Alternate Mode TRAPKAT XL 6.0 User manual

trapKAT XL 6.0
Manual
Rev. 1019 www.alternatemode.com
1

INTRODUCTION
PAD LAYOUTS 6,7
INTRODUCTION 8
QUICK START 9
CONNECTIONS 10
THE MANUAL 12
THE TRAPKAT EDITOR 12
20 QUESTIONS MOST OFTEN ASKED 13
Wh t re the P d Numbers 13
Get My Hi H t to Work 13
Get My B ss Drum Ped l to Work 13
Get the tr pKAT to Respond to My Pl ying Style 14
Reset The tr pKAT 14
Go Between F ctory nd User Kits 15
Quick Click 15
S ve Kit 15
Ch nge the Sounds 15
M n ging Kit N mes 16
Ch nging Note Numbers Don't Do Anything 16
The tr pKAT is Pl ying Itself 17
The Difference Between Tr ining nd Velocity Settings 17
I Don't He r Any Sounds on My Sound Source 17
There is Big Del y When I Use My Computer 17
Get Rid of the Beeper Sound 18
B ck Up My User Kits 18
Wh t Sound Sources Does the tr pKAT Work With 18
KIT EDIT FUNCTIONS
KIT EDIT FUNCTION LISTING 19
MIDI CHANNEL 20
KIT VELOCITY 20
2

Minimum Velocity
M ximum Velocity
Velocity Curves
FOOT CONTROL CURVES 21
SPECIAL CURVES 21
Multi Modes
Multi Notes
Xf de
3 Note L yer
Note Shift
4 Note L yer
ALTERNATE MODES 23
CONTINUOUS DATA 23
Cntrl+3 Notes
HI HAT CONTROL 24
Gener l MIDI Hi H t
Continuous Control
H tNote
Foot Control Ch nnel
Selecting P ds to the Hi H t P ds
Defining Settings for Open Closed nd Chick
Continuous Hi H t Control
H tNote
H tNote Overl p
PAD CONTROLLERS 27
COPY KITS 27
SOUND CONTROL 28
Volume Ch nge
B nk Ch nges (MSB/LSB)Progr m Ch nge
KIT NAMING 29
ALL NOTES OFF 29
PAD GATE 29
3

Roll Mode
Infinite Mode
L tch Mode
HIDDEN FUNCTIONS 30
Hi H t Tr ining Results
Idle Levels
GLOBAL EDIT FUNCTIONS
GLOBAL EDIT FUNCTION LISTINGS 32
USER /FACTORY KITS 32
MEMORY PROTECT 32
MIDI MERGE 33
SPLASH ADJUST 33
PROGRAM CHANGE RECEIVE 34
CYMBAL CHOKING 34
MEMORY DATA DUMPS 35
PAD TRAINING 35
PAD THRESHOLD 36
PAD LOW AND HIGH DYNAMICS 37
REINITIALIZE 37
GENERAL MIDI NAMES 38
TRAIN Hi H t PEDAL 38
BASS DRUM TRIGGER GAIN 38
DISPLAY ANGLE 39
BEEPER 39
4

SAVE USER KIT 39
NO FUNCTION 39
PAD LINKING 39
NOTE EDIT FUNCTIONS
NOTE EDIT FOOTSWITCH 40
HEAR SOUND 40
SPECIAL NOTE NUMBER 40
No
Sequence St rt, Stop nd Continue
Altern te Reset
Altern te Freeze
Kit Adv nce, Kit B ckw rds
Pitch Wheel
Progr m Adv nce, Progr m B ckup
NOTE SLOTS 41
KIT SELECT FOOTSWITCH 42
APPENDIX
GLOSSARY OF TERMS 43
MIDI FOR PERCUSSION 46
INSERTING NEW SOFTWARE CHIPS 48
WARRANTY POLICIES 49
CUSTOMER SERVICE 50
5

6

7

INTRODUCTION
Welcome to Altern te Mode's tr pKAT XL!
Since the origin l tr pKAT, much h s ch nged. We now use lightweight luminum fr me which is
bout 2/3rds lighter th n the origin l tr pKAT. We h ve repl ced the origin l he vy gum rubber p ds
with our new nuBOUNCE pl ying surf ce. This new pl ying surf ce just feels gre t to pl y on. There
re 24 p ds on the tr pKAT, 10 l rge p ds nd 14 rim shot style p ds th t c n be pl yed with the sh ft
of your drumstick. There re lso b ss drum nd hi h t inputs, m king tot l of 26 things to pl y on.
Our propriet ry FSR (force sense resistor) sensors h ve improved s well. They re now more
dyn mic nd dur ble th n ever before. The tr pKAT now comes in be utiful white powdered co ted
surf ce.
M ny of the drumKAT's perform nce fe tures re now p rt of the oper ting system of the tr pKAT.
There re Altern te Modes, Velocity Switch Modes, L yering, P d Linking s well s some G te
Control Modes such s Roll Mode nd L tching for Loops. We h ve even dded Controller Functions
so th t CC D t c n be sent long with note d t .
Bec use the tr pKAT XL is conceived s tot l electronic drum set, we developed our own Hi H t
nd B ss Drum triggers, the eHAT2 nd eKIC ped ls. These ped ls re different bec use unlike other
comp nies models, you c n determine the ped l height nd spring tension on both of them. It is the
f ct th t you re using re l b ss drum ped l th t m kes it feels incredibly n tur l nd comfort ble to
pl y on. We lso sell our own st nd, so th t complete bundle is v il ble for your convenience.
8

