digitalDrummer November 2012

Edition 12 NOVEMBER 2012

The global electronic drumming e-zine

On your marksItaly’s e-drum debut

trapKAT 5KS Peter Erskine Multipads

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©2012 Avedis Zildjian C

ompany

Zildjian has created a revolution in edrums. Gen16, the world’s first acoustic electric cymbal. Play the hi-hat like a hi-hat. Choke cymbals. Roll with mallets. Stack cymbals. Experience all the dynamics without the latency or audio compression associated with digital sounds. Control audio levels and shape cymbal sounds with up to 99 presets per cymbal. Choose from an array of cymbal sizes and types made at the Zildjian factory. Visit Gen-16.com for more information and check out the “Young Guns” series of performance videos.

REAL CYMBALS

FOR THE WAYYOU PLAY

This is a gear-filled edition, with our biggest-ever array ofreviews.Our congratulations, first off, to Scott Holder, who has spentweeks bashing little black pads for his mammoth side-by-sidereview of the current multi-pad offerings.We have, of course, looked at a couple of these devicespreviously, but Scott lined ‘em all up and put them through theirpaces.While the resulting report is fairly long, Scott could not go intoas much detail as he would have liked, especially since some ofthe multipads are very impressive instruments with amazingcapabilities. So, we will be following up with more in-depth looksat some of them in future issues.Our coverage also includes the first review of the “multipad onsteroids”, Alternate Mode’s trapKAT 5KS – the first trapKATwith an on-board sound module. Co-incidentally, while reviewingthe KAT, I saw one of its siblings in use on a global tour, with JonAtkinson using the instrument for the Howard Jonesperformances. And even though Jon is still using the “old” padsurface and the “no-sounds” model, he loves the playing feel ofthe KAT – and its portability.This edition features the first comprehensive test of the new kidon the e-drum block, Mark Drum. The YES kit will polarise themarket: some will love it for its ease of use and terrific sounds;others will find it quirky and will hate its “closed system”approach. I found a lot to like in the kit, especially at the launchpricepoint in the US. Unfortunately, the value proposition is notglobal – and the kit is more expensive in other markets. This isdue, in the main, to distribution factors. In the US, Mark isdistributed by the Guitar Center retail giant. In other markets,Mark goes through music wholesalers, who have to add theirmargins before it reaches the stores – and eventually the buyer.And because this isn’t a huge volume line, there appears to belittle room to move on price, especially in smaller markets.Our featured artist is Peter Erskine - not only a great drummer,but an inspiring educator. And Peter has shown great versatility,especially in his use of e-drum gear. His VST sample offering isan excellent product which results from his collaboration withdigitalDrummer columnist John Emrich and I’d recommendthat readers take a look at the promo video whichsimultaneously shows Peter on his acoustic kit and the e-kit VSTversion. It’s a great demonstration of how far e-drums havecome.I’d like to end with season’s greetings to all our readers,contributors and advertisers. Without you, digitalDrummerwould not exist. I look forward to sharing the e-drum passionwith all of you in 2013.

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Editor & Publisher

Allan Leibowitz

Sub-Editor

Solana da Silva

Contributors

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Mal Green

Scott Holder

Adam Manning

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Edition 12 November 2012

Does size matter?Benny Grebb recently showed his prowess on a child’s kit,prompting the question: Do you need a big kit to play well?

Marking timeIt’s been about 18 months since digitalDrummer first caughtwind of Italy’s entry into the e-drum market and we finallymanaged to spend some time with the Mark Drum YES kit.

Many pads, much potentialAfter years of development, there are now multipads to fillevery requirement - from bare bones kit expansion to units thatcould form the core of a small e-kit. Scott Holder examineseight side by side to see what works well and what doesn’t.

One cool KatAlternate Mode has added to the convenience of its one-piecedrum kit with the incorporation of a sound module. AllanLeibowitz was among the first to put the “multipad on steroids”through its paces.

Erskine’s e-experienceProfessor Peter Erskine’s interest in drumming is more thanacademic. Since picking up sticks at age four, he has playedwith some of the biggest names of jazz, fusion and pop. Andelectronic percussion has never been far from his arsenal.

Dr D-drumsElectronic drums are at the centre of a PhD by Australiandrummer Adam Manning, who is attempting to understand whatsonic possibilities and performance opportunities are available.

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How I use e-drumsMal Green runs his own studio, Green Sound Music, where heapplies his skills as a composer, producer and engineer,drawing on his experience with New Zealand’s international hitband, Split Enz.

VST Q&AE-drum guru John Emrich is back to answer more VSTquestions from readers, this time looking at integration andswapping computers.

New ProductsA snapshot of new VST offerings from MoReVoX, AcousticSamples and FXpansion.

On guard: rims take coverRim protectors are one of the key ingredients of silentdrumming. Essentially, they’re rubber casings used to shieldthe drum rims from contact with sticks.

Small kit, low cost, big impactThose who say you can’t make a silk purse from a sow’s earhave not met Canadian Les Huffman. Les transformed a drabno-name acoustic kit into a cute electronic “looker”.

New mesh system for DMsAlesis kit owners have been limited to noisy mylar heads andwhile many have been happy with the triggering, there hasbeen a strong push for a quieter playing surface.

My Monster KitIt’s not only the pine trees that are big in Oregon. Brian Kidd ofPortland has one of the biggest kits to grace these pages.

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Does size matter?

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Size doesn’t mask a lack of craftsmanship,but it can help create more variations. Rene Troostheiden, 682Drums

I prefer to create e-drum magic with a kitthat has the look, size and feel of anacoustic kit. To me that’s real magic, not justsmoke and mirrors. Gerald Langenfelt, Stealth Acoustics

Whether it’s the big kit or little kit, play everynote with “heart”. Just because a keyboardhas 88 keys doesn’t mean they play themall on each song. Karl Albrecht, drummer

The size of an electronic drum does notaffect the sounds you hear through yoursound system or headphones. And if youconvert acoustic drums with greatresponding drum triggers and mesh heads,you will be amazed how magicalyour drums will become. Gary Marshall Rinker, ExtremeDrums

As I get older, I get wiser - and want toschlep less gear. Give me a DrumKAT and alaptop. What more can you possibly need?Dr. Norman Weinberg, CrossTalk

Benny Grebb recently showed his amazing prowess on achild’s kit, prompting the question: Do you need a big kitto play well? Here are some responses:


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Marking time

It’s been about 18 months since digitalDrummer firstcaught wind of Italy’s entry into the e-drum market andeditor Allan Leibowitz finally managed to spend somequality time with the Mark Drum YES kit.

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ANYONE WHO HAS driven an Alfa Romeo or a Fiatwill know that Italians do things a bit differently. Andthe new Italian-made e-drum offering is furtherevidence that the folks in that part of Europe marchto a different drum.

What’s in the boxThe whole kit comes in one box – albeit a large one.Open it up and you’ll find a 3D jigsaw puzzle ofsmaller boxes containing a rack, a module, fourdrum pads, three cymbals and a kick pad – and atiny amount of wiring.

Those used to erecting the rack and then mindlesslyconnecting pads need to take heed: the YES padsare all marked and need to be set up in the rightslots or else you’ll find your snare sounds comingfrom a tom. Each trigger is more than a signalconverter – it actually has circuitry built in that doesa large part of the processing and not only tells themodule where and how hard the drum or cymbalwas hit, but also which drum or cymbal is talking.

Thanks to a unique design approach, all the padsconnect to the rack using telephone-style RJ11plugs (complete with curly leads), and there’s onlyone input into the module.

Initial set-up took about an hour and a quarter (you’llsave 10 minutes by checking the pad numbersbefore mounting and connecting!), not countingcalibration and tweaking.

You will need your own hi-hat stand (and make sureit has a 6 mm shaft rather than a regular 8 mm one -although I’m assured that an adaptor will beavailable in future) and a kick pedal.

The componentsThe Mark Drum kit is shipped with four 10” meshhead pads – a snare and three toms. Unlike otherdrum triggers, there are four column triggers closeto the edge of each drum for even head triggering,all connected to circuitry that removes hot spots andprovides rudimentary positional sensing.

The pads are finished with rubber rim protectors andthree-ply mesh heads remarkably similar to BillyBlast’s three-layer version. The middle layer, likeBlast’s, is a coarser weave that eliminates buzz.

The ride is three-zone with choke, the crash has twozones (also chokeable) and the hi-hat is a single-zone recorded with “up to 255 layers of sensitivity”,according to the brochure.



The kick pad is a compact reverse-action padreminiscent of Roland KD-7, but with abroader strike surface.

In the YES kit, the rack is an integralelement, not just an accessory. It houses thewiring and comes with a generous sprinkling ofinput slots for attaching the pads. The focus ison minimising weight, and the horizontals andverticals are made of aluminium. Also weight-conscious, the mounting hardware, although plastic,seems robust. The rack is fairly sturdy, but doesmove about a bit under vigorous playing.

The module is a triumph of minimalism: a compactblack box with a single input for the trigger signals, acouple of MIDI jacks and a USB connection at theback, and a SD card slot on the front. There’s amystery “Brush” input in the back – and no-one atMark Drum would spoil the surprise by telling mewhat it’s for. One Alfa Romeo-type quirk is the use ofa mini-jack for headphones, rather than the industrystandard 6.5 mm jack.

The module mounts via a side bracket to an L-rod,and in the interests of ambidexterity, there are screwholes on both the left and the right.

In actionDespite the easy connections, the kit isn’t quite plugand play: some calibration is required to dial in thepads and cymbals, but it is very quick and easy –and accurate.

The module takes about 15 to 20 seconds to bootand makes some strange noises during initialisationand kit changes. It is fairly easy to navigate,although it is menu-driven, rather than controlled bya bunch of knobs, sliders and dials. And its drumsamples are housed on a standard 4 GB SD cardwhich is easily removed – unlike 2box’s built-in card.This means it’ll be easy to load the promised kitexpansions which will be delivered in thenext few months.

I found the 10” drum pads a bit toosmall, especially the snare where anextra two inches can make a hugedifference. However, they are biggerthan some rival beginner kits andsport mesh instead of hard rubber ormylar.

Overall, the pads were veryresponsive (not quite at top-endRoland level, but close), and showednoticeable variation across the head.It’s not the kind of shallow to deeptransformation you get with Roland’spositional sensing, but there’s certainlya sonic shift as you approach the centre of

thehead.The three-ply heads feltgreat, especiallywhen they were crankedup tight. And rim response was excellent– in fact, there was too much initially!

The cymbal pads have a 12” strike area, with asmaller mount area at the rear. They’re rubber-covered and feel very similar to Roland or Yamahapies, with good, even response and an easy bellaction on the ride. The choke, achieved by pinchingthe rubber edge, was easy to use and effective – butonly to kill the sound, not alter it as you can do withtop-end Yamaha technology.

The hi-hat, once calibrated (and you have to makesure the mounting collar doesn’t impede thesensor), is responsive, with a wide range of soundsbetween open and closed and a good chick action.

The kick pad is also responsive, although the beaterattachment looks a bit flimsy.



The soundsThe big thing at the moment is “real samples”,thanks to 2box’s approach, and Mark Drum hasgone down the same route.

The kit comes preloaded with 24 kits, ranging fromstudio acoustic set-ups to electronic kits andpercussion sets.

Admittedly, I have been spoiled by the 100 stock2box kits and a number of homebrew kits derivedfrom VST packs, but I would have expected morechoice in the YES kit. Indeed, Mark Drum is awarethat some buyers may be underwhelmed by thechoice of just 205 instruments (19 kicks, 23 snares,13 hi-hats, 52 toms, 24 crashes, 14 rides and 60“special sounds”) and has already committed tosupplying an additional 50 “unique professional kitsby end of 2012”. First off the rank, expect studio kitsused by endorsers Danny Gottlieb (featured artist inthe August issue) and Horacio Hernandez. The kitswill be downloadable from the website – like the2box approach. There’s no indication, however, ofwhether Mark Drum will follow 2box’s lead and offerfree tools to add your own samples.

I was impressed with a couple of kits which had nicecrisp snares, full-bodied toms and ballsy basses.There seemed to be a good stock of layers, with arange of sounds at different velocities (Mark Drumclaims 512 levels of velocity and 16 alternatesamples per hit) and no machine-gunning whenyou’ve got the drums calibrated.

The cymbal sounds are also good, but again thereare some Alfa Romeo decisions. For example,there’s no edge sound on the hi-hat – which somepeople would see as far more useful than “255different layers of sensitivity on the hi-hat”. Initially, Iwas convinced the edge sound on most of the ridesis a deeper, louder version of the bow, but then Idiscovered that the edge strike zone is limited to thechoke lip on the very outside. Hit that, and you doget crash-type sounds.

