MOTM

I too have a V-Drum set.  I hadn't thought about using it to trigger 
the modular directly, but it seems like an idea with possibilities.

The biggest problem is with false triggering.  I think the simplest 
way to address this problem is for you to have a circuit that 
compares every impulse on all the pads and initiates a trigger for 
the pad with the largest impulse.  The difficulty here is that you 
could hit more than one pad at a time, or more than two if you use 
your feet.

You also need to have a delay time between triggers for each pad to 
prevent multiple triggers from just one hit.  

A sensitivity control could either control the amplified gain of the 
signal prior to triggering, or could actually set the level required 
to generate a trigger with a comparator.

I don't think noise is too much of a problem, but hitting anywhere 
on the kit, including the stand can potentially generate an unwanted 
impulse.  Even an overenthusiastic fellow band member can generate a 
false trigger by jumping around.

It's a difficult problem, that I've never seen solved entirely to my 
satisfaction.  I use my kit for recording only, and I always edit 
the midi stream, so I'm very aware of all the false triggering that 
does occur.

Paul Haneberg