QUICK START
Getting setup is e sy. There re two br ckets th t connect to the b ck of the tr pKAT. These br ckets
in turn get mounted onto the br ckets on your r ck st nd. Once you set the mounting br ckets on your
st nd nd lock them in, setting up the tr pKAT will only t ke seconds to set up.
The tr pKAT uses screw in style power d pter (different from other KAT models). This d pter
is univers l so it c n be used ll throughout the world. Simply plug it in nd turn it on.
Plug the eKIC (or nother B ss Drum Trigger) into the “BASS DRUM INPUT” on your tr pKAT.
It requires st nd rd 1/4” mono c ble.
Plug the eHAT2 (or nother Hi H t Controller) into the “HAT INPUT” on your tr pKAT. It lso
requires st nd rd 1/4” mono c ble
Plug the supplied footswitch into the “KIT SELECT”
Connect your sound source to the tr pKAT by connecting st nd rd MIDI c ble (h rdw re b sed) or
USB to MIDI c ble (softw re b sed) to the tr pKAT's MIDI OUT connector. If you h ve purch sed
sound module nd tr pKAT together from Altern te Mode, The tr pKAT will be preprogr mmed for
th t sound module.
The tr pKAT is now re dy to pl y.
Notice th t there re twenty four p ds on the tr pKAT. The tr pKAT lso h s 24 Kits to pl y on. E ch
p d represents number from 1 to 24. Every time you step on the footswitch, you jump to the next
kit, from 1 to 24. You c n inst ntly jump to ny kit simply by holding down the Kit Select footswitch,
nd while held down, t p on ny one of the p ds. When you do this, the tr pKAT c lls up the KIT
number th t m tches the p d number.
You re now re dy to stop re ding nd st rt enjoying yourself. Ple se get behind the tr pKAT nd
st rt pl ying!!!!!!
9

CONNECTIONS
POWER SWITCH
This is your st nd rd on/off switch. Ple se note th t if you turn off the tr pKAT, w it sever l seconds
before turning it b ck on. The instrument needs to reset itself. If you h ppened to rest rt it too f st,
the sounds might not fire up. No worries, just shut it off nd w it few seconds then ll will be fine.
Also notice th t there is w rm up cycle. This is for the benefit of the sound c rd. It needs to
reiniti lize itself, nd t kes bout 8 seconds before the tr pKAT turns itself completely on.
AC ADAPTER INPUT
The tr pKAT comes supplied with remov ble, locking AC d pter th t connects to the tr pKAT nd
your 110v outlet. If you re in Europe, we will supply you with different plug. The d pter is the
s me however, nd will utom tic lly switch to your 220/240v oper tion.
BASS DRUM INPUT
This is where you plug your b ss drum trigger into. The input uses ¼” mono c ble. The tr pKAT XL
is optimized to pl y with the eKIC. If you h ve others, the tr pKAT will need to be TRAINED in
order to optimize your b ss drum trigger. There re lso GAIN controls th t m ke the tr pKAT
comp tible with most b ss drum triggers on the m rket.
FOOTSWITCH INPUTS
There re 4 Footswitch Inputs built into the tr pKAT XL. The tr pKAT prefers MOMENTARY
OPEN style footswitches. The footswitches supplied with the tr pKAT re of this v riety.
If you own MOMENTARY CLOSED style footswitches, they will still work, BUT you must plug
them in BEFORE you turn on the tr pKAT. The tr pKAT re ds the ped ls pol rity on power up nd
m kes them work properly. If you do use moment ry closed footswitch, you should not remove them
from the input while the tr pKAT is on. It will think you re stepping on the footswitch!
KIT SELECT FOOTSWITCH
Using this footswitch llows you to ccess the tr pKAT's Kits. You c n ccess these kits in two
w ys. Simply step (t p) on the footswitch to increment to the next kit. The f ster w y to c ll up ny
kit is to hold down the footswitch nd while held down, t p ny p d. The p ds number (1-24) will
lso m tch the Kits number (1-24). There re USER KITs nd FACTORY KITs in the tr pKAT.
These KIT types re c lled up in the GLOBAL Screens.
NOTE EDIT FOOTSWITCH
Ch nging sounds on the tr pKAT is e sy. All you h ve to do is hold down this footswitch, nd while it is
held down, hit the p d th t you w nt to ch nge. The first time th t you strike the p d, you will he r
the sound th t is ssigned to the p d. The next time you t p on the p d (with the footswitch still held
down,) the sound will increment by one. You will he r the sound ch nge e ch time the p d is struck.
If you p ss by the sound, you c n e sily go b ckw rds in the list of sounds. Simply rele se the
footswitch nd quickly hold it down g in. The sounds will now pl y in the reverse order.
Wh t you re ctu lly doing is dv ncing through MIDI note numbers. There re 127 notes possible.
Th t me ns th t you could be scrolling through up to 127 sounds on ny p d. Notice on the displ y
th t the screen tells you wh t note number you re pl ying. The Beep Sound lso ch nges. This is
re lly necess ry so th t you know which direction you re going nd how f r you need to go.
You might lso be seeing n me of sound on the displ y. These n mes show up if in the GLOBAL
section, GM N mes re turned on. If you re not using GM drum module, you will need to ignore
10

