TD-M8
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Introduction
How to install TD-M8
Using TD-M8
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23 February 2005
Not really related to TD-M8, but my girlfriend and I are the proud parents of our litte baby girl Luna.
8 February 2003
The problem with Windows NT and 2000 has been fixed. A new version is available below.
3 February 2003
There seems to be a problem with Windows 2000
and NT. The installer tries to install the
file msvcrt.dll which is incompatible. At the moment I advise users not to
install TD-M8 if you have Windows NT or 2000.
If you're a power-user, you can try the solution suggested by
fnord in this
post.
I will fix this and post a new version.
28 December 2002
Version 0.5b has been released. It adds the following features:
Your can download TD-M8 from here.
Because there are some quite some changes in the communication between TD-M8 and Midi-Ox, I would advise you to uninstall TD-M8 first before installing 0.5b. Also you may want to download the latest version of Midi-Ox.
TD-M8 is a shareware Windows program to edit and archive settings on the Roland TD-8 V-drums percussion module. It provides a familiar Explorer style interface to edit, copy, save and share the configuration of the TD-8:
TD-M8 has:
1) Connect the TD-8 to your computer
In order to be able to use TD-M8, you need a Windows 95, 98 or ME computer. Windows NT/2000/XP are also supported in version 0.5b. Also you have to have a midi input/output device. This is usually your soundcard. Finally you want to connect the TD8 to your computer using 2 midi cables. One cable goes from the computer's midi out to the TD8 midi in. The other from the computer's midi in to the TD8 midi out.
2) Install and configure Midi-Ox
TD-M8 uses scripting functionality of another program called Midi-Ox. When I started programming TD-M8 I could not find a good (read: free) visual basic library that could do the midi communication I needed. I found Midi-Ox and it did what I wanted.... but now we're kinda stuck with it :) All it means though is that two programs will be running at the same time when using TD-M8. Don't worry... it's easy!
But first you need to install Midi-Ox. It can be downloaded from the Midi-Ox site.
After installing Midi-Ox, you need to configure the midi ports. Start Midi-Ox and select Options > Midi Devices from the menu. Set the Midi Input and Midi Output to the Midi In and Out of your soundcard (or midi device). Something like this:
3) Install and configure TD-M8
Next, download TD-M8 here, install and start it.
If everything is ok you should get:
If you get an error message "Communication with TD-8 failed. Please turn on the module, check all cables and try again" check the following:
Once everything is working we can really start to use TD-M8!
The Menu Bar
Let's take a quick look at the menus:
| Icon | Menu | What does it do? |
 |
File > New | Start a new file.
With TD-M8 you can have multiple files open at the same time. This allows
you to copy and paste setting between two files. |
 |
File > Open | Open an existing
file. TD-M8 supports two different file formats, .syx and .tdm. syx is the standard sysex format that is supported by other midi sysex programs, like midi-ox. tdm is the native TD-M8 format. It allows you to add comments to your settings. |
 |
File > Save | Save the
currently selected file. This will save the complete TD-8 file that your
editing. You can save it in either .syx or in .tdm format. |
 |
Backspace | Go one level up
in the tree hierarchy. |
 |
Edit > Cut | Cuts the selected
node to the clipboard. E.g. if you have selected "Kit 25" and
cut it, all of the settings for that kit are on the clipboard. If you
select "Crash1" of a specific kit only the crash1 settings are
on the clipboard. |
 |
Edit > Copy | Same as cut, but
it makes a copy instead of cutting it... |
 |
Edit > Paste | Paste the
settings on the clipboard to the node you've selected. Paste is only
available if the items on the clipboard are compatible with the item that
is selected. |
 |
Edit > Undo | Hmm... this
functionality is not available yet. |
 |
Edit > Redo | Also not
available yet. |
 |
TD-M8 > Load from TD8 | Loads the
selected node and all nodes below it from the TD-8. E.g. if you've
selected "Kit 25" in the tree, it will read the entire kit from
the TD-8. If you've selected "Crash1" it will only load the
settings of crash1. |
 |
TD-M8 > Save to TD8 | Saves the
selected node and all nodes below it to the TD-8 |
 |
TD-M8 > Load from File | Loads the
selected node and all nodes below it from the selected file. E.g. if
you've selected "Kit 25" in the tree, it will read the entire
kit setting for Kit 25 from the file. If you've selected
"Crash1" it will only load the settings of crash1. You can load
.syx and .tdm files. |
 |
TD-M8 > Save to File | Saves the
selected node and all nodes below it to the file. You can save .syx and .tdm
files. |
 |
TD-M8 > Reset to Default | Reset the
selected node and all nodes below it to the default values. You can select
your default settings from the Tools > Options menu. |
 |
TD-M8 > Clear | Clear settings
from the selected node and all nodes below it. Of course, this will not
erase anything on the module! |
 |
TD-M8 > Direct Mode | Toggles the
Direct Mode. In Direct Mode all changes that you make are written directly
to the TD-8. Great for interactive editing. |
 |
Help > About TD-M8 | Brings up the
about box. There's not really any help in the program... but what you're
reading here can be considered helpful :) |
Editing Settings
To edit settings, like the sound of the snare of kit 5, you'll first have to open the tree on the left:
Next you want to load this kit from the TD-8. You can do this in several ways:
TD-M8 will communicate with the module. If it succeeds, you should now have something like this:
The colored tree reflects the fact that these items have been loaded in TD-M8.