Those who have followed my reviews will know thatI tend to use brushes as a performance benchmarkand here the YES kit falls short. There’s nodesignated brushes setting, and triggering withbrushes is poor. It does improve slightly if youcalibrate the triggers, but even then, there’s nosweep sound and limited dynamics. And on thesound front, there’s a convincing brushes kit with anexcellent set of snare sounds but, alas, the cymbalsin that kit all play stick sounds.

I confess, however, that only a fraction of theaudience will play with brushes, and not many morewill ever need the brushes sounds.

The module comes equipped with a couple of sound

tweaking options – reverb and EQ – which offersome creative variations. But a source of confusionfor me was the “Creative FX” options - PlayerImmersion, layer and kaleidoscope. Unfortunately,they aren’t universally available and apply only tosome kits. So you can’t actually apply all of them toall kits. Maybe that will change with future updates.For the record, Player Immersion is an effect thattakes in sympathetic resonance and also flips thestereo image from a player perspective to anaudience perspective. Layering allows for theaddition of sounds, like adding a clap to the snarehit. And kaleidoscopic kits use multi-samples for asingle hit – although I doubt I’d ever use that (andMichael Schack seems happy with his currentendorser!).

The module does have an easy-to-userecord/playback/loop functionality (somethinglacking in its sample-based competitor) and anonboard metronome, but no built-in play-alongtunes. If you do want to practise with backing, itdoes have an Aux In connection where audioaccompaniment can be added.

The verdictThe Mark Drum YES kit is a compact kit with lots ofplusses. The wiring system and smart pads get abig “yes”, as does the use of samples for somerealistic playing experiences.

Sure, there are some omissions and some quirks,but at the sub 2,000-bucks price tag, it’s a lot of kitfor a modest price.

Mark Drum has learned a few things from watchingits competitors. It uses real samples added via anaccessible memory card. While its initial soundpalette is limited, it has learned from 2box thatbuyers don’t mind waiting for updates – as long asthey’re good quality and they’re free.

It’s gone a step beyond 2box by adding a recordingfunction and the onboard FX still lacking in theorange box.

I found the YES kit very playable and veryresponsive, with my only real hesitation at this pointbeing the limited soundoptions.

Some people will, ofcourse, be put offby the closedsystemapproachadopted bythe Italians.While you can addadditional triggers (thereare four empty ‘slots’ on



the module), you are limited to YES pads orcymbals as the module is not at all compatible withother pads or triggers. I suspect the average punterwon’t worry too much about not being able to usethird-party products – as long as additionalproprietary triggers are not priced out of the market.And the launch pricing of the kit suggests the Markteam have their feet on the fiscal ground.

In short, this kit is not for everyone; but for thedrummer looking for real sounds, an authenticplaying feel and a plug-and-play experience from akit that won’t break the bank nor take up the wholepractice room, it’s hard to say no to YES. And thecompetitive entry pricing in the US is another big tick– although it’s harder to see these kits walking outthe door at the rumoured €2,500 European price –or the $2,800 Australian sticker price.

UpdateSince my testing, Mark Drum has added twosignature Danny Gottlieb kits, available as freedownloads.

The sampled kits are drawn from the favouritedrums and cymbals of the American jazz drummerprofiled in the August issue of digitalDrummer.Mark Drum has also released new firmware for theYES module. The upgrade increases the number ofuser kits, increases snare and tom sensitivity, addsa new effects setting “for people with a light touch”and enhances the loop capability.

SpecificationsDrum Sound Module: YES Sound ModuleDrum Pads: 4 x 10” multi-sensor, multi-zonemesh Cymbals: 1 x 3 zone Crash, 1x 3 zone Ride, 1x single zone hi-hat with ‘top on’ sensorNo of kits: Supplied with 24 preset kits, 4 userkits. Additional kits can be downloaded, with 50new kits to be available for download by endDecember 2012No of instruments: Supplied with 205instruments. Additional instruments downloadwith kits.Instrument Parameters:Kit, volume, compressor, reverb, layer, playerimmersion, trigger, threshold, action, gain, Additional parameters for snare and tom: fullrimshot sound, rim sound, reverb rim, volumerim, gainEffect Types:Equalization, reverb, compression, playerimmersion, layer, kaleidoscopeAmbience Parameters:15 presets, plus level, pre-delay, diffusion,shape, time, colour, hpfCompression Parameters: 10 presets, plusvalue%, attack, release, ratioEQ Parameters: 5 presets, plus low gain, low frequency, midgain, mid frequency, mid q, high gain, highfrequencySong Recording: 4 bar Loop Record Functionwith a range of time signaturesRecording method: Memory cardDisplay: Backlit LCDConnectors Pad connection: Patented Drum Bus interfaceuses standard RJ11 connectors, allowing singlecable connection to module and pad/cymbal tobe connected anywhere on rack frameStereo Outputs: Left and Right 6.5 mmsocketsHeadphone: 3.5 mm stereoMIDI: Input and Output socketsUSB: Full-sized Hi Speed USB data connectorAux input: 3.5 mm stereo socketBrush input: 6.5 mm socket

And, overall...Si, si:✔ Smart wiring system that eliminates thesea of spaghetti.

✔ Small footprint and 16 Kg weight.

✔ Real samples – and rich, multi-layeredones at that!.

✔ Accessible memory card.

✔ Promise of more free sounds – and soon.

✔ Sub-2K pricing (US, at least).

Non, non:✘ Closed system.

✘ Small drum pads.

✘ Single-zone hi-hat.

✘ Limited initial kit and sound offering.

✘ Lack of on-board play-along tunes.



After years of development, there are now multipads tofill every requirement from - bare bones kit expansionto units that could form the core of a small e-kit. ScottHolder examines eight side by side to see what workswell and what doesn’t.

Many pads,much potential

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WHY PURCHASE A multipad? The answer dependson what instrument you play, if you play live, andhow technical your live performance has to be. Foryears, a musician’s options were limited. No, thefeature sets for most multipads weren’t that limited,but if you wanted something basic, you couldn’t findanything in that niche. In the last two years, that’s allchanged. Now, you can get a multipad that will doas little or as much as you want.

What you intend to use it for and what you could useit for will drive you insane when deciding what tobuy. From that perspective, many of the feature-richmultipads are aimed just as much towardspercussionists or players needing backing tracks butnot needing a drummer. As I worked with theadvanced units and slowly learned some of thearcane aspects of pattern triggering and looping, Istarted thinking about integrating their capabilitiesinto studio and live work. They can do so much. Onthe other hand, as a drummer, their capabilitiesmight be overkill.

This review includes every multipad currentlyproduced by Alesis, Roland’s latest releases andYamaha’s unit which we reviewed back in 2010.This collection spans everything from affordable,compact pad supplements to full-blown super-portable e-drum kits.

Alesis PercPad andSamplePadUntil Alesis released the Perc/SamplePad, if youwanted a simple unit that would expand an e-kit orprovide some additional percussion pads withoutbreaking the bank, you were out of luck. At firstglance, the Perc/SamplePad don’t “do much” butthen, neither is designed to. Nonetheless, both areversatile little boxes that are very affordable. For theprice of a single rubber pad, with the PercPad, youget good native percussion sounds and fantasticplayability.

The hardwareThe top pads measure 4.75” x 3.75” (120 mm x 90mm) and the bottom ones 4.25” x 3.5” (110 mm x 85mm) and I particularly like the fact that therectangles are “on their side” as opposed to vertical.It makes hitting the pads easier, with less chance ofwhacking an adjoining one.

We didn’t do specific noise tests but these arelouder than anything in our rubber cymbal collectionand louder than any other multipad. They have adeep resonance which somewhat amplifies the sticknoise. Each pad has a different stick bounceresponse: not as bouncy as PD-7 or SPD-SX, butmore than DTX Multi 12.

The kick input can be set to accept either an oldpedal foot switch or any e-drum kick by Roland,Hart, Pintech, etc. It was responsive in both modes,although most drummers used to using an actualkick pedal will prefer that approach.

Sensitivity can be adjusted for playing without sticks,but the hard rubber pads might be fatiguing in thelong run.

The brainThe 25 built-in sounds, particularly the non-drumsounds, are good - although the kick and snaresounds don’t hold up as well and a few sound quitedated. The L and R outputs further enhance theability to control the sound since you can pan andapply reverb. Each can be pitched and no built-insound is cut off when the pad assigned to it isrepeatedly struck. This is particularly nice for someof the longer samples like the wind chimes.

The SamplePad also has 20 built-in “kits” which arereally separate profiles, given the minimal number ofonboard sounds. That’s not terribly useful, but if youhave a set in which you use eight percussionsounds, the SamplePad’s “kits” allow you to create



two sets of four and move from one to the next withease. You can also expand the number of samplesavailable to you - as long as you stay within the 16MB limit of onboard memory.

The LCD screen is easy to navigate, shows therange of settings and, depending on mode, showswhich pad is being edited or struck. Alesis has madeeither pad mindlessly easy to operate.

CapabilitiesWhen hooked up as a MIDI controller to a computerrunning EZdrummer, the PercPad was literally plugand play; I have not run into a MIDI controller for aVST drum package that was this easy to set up anduse. The same applied when connected to a RolandTD-12. You strike a pad, then move over to the TD-12 and see which instrument it’s triggering andmake the change; there is no need to go intoRoland’s internal pattern or MIDI configurationmenus. Better yet, you can change the MIDI notethe pad is sending. Latency was not noticeable withEZdrummer using either my M-Audio Delta 44 cardor ASIO4All.

The SamplePad differs from the PercPad in oneway: you can trigger your own samples from astandard SD card. The samples must be mono, butwe put a fair number of different samples on an SDcard and they sounded fine. Even better, you canincrease or decrease the tuning of the sample aswell as apply the onboard reverb edits. True, this isnot massive amounts of editing, but if you want topitch your sampled explosion higher or lower, youcan. You can load up to 16 MB of .wav files assamples and assign one to each pad.

You can’t stop a sample by hitting the pad, the wayyou can on the higher-end units - the sample playsto the end. Thus, if you need to start and stop loopswith precision, the SamplePad will not cut it. But youget a nice effect by repeatedly hitting the pad withthe sample: it simply starts it again without cuttingoff the previous sample.

Good things The playability was the biggest surprise. Cymbalswells under EZdrummer were magnificent, farbetter than any older drum module. When hookedup to my TD-12, cymbal swells were as easily doneas playing on a Roland CY-14.

It’s perfect if you’re a drummer who wants fouradditional pads but doesn’t have the room on therack or, more likely, on the module. Connect thePerc/SamplePad via MIDI to your module and justlike that, your kit is four pads larger. It’s a compactMIDI controller for a VST package, and with the kick

input, it’s a perfect fit if you want something simpleto go along with your keyboard or sequencer.

Finally, if you have a vocalist who also helpswith percussion, they can have “more cowbell” rightat their fingertips.

Not so good The output is definitely too weak.

The SamplePad is very particular about theformat of the SD card used. If you get a persistent“Card Error” message, find a computer with whichyou can format it in FAT (the manual says FAT32,but FAT will work as well) and, most importantly,make sure you set the Allocation Unit Size to 4,096bytes. Do a full format and you’ll be set.

ConclusionThe PercPad and SamplePad are slick pieces ofgear that are incredibly easy to set up andremarkably versatile and responsive at anunbeatable price.

Alesis ControlPadThe ControlPad trades the built-in sounds of theSamplePad for more rubber pads, MIDI input, a HHconnection and two extra trigger inputs. It alsoincludes Toontrack’s BFD Lite, so this is literally avirtual drum kit in a box.

The HardwareThe pads themselves have the same layout, size,bounce and stick noise characteristics as thePerformancePad (PP) and PerformancePad Pro(PPP) - which is to say the pads are quiet, bouncyand measure 4” x 4” (10 cm x 10 cm). Stickresponse over the entire area of each pad is betterthan the PP, but a bit less than the PPP andPerc/SamplePad. Don’t expect hyper-fast drum fillsor reliable ghost notes. Stick play was pretty good,as was pad response; however, rapid flams



sounded a bit better on the PPP and thePerc/SamplePads.

The external connections expand the kit nicely and,unlike the PP and PPP, the external HH and kickinputs are independent of pads on the unit itself.Using a kick pedal with an associated pad will workon the two external trigger inputs, but not on theactual kick input. The HH isn’t continuous but theexternal HH input will work with a switch or astandard, Roland-compatible pedal like the FD-7/8.

The two external triggers work fine with your usualarray of pads. We plugged in things ranging from aPD-7 to a KitToys splash and all worked fine - up toa point. The input is single zone, with no chokingcapability. Yes, dual-zone, chokeable pads work butyou only get one zone and can’t choke.