these n mes. The tr pKAT doesn't know wh t is plugged into its' MIDI OUT port. So it is best to get
into the h bit of looking t the note number nd not the sound n me.
KIT EDIT FOOTSWITCH
This footswitch turns the p ds into function for editing the KIT th t you re pl ying. When you stepped
on the NOTE EDIT footswitch nd t pped on p d, you s w nd he rd note number. When you step on
the KIT EDIT FOOTSWITCH nd hit p d, function will be displ yed. Just bout every p d h s
function, some h ve multiple functions. These will be described in the KIT EDITING section of the
m nu l.
GLOBAL EDIT FOOTSWITCH
This footswitch is for doing things th t re Glob l. Th t me ns th t these settings ffect the entire
instrument, nd not just one kit.
The over ll tr ining of the p ds, s ving your kits, doing d t dumps, memory protection re ll
ex mples of Glob l things to do on the tr pKAT. These Glob l functions re described in the
GLOBAL EDITING section of the m nu l.
MIDI OUT JACKS
There re two MIDI OUT j cks on the tr pKAT. They re identic l nd re there for convenience in
c se you re using more th n one sound source for your sounds. D t goes OUT to the extern l world
through these j cks t the s me time.
MIDI IN JACK
Plug MIDI c ble into this port if you w nt to send SYSEX D t Dump to the tr pKAT. It is
lso possible to progr m the MIDI note number of p d if you re in NOTE EDIT nd you send
note number extern lly to the tr pKAT from n outside source. This is c lled AutoTr in.
Hi HAT INPUT
This is where you connect your eHAT2 to the tr pKAT. You must use 1/4” mono c ble. At the
f ctory, we TRAIN the tr pKAT to work perfectly with the eHAT2. If you re using nother
m nuf cturer's hi h t ped l, you will prob bly will need to TRAIN the ped l in order to get the best
results. TRAINING the ped l will be discussed in the GLOBAL Section of the m nu l.
11

THE MANUAL
Controlling the tr pKAT effectively re lly requires th t you underst nd the functions th t lie
underne th the KIT EDIT nd GLOBAL EDIT Screens. Underst nding the b sics of MIDI re lly
is lso necess ry so th t the concepts discussed do m ke sense. You will then be ble to progr m
your own kits th t reflect your needs nd requirements in pl ying the tr pKAT.
There is however nother w y out... sort of purg tory for the l nd of MIDI. We compiled list of
questions th t musici ns sk us over nd over g in on how to get round the tr pKAT. E ch of the
questions sked will go over ll of the steps necess ry to solve the specific problem. The nswer will
be bbrevi ted but it will nswer the question. It's shortcut yes, but it will help you get round the
instrument in “need to know” b sis.
After re ding this section in the m nu l, there will be sever l other sections th t will cover ll of the
screens nd functions in the tr pKAT. This will be the NOTE EDIT, KIT EDIT FUNCTIONS nd
GLOBAL EDIT FUNCTION sections. This will be followed by n Appendix th t will h ve listings of
Sounds, Definition of Terms, W rr nty nd other import nt inform tion.
Ple se lso note th t there re other w ys of le rning bout the tr pKAT. There is VIDEO HELP
DESK on the ltern temode.com website th t will h ve video demonstr tions on “how to's”. There is
KNOWLEDGE D t b se on the website th t h s nswers to questions sked. There is Forum where
questions c n be nswered nd fin lly (l st resort), or you c n c ll us. Cont ct inform tion c n be found
on our website.
The trapKAT E itor
The tr pKAT Editor m kes progr mming your tr pKAT quick nd e sy. You c n edit KIT nd
GLOBAL settings, s well s copy, sw p nd s ve Kits. The tr pKAT Editor is v il ble for free! Go
to our website for video instructions nd to downlo d the Editor. It's v il ble for PC or MAC.
12

