TD-27 with Cakewalk

Recording the Roland TD27 in Cakewalk involves connecting your electronic drum kit to your computer and configuring Cakewalk to recognize and record the MIDI and/or audio signals from the drum module. Here are the steps to set up and record your Roland TD27 in Cakewalk:

• Connect the Roland TD27 to Your Computer 

• USB Connection:

  • Use a USB cable to connect the TD27 module’s USB port to your computer’s USB port.

  • Ensure you have installed the necessary drivers for the TD27. You can download the drivers from the Roland website.

• MIDI Interface (if using MIDI cables):

  • Connect the MIDI OUT of the TD27 to the MIDI IN of your MIDI interface, and the MIDI OUT of your interface to the MIDI IN of the TD27.

• Configure Cakewalk for MIDI Recording

  • Launch Cakewalk and open a new or existing project.

  • Set Up MIDI Devices:

    Go to `Edit` > `Preferences` > `MIDI` > `Devices`.

    • Ensure your TD27 is selected as an input device.

• Create a MIDI Track:

  • Right-click in the track pane and select `Insert MIDI Track`.

  • Set the input of this track to the MIDI channel corresponding to the TD27.

• Configure Cakewalk for Audio Recording (Optional)

  Set Up Audio Devices:

  • Go to `Edit` > `Preferences` > `Audio` > `Devices`.

  • Ensure your audio interface is selected for both input and output devices.

• Create an Audio Track:

  • Right-click in the track pane and select `Insert Audio Track`.

  • Set the input of this track to the audio interface channel connected to the TD27‘s audio outputs.

• Set Up Drum Maps (Optional)

  Drum maps can help organize and manage the MIDI notes corresponding to different drum sounds.

  • Go to `Edit` > `Preferences` > `MIDI` > `Drum Maps`.

  • Create or import a drum map for the Roland TD27.

• Recording the Drums

  • Arm the Tracks for Recording:

  • Click the `R` button on the MIDI track (and audio track, if applicable) to arm them for recording.

  • Enable Input Monitoring:

  • Click the `Input Echo` button to enable realtime monitoring.

• Record:

  • Press the `Record` button in the transport control bar or hit `R` on your keyboard.

  • Start playing your drum kit to record the MIDI and/or audio data into Cakewalk.

• Playback and Editing

  Once recorded, you can play back your performance, edit the MIDI notes, and adjust the audio as needed. Use Cakewalk’s editing tools to quantize, modify, and enhance your drum tracks.

Additional Tips

• Latency: If you experience latency while recording or monitoring, adjust the buffer size in `Edit` > `Preferences` > `Audio` > `Driver Settings`.

• Virtual Instruments: You can route the MIDI track to a virtual drum instrument within Cakewalk for enhanced drum sounds.

References

• Roland TD27 Manual

• Cakewalk by BandLab Documentation

By following these steps, you should be able to successfully record your Roland TD27 drum kit in Cakewalk, capturing both MIDI and audio data for your projects.