The first decision- what pad feel do I want? rubber or mesh?
Rubber
Pads feel like a practice pad, usually cost less and have a smaller design. Not
all are created equally- the best are foam rubber over a harder rubber for more
give and have a more natural bounce quality and generally last longer. Mesh
heads are more realistic- they feel more like a real drumhead including the
rebound and have more give. They generally offer better positional sensing and
can be tuned like acoustic drums for the feel and rebound desired. As opposed
to rubber heads, mesh heads will eventually wear out and need to be replaced.
Number of 'zones' on a pad
Rubber Pads feel
like a practice pad, usually cost less and have a smaller design. Single zone-
some simpler kits will have one zone per pad which means only one
sound/recording will be triggered which usually will sound softer at lower
strikes and have a harder sound when struck harder. They can sound more one
dimensional. The kick pad only needs a single zone as it strike in on place
only. Dual zone- two physically different areas on a pad like ride edge and
bell, head and rim, choking cymbals,.. Triple zone- allows for rim, middle and
bell of a ride cymbal or tom center, rim and a latin percussion sound,…
Pad Size
Rubber
Pads feel like a practice pad, usually cost less and have a smaller design.
More of an issue for acoustic drummers due to smaller head size who have to
adjust their playing style to work with the usually smaller electronic pads
versus drumheads
Velocity sensing
Simplest is
volume of pad increases with harder strikes. With better modules or some drum
sounds or samples (recordings) in lesser modules, the actual sound or timber
changes as the pad is struck harder for better realism using ‘multisamples'. It
could be a simple crossfade from a soft hit to hard one or could have more
samples in between to offer more subtle changes as the pad is struck
progressively harder.
Positional sensing
With better kits
the sound will change as you move the drumstick over different parts of a pad
or cymbal for better realism- typically the snare and ride. With the snare hit
in the middle of the pad it will be a thick full sound and grow brighter and
thinner as you move towards the edge.
Drumrack
How well
built and sturdy is it? Will it hold up well? Will the pads not slip around?
What do I look for in the drum module?
Quality
and variety of sounds- listen to the demo's, listen to a cymbal decay- does it
fade too fast? drums strong and clear? Number of trigger inputs- room to add
more cymbals and pads? will they be single or dual zone possibly using more
trigger inputs. Editing capability- to tweak each drum sound and effects which
can include tuning, pan position, decay, EQ, amount of fx level, .. all the way
up to the material the drum is made of, tension level,… CD input- so one can
play along with their favorite songs Teaching- to dheck one's timing, training
exercises, etc. Internal songs to play along with- the drums can usually be
muted or not to play along with Ease of Use/Display- is it intuitive? Is the
display understandable or too difficult? Number of outputs- 2 is usually enough
except in a studio or live sound setup where the engineer would like to have
the kick, snare, separated to process separately for more control of the
elements Recording- using a midi sequencer- how many tracks or instruments can
play simultaneously? How many Songs and notes will it hold in memory? Number of
effects- does it have all the effects you might want and how many
simultaneously?
Glossary
What is a Trigger?
connects the pad to the drum module via an audio cable to send midi control voltage messages
What is a Module?
houses the actual sounds, editing and brain of an eelectronic drum set. The pads connect to it via cables.
What are Velocity Curves and Velocity Sensitivity?
Curves- usually several to choose from to determine a curve for soft to loud. It can be linear or proportionately louder as struck
or be more nuanced allowing a wider range at high velocities and a narrower range of sound at soft velocities,…
Sensitivity- adjusts for how hard or soft the user strike the pads with sticks
What is MIDI?
an interface to connect a keyboard to the computer like USB port for printers. It sends note and other data
from the keyboard to the computer or vice versa. Basically says play this note at this time at this volume level- it is not an
actual audio recording. It also makes it possible for one keyboard to play another keyboard.
What are Effects?
to modify and enhance the
sounds in the drum module.
e.g., reverb will put the drum set in a small room or up to a large concert hall
What is polyphony?
the number of
simultaneous notes that can be played, though if it’s a stereo sample/recording
each note can use 2 notes at once. Its important for anyone who plays a lot of
notes at the same time and holds down the sustain pedal. The earliest notes
played will cut out when the limit is exceeded. This can happen with pianos
with 32-note polyphony especially.
What is a Sequencer?
the number of
a recorder with 1 to 16 tracks usually so that multiple instruments can be played back for fully
orchestrated songs and can have elaborate editing capability. These can be downloaded to the computer with a midi interface.
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