How to Create a Hybrid Drum Set with the Roland SPD-SX with Jordan West

The first season of Drum Lessons with Jordan West closed with an episode on live sampling using the Roland SPD-SX Percussion Sampling Pad. In that lesson, Jordan broke down how players can connect the pad to their acoustic kit, map any song from their music player onto the pads, and then play the samples alongside your regular acoustic kit.

Today, Jordan is back with the Roland SPD-SX, showing players how they can add it to their acoustic kit to turn it into a super versatile and compact acoustic-electronic hybrid. The SPD-SX supports up to four drum triggers, and Jordan uses two (one on the rim of her snare and the other on her kick) in the video above.

First, she demonstrates how the SPD-SX can help work unconventional sounds into a standard acoustic kit—like a clap sound triggered by the rim of Jordan's snare, for example, and pads mapped with synth samples. This can be a great way for smaller bands and ensembles to creatively work some other sounds and instrumentation into their live shows, especially.

Speaking of live shows, drummers know that a venue's backline isn't always exactly what they were hoping for and the SPD-SX can be super helpful in those scenarios as well. In addition to the unconventional sounds you can map onto the pads, its also equipped with really solid acoustic drum sounds that you can layer onto the lackluster acoustic kit for deeper, punchier, and more solid sound.

Check out Jordan's full lesson above, and click the banner below to check out more episodes from Jordan West's two seasons of Drum Lessons with Jordan West.

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