I’m on a hybrid set with mesh heads and acoustic cymbals.
Sensory Percussion struggles with reliable zone separation when rim silencers are installed on my acoustic drums. I tested several models and thicknesses. The pattern is consistent: with rim silencers on, rim-shots become unreliable and frequently get classified as center hits. Other rim-based articulations (rim-click, rim-shoulder) also lose separation accuracy. Removing the silencers restores correct behaviour immediately.
Many users report good results with rim silencers, at least I’ve seen a lot of them being used out there so the question is whether there is a recommended setup or calibration method that ensures reliable performance.
Alternatively, is there a recommended approach to training or adjusting the sensor so that rim silencers do not compromise zone recognition?
Any guidance on how to use rim silencers without degrading rim-shot detection would be appreciated.
Yes, the system is designed to work best without rim silencers. So there is a tradeoff when you are using silencers.
I use rim silencers, myself, on one of my kits, but on that kit, I do not train as many zones.
Depending on a few factors (primarily the rim silencers you use, and your willingness to spend time dialing in your training), you may be able to get good results training the following zones:
Center (unaffected by rim silencers)
Edge (unaffected by rim silencers)
Damped (unaffected by rim silencers)
Stickshot (unaffected by rim silencers)
Rim Shoulder or Rim Tip (not both)
Rimshot Center or Rimshot Edge (not both, and if you have another Rim zone trained you may need to spend more time dialing in training on this zone)
Cross Stick (will likely require more diligent training if you also have one of the other Rim or Rimshot zones trained)
It also comes down to sound design choices. If you build sets that use blends and/or assignments between Rim Shoulder and Rim Tip and Rimshot Center and Rimshot Edge, then you probably can train more zones while you are using rim silencers. There can be cool sonic movement between the zones even if you are using rim silencers, but the problem arises when you set up hard borders between the sounds assigned to the Rim/Rimshot zones when you are designing sets.
And also, depending on your rims/hoops, users may have suggestions for what brand of rim silencer you should use.