20+ QUESTIONS MOST OFTEN ASKED
HOW DO I......OR...... WHY CAN'T I
OR.....WHY DO I......OR …...WHAT IS???
WHAT ARE THE PAD NUMBERS
There re 10 big p ds nd 14 rim p ds. The first 4 big p ds left to right re 1 to 4. The next circle of
p ds from the left re p ds 5-10. The little rim p ds in front of the instrument re numbers 11-14.
The outer rim p ds st rting from the left re p d numbers 18-24.
GET MY Hi HAT TO WORK
In order to h ve good working Hi H t ped l, you will need to do three things. First you must TRAIN
your ped l. Then you must decide wh t p ds you w nt to h ve the Hi H t function to work on (1 to 4)
nd fin lly you will need to determine which mode of Hi H t you w nt (GM Hi H t, Controller Hi H t
or HATNOTE Modes).
To TRAIN the Hi H t ped l, Step on the GLOBAL EDIT Footswitch. While held down, t p on rim p d
#17. The displ y will then guide you to depress the Hi H t ped l ll the w y down nd then hit ny p d,
followed by rele sing the ped l nd hitting ny p d. Your ped l is now Tr ined!
Now you need to define wh t p d or p ds re going to be Hi H t p ds th t will respond to the position
of your Hi H t ped l. To do this, step on the KIT EDIT Footswitch. While held down, t p on p d # 5.
The displ y will show wh t p ds h ve been previously selected.. Now strike p d #5 g in. The screen
will sk you to select wh t p ds you w nt to be Hi H t p ds. T p on the p d or p ds th t you w nt to
be Hi H t p ds nd rele se the ped l.
Fin lly you need to decide if you re using Gener l MIDI Hi H ts (if you re connecting to GM drum
m chine), or if you re using Continuous Controller D t for Drum Modules or Soft Synths th t looks
t the ped l position or if you re using HATNOTE mode.
Step on the KIT EDIT Footswitch. While held down, t p on p d # 18. E ch time you t p on the p d,
you will see choices to select. HATNOTE, 01, 04, 04F nd None. HATNOTE is the setting to use if
you re using the 5KS, (Kurzweil sound c rd) “NONE” is the setting if you re using Gener l MIDI
drum module, nd 01, 04 nd 04F re Continuous Controller Number Settings used in the popul r VST
drum modules or drum modules like the KAT KT-M1 or Rol nd TD30.
There re other settings th t c n further twe k the Hi H t Settings in the Glob l Screen settings.
The eHAT2 c n lso be plugged directly into the KAT KT-M1 Drum Module. To set up the eHAT2
with the KT-M1, select the Hi H t ch nnel in the UNIT menu. N vig te to the HCAL screen. Choose
Hi H t type ALEHH. A mono c ble must be used with the ALEHH Hi H t type. Use the C libr te
function to tr in the Hi H t. Ch nge the PFACT setting to djust the chick (typic lly must be incre sed
by 10 fter tr ining).
GET MY BASS DRUM PEDAL TO WORK
Like the Hi H t ped l, the b ss drum trigger needs to be TRAINED to get the best results. The proper
MIDI note number needs to be ssigned nd fin lly the right velocity setting in the Kit needs to be
t ilored to your t ste.
13