The brainThe interface is simple, although you do have tocycle through the menu settings to get back to thebeginning. Nonetheless, there aren’t that many top-level areas to move through in order to get whereyou’re going. In fact, it’s pretty elegant in itssimplicity. And in a first, the manual is quite helpful.

Settings per “kit” are automatically saved, sowhatever you’re hooked up to (another module orVST), you get the equivalent of different “kits” bysimply dialing through them on the ControlPad.

Pad settings consist of Sensitivity, Velocity Curveand Threshold. The four Velocity Curve profilescover the basics and might not be as extensive assome users require, but the package gives youmore tweaking control than the PPP. You will needto spend some time working on these settings incase you have problems hitting two pads at onceand getting a silent response. Not a show-stopper,but you might need the tweaking time to get theControlPad dialed in just right.

CapabilitiesSet-up was mindlessly easy. If you already have aMIDI connection for your computer, the ControlPadis plug and play. It’s not quite plug and play whenconnecting to another module, but it’s close. Therewas no latency. When connected to my Roland TD-12, I had to change the MIDI broadcast channel oneach pad to 10 from the default of 1, then it workedflawlessly.

If you don’t have a MIDI connection to the computer,the ControlPad connects via a USB cable andintegrates fine with the onboard VST drums. In thatregard, it’s more flexible than any other multipad inthat you don’t need the additional MIDI interfacehardware.

Good things With the bundled VST software, you don’t needanything else to set up a computer-based drumpackage. No expensive sound card required. In fact,Alesis recommends using the free ASIO4ALLdrivers. My standard VST host is an old Pentium 4desktop with an M-Audio Delta 44 sound card andthe ControlPad worked fine with it and the software.

Not so good The kick input only works with a foot switch, nota more traditional kick pedal/pad e-drumarrangement. You might be able to tweak the HHsettings for a slightly more realistic response with ahigher-end VST package that has its own MIDImapping/learn capability or some of the third-partyMIDI remapping programs, but don’t count ongetting fully continuous HH response.

ConclusionThe ControlPad does what Alesis says it will do:yes, simple things do work well. Think of it as adouble-sized PercPad if all you want is another easyand compact way to add pads to an e-drum kit. TheControlPad has been around for five years now andit’s easy to see why it’s remained a robust seller.You don’t need to break the bank if all you want isbasic MIDI control for either a module or VSTpackage.

Alesis PerformancePadIf you’re looking for an eight-pad MIDI controller thatcan easily trigger external devices or act asadditional pads when hooked into a module, thePerformancePad does - but it is neither easy norfully functional. It’s also touted as a miniature drumkit and it does have a library of onboard sounds, buthow well the package plays as a stand-alone kit isquestionable.

The HardwarePad noise is low, the best of any multipad tested -except perhaps the Multi 12 - and is on par with aRoland PD-7. The PP pads are bouncier andmeasure 4” x 4” (10x10 cm). The pads aren’tparticularly sensitive and you have to strike close tothe centre in order to get a response. Any hitoutside, at most, a 2” x 2” square elicits either noresponse or an erratic one. Plus, there’s no way toadjust the pad sensitivity. This makes playing thePerformancePad frustrating, despite the quietnessand bounce of the pads.

The PerformancePad has inputs for both a HH andkick. However, the kick can only be triggered by afoot switch. Thus, if you have a standard kick pad




http://stores.cymbalismmusic.com/-strse-2089/drumit-five-5-2/Detail.bok

(be it Hart, Roland or whatever), it won’t work. Iused an old HOSA FSC-503 foot switch. The HHinput will work with most electronic pedals, but it’snot continuous. One pad is assigned to operate withthe pedal, but the resulting operation is more likethat found on modules produced a dozen-plus yearsago.

The BrainMIDI functionality works, but it’s a far cry from theease and literal plug-and-play set-up of thePerc/Sample/ControlPad. Plugging into EZdrummerwas easy; latency was not an issue when usingeither my M-Audio Delta card drivers or ASIO4ALL.

The onboard drum sounds are based on the AlesisSR-16 drum machine. The percussive sounds(chimes, wood blocks, etc) are fine, not unlike thePerc/SamplePads; but the regular drum componentsounds (snare, kick, etc) are just okay - not cheesy,as we’ve read in some online reviews, but many aredated. They’re not consistent: some are better thanothers, but if you’re looking for a cracking snare,you’ll have to look beyond the PP. There are noeffects variation settings: you can only changepanning, tuning (from “sharper” to “flatter”) andvolume.

CapabilitiesThe PP as a stand-alone drum kit gives you thebasics. The default pad assignments include a kickdrum, but you can reassign any sound to any pad(the HH pad and Kick pad are tied to their respectiveexternal inputs). You can play any of the 50 existingkits or copy one over into 50 available user kits andedit or reassign pads. The copy and save functionsaren’t clear and the instructions don’t help. In fact,the documentation for the PP for doing anythingother than recording your own drum loops was poor

and we had to cast about online for answers aboutMIDI.

Good things The unit worked well triggering sounds on anexternal sound module, in this case our TD-12.

Creating drum loops with the native soundlibrary was fairly easy.

Not so good It was jarring going back and forth from thePerformancePad and either the Perc/SamplePads:the latter’s pads had much more dynamic range tothem when a) triggering onboard sounds; b) actingas a MIDI controller for EZdrummer; or c) connectedto a TD-12 via MIDI. On the PerformancePad, I hadto concentrate on slowing down the frequency of mystrikes because going too fast resulted in whatsounded like a single strike. When playing 1/8 noteson the snare pad, the pad picked up the individualhits and reproduced them, but when we uppedtempo, the fall-off in the resultant distinct notes wasfast. This was unlike the Perc/SamplePads, whichreproduced the strikes perfectly and providedvariable response to snare hits across the entirepad.

You can’t change the MIDI channel outputassignment and nowhere does the documentationsay what channel is used to transmit. Only throughhelp from some users at vdrums.com did wedetermine that the PerformancePad transmits onChannel 1. This means you have to have a moduleon the other end that allows you to change thePercussion MIDI channel from its most likely defaultof 11 to 1; otherwise, forget using thePerformancePad as a triggering device for yourmodule.

The foot switch used as a kick pedal wasreliable, but if you’re used to the feel of a normalkick pedal or want to get hyper-fast double basseffects, you won’t be able to do it with a foot switch.

Each of the eight pads is permanently assigneda MIDI note which corresponds to a specific drumcomponent and you can’t change them. You areforced to change the MIDI note assigned to aspecific component on the VST side.

Volume output was anaemic. We had it crankedto max and found the pad noise still overwhelmingwhat was in the headphones and we weren’t beatingon the unit that hard. Running the headphone outputvia a ¼” stereo cable to my TD-12 Mix In helpedimmensely, but it raises the question about how one



would handle this lack of volume when playing thePP as a stand-alone unit and not using a poweredmixer.

ConclusionThe PerformancePad is really showing its age. Theother Alesis units are better in their own respectiveways as MIDI controllers or stand-alone units andcost less. If generating drum loops is your passion,the unit will work, but the native sound librarydoesn’t compare to other units.

Alesis PerformancePad ProThe PerformancePad Pro (PPP) is a hugeimprovement over its predecessor, the PerformancePad (PP). In fact, it does almost everything betterthan its predecessor - with a couple of glaringexceptions.

The hardwareThe pads themselves have the same layout, size,bounce and stick noise characteristics of those onthe PP, but that’s where the similarity ends. Theresponsiveness is excellent and similar to thePerc/Sample pads. Unlike the PP, you can hitanywhere on a pad and get a reliable response. Youstill can’t alter pad sensitivity, but you can changethe “velocity sensitivity” which affects output soundand it mostly accomplishes the same thing. Hightempo strikes are faithfully reproduced either fromthe onboard sound library or when used as a MIDIcontroller. It’s not great to use for hand strikes, butthen neither is the PP.

The HH and kick inputs are identical to the PP andthat’s not necessarily a good thing: you can’t triggerthe kick with a traditional e-drum kick pad; insteadyou need a foot switch. The HH will work with anystandard e-drum pedal (Hart, Roland, Yamaha), butit’s not continuous.

The brainThe onboard sound library of 500 sounds is alsotaken from the Alesis SR18 drum machine and is onpar with what you’ll find on other, newer multipads.

There’s some crack to the snares and punch to thebass. There is some dynamic range, but not asmuch as on the Roland multipads or the DTX Multi12 - which is another way of saying that you can hita pad lightly or heavily and you won’t necessarilyget a huge range of output, the way you would on amodule with “positional sensing” or its equivalent.What Alesis refers to as “dynamic articulation” is notas pronounced as on the other multipads.

The effects variations aren’t huge (22 reverbprofiles, 14 EQ/Compression profiles, and you canadjust the tuning with far more detail than on thePP), but do a good job. One thing that’s veryimpressive is the number of useful preset kits (100)and an additional 100 user-editable kits: that’s arespectable array of kits.

CapabilitiesAs a MIDI controller, the PPP is every bit as easy as- and even more flexible in terms of sending MIDInotes and transmitting channels than - thePerc/SamplePads. There was no latency whenplugged into EZdrummer and pad response wasexcellent.

Like the PP, you can use the PPP as a stand-alonedrum kit – but with far more and bettersounds/instruments to choose from.

An excellent feature is the additional instrumentlayers: percussion and bass. Each kit has anassociated “layer”. You press a button and you haveeight bass notes (one per pad). The percussionlayer is similar, albeit with different instruments. Theone drawback on the bass layer is that you can’tadjust individual tuning on the bass parts - thetuning is global. The bass part defaults to play a CMajor scale starting with note A and a sharp 7th asthe pad’s 8th note. You can change the tuning, but itadjusts all the other notes in the scale. There areadditional controls to affect the sound (attack andrelease and filtering).

Recording patterns is also much improved and nowon par with what can be done on the Roland SPD-30 Octapad. You can also piece together patternsinto what Alesis calls “songs” and then start or stopthem at any point in the “song”. Most of the editingfunctions for patterns on the SR18 drum machineare also on the PPP, so that you can edit steps andbeats of a pattern/song, or add/erase sounds in realtime while looping or edit on the unit in non-realtime. Unlike the Octapad or Multi 12, there are no“one shot” pattern choices on the PPP: they will playas loops until you stop them. One plus is the abilityto set up a pattern with numerous overdubs that youcan record on successive passes of the loop and



then be able to turn those on and off live. That’s notdone totally with stick hits to the pad: you do have topress buttons and there is no capability to controlthese things with a foot switch. This means it mightnot work during a show if you’re drumming andtrying to control all these other “events”. But, ifyou’re using this as more of a drum machine orbacking instrument, once you set up the patterns,it’s easier to control than at first glance.

Good things The preset patterns are outstanding. There’salso a “fill” function which lets you punch in twoassociated fills with any selected pattern and theresults are very slick. When plugged intoEZdrummer, turn on a pattern and press the fillbutton and before you know it, you’ve laid out a four-minute drum backing track. Like the DTX Multi 12,the feature was seamless and very impressive. Thisis one of those “features” that may or may notappeal to most e-drummers. Nonetheless, if youneed a drum machine for accompaniment or simplywant a standing drum track while anotherpercussionist does his thing, the onboard patternswill provide plenty of variety and complexity. I shouldbe able to drum that well!

The anaemic output volume on the PP is gone –but, like the PP, the volume knob is located in ahard-to-reach place (front edge of the unit).

Not so good The external HH and kick inputs are forever tiedto the pad assignments; the PPP doesn’t performthis function nearly as well as either the RolandSPD-30 Octapad or the Yamaha DTX Multi 12.Thus, if you change the kick instrument to a splashand then press down the foot pedal, you’ll get asplash. That remains my main complaint with thePPP.

The lack of continuous HH functionality isannoying, but that seems to be the norm inmultipads at this level.

ConclusionThe PPP is a huge leap in capability and playabilityfrom the PP. If you want eight pads that you canconnect via MIDI to expand your kit and getexcellent response, the PPP delivers. Everythingelse, patterns, pattern recording and onboard soundlibrary, is a bonus and might turn out to be useful,particularly to non-drumming users. If you’re lookingfor a viable core for a small, highly portable, e-kit,the fact that the external inputs are not independentof the unit’s pads remains a huge drawback.

Roland SPD-SXWe reviewed the SPD-SX in the August 2012 editionand have included the basic specifications here forcomparison. Here’s a quick recap from that articleplus a few things we’ve learned since.

The hardwareThe pad arrangement is a single-level, six-pad,three-ba” (nine “pads” total) layout measuring 143⁄8” x13” (364 mm x 331 mm). The main pads measure3¾” square (95 mm). Pads aren’t overly hard likethe Alesis units, but not soft like the Multi 12.They’re fairly bouncy and stick noise is not toopronounced. Pad setting adjustments are extensiveand will be familiar to anyone used to working with aRoland module.

