E-drum Digital Percussion Module – Owners Manual
© E-mu Systems 1984 Enhanced by The Emulator Archive 2001 Page 4
4. EXTERNAL TRIGGERING
The E-drum modules TRIG IN jack is a ¼” stereo phone jack, allowing both
triggering and external voltage control of pitch.
TRIGGERING
The E-drum modules trigger input accepts gates and triggers from 0.2 to 5 volts.
Duration of the trigger must be at least 100 milliseconds. The higher the voltage
and/or the longer the pulse length, the louder the triggered sound will be.
The module can also be triggered by most audio signals. The level of the audio
signal will determine the loudness of the triggered sound. Thus, the E-drum module
is able to duplicate the dynamics of the audio source triggering it. This makes it ideal
for triggering from miked acoustic drums or from pre recorded percussion (or other
audio) tracks. In each case you can replace the triggering sound with any E-drum
sound, while still retaining all the dynamics of the original performance.
Use a standard ¼” mono phone plug with the triggering signal wired to the tip if you
are using the input for triggering only (i.e. no external pitch control). If you plan to
use simultaneous pitch control, you will need a stereo phone plug or an adapter as
described below.
When an external trigger source is connected to the E-drum module, the modules
pad remains active but at reduced sensitivity.
EXTERNAL PITCH CONTROL
The E-drum modules TRIG IN jack also accepts a voltage of from 0 to 5 volts for the
purpose of controlling pitch. Possible controllers include active voltage pedals,
synthesizers, sequencers, or most any other source of variable DC voltage. Again,
keep in mind the modules maximum tuning range is about one octave. If you want to
be able to control this entire range with your external controller, be sure to set the
front panel pitch control at its lowest setting.
If you are using the TRIG IN jack for pitch control only (no external triggering), use a
stereo phone plug with the control voltage wired to the ring contact. Custom wire a
¼” stereo plug (trigger to tip contact and control voltage to the ring contact) if you will
be using both triggering and voltage control. You may also use a patch cord with two
mono jacks connected to a stereo plug. Use a meter to find out which jack is the tip
and which is the ring. When you’ve figured this out, label the jacks for future
reference. (When using this patch cord, both the trigger and control voltage should
use a mono phone plug with the signal at the tip.)
