Nearly every week I get emails with questions regarding the ultra-portable Roland Octapad SPD-30 setup that I use. So, I have put together the following instructions to show you how I have mounted the SPD-30 with hi-hat and cymbal pads to help you form ideas for your own setups.

SPD-30 Mounting Directions:

If you already have the following mounting plate:

http://www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails.php?ProductId=216

…you can use the Pearl UX-80s to mount the Octapad. The UX-80s fit perfectly inside one of my existing cymbal stands. You just remove the top tier from the existing cymbal stand and the UX-80s should fit in its place. This saves you from having to buy the over-priced Roland stand:

http://www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails.php?ProductId=767

The Roland stand comes with the mounting plate though, so you may want to figure out which is best for you.

For a snare pad I use a Roland PD-85:

http://www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails.php?ProductId=661

I mount the PD-85 underneath the Octapad with this Gibraltar tom mount:

http://www.promusicaustralia.com/drum/GIBImages/sc_sllrm.jpg

Then, I mounted the CY-5(hi-hat) and/or CY-8(crash) using all-purpose multi clamps mounted onto to the top section of a spare cymbal stand I had lying around.

The hi-hat controller is the FD-8:
http://www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails.php?ProductId=624&ParentId=101

The bass drum trigger is the KD-7:
http://www.rolandcorp.com.au/products/productdetails.aspx?p=195

This entire setup fits inside a Protection Racket 28″ Hardware bag. I put high density foam on the bottom of the bag. The SPD-30 goes in first, face-down with the mount sticking up. Then, another piece of foam goes on top of the SPD-30 with a small cutout in the centre to let the mount poke through. This allows for the hardware and pads to go on top without damaging the SPD-30.

As I have stated before, the SPD-30 acoustic drum sounds leave a lot to be desired, so you may want to look into picking up a drum sampling plugin such as Toontrack’s Superior Drummer 2.0. It will make your SPD-30 sound better than the $8000 Roland TD-20.

I should also mention that since writing these instructions, I have removed the hi-hat and cymbal pads from my setup. I have found that I like to play the Octapad without them, and prefer having less to setup. I find it easier to play with the ‘less is more’ concept. Either way, I hope this helps you in your quest for an ultra-portable electronic setup.