The TMC-6 is the perfect device to extend an e-drum kit. Connect more pads through the TMC-6.

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This video is about the Roland TMC-6, a trigger to midi converter.
The device comes with a power supply, a holder plate and mounting screws.
You also need a MIDI cable and a rack clamp. Both are not included.
Screw the plate to the TMC-6, attach it to your drum rack; connect the MIDI cable and power supply.


What is possible with a TMC-6?


It can be connected directly to a Midi interface or any device with a midi input. In this case we used it for Garage Band. We connected a trigger pad to the TMC-6 and recorded a Midi line.

The most common reason to use it is however to extend a v-drum kit with more pads. It’s getting connected to the Midi input of the drum module.

It is not compatible with every V-drum kit. (TD-8, TD-9, TD-12, TD-20, TD-30)

(TD-3 and TD-6 have MIDI inputs but not sure if they have a percussion set)

Setup the TMc-6.

The TMC-6 has 12 channels. We can set the midi note numbers for each channel individually.

We select channel 6 and connect a (PD-80R) pad to input 2 and a CY-8 cymbal pad to input 3. Both are dual trigger pads and connected with stereo cables.
The trigger typesetting has to be changed according to the pad you’re using. The codes for all Roland pads and triggers are on the back of the TMC-6.


It is also possible to set the MIDI note number. Every channel of the TMC-6 can have different or the same MIDI note numbers for each pad or trigger.

Hit the pad which is connected to input 2 and change the midi note to number 10. Now hit the rim of the same pad and change it to nr. 11. Do the same for cymbal bow and edge. We assign them to nr. 12 and 13. These MIDI note numbers apply for channel 6. If we change the channel, we can set different midi note numbers or the same ones for those pads.

Now we have to change the MIDI Channel to number 11. Do this for each trigger, even for each zone on a dual trigger pad. MIDI Channel 11 is for the percussion set in the TD-9. This is now set for each of the 12 TMC-6 channels.

The setup with the TD-9.

Press ‘setup’, ‘MIDI’ and ‘percussion’ to open the percussion set menu.
By hitting the PD-80R pad, MIDI number 10 is selected in the percussion set.

You can edit every instrument of the percussion set. Select for example the white ash snare. Select the convenient snare rim on number 11, by hitting the rim of the same pad.

Repeat the steps to assign the preferred instrument for each pad.

Time to go a step further by editing the selected instruments. Press the edit button and set parameters like volume, pitch, pan or ambience.

We create a second snare drum and an additional crash cymbal for the kit. Rim shot and choke function are also available.


What pads or triggers can be connected.

You can connect a hi hat controller, like an FD-8 pedal or VH-11 to input 6 with a mono cable. Change the switch from trigger to HH ctrl.

The actual hi hat pad has to be connected to input 5. Don’t forget to select the convenient trigger type for HI hat control and pad.

It is also possible to use the Three Way Triggering Function for ride cymbals. Use 2 stereo cables to connect a CR-15 or 12 ride cymbal to either input 1 and 2, 3 and 4 or 5 and 6.
The bow/bell cable needs to be connected to input 1,3 or 5 and the bow/edge cable to 2,4 or 6.
Change the trigger type for the edge zone to RDC and for the bell zone to CY.
You can play bell, bow and edge.
It is even possible to split input 2 with a normal splitter cable. Just assign different instruments to head and rim trigger of input 2 and connect 2 pads.
The opposite splitter option is useful to connect more than one dual trigger pad for rim shots to the TMC-6.
Use a normal splitter cable and divide a dual pad to input 3 and 4. Change the pad settings for the rim input to RIM and the settings for the other input to the convenient pad.

Connect a microphone and change the trigger type to AUD. Change the sensitivity depending on the microphone you are using. This is useful for drum mics on an acoustic drum kid to convert the audio signal into a trigger signal.













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