Synido TempPAD 16

[jbmckim]

Can somebody point me at a tutorial (or give directions) as to how to hook a STPAD 16 to CWSonar? If you feel the urge to say, like any other midi instrument please refrain. There are a few tutorials that deal with keyboards etc and they don't apply.  Apparently drum pads are different.

Thanks.

[user905133]

23 minutes ago, jbmckim said:

 If you feel the urge to say, like any other midi instrument please refrain. . . . Apparently drum pads are different.

Are we allowed to ask if you checked the manual for your hardware or if you checked the manufacturer's website? Are we allowed to ask if you found anything via an internet search?

BTW,  I looked up both STPAD 16 and Synido TempPAD 16 in the forum and didn't find anyone else who mentioned this piece of hardware.  Also, you didn't provide a link to the manual so if someone wanted to try to help could take a look.  Maybe someone with a different drum pad might be able to help. Maybe the link on this page will help?

 

[user905133]

OK.  After looking at the user guide, maybe it would help if you explain what you tried based on the tutorials that don't provide enough guidance and what results you got.  

[jbmckim]

Well, I was thinking to start from the beginning, assuming the probability that I did something incorrectly and therefore asked for directions either to doc or forum elsewhere. Perhaps I should have been more complete in my question. 

905133 - There is no user guide that deals with connecting the STPAD 16 to CWSonar. In general, I'd class the Synido documentation as more of a feature list than a how-to.  As you mention above, there is no mention of it in the forums.

What I have so far is Synido recognized as a MIDI device under Edit/Preferences...I can add a new MIDI track that recognizes the Synido. However, after I activate the input echo to "Auto Thru" I hear nothing when striking the pad. The meter however does show input. Further, recording the track at this point does register input proportional to velocity.

Let me know if you need more.

Thanks. 

[user905133]

2 hours ago, jbmckim said:

905133 - There is no user guide that deals with connecting the STPAD 16 to CWSonar. In general, I'd class the Synido documentation as more of a feature list than a how-to.

Unfortunately, some consumer targeted midi gear only comes with User Guides (as opposed to manuals).  I have seen a number that are far skimpier than the one on that site.     

2 hours ago, jbmckim said:

What I have so far is Synido recognized as a MIDI device under Edit/Preferences...I can add a new MIDI track that recognizes the Synido. However, after I activate the input echo to "Auto Thru" I hear nothing when striking the pad. The meter however does show input. Further, recording the track at this point does register input proportional to velocity.

This is good as it show that (1) the pad is generating MIDI data and (2) the MIDI data is being recorded by Sonar.  I took at a quick look at the guide earlier and will need to look again to see (1) if the Synido makes sounds and if it does (2) how it gets the sounds into the computer. If it doesn't (that is, if its just a pad controller), you will need to add a plugin and route the controller to the software instrument.  If you downloaded the Cakewalk Sonar add-ons, you should have Session Drummer.

Dare I say it?  Adding a soft synth/sampler player, having it controlled by an external controller, and having the sounds played through Cakewalk Sonar, is pretty much the same as adding a piano-style soft synth . . . . 😉 Of course, Sonar has some features that are geared towards drum sounds and drum tracks. 

UPDATE: In the welcome paragraph, it says the device is "an input control device based on [the] MIDI protocol . . . [and] only outputs MIDI commands without generating sound . . . ."  So, you need to insert an instrument plug-in to make sounds.

For starters, I suggest inserting Session Drummer (or any other drum soft synth you have) and using the track widgets to make sure the controller is routed to it.

Edited yesterday at 12:32 AM by user905133
added a simple suggestion to get to the next step; added an update after consulting the user guide

[jbmckim]

Thanks so much but I think I'm going to bag it. The pad was a gift and I was trying to use it primarily for that reason. It looks though like Session Drummer is a $99 download...which is more than the cost of the pad🙃. I might try another free MIDI production set up but I'll likely wind up taking the credit and buying a guitar pedal or like.  

Thanks again for your help.

[user905133]

4 hours ago, jbmckim said:

Thanks so much but I think I'm going to bag it. The pad was a gift and I was trying to use it primarily for that reason. It looks though like Session Drummer is a $99 download...which is more than the cost of the pad🙃. I might try another free MIDI production set up but I'll likely wind up taking the credit and buying a guitar pedal or like.  

Thanks again for your help.

Makes sense.  Sorry to hear you couldn't get it working. Evidently you don't have any other drum plugins (free or paid). I know I have downloaded at least one free one in the past year or so. I have Session Drummer from years ago, so it got picked up as part of the VST Scan.   

UPDATE: If you want to give the pad another chance, I just Googled "Free Drum Plugins" and there are several sites that should point you in the direction of some.  One list (2025 update on the Bedroom Producer's site) lists several I know I have tried: Sitala, MT PowerDrum Kit 2, and a few others I have seen mentioned in the forum.

Or, if you haven't traded in the pad controller for a guitar pedal yet, you might want to try the SI-Drum Kit if the Studio Instruments Bundle are included.  Cakewalk Product Center > Cakewalk Sonar > Show Add-ons > Cakewalk Studio Instruments [includes SI-Drum Kit, SI-Bass Guitar, SI-String Section, SI-Electric Piano].

Edited 19 hours ago by user905133
added info about the SI-Drum Kit; added an update