Simmons SDS7 Review and Tutorial
System Overview
This Simmons SDS7 review and tutorial will teach you how to use a Simmons SDS7 drum machine. You will learn about its features and how to program sounds.
- Drum Channels
- 12 different drum channels
- Each drum channel produces an analog and digital sound.
- Each channel’s analog and digital sound parameters can be adjusted separately
- Each drum channel also can have noise and a click sounds mixed into the analog and digital sound
- Drum Kits
- 99 programmable drum kits
- Drum kits are programmable memory slots for all the 12 drum channels
Controls
- 2 Knobs Per Drum Channel
- The top knob controls the drum pad input trigger sensitivity
- The bottom knob controls the sequence input trigger sensitivity
- The Incrementor
- The incrementor is a multi-function control that does various jobs
- When first powered the incrementor selects the drum kit
- The functions buttons and the program button (red button on the bottom right)
To change a sound
1) Press The Program button (the program light will flash)
2) Rotate the incrementor to select the desired drum kit
3) Press program to select that drum kit
4) Rotate the incrementor to select the desired drum channel (the red program light will flash on the top of the selected drum channel)
.
5) Press program to select that drum channel
6) Now all 16 lights will flash
7) Select one of the 16 desired parameters to edit
8) Once the parameter is selected, its light will stay on and its current value will be displayed
9) Rotate the incrementor to change its value
10) To change more parameters for that drum channel before saving, press the currently select parameter (its light will be steady on).
11) All 16 parameter lights will blink
12) Go through this process to change as many parameters as needed, until you are ready to save your edits
13) To save all your edits, press the program button
14) If you want to ignore your changes press any button that is not lit, and you will be returned to the select channel mode
15) If you want to exit the select channel mode press any button that is not lit, and you will be returned to the original play mode where you can select the drum kit
To copy drum channel sounds
1) Select drum kit No. 00
2) Press the program button (the prog jigsaw light will be on)
3) Rotate the incrementor to select the desired drum kit to copy sounds from
4) Press program to select that drum kit
5) Rotate the incrementor to select the desired drum channel
6) Press program to select that drum channel to copy sounds from
7) Repeat 5 and 6 to select as many drum channels from that kit you would like to copy
8) When all the drum channels are selected that you want to copy press button “E”
9) Select the kit number to copy the drum channels to
10) Press the “N” button to hear the copied drum channels along with the unselected channels in the new drum kit
11) Press program to overwrite the old channels with the new ones
Inputs and Outputs
- Inputs
- 2 trigger inputs per channel
- Sequencer Inputs
- 12 x ¼” trigger inputs
- .2v – 15v 2ms positive pulse
- maximum trigger occurs at approx 10v
- Drum Pad Inputs
- 12 x XLR trigger inputs
- 30mv – 500mv positive pulse
- maximum trigger occurs at approx. 450mv
- High Hat Pedal
- External Kit Select Input (connect a Simmons selector pad to select the drum kits)
- Outputs
- 1 x Mono XLR output
- 1 x Stereo (1 x Left and 1 x Right) XLR output
- 12 x individual XLR drum channel outputs
- Both
- Memory Expansion In/Out Proprietary Cable Connection (you can dump the memory for back up to an optional RAM pack
Important pin-out Information
- Output pin connections
- Serial Number 0-249:
- Pin 1 and 2 = Ground
Pin 3 = Hot
- Pin 1 and 2 = Ground
- Serial Numbers 250 and Up:
- Pin 1 and 3 + Ground
Pin 2 = Hot
- Pin 1 and 3 + Ground
- Serial Number 0-249:
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