There re three GAIN settings in the Glob l Setting c lled MIN, MID nd MAX. To set the G in
Setting, step on the GLOBAL EDIT Footswtich. While held down, t p on p d # 18. E ch time you t p
on th t p d, you will see the choices toggle between Min/ Mid/ nd M x.
Next you should TRAIN the ped l. Step on the GLOBAL EDIT Footswitch, nd while down, t p on
p d #11. When you t p on the p d, the screen will sk you to choose you p d (or trigger) you w nt to
TRAIN. T p on your b ss drum ped l. The screen will sk you to pl y softly. Do it once nd w it until
it sks g in to pl y h rd. After you do th t, you will need to t p on the GLOBAL EDIT Footswitch
g in to get out of this mode. You c n look t the v lues th t the tr pKAT set for your tr ining in the
Glob l Screens (p ds 13 nd 14). You c n lso lower the Threshold if you need softer triggering
(Glob l p d # 12). These re described in more det il in the GLOBAL EDITing Section of the m nu l.
You now h ve to m ke sure th t the b ss drum is ssigned to b ss drum sound. Usu lly this is MIDI
note number 36. To ch nge the MIDI Note Number, Step on the NOTE EDIT Footswitch nd while
held down, t p on the b ss drum trigger. The MIDI note number is displ yed. You c n ch nge it
simply by t pping on the b ss drum trigger with the Edit Footswitch held down.
The l st thing to consider is the minimum velocity of the b ss drum. Try using v lue 32 to begin
with. To ch nge the Minimum Velocity, Step on the KIT EDIT Footswitch nd t p on p d # 12. The
minimum velocity is displ yed. You c n ch nge it by t pping on the p d.
If you re using the KT-M1 module with the tr pKAT, there is no need to worry bout most of these
settings. The eKIC should perform very well right out of the box.
GET THE trapKAT TO RESPOND TO MY PLAYING STYLE
One of the m in fe tures of the tr pKAT ( nd the other KAT Controllers) is th t you c n te ch the
instrument your pl ying style. By performing TRAIN on the p ds, the tr pKAT underst nds wh t
you me n to be soft nd loud. The MIDI velocity dyn mics re superimposed within the dyn mic
r nge th t you set. This is very powerful fe ture s it m kes your instrument person l!
Tr ining the p ds is e sy. Step on the GLOBAL EDIT Footswitch nd T p on P d # 11 twice. You
c n then let go of the footswitch. Now, p d by p d, do s the screen sks.... pl y e ch p d soft, then
h rd. After you h ve done this to ll of the p ds nd b ss drum trigger, step on the GLOBAL EDIT
Footswitch g in to get out of this mode.
You c n see the results on your Tr ining by using the GLOBAL EDIT Footswitch nd t pping on
p ds 13 nd 14. These p ds will show you the v lues the tr pKAT “re d” when you pl yed soft nd
h rd.
RESET THE trapKAT
Getting the tr pKAT b ck to the origin l F ctory Settings is e sy. Step on the GLOBAL EDIT
Footswitch nd while held down, t p on p d #15. It will sk you to t p on p d #15 g in. It will sk
you to hold down p d #1 then hit #15 third time. When you do this, you will see the displ y
cknowledge th t the tr pKAT h s been reiniti lized. The instrument def ults to the FACTORY Kits.
After you reiniti lize the tr pKAT, the instrument utom tic lly turns on MEMORY Protection. If
you ttempt to ch nge ny p r meter on the tr pKAT, you will he r “b d” beep. To shut off
MEMORY Protection, step on the GLOBAL EDIT Footswitch, nd while held down, t p on p d #3.
This p d toggles the Memory Protection on nd off.
14

GO BETWEEN FACTORY AND USER KITS
The FACTORY Kits on the tr pKAT XL 6.0 re me nt to be used with the KAT KT-M1 Drum
Module. Ple se note th t you c n m ke ch nges to F ctory nd User Kits, but you c n only s ve
USER Kit inform tion. When you lter F ctory Kit, the ch nges go w y s soon s you le ve the
kit. This is lso true for the User Kits unless you choose to do SAVE function to th t Kit.
The good news is th t the FACTORY Kits utilize ll the possible Trigger Ch nnels in the KT-M1.
This llows you to progr m the m ximum mount of sounds in e ch Kit. Bec use of the open
rchitecture of the KT-M1, there is re lly no need to ch nge ny of the MIDI note numbers in the
tr pKAT FACTORY Kits. Simply ssign the sound you w nt for e ch p d to the m tching Trigger
Ch nnel of the KT-M1. Refer to the P d Assignment Section in this m nu l. This shows wh t p d is
ssigned to which KT-M1 Ch nnel.
To go between FACTORY nd USER Kits, step on the GLOBAL EDIT Footswitch nd t p on p d #1.
E ch time you t p on th t p d, the tr pKAT switches between F ctory nd User Kits. When you shut
off the tr pKAT nd turn it b ck on, it will remember wh t B nk of Kits you re using.
"QUICK CLICK"
While you re incrementing v lues, quickly rele se nd repress the footswitch (within second).
The v lues will now ch nge direction. This works for the NOTE EDIT, KIT EDIT nd GLOBAL
EDIT Footswitches.
SAVE A KIT
To s ve ny ch nges th t you m ke in USER KITS, hold down the GLOBAL EDIT footswitch nd hit
p d #21 twice. To s ve ch nges m de in FACTORY KITS, you must copy the kit to USER KIT.
CHANGE THE SOUNDS
Tr pKAT 6.0 is preprogr mmed t the f ctory to work with the KT-M1 Drum Module. The KT-M1
module oper tes in different w y th n other drum modules. Inste d of h ving MIDI note numbers
ssigned to sounds, they re ssigned to Ch nnels. Any sound c n be ssigned to Ch nnel. E ch
Ch nnel h s def ult note number, but it c n be ch nged to ny MIDI note number (0-127). M tch
Ch nnel's note number to tr pKAT p d's note number to pl y the sound ssigned to th t Ch nnel.
Some sounds h ve group of consecutive note numbers ssoci ted with it. Cymb l sounds h ve 3
(Bell, Bow, Edge) nd sn re nd toms h ve 2 (sn re nd rim, tom nd rim). The Hi H t lso h s group
of consecutive notes. The module lw ys indic tes the first note in the group. For ex mple, the def ult
note number for Cymb l 1 is 64. This is ctu lly group of notes (64, 65, 66) which is bell, bow, edge.
In order to pl y the bow sound on the tr pKAT, le ve the note number 64 on the module nd set the
tr pKAT p d's note number to 65.
Ch nging the note number in the module will shift the group of notes. These notes c nnot be sep r ted
from e ch other. For ex mple, ch nging the note number on Cymb l Ch nnel 1 from 64 to 65 will
result in the note group 65, 66, 67 (Bell, Bow, Edge). Any note numbers c n be used on ny ch nnel, s
long s the tr pKAT m tches the number. Both tr pKAT b nks re progr mmed using the KT-M1
def ult note number configur tion.
If you re using the tr pKAT with other tr dition l sound sources, ch nging sound on p d simply
requires th t you step on the NOTE EDIT footswitch, t p on the p d th t you w nt the sound to ch nge,
15

