Pro Tools and Roland TD-6V MIDI Recording Basics - HELP!!

[radz]

Hey everyone. I've never used these forums before but I really need some help and not sure who else to ask! Ok so I just purchased a Roland TD-6V drum kit and am wanting to be able to record drums straight into Pro Tools. I am wanting to do it via midi (I have minimal midi experience) since there are only two audio outputs on the back of the TD-6V and therefore can't record each drum onto a seperate track. I am a midi newby in Pro Tools so can someone please tell me how I would go about setting up the basic midi channels? I have done the basics such as plugging the midi in and out into my 002 rack. The midi in and out lights are coming on when i hit the drum kit pads so that must be a good sign. Where do I go from here? (i.e do i create a midi track or a instrument track?) Also does anyone know what settings I need to change on the module (TD-6v) itself? Thanks

[MEAT]

I just recently bought a TD-9 kit.You can get great help here:

http://www.vdrums.com/forum/

[fenderrocker]

Well if you are trying to record the drums via midi, you will need 2 midi cables and 2 instrument cables for the drum's stereo output.

First thing you should do is hook up the midi cables output to input. this way, you can record the drum sequence you want. You're not recording audio, just midi notes.

Once you have the midi region recorded, play it back. If you have your cables hooked up right, you should hear the drum set "playing itself". This is because pro tools is sending out the midi notes to the VDrum module.

The only reason you would want to to this is to edit any mistakes, quantize or set a groove, or to make drum loops.

If you plan on recording a part all the way through, just hook the drums up to a stereo input.

Another thing you can do with midi is trigger a drum VI plugin (ie BFD, EZdrummer, addictive drums). This is what I do with my TD-3 and BFD Lite.

[albee1952]

+1 for using ezdrummer(or similar). Once I heard that, I never use the audio from my TD-10 kit again(except for some special sound from the Roland brain). Can't speak for the TD6, but the TD-10 midi into an instrument track(stereo) with ezdrummer or Superior Drummer inserted, plays all the drum/cymbal sounds very nicely with only 2 hitches. Grabbing a cymbal pad does not choke(but you can drag the midi note on the piano roll and move it to the same cymbal sound with a choke. The other hitch is the side stick doesn't happen(my solution is to simply play the snare and then grab the notes(again on the piano roll) and drag them to the side stick sound(I think its one up from the regular snare note). As said before, to record the TD6 sounds, you will need 2 audio cables and 2 midi cables. You may find it easier to disconnect the return midi cable so you don't get double-triggering. Once your midi track is recorded(and you want to edit the midi) just plug the cable back in, or change the midi track output.