The volume and control knobs are convenientlylocated on the front of the unit.

The brainThe SX has 210 drum, percussion and effectssounds. The onboard sounds are focused onpercussion; they are not grouped in any menuselection.

The SX also processes signals from externaltriggers or foot switches, having a single foot switchinput and two stereo trigger inputs. The latter can beincreased to four mono inputs by using a splitter.There is no HH controller input and no variable HHsupport. External triggers are universal.

Storage capacity is far greater than any othermultipad. You can assign up to two samples per padand they can be set to play simultaneously.

CapabilitiesThe SPD-SX is the only multipad sampler on themarket and you can edit samples in real time on theunit itself. Onboard effects are good. Theaccompanying Wave Manager software is a hugeimprovement over what came with the SPD-S and



allows for easy sample transfer and assignment. Asa MIDI controller, you can control every MIDI notefor every pattern.

Good things The menu is easy to navigate and the livecontrols are an improvement over the SPD-S. Theonboard .wav editing, while basic, is very easy andvery handy. The huge amount of onboard memoryprovides almost unlimited sampling storage andselection options. The onboard effects and real-timeperformance application of those effects is great.

Not so good Not the best ergonomics for hand usage and thebar pads have poor sensitivity. The Sub output can’tbe used along with the Main output for velocity-based multi-samples.

There is no variable HH support, which was onthe SPD-S. In fact, there’s no effective HH supportwhatsoever. It was a popular feature on the SPD-Sand for reasons that have most people scratchingtheir head, Roland took it out of the SX. Yes, youcan assign a HH sound to the foot switch but novariable HH controller like Roland’s own FD-7/8 willwork. Even if you assign a HH sound to the footswitch, it’s not associated with any pad on the actualunit, unlike what you find on the Octapad, Multi 12or some of the Alesis units. Thus, if you have aclosed HH sound on the foot switch and an open HHsound on any given pad, there’s no way you can cutoff the latter by depressing the foot pedal.

Things we’ve learned since the lasttimeSounds triggered by hitting one pad are nottruncated when switching to another kit, but there isa one- to two-second delay when the next kit loads,which effectively truncates the sound. This is nottrue when triggering a pattern from one pad. It willcontinue to play until stopped (assuming it’s thatkind of pattern). You can then switch to another kitand hit another pad to trigger another pattern andit’s amazing how much rhythm you can get, and alsovery confusing since you can’t turn off the originalpattern unless you switch back to that kit.

Roland SPD-30 OctapadThe Octapad’s main selling points are the playabilityof the unit and as a sequencer (or as Roland calls it,a “phrase looper”). Another advantage is its potentialuse as a very portable e-drum kit, given the numberof external pads and controllers that can beattached.

The hardwareThe pads measure 43⁄8” by 3 ¾” (110 mm by 95 mm).Pad dynamics are good and because of the unit’slayering feature (this is similar to the Multi 12’slayering capability except that you can assign twoinstruments/voices to one pad vs four on the Multi12), one can literally set a “crossover point” and getvery good cymbal swells and great snare dynamics.At first, stick noise seems louder since there is adeep resonance, especially when compared to itssampling brother, the SPD-SX. However, a quickcheck with the sound meter held one foot awaywhile whacking the Octapad and SX showed nodifference in decibel level. They are far quieter thanthe Sample/PercPad.

Like the SX, the controls are on the front of the unit.You might fear thwacking a knob or the LCD screenand breaking something. Roland has made thosecontrols very robust: there have been demos oftaking a stick base and whacking it on the controlpanel with no problems.

Pad rebound is about the same as the SX, whichmeans flams are easy to do and the individual notesare easily picked up even with rapid, repeatedstrikes. The pads are responsive across most ofeach pad and again, because of the layering, youget the equivalent of positional sensing on manysounds. Hand play is also viable, but with somedrawbacks.

The brainThe 50 preset kits that come with the Octapad are,at first glance, the usual oft-maligned Roland“novelty” kits found on full-blown modules. There’snothing approaching a conventional drum kit, exceptfor the “Tutorial” kit. Furthermore, there is no suchthing as user kits. Instead, you either copy over orchange the instruments to the existing kits. TheOctapad does come with a sizeable instrument(sound/voice) library, but the vast majority of thoseinstruments are percussive, not straight-up druminstruments. By comparison, of the 650 instrumentson the Octapad, 166 are drum-kit related while the



TD-9 has 353. The drum instrument sounds are onpar with the TD-9 “generation” and the effects andsynth instruments are quite good.

Pad setting adjustments are extensive and will befamiliar to anyone used to working with a Rolandmodule in that you can adjust things like sensitivity,velocity curve, etc. Pad settings are global; thus, ifyou find something too soft on one kit and too hot onanother and they’re both assigned to the same pad,you can’t differentiate their pad settings.

CapabilitiesAs a MIDI controller, it’s identical to the SX, allowingyou to quickly change the MIDI note number on anygiven pad to get what you want out of EZdrummeror a module. When connecting to a computer, youdon’t even need a MIDI cable or USB-to-MIDIadaptor. The Octapad can connect directly to thecomputer (cable supplied separately but whodoesn’t have a ton of USB cables lying around?)and acts as its own USB-MIDI input device. In thatregard, it was plug-and-play on our old PC runningEZdrummer.

Roland touts the “phrase looping” feature of theOctapad - and there’s no doubt it is the easiestmultipad for pattern recording. You can have threeseparate “parts” (think of them as three different kitsmaking up a unique pattern) that you can integrateinto one phrase loop; it’s a similar process andfeature to that of the Performance Pad Pro. Onceyou get your head around the concept, it’s quitepowerful. The main issue is you’ll either love it anduse it to take a live performance to another level, it’llget old really fast or it’s not anything that you need.Like the Performance Pad Pro and SPD-SX, youcan edit patterns in non-real time on the unit itself.

The ability to edit each instrument is about whatyou’d find on a TD-9. FX settings are also extensive,but somewhat subtle, the main FX being “ambience”which is essentially different types of reverb. Soundstriggered by striking a pad are not truncated whenswitching to another kit and there is no delay/lagwhen making that switch.

The ability to add external triggers, as with the Multi12, make many e-drummers look at the Octapad asa highly portable e-kit with a small stage footprint.The external inputs were very flexible in terms ofwhat pads can be plugged in. The ride is “only” two-zone but, with eight internal pads on the Octapad,one can easily layer a ride edge on one pad and getgood results.

Good things It has the capability for a variable HH set-up if

using a VH-11. I tested my Hart Pedal Pro II and itcan also work for variable response if you spend alot of time tweaking it.

It plays a lot more like a kit than the SX withsignificant velocity dynamics.

Not so good One downside is the Octapad’s actual ability toplay somewhat complicated loops in complicatedways live. The sequence of starting and stoppingloops on the Octapad is more cumbersome than theSX. On the SX, you hit a pad to start its assignedphrase/loop, then hit the same pad again to stop it.You can set it to play for a certain number ofmeasures after hitting the pad to start it. All veryeasy. On the Octapad, you have to hold down thefootswitch, then strike a pad in order for thefootswitch to get “total control”. Thus, you have to dothis little exercise before the start of the song. Thereare also sensitivity issues because if another padregisters a hit, the loop can start again and theproblem is balancing the settings and still makingthe rest of the unit responsive. Finally, you can onlyhave one phrase/loop assigned to a kit. If you set upKit Chain, then it doesn’t take that long to get readyfor the next song, thus, this “issue” might not be onefor most users. [This issue has been correctedwith a firmware update.]*

There is no quick way to change pad settings,meaning you’re pretty much committed to using thislive either by hand or by stick; you simply cannottoggle back and forth between the two becauseeach style requires different sensitivity and thresholdsettings. It’s a real Goldilocks problem: if you tweakyour settings for hand play, it’ll be too hot for stickplay. The hardness of the pads will also be a factor -an issue it shares with the Sample/PercPads.

ConclusionMost e-drummers will find quite a bit to like aboutthe Octapad. It would make a fantastic, portable e-kit with additional sounds. The layering featurepotentially expands what any given pad can play interms of separate sounds or help create a fullersound for any given e-drum instrument.

The “phrase looping” feature is slick. The mentionedcriticisms of the live loop-playing process relates toloops done in advance, not on-the-fly playing andlive looping, which the Octapad does extremely well.

*Postscript: The new Version 2 system upgradeexpands the SPD-30's onboard kit and phraselibraries and adds powerful new features andfunctions. It is a free downloadable updateavailable here.



Yamaha DTX Multi 12We reviewed the Multi 12 in January 2010 andinclude the basic specifications here for comparison.We’ll do a follow-up look at the Multi 12 in anotherarticle, but here’s a quick recap.

The HardwareThe pad arrangement is a multi-level, six-pad, six-“bar” (12 “pads” total). The main pads measure 45⁄8”x 4¼” square (11 cm x 10.5 cm) while the bars are4¼” x 13⁄8” (10.5 cm x 3 cm). The pads are differentfrom the other multipads in that they are softish andaccommodate the needs of a hand percussionist asmuch as a drummer. Stick rebound was on par withPintech cymbals and stick noise fell somewherebetween the Roland multipads at the higher end andthe Alesis Performance Pad at the lower end of thesonic spectrum.

The volume and control knobs are convenientlylocated on the front of the unit.

The BrainThe Multi 12 has 1,249 drum, percussion andeffects sounds, many are those created forYamaha’s Motif synthesizer range. The pad soundsare grouped into kits and the unit comes pre-loadedwith 50 such kits and allows for the creation of 50more.

The Multi 12 also processes signals from externaltriggers or foot switches and has one mono and two

stereo inputs. External triggers are universal and theHH controller can be continuous.

Storage capacity for samples is 64 MB.

CapabilitiesThe Multi 12 could easily be used as a stand-alonedrum kit, particularly with the use of an external HHand kick drum. It can also be used as an externalmodule should you want to take advantage of itsgreat sound library but would prefer to trigger itusing existing pads connected to another module(acting as a MIDI controller). As a MIDI controller, itcan do everything imaginable, really to the point ofoverwhelming. And, when hooked up to EZdrummeror my TD-12, it was plug and play.

Good things The “beater selection” reflects how the unit canbe struck: finger, stick or hand. The pads aremutable, and if you press down on one while strikingit, you can alter the sound. Yamaha touts its“layering” capability, and of all the multipads, it hasthe most layers (four) which can be assigned to asingle pad.

Not so good The amount of onboard storage is tiny relative toits Roland equivalent. The menu system isn’t thegreatest and the user manual won’t always provideyou with a clear, easy-to-find answer to a detailedtechnical question.

ConclusionYou’ll find plenty of online discussion about thestrengths of Roland’s two multipads and how itwould be nice if they were combined into one unit.The Multi 12 does that. It can play loaded samples,loops, percussion effects and, if desired, form thecore of a stand-alone drum kit. It has literally somany “gee whiz” features, it’s easy to get lost in theunit.

Full comparison table: see page 24


http://www.musiciansrecommend.com/219-25-3-41.html

Mutlipad comparison table Alesis

PercPad Alesis SamplePad

Alesis Control Pad

Alesis Performance Pad

Alesis Performance Pad Pro

Roland SPD-SX

Roland SPD-30

Yamaha DTX Multi 12

Price MSRP Street

$199 $99

$399 $199

$399 $159

$399 $249

$499 $299

$999 $799

$799 $699

$900 $699

No of pads 4 4 8 + 2 inputs 8 8 9 + 2 inputs

8 + 4 inputs

12 + 3 inputs

Foot Switches

1 1 3 2 2 1 1 + HH 1 + HH

Max polyphony

N/A N/A N/A 16 32 20 80 64

Sounds

25 25 N/A 233 500 650 650 1,277

Drum kits N/A 8 N/A 50 preset; 50 user-defined

100 preset; 100 user-defined


50 preset


Effects Variation

Pitch; Reverb

Pitch; Reverb

N/A Pitch Tuning; 22 Reverb & Compression/EQ presets

20 Presets; 4-band EQ

30 presets

Chorus; Reverb; 5-band EQ

Flash Memory

None Mono/.Wav None None None Mono/ .Wav or AIFF

None Mono/ .Wav or AIFF

Flash Memory Capacity

N/A 5 files N/A N/A N/A 10,000 files

N/A 500 files

.Wav File Sample Rate

N/A 16bit/48, 44.1, 32, 22.05, 11.205kHz

N/A N/A N/A 16bit/44.1kHz

N/A 16bit/44/1kHz

Sequencer Capacity

N/A N/A N/A 12,000 notes 100,000 notes N/A 10,000 notes

152,000 notes

Note Resolution

N/A N/A N/A 96 ppq 96 ppq N/A ! Note/ 480 ppq

! Note/ 480 ppq

Recording Method

N/A N/A N/A Real-Time Overdubbing

Real-Time Overdubbing; Step Editing

Real-Time Overdub.Wav File Editing

Real-Time OverdubPhrase Editing

Real-Time Overdub

Patterns N/A N/A N/A 200 Preset; 200 User

200 Preset; 200 User

N/A None 128 Preset; 50 User

Interfaces MIDI (Out Only)

MIDI (Out Only); SD

MIDI; USB MIDI MIDI MIDI; USB

MIDI; USB

MIDI; USB

Wave Memory

N/A 14 mb N/A N/A N/A 2 gb N/A 64 mb

Click Range

N/A N/A N/A 20-255 bpm 30-300 bpm 20-260 bpm

40-260 bpm

30-300 bpm

Inputs None None None 1 1/8” stereo 1 1/8” stereo L/R !” mono

1 !” stereo

1 !” stereo

Outputs L/R; headphone

L/R; headphone

None L/R; headphone

L/R; headphone

2 L/R; headph.

L/R; headph.