then continue t pping to he r ll of the sounds th t re v il ble in th t kit.
There re 127 note numbers th t re possible in ny Kit. When t lking bout melodic sounds, note
number 00 is the lowest sound, nd 127 is the highest note possible. If the sound is m rimb for
ex mple, e ch note number just pl ys different note on the m rimb . When t lking bout drum
sounds, e ch note number usu lly pl ys different sound. Usu lly there ren't 127 sounds v il ble in
kit, but this is how the theory works. For both p d sounds, nd kit sounds, there is MIDI ch nnel
th t they pl y on. There re 16 MIDI ch nnels v il ble. This me ns th t you c n h ve different Kits
sounds s well.
There re 127 progr m ch nges possible. But bec use some sound sources h ve more th n 127 sounds,
B nk comm nds were cre ted. A B nk is collect of 127 different sounds (progr ms).On the
tr pKAT, you c n store up to 4 different B nk nd Progr m Numbers per kit. Rec ll th t e ch of these
sounds must be ssoci ted with MIDI Ch nnel number. This is the w y th t we c n differenti te the
different sounds on different p ds when the sound is kit sound, not p d sound.. Also, we c n
control the rel tive Volume for e ch of these Sounds.
To do this you will need to ssign MIDI Ch nnel, B nk Number (MSB-LSB), Progr m Ch nge
Number nd Volume Number to the Kit. If you need more th n one sound, you c n store up to 4
of these on different MIDI Ch nnels.
It KIT EDIT, p ds # 19 nd 20 re ssigned to this t sk. When you step on the KIT EDIT footswitch
nd continue t pping on p d 19, you will see Volume (1), Progr m (1), Ch nnel (1) MSB (1) nd
LSB (1), then Volume (2), Progr m (2) etc etc ll the w y up to LSB (4).
When you see the v lue displ yed, t p on p d #20 to increment the v lue. You c n lso "quick click"
the footswitch to go the other direction.
The good news is th t most of the time you will only be c lling up one B nk nd Progr m Number
per User Kit. The KT-M1 does not use B nk comm nds. It only requires the Progr m Ch nge
number.
MANAGE KIT NAMES
If you w nt to n me your own Kit, step on the KIT EDIT footswitch nd t p on p d #21 twice. While
continuing to hold down the footswitch, the p d numbers below ch nge the ch r cters on the displ y.
Let go of the footswitch when you re done.
P d 1 ssigns upper c se letters
P d 11 ssigns lower c se letters
P d 3 ssigns sp ce between ch r cters
P d 12 ssigns ch r cter
P d 3 dv nces the cursor
P d 13 reverses the cursor
P d 4 dv nces the ch r cters
P d 14 reverses the ch r cters.
CHANGING NOTE NUMBERS DOESN'T DO ANYTHING
The tr pKAT c n pl y up to 16 sounds on one p d. Most of the time when you re ch nging note
numbers, you will be working on slot number 1 (of 16). You c n tell which slot you re working on by
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looking t the screen when the NOTE EDIT Footswitch is held down. For ex mple, you might see
something like #38-01. The number 38 is the MIDI note number. The 01 represents slot 1 of 16.
He ring these other sound slots depends on if you h ve speci l function turned on such s Altern te
Mode or Velocity Shift. These re ctiv ted in the Velocity Curve Screens. These functions will be
described in the KIT EDIT FUNCTIONS ch pter.
If you find th t you re not in slot number 1, then step on both the NOTE EDIT nd KIT EDIT
footswitches t the s me time, nd continue t pping on the p d until slot 1 rot tes b ck on the screen.
THE TRAPKAT IS PLAYING ITSELF
Every p d on the tr pKAT h s its own “THRESHOLD” setting. This is the low end (softest)
sensitivity setting where the tr pKAT decides when to st rt sending out notes. If you ever he r ny
f lse triggering, fixing the problem is e sy. First identify the hyper sensitive p d. If you don't know
which p d it is, step on the NOTE EDIT Footswitch. It will just jump to th t p d when the p d triggers
itself. Step on the GLOBAL EDIT Footswitch, nd while held down, t p on p d #12. The screen will
sk you to hit the p d th t you w nt to djust. Hit th t p d, then hit the p d g in. E ch time you strike
the p d, it will r ise the THRESHOLD by v lue of one. If you w nt to go b ckw rds, perform
""quick click""
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRAINING AND VELOCITY SETTINGS
There is difference between TRAINING your p ds Glob lly nd setting up your velocity settings in
