PLAYING THE "FACTORY"SOUNDS
POWER ON!
Once you have connected up all the leads the next thing to do is switch on! The power switch is
on the top right of the electronics.
SELECTING A KIT
When the power is turned on the "Bank" light will show above "A" and the "Kit Display" will
show "1". This means you are on "Factory Kit" A1 (or Bank A, kit 1). There are 4 banks, each
containing 5 kits giving you a total of 20 "Factory" kits. These kits can be "accessed" by
pushing the "Bank Select" or "Kit Select" buttons (situated below the displays). You can also
change the kits in any one bank using the footswitch. Each tap on the switch advances the
number by 1 through to 5 and then cycles back to 1, and so on. With a bit of practise you
should be able to change the kits whilst playing, by using the footswitch.
PAD SENSITIVITY
The sensitivity of the drum pads is controllable, using the sensitivity pots at the top of each
individual channel. This allows you to alter the sensitivity of each drum according to our own
taste and preference. (Note that the snare has two sensitivity pots - one for the drum middle and
one for the rim).
When set low (anti-clockwise) the drums must be struck very hard to produce a "hard" sound and
when set high (clockwise), the drums will produce a "hard" sound with a very light tap of the
stick. These controls should be set to facilitate your technique. Of course the perceived sensitivity
of the pad will also be affected by the weight and type of stick, and in the case of the bass drum,
the type and throw of the beater.
The playing surfaces of the SDS 9 have been designed to emulate the response of a conventional
drum head, but we do recommend that you experiment with various weights of stick and select
the type that suits you best. Similarly with bass drum beaters the choice is yours, however we do
suggest that you avoid the use of wooden beaters. The playing surfaces will not wear out but will
mark at the point of impact. These marks can be removed with a damp cloth.
PLAY AWAY
At this point we recommend that you experiment with the 20 'Factory pre-set kits'. Explore the
feel of the pads and interaction of the sounds programmed forthe rim and snare. As well as
amplification, reverb etc. Note that whilst playing the snare, the rim can be struck anywhere and
will produce the rim sound at a volume dependent upon how hard it has been struck. If the rim
and snare are struck simultaneously, both sounds are accented.
A list of factory sounds are listed at the back of the manual.