L/R; headph.

!24 www.digitaldrummermag.com


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One cool KAT

Alternate Mode has added to theconvenience of its one-piece drum kitwith the incorporation of a soundmodule. Allan Leibowitz was amongthe first to put the “multipad onsteroids” through its paces.


--gear--


AT OUR LAST gig, I had the kit packed up and inthe car boot before the guitarist had finished fiddlingwith his effects pedals. For the first time, I was ableto offer the other guys a hand with lugging the PAback to the car – rather than being the last off stage.

That’s the beauty of a single unit that contains 24pads and a module, fits on a very portable rack andtucks away into a sturdy carry case. In thecompactness stakes, the trapKAT is certainlywithout rival among stick-played percussion kits.

What’s in the boxIt’s a rather large box – and obviously well packedsince all KAT sales are shipped from the factory.Inside, there’s an overgrown multipad, a poweradaptor and a pedal. You’ll also need a hi-hatcontroller and a kick trigger – both of which can besourced from Alternate Mode. For this review, I usedthe company’s recently released (and reviewed)eKIK and eHat products.

The main unit is a metal housing on which there aresix larger pads, four medium-sized strike surfaces,four rim/edge triggers and eight perimeter triggerblocks, two of which have two zones each. All up,that makes 24 pads, arranged roughly like thedrums and cymbals of a regular kit. There’s also asmall LCD display which will soon become your bestfriend.

How it’s set upWhile the trapKAT 5KS is essentially a plug-and-play instrument, there is a learning curve – and themore you learn, the more you can do. The manualhas been written for eager beavers who just want tostart banging on pads without learning the ins andouts of MIDI, and if you follow the instructions, youcan certainly start using the kit right out of the box.

The first lesson is that the pads are not just theplaying surfaces, they are also part of the controlsystem. They are used instead of knobs and buttonsto select options from the four basic menus: GlobalEdit, Kit Edit, Note Edit and Kit Select. And eachmenu is activated by a foot switch. While you willneed to access all the menus from time to time, it ispossible to get by with just one or two switches onceyou have set up and dialed in the pads.

I won’t go through the set-up process because it’llbore the pants off those who don’t have trapKATand it is well documented for those who do. Sufficeit to say that you can teach each pad your playingstyle – what hard and soft mean for you - and youcan select what sounds are triggered by each pad.You also need to calibrate the hi-hat and dial in thekick pedal from a range of trigger types.

Once it’s all set up, the foot switch can be moved to

the Kit Select jack and used to scroll through the kitsor select individual kits by holding the pedal andhitting one of the 24 pad positions (there are 24 kitsin the User bank – but scores more in the Factorybanks).

The soundsThe trapKAT is not new, of course. It has beenaround for a while, but only as a triggering device.Previously, you needed to pair the KAT with amodule or computer-based VST application. The5KS changes that with the addition of on-boardsounds from synthesizer maker Kurzweil.

There has been plenty of debate lately about soundsources, especially since 2box launched its sample-based system. The 5KS uses “real” samples, butunlike VST offerings with scores of samples for eachvelocity, the Kurzweil engine uses computerprocessing to simulate the variations, leading tosome very realistic renditions.

In the case of the 5KS, there are over 1,000 soundsto choose from, but the main focus is on the 24stock “user kits”. In the words of the owner’smanual, “the Factory Kits … are meant to be usedfor GM Drum Modules (and) … have not beenoptimised for the Kurzweil sound card”. In otherwords, feel free to mess with the Factory Kits, butyou can’t save or edit them, so stick with the userkits.

The stock user kits are sonically pleasing, with someversatile choices. The kits range from a Thigpenbrushes kit to Drum N Bass and electronic sounds.In my test gig, we played a range of songs fromElvis to Billy Joel and country to jazz, and I was ableto accommodate almost the entire repertoire withfive or six kits, including the snappy J Geils kit, thevintage-sounding FabFringe, a ballsy Low Rock withthunderous toms and the middle-of-the-road 25th

Anniversary kit. What was lacking was a Latin kitwith timbales and a kit with decent brush sweeps –both of which are actually represented in the FactoryKits, but harder to access on the fly. (Note to self:more planning next time!)

The litmus test: what did the band think of thesounds? In the throes of performance, they werehard-pressed to tell the difference between whatthey heard and the selections from the 100 kits onthe module I normally use. And my buddy at theAsian food stall next to the stage, who alwayscomments on the e-kits I play, was impressed withthe performance – and especially the dynamics.

For those into tuned percussion, the soundsassociated with Alternate Mode’s malletKAT are alsoavailable among the Factory Kits. You can accessanything from vibraphones to marimbas, as well as



timpani, bells and orchestral percussion. There’sone tuned percussion kit in the User bank – a reallycool Magic Mbira set which is perfectly pitched for arousing rendition of ‘Smoke on the Water’.

The triggeringWhile it may be tempting to lump the trapKAT withother multipads, it does stand head and shouldersabove the competitors thanks to the generous-sizedpads, the number of triggers, the layout and theplayability.

The six larger pads measure around 16 cm x 17 cm,while the front four clock in at a respectable 12 cm x15 cm. Even the inch-wide rim triggers and the eightperipheral bars are easy to hit – although I havemanaged to get a stick wedged between two ofthem a couple of times.

The layout is very smart. The middle two front padsare allocated to the snare so that you have differentleft and right articulations. The pad on the outside ofeach is a designated hi-hat trigger, so you can playthe hats with either your left or right hand – or both.

The next row of pads is allocated to toms (high tolow), with the ride at the 2.30 position.

Again, this is a good logical layout, allowing for easyfills and great access to the ride.

The outer bars are designated as rim sounds andthe ride bell and crashes – again, logical andaccessible.

The playing surfaces of the trapKAT have beenupgraded to a new material (nuBounce), with awhite film covering known as Power Dots and

designed by Aquarian Drumheads, Alternate Mode’spartner in the inHead product.

Triggering FRS sensors rather than piezos, the padsare extremely responsive, with an impressive rangeof dynamics, especially when you have “trained”them to your personal playing range. I personallydislike rubber drum pads, but found the trapKATplaying surface natural and responsive. It’s easy toget good, controlled rebounds and the pads feel justright from the first hit.

The responsiveness continues with the hi-hat,especially when paired with an eHAT pedal. There isa wide range from open to closed (the manufacturerclaims eight levels), and the transitions are smoothand effortless, with a nice snappy chick action.

In actionOkay, so there’s a steep learning curve while youmaster the kit and even after a few weeks, I feel I’veonly scraped the surface and have so much more tolearn. That’s not a bad thing: it shows the power andcapability of this instrument.

Once you’ve got it trained and worked out how tochange kits, there’s a bit of muscle retraining as youbecome familiar with the layout and your sticking.But once it clicks, the trapKAT is an intuitiveinstrument that plays just like a drum kit. The firstthing that tripped up a visiting acoustic drummerwas the hi-hat. He remained determined to play theleft-hand hi-hat pad over his right hand on the snare,which meant he was just knocking his handstogether. It’s obviously a hard habit to break and hecouldn’t quite get his head around playing the hi-hat



on the right. But I suspect the average e-drummerwill have no difficulty making the adaptation.

So, when you’ve worked out what is where and howto make the rudimentary adjustments, the trapKATis easy to play. You can plug in an external audiosource to play along, or use the onboard metronomeor grooves.

The kit sounds are editable, with the brain able tochange overall pitch of kit and add reverb or FX(chorus or delay), and there’s also the ability tochange the individual volumes on snares, toms,basses and hi-hats.

The cymbals are chokeable, a simple touch of thepad producing a usable choke effect. What’s more,you can achieve smooth cymbals rolls, even withthe choke activated.

The drums are all velocity-layered, so you getdifferent sounds (not just louder or softer tones)depending on how hard you hit. This virtuallyeliminated machine-gunning, and because the entirepad is touch-sensitive, there’s absolutely no hot-spotting.

Audio output is via headphones (I found the volumea bit on the low side unless your headphones havethe right impedance) or through two stereo 1/4”balanced outputs. Alternatively, you can take amono feed if you only have one input in your amp orPA. There’s also MIDI In and Out for those who wantto trigger VSTs or play MIDI patterns from acomputer.

After a few weeks of testing, I continue to beimpressed with – and intimidated by - the power ofthe 5KS. Increasingly, I find myself frowning at themanual as it explains concepts like accessing multi-mode and alternate mode features, manipulatingcontinuous control data and other MIDI stuff that justconfuses everyday drummers. I have, however,worked out that the instrument does not have arecord or sequencing function, nor the ability to editgrooves – if those are important to you.

The verdictThe trapKAT has for some time been an appealingalternative to e-kits thanks to its superior triggeringand compact footprint. All it lacked, like thescarecrow in the Wizard of Oz, was a brain – and itgets that in the 5KS version.

Sure, the brain may not have all the bells andwhistles of the Roland TD-30 or the Yamaha DTX900, nor the depth of samples of the 2box, but it hasa bunch of more-than-acceptable kits, enormoustweaking potential and relative ease of use (onceyou’ve mastered some of the basics).

As a practice instrument, the 5KS is perfect. Ittriggers beautifully, has enough pads for theaverage player and has a versatile range of sounds.It’s acoustically silent and extremely compact – evenmore so when packed up.

For the gigging drummer, the 5KS is hyper-portableand very quick to set up and tear down. The UserKits may not suit every genre, but there is enoughdiversity to cover most bases (and basses). Thesounds, although not VST-standard, are certainlysufficiently convincing for the average audience. Bewarned, however, that you will need to be ready tooffer an explanation of the “strange contraption” tocurious onlookers.

The trapKAT 5KS starts at US$2,200 (plusshipping). A bundle, with a stand, eKIK and eHATwon’t leave much change from $2,600. You shouldalso not skimp on a carry case (around $250 for acustom moulded version), especially if you plan togig with this baby – and protect her from life’sknocks. And you may want an extra foot controller ortwo, although once it’s set up, you’ll probably onlyneed the supplied pedal to change kits.

I think it’s safe to say that when it comes tomultipads, this one has certainly put the KAT amongthe pigeons.


http://www.musiciansrecommend.com/219-36.html

Erskine’sErskine’se-experiencee-experience

Professor Peter Erskine’s interest in drumming ismore than academic. Since picking up sticks at agefour, he has played with some of the biggest namesof jazz, fusion and pop. Besides performance,Erskine has dedicated himself to drum education,and currently teaches at the University of SouthernCalifornia. And electronic percussion has never beenfar from his arsenal. Erskine shared some thoughtswith digitalDrummer editor Allan Leibowitz....