p rticul r KIT. When you go into the GLOBAL screens nd elect to TRAIN p d, you re setting up
the pl ying r nge for those p ds for the entire instrument. A TRAIN tells the tr pKAT wh t you define
s soft nd h rd hit. Setting up velocity r nge on the other h nd tells the tr pKAT how loud to pl y
p d when you pl y soft nd h rd. The velocity r nge is from 00 to 127. In every kit, you define wh t
is the minimum velocity number you w nt when you pl y soft, nd the m ximum velocity when you
pl y h rd.
I DON'T HEAR ANY SOUNDS FROM MY SOUND SOURCE
When you don't he r ny sounds coming from your sound source, it usu lly is bec use you h ven't set
the correct MIDI ch nnel. There re 16 MIDI Ch nnels possible. The tr pKAT tr nsmits on MIDI
Ch nnel, nd the sound source receives on one. Check to see wh t MIDI ch nnel you re tr nsmitting
on in the tr pKAT. Then check your sound source to m ke sure th t it is receiving on the s me ch nnel.
To see wh t MIDI ch nnel you re tr nsmitting on your tr pKAT, step on the KIT EDIT Footswitch,
nd while held down, t p on p d 1. The MIDI ch nnel will be displ yed. You c n ch nge the ch nnel
by hitting p d one repe tedly. If you w nt to h ve different MIDI ch nnels on different p ds, t p on
p d 11. The screen will sk wh t p d you w nt to see the MIDI Ch nnel. The KT-M1 nd tr pKAT
def ult to Ch nnel #2
THERE IS A BIG DELAY WHEN I USE MY COMPUTER
When ny MIDI controller is plugged into computer for the purpose of sound gener tion, l tency
becomes n issue. Wh t should be noted is th t the del y he rd is not coming from the tr pKAT. The
tr pKAT sends out d t in bout 1mS. (th t's 1000th of second). Sound gener tion from computer
c n be 10 times th t, nd th t c n be very notice ble.
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If you decide to use computer for sound gener tion, consider getting the f stest computer you c n
fford with plenty of RAM. Tod y computers re sold with SSDs (solid st te drives). These re
much f ster th n tr dition l drives nd they re truly ro d worthy.
The re l culprit for l tency is the sound c rd in the computer. It simply isn't f st enough for use s
music l instrument. Of course it's fine for pl ying b ck music, but not for re l time gener tion of
sound. To th t end, m nuf cturer's h ve cre ted extern l Audio/MIDI devices th t use speci l drivers
(ASIO for ex mple) th t re designed for using your computer s sound source. Using n udio/midi
interf ce is even more critic l for drummers bec use we he r l tency much better th n other musici ns.
Even when you get this device (there re m ny to choose from.. just type in AUDIO MIDI
INTERFACE in GOOGLE) , there re settings th t re cruci l for de ling with l tency issues. In the
preference screens on these devices you c n control the S mple R te nd Buffer R te. R ising the
S mple R te nd Lowering the Buffer R te ssures the lowest l tency, but it puts the most dem nd on
your computer. Usu lly the preference screen lso displ ys the l tency in milliseconds. You will need
to find the b l nce between CPU us ge nd l tency.
GET RID OF THE BEEPER SOUND
Turning the Beeper On or Off is done by stepping on the GLOBAL EDIT Footswitch, nd while held
down, t p on p d #19. The screen will displ y its current setting. To ch nge it, t p on p d #20
BACK UP MY USER KITS
The tr pKAT is like computer, nd c n be subject to d t loss. B cking up your kits should be
routine process. There re free progr ms for both MAC nd PC th t you c n use to b ck up your d t
using MIDI Interf ce. There re links on our website to get them. It is lso possible to use your
sequencer to store d t . This type of stor ge is c lled SYS EX DATA Dumping.
On the tr pKAT there re three kinds of SYS EX Dumping. All Memory D t Dump, 1 Kit D t Dump
nd Glob l Dump. We recommend using the “All Memory” dump. It's the e siest nd the best w y to
s ve ll of your work. To perform D t Dump, m ke sure th t you plug MIDI c ble to the
tr pKAT's MIDI out j ck, then connect th t to your MIDI Interf ce. Open up one of the progr ms
suggested on our website (tr pKAT Editor,SYSEX Libr ri n, MIDIOX, etc) nd en ble it to
“RECIEVE” d t .
On the tr pKAT, step on nd hold down the GLOBAL EDIT Footswitch nd hit p d # 10. All
