Overcoming "Kit Switch Delay"

Even though a Zendrum has 24 pads (which can be crossfaded to 4 times as many sounds), sometimes a song may leave a player wanting MORE sounds. Perhaps a change in section from a full Latin band to a Europop bridge, and there just aren't enough pads. Or perhaps you want to play the identical figure on the pads, but have their sounds change, so you don't lose a groove by changing hand positions from your favorite placement.

Usually this would involve changing kits on your sound module. Chances are you have your favorite Zen pad setup where Bass drum is always the pad you want and if you just change kits, or even sounds modules, it's still a bass drum, since you've assigned that pad to MIDI note 36, and that defaults to a bass drum.

However, some modules, such as the incredibly popular DMPro by Alesis, have an unacceptable time delay when switching kits. About 2 seconds. In the middle of a song this is rarely possible.

The answer is a bit of programming on your Zen and your module. Let's say you LOVE the switch from your Latin kit to your Europop kit. If you know those are always going to be flipped back and forth, you can set them up so there is no delay whatsoever.

First, set a new kit up in your drum module to your Latin kit, mapped just the way you like it on the Zendrum. Now, instead of changing kits with the Pr parameter in the Zendrum, change it with the UP parameter. Make UP layout 1 your usual, and UP layout 2 setup using 24 MIDI notes not assigned in layout 1 (unless, of course, you do want a duplicate sound). Maybe you use UP 4 and 5 or whatever, but they will have to be sequential. When you come to a song where you know you will want your 2 complete setups, use PR to get to the kit in the module you have programmed, which contains both Latin AND Europop sounds spread across the MIDI map, your basic set to their defaults, and your secondary set using altered MIDI notes, and with a flick of your thumb, the ZENDRUM changes its pad mapping and no new kit needs to be loaded at the module level.

This technique is of course subject to usage based on the capabilities of your module, and whether or not you can spare one of your 16 pad setups. This does take a bit of planning and programming on both the Zendrum and your module(s), but its worth the effort.

Another common use is if your multiple sets are to use the same sound set (like electronic, or room reverb) so several successive setups can have slightly altered setup maps using the default MIDI notes, so that setup 1 is basic kit, setup 2 is conga and bongo based, setup 3 is double bass and cymbal based, and so on. Keeping the maps to default MIDI notes will have the advantage of working with any standard sound module you plug into.