This is a stripped down version of ZenEdit that runs in your browser and is used to design your very own custom ZX layout. The files that it generates are fully compatible with the full version of ZenEdit so you can hit the ground running when you receive your custom designed Zendrum!
Check out the Zendrum Custom Shop today!
A brief tutorial describing how to work with projects within the ZenEdit interface.
Just posted some live recordings from a September 2011 winery gig with The Stormy Weathermen.
Over the past couple years I've tried a huge number of different sound sources with my Zendrum, trying to the find the "perfect" live rig to suit most situations.
I've tried small and simple, large and complex, dedicated hardware modules as well as VST hosts. None of them were quite "right". With any one rig I'd have to sacrifice a level of one feature to gain in another.
The key features of a live rig are (to me):
Just posted some snippets from the Electric Mandolin Project (EMP) which I was involved in last summer.
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Full details here.
I've added some found recordings from this time last year for a group called Lotus Dog. This was the first group I was in where I played nothing but Zendrum.
One of the best upgrades you can get for your Zendrum is the integrated wireless option. This adds an internal MIDIJet board along with a battery compartment for a single 9-volt that powers both the Zendrum board and the MIDIJet. I cannot say enough good things about this setup, it simply rocks. Once you've tried it you'll wonder how you ever got by being tethered with a MIDI cable!
Of course keeping the option to go back to being wired is important too, if for nothing else than to have a "plan B" should things go wrong. For instance you may have forgotten to bring or charge your batteries, or perhaps there is too much radio interference at the gig. Whatever the circumstances, it's important to be able to go back to using a wired connection at will.
Which brings us to the point of this article, because if you have one of the first crop of Z4 boards and utilize any Roland drum modules, you probably have discovered that a wired connection (i.e. not using the MIDIJet) simply no longer works! The Zendrum powers up fine, but no amount of banging on the triggers will register with the Roland unit. The official explanation for this that I've received from the Zendrum folks is that the Roland units expect just a slightly higher electrical current than the Z4 is providing at the MIDI port, even though the Z4 is adhering to the official MIDI specification.
One workaround for this that I stumbled on is to rectify the MIDI signal before it reaches the Roland unit, by doing a pass-through on another unit. In other words, by placing an additional MIDI device between the Zendrum and the Roland unit, the MIDI data signal is boosted to a level that Roland can pick up on. This would seem to contradict the notion that the Z4 board is operating correctly and that it's the Roland unit that is at fault, but i can't speak to that -- I only know that using a middle-man approach here works. Of course that adds a bit of complexity to your rig, and it's not always practical to drag around secondary MIDI devices, so it's less than an ideal solution.
I've received information from one of the Zendrum electrical engineers on how to affect a more permanent fix, as I will describe here. This fix involves opening up your Zendrum and taking a soldering iron to it. If you're not comfortable doing either of those things, then stop reading now. Even if you *are* comfortable doing this, I would encourage you to first contact Zendrum corp and discuss your options. I'm making no warranty against performing this fix, and I certainly won't take responsibility if you brick your axe. Nuff said.
The fix involves shorting out one resistor on the main Z4 board, either R10 or R13. Removing one of these from the circuit path with increase the amount of current that leaves the MIDI port, bringing it in line with what Roland modules expect. The simplest way to short out one of these resistors is to place a blob of solder on top of it. As long as you are very careful about not getting solder anywhere else on the board it should be a piece of cake.
Details of the fix plus photos of my axe under the knife...
One thing I learned about my Zendrum is that the leads to the battery case are very fragile. It turns out that every time you swing the battery compartment out, the wires that are soldered to it twist a tiny bit. One of mine was just barely hanging on and indeed snapped off during reassembly. Call me paranoid, but I would try to limit how often you open and close the battery compartment. Over time I'm sure the lead will snap off on its own. If you ever find that your axe no longers powers up from the battery, this would be the first thing to check.
Announcing the immediate availability of the foremost GUI editor for your Zendrum -- ZenEdit!
ZenEdit takes the hassle out of programming and calibrating your Z4 based Zendrum. It also allows you access to features that you simply can't get at any other way. Features such as programmable crossfade instruments and trigger level control over noise floor and response curves.
ZenEdit is now available for immediate download at:
http://nebiru.com/zenedit
Supported platforms are Windows(r), Mac OS and Linux(r).
Start unlocking the power of your Zendrum today, with ZenEdit!
While I've been Reaper fanatic for some time now, I've only recently begun to dig into programming my own effects, purely out of necessity. I've decided to make the fruit of these efforts publicly available at no charge, under the Creative Commons license.
The library is still in its infant stages. It presently has but one humble effect, though as I gather ideas for more I will be adding them. The initial effect is one that is extremely useful to me personally (and I suspect other Zendrummers as well). It's a MIDI filter that will turn specific CC messages into MIDI note-on messages. For instance, this enables you to choke cymbals in various VSTs using the momentary switch on the back of the Zendrum.
Please feel free to download and use the library. If you find it useful, then please consider throwing me some loose change. A link to donate via PayPal is on the library page.
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