of the tr pKAT's memory will be sent out the MIDI out j ck. The tr pKAT will utom tic lly
receive d t dumps b ck. Just plug MIDI c ble to the MIDI IN j ck, nd send the file over
using the s me progr m.
It is lso highly recommended th t you b ck up your KT-M1 B nk files (.dkit) nd sound files (.dsnd)
to your computer. The KT-M1 cts s norm l computer drive. Therefore you c n copy nd repl ce
files e sily. By m king copies of the origin l B nk nd Sound files, you will h ve the bility to revert
b ck to the origin l f ctory settings.
WHAT SOUND SOURCES DOES THE TRAPKAT WORK WITH
The tr pKAT will work with ny MIDI sound source... including h rdw re drum m chines, keybo rds
nd ll virtu l nd soft synth plugin.
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KIT EDIT FUNCTIONS
The following section will go over ll of the KIT EDIT Functions th t re in the tr pKAT. It is in these
screens th t ll of the progr mming of the kits h ppen. Accessing these functions re lw ys the s me.
Step on the KIT EDIT Footswitch, nd while held down, t p on one of the p ds. The p ds function will
displ y. Here is the list of functions.
P d 1 Kit MIDI Ch nnel
P d 2 Kit Minimum Velocity
P d 3 Kit M ximum Velocity
P d 4 Kit Velocity Curve
P d 5 Kit Hi H t P d Select
P d 6 Kit Spl sh Note
P d 7 Kit Controller Select
P d 8 Kit Controller V lue
P d 9 Hi H t Overl p
P d 10 Kit G te Time
P d 11 P d MIDI Ch nnel
P d 12 P d Minimum Velocity
P d 13 P d M ximum Velocity
P d 14 P d Velocity Curve
P d 15 Kit Copy “to” Kit
P d 16 Perform Kit Copy
P d 17 Foot Control Ch nnel
P d 18 Hi H t Continuous Control
P d 19 Volume, B nk, Progr m Ch nge Listings
P d 20 Volume, B nk Progr m Ch nge V lue Ch nge
P d 21 Kit N me
P d 22 All Notes Off
P d 23 No Function/Hi H t Tr in V lues/P d Threshold V lues
P d 24 P d G te Time
In n ttempt to m ke these functions more underst nd ble, we h ve combined the p d functions into
c tegories. This should m ke it e sier to progr m the tr pKAT s rel ted functions described below
h ve been org nized in one topic.
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MIDI CHANNEL
PAD #1, 11
To ch nge the MIDI Ch nnel on the entire User Kit, t p on p d #1. The Kit's current MIDI ch nnel is
displ yed. To ch nge the MIDI ch nnel, t p on the p d g in or “"quick click"” to reverse direction
when t pping on the p d. If you w nt to ch nge the MIDI Ch nnel on just one p d, use p d #11, P d
MIDI Ch nnel. When you t p on p d #11, it will sk you to select the p d th t you w nt to ch nge the
MIDI Ch nnel.
There re 16 MIDI ch nnels v il ble in MIDI. Any p d c n be ssigned to its own MIDI ch nnel. If
you h ve multi-timbr l sound module, very cre tive kits c n be cre ted! A different progr m sound
c n be ssigned to ny MIDI ch nnel, llowing the tr pKAT to control m ny sounds t once.
KIT VELOCITY (Minimum, Maximum, Velocity Curves)
PAD #2,12, 3,13, 4 an 14
There re three settings th t ffect the response of e ch p d. They re c lled Minimum nd
M ximum Velocity, nd Velocity Curve. The Min nd M x Velocity ffect the r nge of how loud or
soft n individu l sound c n be. The Velocity Curve ffects the feel or how f st the sound gets louder
s you smoothly pl y h rder nd h rder.
The r nge for velocity is 00-127. If you set the Minimum to 00 nd the M ximum to 127, you re
progr mming the p d to pl y the widest dyn mic r nge possible. Counter to wh t you m y first think,
this is not lw ys the best choice. For ex mple, most people find th t the b ss drum needs n rrower
r nge, s y 32-127. If the softest hits re not he rd, then you will need to r ise the Minimum Velocity
Setting. If you w nt the s me cr ck of sn re drum, you might w nt to r ise the Minimum Velocity
even higher.
If you he r sound th t is not b l nced, i.e. too loud, you might w nt to lower the M ximum Velocity.
After the r nge is set, the next f ctor to consider is the Velocity Curve. The curve tells the tr pKAT
how f st to ch nge from soft to loud. Usu lly folks like line r or smooth response, nd use the def ult
Curve #1. There re exponenti l nd log rithmic curves th t st y soft longer s you pl y h rder or the
other w y round.
It is possible to set one Minimum, M ximum nd Curve Setting for the entire kit. Use p d #2 for the
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