Woaahh there - unless anyone definately knows otherwise i think your all making too much of this..
1stly I have never seen dom using acoustic triggers -im fairly sure he doesnt...could be wrong
2nd im 100% certain there is a backing track to smb - (and just about every other muse song nowadays) Ive been informed that it is dom that triggers these tracks through a trigger pedal next to his hats pedal. the sequencer it triggers starts the backing with an 8 bar safety.
Now if you look at what he plays in smbh its basically underlining the preprogrammed percussion on the track...basically clicking the rims of floor tom for pulse and emphasising the bass drum pattern....now he cant be triggering that shaker/white noise sound because that all clearly continues when he switches to the heavier bit and plays crotchets on his right hand crash (the heavy dance rhythm) and also when he switches to hats during the 2nd half of verse. For him to be playing whats on backing is unfeasable if you consider what the triggers would have to be set to, combined with changes that would have to be made to the electronic sounds during the song..its a drum machine.. + all live performances of these sounds have been identical in every way to the recorded song, so its obviously been pre recorded.
Starlight is just on the floor tom yes - echoing the bass part really..