and so you may be disappointed. I have purchased 3rd party sound expansions which I have loaded into the Mimic. These are from V Expressions - I have all 3 of their expansion packs for Mimic. These really bring the sounds to life, relatively cheaply. If you are an experienced sound engineer, then you can actually do the required modifications yourself in the module with the default sounds. That is beyond my ability hence I purchased from VEX. Regarding the Drum-Tec Jam, as far as I know it triggers as well as say the equivalent Roland pads. I am certain your issues are not related to the pads - it is simply the module sounds, which you probably should consider upgrading. VEX provide similar packages for all the Roland modules - it is not peculiar to the Mimic. Hope this helps 😊
@@jouxplan Thanks! I will check them out.