Next click on the snare in the tree and look at the right pane. All of the relevant snare settings are visible there. By double clicking on of the items, you can edit them:
Once you have made your changes, press F7 or right-click the snare (or the kit, if you've also edited other settings) in the tree on the left and select "Save to TD-8". This will send the changes to the module... and you're done!
Note that if you have switched on the Direct Mode, you do not need to Save to TD-8. In Direct Mode all changes are sent automatically to the module.
The Right Mouse Button
The right mouse is really useful in the tree:
 |
Based on the node you've selected, the context menu will show relevant options. Note that there is a preview function that you can use when you're editing settings. Together with the Direct Mode, it's the fastest way to find the settings you are looking for! Note: There is a minor bug with the timing of events that stops you from loading all of the settings from your module at once by selecting the highest level "TD-8 New 1" and select "Load from TD8". This should get everything, but it only loads the Setup parameters. I did not program the queueing of requests properly and there you have it... It will be fixed in the future, but I'll have to redesign the queue for it... actually, it is not much of a queue at the moment :(
|
The Options Menu
In the Tools > Options menu you can change some of the behaviour of TD-M8:
 |
The Device ID is usually 17, unless you've changed it for some reason. TD-M8 will try to auto detect the Device ID. You can select the Version of your TD-8. From version 0.5b and up TD-M8 will auto detect the version of the module. The Head and Rim Preview Velocity define the volume of the preview function. The Default Locations define where TD-M8 will try to look for .tdm and .syx files. The Default File is the file that will be used when you select the "Reset to Default" function. TD-M8 will try to automatically select the relevant file for Version that you selected, but it could be that you have to manually select vcustom100.syx or vcustom110.syx (or your own .syx or .tdm file!) Trigger Names allows you to change the default trigger names. E.g. If you use the Aux1 input for Tom 4, you can edit the name, so it will change in the tree. Changes will take effect the next time you start TD-M8. |
Using comments
You can add comments to your settings. Comments are only saved if you use the .tdm file format! Note that, based on where you are in the tree, you can either edit the actual values (look at the headers Property and Value) or you can insert comments (Item and Comment):
 |
versus: |  |
TD-M8 version 0.5 beta (2.7 MB zip file)
Midi-Ox (required, install before installing TD-M8. external link to the Midi-Ox site.)
If you get an "can not create ActiveX object" error message, try an earlier version of Midi-Ox. These can also be found on the Midi-Ox download page
Q: I keep getting a message saying:
"Communication with TD-8 failed. Please turn on the module, check all
cables and try again"
A: Well... do what it says! But it could also be that you have not
selected the correct midi ports in Midi-Ox. Start or open Midi-Ox and select
Options > Midi Devices from the menu. Set the Midi Input and Midi Output to
the Midi In and Out of your soundcard.
Q: I get an error message "can not
create ActiveX object"
A: Some people have reported problems with recent version of Midi-Ox. You
can download version 6.2 from here if you have this error.
Q: If I right-click the main level
"TD8 - New 1" and select "Load from TD8" (or press F5) it
only loads the setup parameters.
A: Yeah... I know. There is a problem with the timing. I still need to
fix it. You will have to load each of the three main entries (Setup, Drum Kits,
User Percussion Sets) individually if you want to get all of the TD8
Settings.
Q: After I close TD-M8, why does Midi-Ox
will remain running?
A: TD-M8 can not close Midi-Ox, you'll have to do it manually. If you've
minimised Midi-Ox it will look like a green traffic light in you system tray:
Just right-click and select exit after you're done
with TD-M8.
Q: Is TD-M8 free?
A: For the time being it is. I may make it shareware in the future to
make up for some of the time that went into its creation... In the mean time,
feel free to send me your money :)
If there is anything you wish to say about TD-M8... just let me know!
Here are some great electronic drumming sites and their forums:
I can not be held responsible for anything that happens to your TD-8 or your computer as a result of using TD-M8. I have tested TD-M8 extensively and have not found any problems that could cause you to loose settings. In any case, it is advised to first make a complete backup of your TD-8 and save it before you start making any changes.
TD-8 and V-Drums are registered trademarks of Roland Corporation.