--profile-- PHO

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digitalDrummer: You were certainly an earlystarter in drumming, reportedly picking upsticks at the age of four. Tell us how you gotstarted and how you stuck to drumming in thoseearly years.Peter Erskine: I have wanted to be a musician foras far back as I can remember. I began playing thedrums at age four and started taking drum lessonsat five. I have been studying music continuouslyever since, simply because I have always wanted tobe a musician. Luckily, my father had been amusician when he was in school (studying tobecome a doctor), and so I received a lot ofencouragement and support from him as well as myentire family.

dD: What disciplines and skills did you learn asa child that made you the drummer you aretoday?PE: Discipline came about as a result of goodparental guidance and example, combined with thefact that I simply enjoyed playing so much — I wouldpractise the drums before going to school in themorning as well as in the afternoon and eveningafter I came back home from school. And I wasalways listening to music. My first teacher was verypatient and loving, important qualities when dealingwith such a young student! Most of the drum heroesand mentors I have met throughout my life havebeen generous and nurturing when it comes tosharing their information and passion for this music.I learned to respect the music and the musiciansfrom these masters, many of whom I met at summerjazz camps. I attended these camps beginning in

1961 when I was seven years old, up until highschool … whereupon I went away to the InterlochenArts Academy for year-round training in music.

dD: At what stage did you realise you wanted tobe a professional, and how did you go aboutmaking that happen?PE: Well, I got my American Federation ofMusicians union card when I was 14 years old, andbegan working that summer of 1968 at varioushotels and clubs in Atlantic City, New Jersey. But Iknew that I wanted to be a professional from thestart, and that’s also why I spent so much of my timepractising and listening to music. I calculated that Iplayed the drums — in practice and in concert —10,000 hours by the time I was asked to play withWeather Report in 1978.

dD: Speaking of Weather Report, your resumeincludes a who’s who of entertainment. Whathave been some of your recording andperformance highlights?PE: My new book “No Beethoven,” (available soonas an electronic book title from the Apple iBookstore, etc.) contains MANY stories that took place inthe studio or on tour … here is a short story aboutmy first recording with Weather Report, after my firstrehearsal/audition, but before our first trip to Japanwhere I premiered as their drummer in concertduring the summer of 1978. My first recordingexperience was to do a hi-hat overdub on Joe’s tune“Young and Fine”. He wanted to tinker with the feelof the fine drum track that Gadd had played, and Iset up a hi-hat in a small iso-booth and played alongwith the track from start to finish while Joe watched



a World Cup soccer game on TV in the controlroom. When I was finished, I took off myheadphones and climbed around the mic stand andwalked into the control room. Joe seems to beconcentrating on the game. I ask, “How was it?” tothe room. Zawinul replies: “You tell me.” And so Isay, “I think it was good.” “Okay, then,” he says.“Watch the game.”

That story told, I feel very blessed to have playedwith so many great and interesting musicians. Lovedthe albums I’ve done with vocalists Joni Mitchell,Mary Chapin Carpenter and Seth MacFarlane(“Music Is Better Than Words,” an incredibleswinger of an album) ... proud of the WeatherReport stuff, most excited by my own recordings onFuzzy Music! It’s a good life.

dD: You are very active in education – not onlyas a faculty member at Thornton, but throughclinics, books and DVDs. What motivates you towant to share your skills with others?PE: The art and craft of music includes the passingalong of information to next generations; I ammerely following in the footsteps of my own musicalheroes. Knowledge is best when shared. (My fatherwas a great teacher as well...).

dD: What’s your view on the impact of theInternet and video piracy on training DVDs andthe like? Is there still a future in the industrywhen people simply rip off your material andpost it on YouTube?PE: Today’s technology makes it easier than ever tooffer instruction and to share information. Somehow,in the giving, there is much reward, and the digitalrevolution is creating a new paradigm andrelationship between the musician and his or heraudience. It’s an exciting as well as frightening timeto be a musician, but mostly an exciting time to bean educator as well as a musician. The soberingreality is that the economics of the music businessare undergoing drastic change. Piracy has longbeen a problem, and the advent of digital technologyhas made it far more widespread than most of usmight have envisioned. But it’s a new reality thatmust be met more by smarts than a knee-jerk orbrute-force reaction. The challenge is in getting ouraudience to understand that ensemble music ofgood quality cannot be created solely on a machinein someone’s second bedroom. I am confident thatthe demand for good music will win in the end, andthe music community can take clever advantage ofthe possibilities that networking offers us. Like anyform of democratisation, there will always begrowing pains.

One very exciting development has been thecreation of the iPhone, iPad and the world of apps.

Imagine: a worldwide distribution network that notonly gets your creative enterprise out to as manypeople as possible – globally - but also allows thecreators to update their work and get those updatesto all of their customers automatically. This isgenius! So, I see the app as a very important part ofthe new paradigm in reaching our audience.Educationally as well as enthusiastically (i.e., theenthusiasm I have for my music), I created theErskine Joy Luck PlayAlong app with developerLucas Ives. Current music-minus-one offerings allowfor one tune, minus one instrument, to bedownloaded and used for 99 cents; with my app, the


With everything inmusic, one style orsong or sound caninfluence the nextmusical step ...


user has 11 songs, minus drums or minus bass orminus piano, along with scores, parts andtranscriptions, educational text plus extras like thealbum tracks as well as session photos, etc., all forUS$4.99. And now that the technology is in place,we plan on creating more and more PlayAlongprojects utilising different styles and instrumentation,to give aspiring musicians something aside fromfusion or big band-based practice tracks. The initialresponse to this is very encouraging; people seemto love it. I’ll also make one of these with the Rolandkit one of these days; certainly, Roland V-drums orthe like is an excellent way to utilise something likethe Erskine Joy Luck PlayAlong app by the end-user.

dD: Okay, now to the nitty gritty for our readers.Can you tell us about your electronic percussionexperiences? What gear have you owned overthe years?PE: I’ve long been interested in technology andgadgetry, from using reel-to-reel, sound-on-sound,tape-bouncing techniques to create my audition forhigh school (Interlochen, I quadruple-tracked apercussion ensemble piece for one of my auditionselections), to being part of the team that createdthe drum sounds on the Oberheim DMX drum“machine”, to creating a variety of sample libraries(for Yamaha, for “Living Drums” and, most recently,for Cymbal Masters’ “Virtual Erskine” library, whichjust won a Drum! magazine “Drummie” award forbest sampled library this year!) ... all along the wayutilising the best that the music industry has had tooffer in terms of electronic percussion, includingSynare, Simmons, Yamaha, KAT, Korg and Roland,et al. The good part is that a world of sound can beavailable at your fingertips with electronicpercussion; the bad part is when and if someonekicks out the electric cord: then there’s silence! Butwhen everything is working, then anything ispossible!

dD: What electronic percussion gear do youcurrently have – and how do you use it?PE: I currently use the Roland TDW-20 module andpads kit for electronic recording, practising andperformance. I’m eagerly awaiting the new RolandTD-30 kit for playing and triggering purposes. WhileI have played electronic drum sets in concert (withWeather Report, Joe Zawinul’s Weather Update,Vince Mendoza and Gary Burton), as well as onrecordings (Weather Report, Steps Ahead, RickieLee Jones and my own solo albums), I currently useelectronic percussion mostly as a compositional

In the next issue

Profile: Jonathan AtkinsonIf you can plug it in and power it up, JonAtkinson will be interested in hitting it.Currently on tour with Howard Jones,Atkinson has played with many of the ‘80sgreats like Paul Young, Midge Ure, BelindaCarlisle and Kim Wilde.

The iPad as an instrumentMore than a portable device for checkingmail, the iPad is becoming a seriouspercussion instrument, thanks to bold newapps and powerful interfaces. We check outsome of the current tools.

The beaterless bassA new European e-drum maker turns thebass pedal trigger on its head with abeaterless pedal attachment. We put theKrigg to the test

Analogue DrumsIt’s not a name known to most VSTenthusiasts, but Analogue Drums has beenaround since 1999, producing drum samplesfrom tape. The Kontakt-based collectionincludes vintage kits from Ludwig,Slingerland, DW, Gretsch and Rogerstogether with Zildjian, Sabian, Paist andBosphorus cymbals. We review some of theofferings.

All that and more in February ...

digitalDRUMMER, NOVEMBER 2012


device to help me envision or realise a musicalproject or dream. Music contains rhythm, melodyand harmony, but it’s all about SOUND and feeling.New sounds can help to create new feelings. Wehave a lot to thank Thomas Edison for!

dD: Let’s talk about your Platinum Samplesoffering. How did the Virtually Erskine projectcome about and how did you find the process ofrecording your gear and grooves?PE: Michael Vosbein deserves the credit for bringingme and the incredibly talented and knowledgeableJohn Emrich together. The electronic drum world ismost lacking in drum set sounds that convey orresemble what jazz drummers bring to the musicaltable in terms of touch and quality of sound. Ourchallenge was to capture what years of playingexperience and enthusiasm have brought to me sothat these qualities could be shared with morecreative musicians, drummers and non-drummersalike! We spent a lot of time recording MY drumsand cymbals in MY studio, with MY touch — Iplayed every single note ... many times and at manydynamic levels! John put everything togethermasterfully, and the result is as close to the realthing as I can imagine.

dD: John Emrich produced a video demo of theVirtually Erskine product featuring you playingyour acoustic kit and in split-screen playing theVST version on a TD-20 and the sound isshockingly close. What’s it like playing the VSTversion of your own acoustic kit – and do youhave to adjust your playing style in any wayfrom the acoustic to the electronic version?

PE: It felt like the real thing! Of course, when playingANY kit in a particular room or setting, one is facedwith making choices, and these happen prettyquickly in the scheme of things when playingimprovised music. That said, the demo is a first/one-take performance on both kits. Pretty clever idea ofMike and John’s, actually. It certainly shows howgood the samples “play” and sound, as well as howplayable the Roland V-Drum kit is.

dD: Okay, so you’re a Roland endorser but alsohave your name on a VST product. Do youenvisage that there will soon be a convergencethat allows you to play your own samples on aRoland kit and is this a direction you would liketo see happening?PE: “Convergence” is a good word as well as agood thing. With everything in music, one style orsong or sound can influence the next musical step... Joe Zawinul, master musician and synthesist,pioneered the acoustic playing of electronic sounds,i.e., his music always sounded organic because heheard his music that way. INTENTION has a lot todo with any musical venture, whether on an acousticor electronic instrument. The qualities of phrasing,rhythmic placement (consistency, accuracy, swing,funkiness, etc.) come through no matter theinstrument. Archimedes said “Give me a lever longenough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and Ishall move the world”. Give me a sound that’s goodenough, and I can move the world, too.

dD: As someone who clearly trained withacoustic drums and understands themintimately, do you see electronic percussion

This promo video shows Erskine on his acoustic kit and on the virtual version.

PHO

TO:



http://youtu.be/RZwFmaZ1QLE

ever replacing acoustic drums or do you see thetwo co-existing in the future?PE: Robots will not replace flesh and bloodhumanity, and machines or sample libraries will notreplace acoustic instruments — completely. ThereIS a displacement in the labour force - both musical

and otherwise. This is the price of technology. Butthere’s nothing sweeter than the sound of anacoustic guitar being played in a meadow, or congasand bongos being played on a summer day, or anacoustic jazz group swinging and burning in a jazzclub ... not to mention the sound of a symphonyorchestra in its full glory. Electronic instruments aretools, and any tool in the hands of a master canyield art, just as a mechanical tool in the hands of afool can result in a complete mess.

Aesthetics aside, the electronic drum set allows usat the Thornton School of Music at the University ofSouthern California to teach a classroom ofdrummers at one time versus one-at-a-timeinstruction. The drum lab class has become one ofthe more popular classes at the university, for musicmajor and non-music students alike! I like that, for astudent needing two hours of college credit,beginning drumming beats a course in MedievalGerman Literature, at least when it comes down tofun. And that’s what drumming should be, ultimately:fun. I have fun with my acoustic AND electronicdrums, and that’s part of what life is all about.

Scan for more info

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The Ultimate all-in-one drum controller now features an on-board Kurzweil percussion sound engine and Aquarian powerdot technology which increases durablity and sensitivity!

Now Shipping ... with Kurzweil Sounds and Power Dot technology!

The art and craft of music includes the passingalong of information to next generation ...


CURRENTLY, I’MENROLLED in a PhDthrough the University ofTasmania, Australia. This is apractitioner-based course, withan emphasis on doing(performance). This is a unique styleof course, which highlights theuniversity’s commitment to digitalinstruments. Interestingly, before enrolling in thecourse, acoustic instruments were often myweapons of choice. But, after two years of research,I’ve packed my acoustic kit away, and haven’t usedit for a year.

Throughout the beginnings of my career, acousticinstruments have provided me several professionalperformance opportunities, many of which havebeen illustrated through my performances ontelevision, hundreds of gigs, concerts, shows,participation in world tours, and varying roles as aneducator in schools and at universities throughoutAustralia. However, my reasons for studying digitalinstruments are quite simple: to expand on my owndigital music knowledge as I believe digital

instruments willperform a key part

of the musicallandscape in the future, but,

most notably, I believe the potentialof e-drums has not yet been

articulated.

I first started utilising e-drums around2010, with one of Queensland’s topfunction bands, Supercity. Prior to this,

my only real experience with e-drumswas through triggering my bass drum

at rock gigs.

