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Setting up Your gear

Applying the pickup element

Before you attach the sensor to a drum, you need to apply the pickup elements. The pickup element is what the sensor is sensing, so it’s important to take the time to get this part right. Don’t worry, you won’t have to do this often. Only when you want to use Sensory Percussion on new drums or after changing drum heads.

A photo of 3 pickup elements

tip

You can place the pickup element anywhere you would like on the drumhead, but it must be between two lugs - and, if you are applying the pickup element to the snare drum, make sure you avoid the snare strainer or other levers that might block the sensor.

You can always "practice place" the sensor before placing the pickup element -- that is, attach the sensor before placing the pickup element, just to make sure it's in a good place on your drum (and not blocked) -- then you can remove the sensor and follow the steps below to place the pickup element.

Peel the paper strip off of the pickup element, revealing the adhesive beneath.

Line the legs of the disposable positioner up with the rim on your drum and drop it down so that the pickup element adheres to the head.

Apply pressure to the pickup element with your thumb for a few seconds before lifting and snapping off the disposable positioner.

Keep your finger on the pickup element, applying pressure for about ten seconds. It takes about 24-hours for the adhesive to fully cure, but it's generally fine to start playing right away.

info

Avoid reusing pickup elements. They're hard to clean once they've been used and generally don't stay on the drum as well the second time. They are cheap and disposable, so just use a new one.

Attaching the sensor to your drum​

Attaching the sensor correctly is important in order to get the clearest signal from your drum into Sensory Percussion.

Twist the sensor thumbscrew counter-clockwise to open it enough to fit over the rim of your drum.

Firmly attach the sensor so that the head is directly over the pickup element. The LED indicator light should shine behind the pickup element (not on top of it).

Plug TRS Cable into the top of the sensor. Secure the cable by pressing it into the clip on the side.

The drum sensor fits both snares/toms with a variety of rim types as well kick drums with standard hoops. Here are some tips for attaching your sensors:

  • Make sure the sensor is parallel to the head of the drum. If the sensor is leaning up or down, it will affect the quality of the signal you'll capture of your playing.
  • On some kick drums with wide hoops, you might need to completely open the sensor by unscrewing it until the clamp disconnects. This will let you pull back the clamp to fit around the hoop.

Connecting everything together​

A photo of the portal with sensor cables plugged into sensor inputs 1-3 and the power cable and USB-C cable plugged into the back (back plugs not visible, but you can see the cables leading up to the portal.)

  1. After you attach the sensors to your drums, plug the 3.5mm cables into the sensors. Then plug those into the Sensor Inputs on the EVANS SENSORY PERCUSSION PORTAL.

  2. You'll want to connect speakers or headphones to the EVANS SENSORY PERCUSSION PORTAL as well -- you can use the Headphones plugs in the front or the Main output plugs on the back for that.

  3. Next, connect the EVANS SENSORY PERCUSSION PORTAL to your computer with the USB-C cable and connect the power plug.

  4. Turn it on and open the software!