Acoustic Pro Triggers

GEARREVIEWS
098 RHYTHM SEPTEMBER 2007
ddrum
Acoustic Pro
Triggers
£179 | Jordan McLachlan fi nds out
whether ddrum's new Acoustic Pro
triggers are as good as ever
ESSENTIALS
PRICES
Ddrum
Acoustic Pro
Triggers
set £179.95
CONTACT
Bill Lewington
8 Hornsby Square
Southfields Business
Park
Laindon
Essex
SS15 6SD
Telephone
01268 413366
Website
www.ddrum.com
H
aving recently featured one of
ddrum’s newer offerings in the
shape of the Dios acoustic kit,
we’re back on more familiar territory
where the now American-owned brand is
concerned. ddrum made its name in
electronic percussion (both kits and
triggers) and this issue it’s the turn of the
company’s new Acoustic Pro Triggers to
take centre stage.
For those with even a passing
knowledge of converting a drum head’s
acoustic energy into an electronic
signal, ddrum’s reputation in the fi eld is
a given. ddrum triggers have graced
more pro kits, on international stages
and in the world’s fi nestrecording
facilities, than any other trigger device.
Users include an array of stars from all
genres, from Helmet’s John Tempesta
to Prince’s John Blackwell – no matter
what you play or what sounds you want
to trigger, ddrum stuff has become de
rigeur for thousands of pros and serious
amateurs over the years.
Which is why it’s a little disconcerting,
on your first encounter with the Pro
triggers, to find that they’re so
unprepossessing in terms of the way
they’re constructed. For units that
provide the link between acoustic drums
and sound modules in high pressure
situations, they’re remarkably simple.
Simple But Effective
There’s an even more stripped-down
offering from ddrum (the Red Shot
range), but even the Acoustic Pros
dispense with any unnecessary
constructional niceties. Each of the units
in the box set here (which ships with three
tom, one snare and one kick drum
triggers) is built into a straightforward
bent steel chassis, adorned with simple
grey ddrum logo. Any simpler, or less
well-made, and they’d look almost
agricultural.
The tom and snare triggers are
exactly the same in terms of build.
There’s a notch cut into the shorter part
of the ‘L’-shaped bracket for clipping
over the drum hoop, and a drum-key
tensionable rod that holds the unit in
place. It’s a 30-second procedure to
throw a trigger on a drum and get it
secured. Perhaps the only upgrade to
this arrangement would be some kind of
protective strip on the section that butts
up against the drum shell itself. I can’t
see vintage drum owners risking the
triggers marking their precious shells –
but then again, do vintage kit lovers use
triggers? It’s a moot point. The only point
of difference between snare and tom
triggers is that the snare type also
features a transducer mounted on the
inside of the clamp, which brings it into
contact with the rim of the drum, thus
allowing separate triggering signals from
head and rim.
The kick drum trigger works in similar
fashion to the tom units, but this time the
clamping action involves a plate (to
which the trigger pad itself is fi xed) that
allows a little movement to suit the
various size of kick drum hoops to which
it might find itself attached. Here as well
is a thick rubber pad on the underside of
the main section to ensure the trigger
doesn’t move about during use.
All On Show
The electrical trickery within the triggers
is as uncomplicated as the rest of the
devices. The sensors that rest against the
heads are encased in a square of blue
foam and these are connected to XLR
jacks by wiring that’s in clear view. Wires
are just about kept out of harm’s way by
A single bolt is all
that’s needed to ensure a solid
connection between trigger and shell
The simple design
of the triggers promotes
flexibility– they can be fixed
anywhere on a rim
RHY142.gear_ddrum 98RHY142.gear_ddrum 98 15/8/07 1:24:13 pm15/8/07 1:24:13 pm