Interestingly, when comparing the guitar’sachievement, most notably in rock music, theperformance application of e-drums, regardless ofstyle, seems far less convincing, as mostprofessional drummers still use acoustic drums inperformance. Although some drummers usecombinational set-ups of acoustic and digitalinstruments, it’s still quite rare to see a complete setof e-drums on a large stage. Their absence ispossibly due to many reasons, but most notably

Dr D-drumsElectronic drums are at the centre of a PhD byAustralian drummer Adam Manning, who is attemptingto understand what sonic possibilities and performanceopportunities are available when using the instrument.

--PERFORMANCE--



because of modular drum sounds and the lack ofdedicated amplifiers for the e-drummer.

The module on a standard e-drum is responsible forsending sounds to the amp. According to mostprofessionals, e-drums don’t produce the sametonal quality of acoustic sample programs like BFD2or an acoustic instrument.

Not surprising then, when I connected my e-drumsto BFD2, it produced one of the most positiveexperiences to date – a quality tone similar to that ofthe acoustic kit. This, in combination with my RolandKC880 amp, produced a tonal depth which wouldeasily compare to my acoustic kit. Interestingly,because of the reliance on a computer, otherpossibilities like recording also became easier.

Modern recording techniques summarily utilise e-drums as a MIDI controller and connect to anacoustic drum program. I discovered the power ofthis concept when recording Danny Widicome’salbum “Find Somebody” in mid-2011. This was myfirst attempt at performing/recording andengineering. The album was released throughABC/Universal Music, again highlighting the powerof e-drums in combination with BFD2.

However, in the past, the biggest limitation whenusing e-drums with BFD2 live was the issue oflatency (the delay between gesture and sound). By

developing and refining the interconnectivity of eachdevice, (e-drums, Handsonic, controllers, interfaceand computer), latency is no longer an issue.Controversially, one of the world’s largest e-drummanufacturers informed me that latency isunavoidable with such a setup. However, inconjunction with the new application andinterconnectivity, I’ve been researching anddeveloping stick/finger gestures that allow thesimultaneous performance on the Roland TD-9 andthe Handsonic. These new gestural activities, incombination with the sonic enhancements, are nowforming and shaping my current performancepractices.

These performance practices have also allowed forthe integration of a DJ controller, giving rise to themost exciting development to date, the notion of a“DJ Drummer”. This concept has emerged throughthe gestural investigation of the research intosimultaneous performance of two instruments.Currently, I’ve developed a one-stick technique forthe right hand (e-drums) and a left-hand fingertechnique that performs the role of a percussionistand/or a DJ. The result of this concept is viewableon my YouTube Channel.

This set-up is also extremely versatile as I’mcurrently completing a meditation and a dancealbum.

NEW

Scan for more info


http://www.youtube.com/user/djdjdjdrum?feature=CAwQwRs%3D

Mal Green runs his own studio, Green SoundMusic, where he applies his skills as a composer,producer and engineer, drawing on hisexperience with New Zealand’s international hitband, Split Enz.

How I use e-drums


--PERFORMANCE--


DRUMS ARE THE foundation for any record andare one of the most difficult instruments to recordwell. To get a good drum sound from an acoustic kitin a studio is an art. You need a good-soundingroom, an experienced engineer, good microphonesand preamps, etc. – and still it can take a long timeto get a good drum sound.

This is where e-drums come in. They are the 21st

century tool for the drummer.

Recording your drum performance with MIDIcan certainly be a much easier and cheaperoption than using an acoustic kit.

If you start recording in MIDI rather thanaudio, it gives you a lot of flexibility from asound and editing point of view.

Recording with MIDI makes it very easyto tighten up your drum track andchange drum sounds after you haverecorded – a luxury you don’t alwayshave with audio recordings.

By recording with MIDI, you can replaceyour drums sounds and trigger any other plug-inusing the MIDI data of your drum performance.

You can use the data to trigger samplers, plug-ins orkeyboard module sounds. You can back up the dataof your drum sounds and dynamics in yourcomputer, so if you need to go back to the track atanother time, you can very easily.

I choose to use e-drums in my studio for a fewreasons: I am a drummer as well as composer ande-drums allow me to easily add drum tracks tocompositions on my own in the studio.

There are a number of practical aspects as well. E-drums are perfect for home practice and great forrehearsals, especially if the other band membersare plugged into a mixer which allows you to play asloud as you like through headphones withoutdisturbing anybody.

If you’re using speakers with your e-drums andplaying with other musicians who are usingamplifiers, it’s much easier to control the volume ofthe whole band - and get a really nice hi fi sound.

I come from the old school and have embracedtechnology, gaining a perspective and appreciationfor both sides of the coin.

I have chosen to mostly use e-drums in mydrumming world - even though I have a beautifulacoustic kit which I love to play. But the conditionshave to be right to really enjoy it.

Acoustic drums and e-drums are two different tools.It is a case of understanding which instrument isbest for the job.

Equipment listKit: Roland TD-30KV VST software: Superior DrummerDesk: Eight-channel MackieMonitoring: RCF 15” powered speakers

For more information, visit www.greensoundmusic.com.au



VSTVSTVST

VST Q&AE-drum guru John Emrich is back to answermore VST questions from readers, this timelooking at integration and swapping computers.

--vst--

VST

Q: I love VST sounds, but sometimes, I’d like touse my module sounds. Is it possible tocombine them?A: Absolutely. This is the key to an integratedsystem. In a studio, you want to have your electronicdrums communicating with your computer-basedrecording system. The best way is to have the MIDIinformation travelling both ways. The audio from themodule and the audio from any software you areusing should be available to you during production. Ijust finished putting together a video showing myset-up.I have been using Yamaha gear. The gear describedin the video is outstanding. If you want to use otherbrands, the concept is the same. You want anelectronic drum set sending and receiving MIDI toyour computer interface. You can use whatevermixer you choose to combine the audio from themodule with the computer-based samples. I preferthe 01V96I because I get exceptionally fastresponse and everything is digital via USB. There isno latency issue with this set-up. The fact that I have16 channels of analogue that can be routed to thecomputer is a big plus because now I can addacoustic drums, percussion and other musicalinstruments into the production. This exact samesystem then serves as my live rig. Everything isconsistent from job to job. When doing a show thatrequires a redundant system, I combine bothmodule and software. I’ve never had a crash, but(knocking wood) if I did, the module would carry meon through the gig.

Q: I followed your advice and saved my sampleson an external drive. However, I have switchedcomputers, and my VSTs can’t find the samplesnow.A: Most VST instruments involve two parts. Theprogram itself is usually on the system drive whilethe sample data is stored in another location. Whenyou get a new computer, you will need to authorisethe software for that new computer. Most VSTcompanies give you the ability to have a couple ofdifferent computers going at once. If you install on a

new computer, you just need to get authorisation forthat new machine. Once you have that taken careof, you will just need to line up the data paths to thesample data on that external drive. At that point, youmay need to authorise those sounds once more, butyou should not have to re-install all of that data. Forexample, in the case of BFD2, it will scan your datapath once you point to them in the preferencespage, under the data tab on the left. The licencemanager will then prompt you to take care of theauthorisation process. It doesn’t take that long to re-authorise a new system.

Q: I am using a Mac. For the best performance,should I use the native audio drivers ordownload ASIO drivers?A: Mac does not use ASIO. ASIO stands for AudioStream Input/Output and is normally found inWindows-based machines and some Linux-basedmachines. In a Mac environment, you are looking fordedicated drivers for the interface that you are usingor a Core Audio driver.

Q: I notice that some products offer multipleversions of the samples – VST, AU, RTAS, etc. If Ihave the option of choosing which to load,which should I choose?A: AU stands for Audio Units and is part of the CoreAudio system in Mac computers; VST stands forVirtual Studio Technology; RTAS stands for RealTime Audio Suite and is designed for Digidesignformats. These are different formats useddepending on the digital audio workstation programthat you are using and allow for programs to be runinside of other programs. With all of these, thechoice is simple: you take a look at the systemrequirements for the DAW you are using andchoose the same. It doesn’t hurt to install theprogram with all of these options included. Thesamples themselves have nothing to do with this;they are just the audio data used in the programitself.○ Send your VST questions to

[email protected] www.digitaldrummermag.com


http://youtu.be/ui9w-SOYs-g

Urban Drums by Acoustic SamplesAcoustic Samples has released another single-kit sample set aimed athip hop, neo soul or electro music productions. This kit comprises a 20”Yamaha bass drum, a 13” Tama metalwork piccolo snare, 12” and 16”toms, a 14” Zildjian medium crash, 14” Zildjian crash, 13” Paiste hi-hatand a 20” Zildjian jazz ride, all recorded with three mic positions. Thereare more than 2,000 samples, four round robins and up to 20 velocitylayers. Urban Drums comes with its own player (the UVI Workstation)that works in stand-alone and as VST, AU, RTAS, MAS plugins forWindows and Mac - in 32 and 64 Bits. As with all Acoustic Samplesproducts, you will, however, need an iLok dongle.Price: €69/$85Information: www.acousticsamples.net

Parallel Drums by MoReVoXParallel processing has been a popular studio technique for years, andMoReVoX takes full advantage of this in its latest release, ParallelDrums. By using parallel processing, this new library is able to createunique nuances, fully adjustable using Drumagog 5’s new room support.Parallel Drums uniquely substitutes the room sounds for three qualityparallel processings through the plugin mixer, using Compression,Exciter and Ambience. MoReVoX Parallel Drums contains 12 kicks, 12snares, tom set, two sidesticks and five cymbals with more than 1,500samples. MoReVoX Parallel Drums is based on real gear behaviour and,through the three controls, not only can you heavily change the tonalbalance, but also create thousands of new sounds. The samples areavailable in Drumagog and Drumxchanger formats.Price: $99 Information: www.morevox.com

BFD Eldorado by FXpansionThe latest expansion pack for BFD, Eldorado, features the sounds fromthe original BFD library recorded at Eldorado Studios in Burbank,California. Featuring a suite of seven vintage and modern kits andadditional snares, kicks and cymbals, the sound of BFD Eldorado isperfect for rock and other genres that benefit from an authentic, organic,‘live’ drum sound. There are seven kits, ranging from a 1961 Leedymahogany vintage kit to DW 1990s maple kit, with kick, snare, hi-hat, twoor three toms and up to three cymbals. In all, the pack contains 9 GB of24 bit, 44.1 kHz audio, recorded with $150,000 worth of microphones,preamps and converters. It’s a download-only product and works withBFD2, BFD Eco and BFD Eco DV.Price: $149.00, €109.00 or £95.00.Information: www.fxpansion.com

New products

digitalDRUMMER, NOVEMBER 2012 4`


48 www.digitaldrummermag.comdigitalDRUMMER, NOVEMBER 2012


RIM PROTECTORS ARE one of the key ingredients of silentdrumming. Essentially, they’re rubber casings used to shield thedrum rims from contact with sticks.

The options, like everything related to e-drums, are many andvaried.

At the most basic level, there are DIY hose solutions,mostly involving clear plastic pipe, split along the lengthand applied over the hoop. This method, generallyattributed to Jerry Langenfeld of Stealth Drums, isrelatively cheap, with regular 5 mm clear vinyl or black fuelpipe commonly used. It is unobtrusive in the case of fuel pipeor almost invisible with vinyl and does not adversely affectrim triggering. The only real disadvantage is that it’s not allthat easy to cut the pipe – and some skills (or special tools)are certainly required to do it neatly.

The next step up the sophistication ladder is rubber U-channel. This is widely available at rubber supply shops and auto-trimmers. The rubber channel is available in a variety of profiles andsizes, sold by the foot/yard/metre and is also reasonably affordable.It’s easy to cut to length and can be bonded with superglue. On thedownside, it’s hard to find profiles and sizes that perfectly match drumhoops, so the fit may not be snug and this can lead to a “mushy” feelunder the stick – and imperfect rim triggering.

--diy--

On guard:rims take cover


For a snug fit and better triggering, you need to go e-drum-readyU-channel. This has a profile and size combination that closely

approximates most regular drum hoops. The rubber trim issold as ready-made hoops or by the foot/metre by thelikes of UFO Drums and T-drum of Switzerland. It ismore expensive than “generic” U-channel, but it fitsbetter and doesn’t impede rim response.

And then there’s bespoke rim protection. This rubberproduct is actually shaped to exactly fit standarddrum hoops. It is generally sold as pre-made hoops,ready to be fitted. Some vendors sell it in linearpieces which are easy to cut, fit and join withsuperglue. Because of its profile-hugging form,the ends don’t necessarily need to be gluedtogether as the hoop holds the rubber in place.Produced by Pintech in the US and the likes of682Drums, Triggera and DDT in Europe,these protectors are generally moreexpensive than the other options, but lookperfect on the rim and produce even rimresponse. However, because of their snugfit, these rim guards are also the mostsusceptible to wear and tear – much likethe original trim on factory-madetriggers. Repeated striking in the samelocation, especially robust striking,can eventually take its toll on all rimguards – but more so with the tight-

fitting shaped versions. Finally, these guardsmay not fit irregular hoops with odd-sized flanges.

