my first working configuration attached, pointers wanted

[bladelawless]

All pads, even the same model, are different more or less so I don't see it as a problem if you need to set different settings to get similar response. In you case, your toms most likely produce different signals due to build/head tension/cone pressure and so on.

ok, I'm gonna remove the triggers and reinstall with fixed crossbar mounts. Should give more consistent results from drum to drum.

Thats the whole point of having variable settings. It is completely counter intuative to rebuild the drum to match some settings.
Anyhow are you tuning the bass drums to different pitches or just tonal difference?

well, I'm not entirely happy with the strap mounts for a couple of reasons. when you have center mounted piezos with straps, it is almost impossible to mount piezos with elastic straps to two identicle drums, like say two bass drums and have the elastic straps give identical tension which means you need to compensate with skin tension and will give different results in terms of stick response and trigger response/output and then further compensate in MDM settings. Remounting with fixed, adjustable crossbar mountings will give accuracy. The triggers would be mounted to a fixed crossbar with bolts that can be adjusted AFTER the mesh heads have been tensioned using a drum dial. Then once this is done, I will run each drum through an oscilloscope to fine tune the trigger adjustment (adjusting the trigger up or down, meaning more or less contact with the mesh head.

Right now, everything works *OK* but I am still getting undesirable performance characteristics such as, double triggering after retrigger and threshold are cranked up high for one particular tom. One bass drum has to be absolutely stomped on to get it triggering like the other, etc., etc., etc. I believe that, from everything I have read in the last couple of days on this forum and other edrum forums that you can not get MDM or any other module calibrated optimally with DIY acoustic to electronic conversions UNLESS you spend the time to calibrate and fine tune the drums themselves with a drum dial to get optimal and consistent mesh head tension and then spend time with an oscilloscope to fine tune the adjustment of the head trigger (up and down) to get the optimal trigger response and only then can there be a serious calibration of the MDM. Do it any other way and you will just be doing guesswork, be constantly fiddling with the MDM. I built this kit as the basis of a serious recording/rehearsal studio to be a kit that any drummer can play for the first time and be comfortable with minimal adjustment and I believe the extra time fine tuning the drums themselves will pay off. Won't take me more than a few hours to remount all the triggers.

[bladelawless]

All pads, even the same model, are different more or less so I don't see it as a problem if you need to set different settings to get similar response. In you case, your toms most likely produce different signals due to build/head tension/cone pressure and so on.

ok, I'm gonna remove the triggers and reinstall with fixed crossbar mounts. Should give more consistent results from drum to drum.

Thats the whole point of having variable settings. It is completely counter intuative to rebuild the drum to match some settings.
Anyhow are you tuning the bass drums to different pitches or just tonal difference?

was just trying to tweak the bass drum settings and just figured out why I have to go to such an extreme setting to the point where I have to set it so that I have to absolutely stomp on the kick to get it to trigger without any unwanted retriggering. I just realized that these garbage strap mounted triggers move with the mesh head whenever you hit a drum and it's more evident with the bass drum as I watch the trigger moved back and forth with the head every time I hit the kick pedal and sometimes it bounces back and hits the beater when I do some quick work with the kick pedal and gives an unwanted retrigger, same with the rest of the drums but I can visibly see it happen with the kick. Do yourselves a favor and stay away from strap mounted triggers, absolute garbage, only good for someone that wants a direct fit and doesn't have the time or know how to drill a few hole and use a fixed crossbar. One thing I have learned in the last couple of days is that you DO NOT want your triggers moving with the mesh head, you want the triggers in a fixed position otherwise you will be chasing all kinds of false readings and making false adjustments. Not going any further with MD calibrations until I mount these triggers on a solid crossbar tomorrow.