Nord 3P creating random ghost notes during performance ???

[ambymoho]

Hello all,

First time poster here.
Writing with a weird issue I've been having.
We are rehearsing for an upcoming gig, and our drummer is using a Nord 3P.
*RANDOMLY,* during rehearsal of a song, the 3P will go completely wild and start rapid fire triggering hits from the pad, which ceases when we all stop playing.
After some theorizing & experimentation, I think what may be happening is that loud bass frequencies are making the practice space floor vibrate, which is then vibrating the 3P's stand, which is then triggering notes as if they were hit by the drummer.
I had the idea to reduce the touch sensitivity, but even when we had that at 0 we were still getting this issue.
Anyone else have this issue? Any suggestions??? One (ridiculous) thing we tried was putting the stand on top of some foam, to cut down on possible vibration, but I personally feel like...we shouldn't have to do this?
Our drummer also told us that she had this issue at a venue before, so we are trying to avoid having this happen at the upcoming show.

Thanks so much in advance for your time!

[wartaler]

Hi ambymoho, welcome to the forum!

I had something similar in a hybrid drum setup, and I once also experienced unexpected triggering from electromagnetic interference. Given your story, it's most likely triggered by sound, vibrations in the room or floor. What happens if you tap against the stand, or stamp on the floor?

There are a couple of setting on the 3p that have to do with the response: pad mode, dynamic response curve, threshold, and sensitivity (see page 12 and 13 of the manual). You want to raise the threshold to reduce unintended triggering of the pads. If it becomes unplayable, try other solutions...

It could very well be the bass amp, but also acoustic drums or cymbals, which are perhaps closer to the 3p. Make sure the stand does not touch other stands or drums. You can also try changing relative positions/distances of gear on stage. If it is the bass amp, try raising it if it's standing directly on the floor. Reduce low frequencies, reduce amp volumes, play less loud.

If the foam did reduce the unwanted triggering, perhaps check if there are other stands with thicker/softer rubber feet, a drum carpet/mat or riser maybe. Be careful with diy solutions, you don't want the stand to topple over!

Best of luck!
Cheers,
Albert