So, thanks to the innovation of DIYers, there are many optionsfor silencing rims – or replacing damaged silencers. All theproducts mentioned here do a good job of cutting down theclatter. Most are unobtrusive and either blend in or contrast withmost hoops. The majority stay in place and perform their sonic-reduction without impeding rim sensation, but the moreexpensive, custom-profile products probably have a slightadvantage in triggering evenness. But that often comes at aprice premium and with some loss of durability in extremeplaying.

If you have a DIY question orsuggestion, send it to

[email protected] for yourchance to win some

Stealth Drums DIY components.digitalDRUMMER, NOVEMBER 2012 43

Jerry’s

clear vi

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Small kit, low costbig impact

Those who say you can’t make a silk purse from a sow’s earhave not met Canadian Les Huffman. Les transformed adrab no-name acoustic kit into a cute electronic “looker”.

--diy--



HAVING BEEN A gigging drummer forapproximately 20 years in Sydney, Nova Scotia, myobsession with e-drums started only about fiveyears ago with a TD- 9 kit bought for practicepurposes. After about a year of ownership, I took itto a gig and have been hooked ever since.

The experience led me to convert my TamaStarclassic acoustic kit to e-drums and to upgradethe module to a TD-12. Since then, I have upgradedthe module to a TD-30 and now own three separatee-kits.

The latest kit is a budget build using the toms andsnare left over from a kit from which I took the bassdrum for my practice kit. I originally had no intentionof using the leftover toms as I was only interested inthe bass drum to replace a KD-120.

The kit was a no-name drum set purchased for amere $100 at a local pawn shop. I decided toconvert the remaining toms and snare into a smallkit to use at smaller venues. The sale of a KD-120covered all the additional costs for the heads,triggers, veneer and everything else required for thebuild. In the end, this kit only cost me the time Ispent to put it together - now that’s a budget build!

I started by removing the hardware and the factorywrap. I wanted to use the 14” x 5” snare drum as afloor tom, so I cut the 12” and 13” toms down to 5” tomatch. I converted the 16” floor tom into a bassdrum, cutting its shell down to 12” to conserve floorspace.

The floor tom legs were modified and I constructeda bass drum lift using a modified KD-8 kick drumtower.

I then installed an oak veneer (this is a very cheapalternative to traditional drum wrap) over all theshells and finished them with linseed oil. Afterinstalling an oak crossbar, painting the inside of theshells black andreinstalling the factoryhardware, they werefitted with Quartztriggers. Allthe toms aredual-zone.

This page: The donorshells, rewrapped andready; check out theveneer, the man behindthe project and a peak at the trigger.

Opposite: The finished kit in all its glory.



ALESIS KIT OWNERS have been limited to noisymylar heads and while many have been happy withthe triggering, there has been a strong push for aquieter playing surface.

Dutch DIY company 682Drums recently launched amesh head conversion kit which it claims cuts thestick noise by about 20 dB without negativelyaffecting triggering.

The kit consists of a trigger cone and a cardboarddisk.

According to a video on the company website,conversion takes 10 minutes, starting with theremoval of the Alesis head.

DIYers will then need to remove the three-layerAlesis triggering system and flip the sensor plate sothe piezo faces upwards.

The cardboard disk is then placed on top of thesensor plate, and a cone stuck on the piezo.

All that remains is for a mesh head to be fitted andthe hoop re-attached and tightened.

digitalDrummer didn’t test the kit, but the videomakes it look very easy, even for the craft-challenged among us.

The basic kit – cone and cardboard disk – sells forjust under $10 or €8. More elaborate packages are

available, including a set of three 8” mesh headsand two 10” heads together with five cones anddisks – all for $105 or €84.

682Drums also sells rim protectors to complete thetransformation and stresses that the system worksnot only with Alesis DM8 and DM10 pads, but withother Medeli mylar pads. The Medeli system is soldworldwide as entry-level kits under a range of brandnames and private labels.

Many Alesis owners have converted their own pads,retaining the reflection plate triggering system andreusing the existing parts. The process is, however,a bit more fiddly and time consuming.

New mesh system for DMs

--diy--


http://www.eareckon.com

Missed a review?Using the search function and the archive option, you cansearch the past three back issues* for any content, including

our reviews and head-to-head comparisons.

January 2010Reviews:

Yamaha DTX M-12Korg WavedrumRoland TD-8

Comparatives:Amps and Powered Speakers

April 2010Reviews:

Diamond Electronic Drums12” snareCrappy Triggers externaltriggersJman cymbal conversion kit

Comparatives:Mesh headsHeadphones

July 2010Comparatives:

External TriggersRacks

October 2010Reviews:

Roland HPD-10JamHub682Drums e-conversion kit

Comparatives:Double pedalsNotation software

February 2011Comparatives:

DrumsticksE-cymbals (stick noise)Cymbal VSTs

May 2011Review:

DrumIt Five 2box kitTuff Mesh

Comparatives:Auxiliary triggersE-cymbals (crashes)

August 2011Reviews:

Gen 16 AE cymbalsNative Instruments AbbeyRoad IVThe ClassicAddictive DrumsVirtually Erskine

Comparatives:Drop-in trigger kitsMesh headsIn-ear monitors

November 2011Reviews:

Pork Pie thronesStudio Drummer

Comparatives:E-snares

February 2012Reviews:

Midi Knights ProExtreme Drum Triggers kit

Comparatives:E-ridesMesh heads

May 2012Reviews:

ddrum Hybrid kitKorg Wavedrum MiniBFD Eco 1.5Platinum Studios RockLegends Quick Pack

Comparatives:Drumsticks

August 2012Reviews:

Roland TD-30KVRoland SPD-SXSteven Slade Drums 4.0r-drums conversion kit

Comparatives:Mesh Heads

*For reviews prior to Feb 2012,click here.

Here is a summary of our reviews to date:

Your definitive guide to e-drum gear


http://issuu.com/digitaldrummer

MyMONSTERMONSTERkit

The KitDrums:(2) Roland PD-80s(6) Roland PD-85s(2) Roland PD-100s(1) Roland PD-105(3) Roland PD-120s(1) Roland PD-125 (snare)(1) Roland KD-120(1) Roland KD-8Cymbals:(1) Smartrigger 8" splash(1) Smartrigger 10" splash(2) Smartrigger 13" crashes(1) Smartrigger 14" Chinas(2) Smartrigger 16" crashes(1) Smartrigger 16" three-zone ride/crash(2) Smartrigger 12" hi-hatsExtra Triggers:(8) Stealth Drum-inspired DIY cowbellsModules:(2) Roland TD-20 TWD-20 expanded (1) Roland SPD-20 Total Percussion Pad(1) Roland SPD-30 Octopad

(1) Roland HPD-15 Handsonic(1) Roland SP-404SX SamplerHardware:(3) Roland MDS-10 racks(1) Iron Cobra double bass pedal(1) Iron Cobra single bass pedal(1) DW 5000 hi-hat pedal stand(1) Roland FD-7 hi-hat controllerMixer:(1) Mackie 1642-VLZ3

Brian’s storyDrumming has been more of a hobby for me forsome 40-plus years, starting when my brothergot a cheap drum set for Christmas. My firstelectronic drum was a Synare 3 Syndrum whichran off a 9 v battery. Next, I scored a bunch ofTama Techstars (which I still have in the attic).In about 1997, I picked up the then-new RolandV-Drums with the TD-10. Since then, I'veadded several newer pads, Smartriggercymbals and a couple TD-20s. I've also got holdof a couple more Roland racks to hold all mynew toys.

It’s not only the pine trees that are big in Oregon. Brian Kiddof Portland has one of the biggest kits to grace these pages.

--gear--




Brian (above) with his Roland-based kit, powered by twoexpanded TD-20 modules.

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BUY & SELL DIY KITS


gearGuide

MESH HEADS AUXILIARY TRIGGERS

Taking mesh headsto the next level

The new three-plyBallistech II Mesh Heads are

qquuiieetteerr,, mmoorree rreessppoonnssiivvee aanndd ttoouugghheerr.Made to fit all acoustic drums in a

wide range of sizes - from 8” to 22”UUnnlliikkee aannyy hheeaaddss yyoouu’’vvee ttrriieedd bbeeffoorree,,tthhee BBaalllliisstteecchh IIII MMeesshh HHeeaaddss ppllaayy

aanndd ffeeeell lliikkee ttrraaddiittiioonnaall ddrruumm hheeaaddss..Perfect for silent practice or e-drumming

Available only fromBilly Blast Drums

www.billyblastdrums.com

Got gear to sell?We’ll buy your used e-drum gear for a greatprice with no messing around. Why waste time and money listing on eBay oryour local classifieds when we can seal the dealwith one call?Whole kits, single triggers, modules, hardware -we buy it all.Sell to someone who knows the market andguarantees a fair price and prompt payment.Email us at [email protected] if you’re looking to buy, go toour eBay store, jjdrumz. DRUM TRIGGERS AND MESH HEADS

CLICKHERE

.COM

COMCOM.

COM

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DNA M HSE H DAEEA S


http://www.ebay.com/sch/jjdrumz/m.html

http://www.682drums.com

http://www.crappytriggers.com

DIY KITS CUSTOM DRUMS

MESH HEADS CONVERSION KITS

gearGuide

DIY just got easier thanks to the new QuartzPercussions harness-mounted trigger system. The dual-zone model includes a 35mm triggermounted on an adjustableharness and a 35mm piezoconnected to a ¼” femalestereo jack. Mono versions and column-type shape triggers are alsoavailable for the easiestconversion of toms and bass drums.The harness system builds on the success of thereliable and popular Quartzcone triggers, precision-madefor perfect triggering.See us on YouTube or find outmore and place your orders atwww.quartzpercussions.com

Simply the bestSimply the best

www.stealthdrums.com

The leading DIY acoustic-to-electroniccymbal conversion kit is now availablein 2box versions.Stealth Drums’ popular kits can nowbe used for crashes and splashesand for the most responsive three-zone ride on the market.The kit contains all the parts you’ll needplus easy-to-follow instructions.

The best heads for electronic drumming, made by Aquarian Drumheads, are now available in Australia.Featuring Hart’s proprietary heavy-duty mesh, providing virtually silent operation.It’s a noticeable difference that you can feel.

To order in Australia, click here


Each one a masterpiece

24kt gold-plated hardware, DW clamps,2.3mm hoops, Camco lugs, designer bassclaws, gold jack sockets, iso rims, hi glossbubinga veneer on Finnish birch.

Forget the Gold Standard ...it’s the Diamond standard.

www.diamondelectronicdrums.comDEALER


http://youtu.be/lTeUHvwZ4RI

http://www.edrumarket.com/hart_heads.html

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To all the little drummer boys and girlsMay your holiday season be filled with rhythmsand blessed with beautiful beats.May your stockings overflow with drum goodies.Make music, be joyous and happy.And please support our advertisers by whose gracewe continue to inform, educate and entertain.Compliments of the season from digitalDrummer.

digitalDrummer is a combined effort, bringing together the expertise and experience of electronicdrummers, industry professionals and skilled writers. Here are some of the people who made thisedition happen ...

JOHN EMRICHJohn Emrich specialises in live and studio drumming, music production services,drum programming, original scores and arrangements, sound design and jingles,remote recording and event support, digital editing and mixing, and productdevelopment. Check out www.johnemrich.com, where you can find details of hisaward-winning sample libraries for the BFD2 platform and his detailed videos.

SCOTT HOLDERScott Holder is a former intelligence officer who now works in IT for the USDepartment of Transportation. Nine years of organ lessons and two of cello inchildhood didn’t prepare him for the world of electronic drumming 30 years later.Scott has performed on and helped produce an art rock CD and is part of anAlan Parsons Project tribute band, where he plays e-drums.

ALLAN LEIBOWITZAllan started digitalDrummer in 2010, applying his publishing experience andskills to his musical hobby. An award-winning reviewer, he enjoys putting all typesof gear through its paces, not only in the studio, but also in his role as a drummerin covers band City Limits. Besides degrees in Jounalism, Allan has an MBA andhas had extensive experience in business journalism.

ADAM MANNINGAdam Manning began study of the drum kit at the age of five. In 2003, Adamcompleted a Bachelor of Music in classical percussion and in 2004 completedresearch in the investigation of drum teaching methods at the University ofNewcastle Conservatorium of Music. He is currently doing a PhD on “digitalhybrid percussion” and his work can be seen on YouTube.

Give it up for the band ...--contributors--


Documents

digitalDrummer November 2012