Anyone here actually put the KAT KT1 under the microscope instead of repeating “entry-level toy, just upgrade”? I’m not buying that blanket take without data. If you’ve got a KT1, or you’ve torn one down, I want to test some assumptions the community keeps parroting.
What I’m trying to find out, with repeatable methods:
- Pad-to-audio latency and jitter: USB-MIDI to VST and 5‑pin DIN to external module. What’s the mean latency and the standard deviation over, say, 200 hits per pad?
- Scan/trigger behavior: effective mask time, retrigger cancel behavior, double-trigger rate on fast rolls, cross-talk suppression effectiveness at various threshold settings.
- Velocity resolution and curves: actual MIDI velocity spread from ghost to rimshot-strength hits, curve linearity, and whether the module compresses dynamics. Any hidden curves via SysEx/NRPN?
- Hi-hat reality check: is the stock controller truly on/off only, or does it send any intermediate states? Does the module respond to CC4 if fed externally? Practical path to continuous HH with a different pedal?
- Input wiring and zone capability: TRS vs TS per input, whether snare/cymbals accept dual-zone or choke, and what pinouts are used. Can a Y-split reclaim rim as another input without upsetting scan stability?
- Pad hardware limits vs “the module is the bottleneck”: piezo size/placement, foam geometry, and whether a simple foam swap or cone height change improves sensitivity without causing false triggers.
If you’re up for it, here’s a quick test protocol we can all replicate:
- Latency/jitter: Mic the stick strike (or clip a contact mic to the rim) to channel 1 of your interface. Route KT1 MIDI to a DAW instrument with a super-fast attack sample to channel 2. Record simultaneous hits, measure sample-accurate offset and jitter across 100-200 hits per pad, both USB and DIN, at 44.1/48k.
- Velocity curves: Record MIDI from pp to ff in controlled increments (use a practice pad beater gauge or a simple drop test). Plot histograms per curve setting. Share CSV.
- Cross-talk/mask: Mount two adjacent pads on the rack, alternate strokes at 200-300 BPM, then intentionally whack one while lightly ghosting the neighbor. Log missed/double triggers vs threshold and crosstalk settings.
- Hi-hat: Record MIDI while slowly opening/closing the pedal. Do we see CC values or only note switches? If continuous is possible with another pedal, which wiring works?
- Wiring audit: With a multimeter and spare TRS, map tip/ring/sleeve for each input. Report which inputs accept rim/choke.
Also curious about:
- KT1 pads + third-party brains: Anyone tried eDRUMin, MegaDrum, or a 2Box/TD‑series module using only the KT1 pads? Concrete changes in latency, dynamics, and hi-hat behavior?
- Simple, reversible mods: foam/cone tweaks, additional damping, shielded cables to reduce crosstalk, or isolation washers on the rack. Which actually move the needle?
- SysEx: Has anyone sniffed the KT1 for undocumented parameters? Even a negative result (no response) is useful.
If we can pin down real numbers, we can stop hand-waving “just buy a TD‑17” and decide whether a $100 used KT1 is a dead end or a sleeper with a weekend of tweaks and a different brain. Data, teardown photos, pinouts, and MIDI logs welcome.