# Best Digital Drum Set/Input Device for MIDI Percussion



## imagegod (Mar 20, 2018)

Title says it all: I'm looking for the Best Digital Drum Set/Input Device for MIDI Percussion. However...

I'm also looking for a fairly large range in prices. Probably nothing more than 1K US.

Also, I'm not sure it makes a difference (to the device), but I'm not a drummer. Just someone who finds inputting percussion much more intuitive via drum sticks.

Thanks all!


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## imagegod (Mar 27, 2018)

No digital drummers out there? Oh well, no worries mate.

I'll try somewhere else...


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## Nick Batzdorf (Mar 27, 2018)

I don't know about drum kits, but I played a Keith McMillen Bop Pad at NAMM last year and it was great. It's sensitive enough to play with your fingers really lightly, but you can play it with sticks and it's fast enough to pick up buzz rolls.

The release was delayed, I think, but they're available now.

Thanks for reminding me!


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## leon chevalier (Mar 27, 2018)

imagegod said:


> No digital drummers out there? Oh well, no worries mate.
> 
> I'll try somewhere else...


I think this forum is full of keyboard drummers... But real drummers?


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## imagegod (Mar 28, 2018)

I wasn't looking for 'real' drummers per se...I'm definitely not a 'real' drummer...I just prefer inputting percussion using drumsticks. Bop-pad looks interesting...thanks all!


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## Will Wilson (Mar 29, 2018)

I use a Roland TD9-KX2, I didn't buy it for Orchestral or scoring but for triggering Superior Drummer but works well with Orch stuff too.


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## imagegod (Mar 29, 2018)

Cool...thanks!


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## mjsalam (Apr 1, 2018)

I just recently did a bit of digging in this area. Heres what (I think) I know:

Roland, Yamaha, Alesis are the brands I see most commonly. And I would rank them in that order if price were not a factor. They all have different models running from the cheap to the pro. The Alesis Nitro seems to be the most popular budget entry level...but if you can spend more you should consider it. Here are the things I think are most important to be aware of when looking:


rubber pads vs mesh. Mesh is way better. Feels much more natural. Try to at least have a mesh snare
zones. zones in pads will determine what the can be triggered by a single pad (eg. Snare/rimshots)
can cymbals be choked
kick is a pedal with backboard vs just a pedal. Just pedal is quiet but so awkward and unnatural.
size (depends on your tolerance really)
I didn't really care about on board sounds - but midi connectivity is important
Those are the primary things that I can think of. I was renting a Roland TDK something or other for a little while and it was fantastic. Loved playing it. But was too much to buy. I ended.up getting a used Yamaha dtk400 for really cheap. It has none of the things I just said were important but then I didn't have your budget. Nonetheless it serves me well enough for practice and midi input.

Hope any of this proves helpful.


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## imagegod (Apr 1, 2018)

Thanks all, much appreciated!


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## Nick Batzdorf (Apr 1, 2018)

Qualification for why I liked the BopPad: I actually was a real drummer back in the day, one who totally sucked compared to a professional studio drummer (especially if you turned off the click) - however I was good at orchestral percussion.

So the reason for me to use pads rather than just banging in parts on the keyboard is because you can't play things like buzz rolls that way. And forget about tapping with your fingertips.

I do have a DrumKat, but it has the same problem most drum pads have: it doesn't respond to very soft hits. Its foot pedals are very good (the HatKat and KickKat), but the pads are just nowhere near sensitive enough for me.

It would be cool to have a good mallets controller too, but the MalletKat and Xylosynth are priced in the crazy range.


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## shsCT (Apr 2, 2018)

Drummer before Composer here. 

This may bear a lot more information than I can post at the moment... but somewhat short version:

We just built a new hybrid acoustic/electric percussion room here at the studio. Mic'd acoustic drumkit surrounded by Roland pads; a Roland Handsonic; Nord Drum 2; original (the un-obtanium one) Korg Wavedrum; mic'd up percussion area next to shelves of percussion; additional Roland pads setup as melodic trigger instruments; an obscenely large mic'd Grand Casa; all routed into a dedicated Ableton rig with looping triggers everywhere. My new favorite playpen.  

At a separate rig (different room) we have a couple Nord 3P's and a Roland SPD-S. Anyways, we've recently spent a lot of time playing around with various drum triggers/triggering.

I had a Roland TD-8 driving the drum pads which we just swapped out for a used TD-12; a little more flexibility with the TD-12 and fairly reasonable used prices atm. In this room, the Roland V-drum setup is also triggering the Nord Drum 2 through midi as well as itself (local off), as well as VI drums/drumracks inside Ableton. 

Latency (at least for a drummer used to actual drums) can be a real issue - so your computer's audio buffer setting is going to have a very apparent effect (and far more so if you're doing what we are, triggering the external drum brains via a round trip midi route). Anything more than 256 is pretty hard to groove with (and 128 is really as far as we could go). As far as the various options that we could use for midi triggers here, the V-Drums probably win (but we have a couple old (cheap) Roland PD-6's that work surprisingly fine as well). If you're triggering internal VI's etc, it's only half the latency trip - and so not ~as much~ of an issue. Still , something to be aware of. Going the internal/VI route, the Roland V-drums as triggers are pretty unbeatable for a "drumming" experience. Additionally, if you're triggering the V-drum brain locally and simply recording the audio (not the midi performance), the feel is fantastic; though the V-Drum internal sounds are not always the sounds you want - that's why we've set it up the other way.

However, if I was going to recommend one drum pad to someone wanting to add some drum-style performance options into their rig, it would be HANDS DOWN the Nord 3P. The feel and pad sensitivity on those is unbelievable when you're triggering the internal sounds directly (through midi, they will be subject to the same issues above - but still likely at least equal to anything else). The internal sounds - though much more electronic than acoustic - are very cool. Only six pads, but IMHO, a really unique instrument.

Hmm, well that turned out to be the somewhat _long _version...


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## Michael Antrum (Apr 12, 2018)

I've just bought a second hand V-Drum Mesh kit for my son from ebay. I'm a pianist, not a drummer, but by God they're the most excellent therapy.......

Apparently you can connect them up to EZ-Drummer, Battery etc..... Going to try that when I get a bit of time....


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## Synetos (Apr 26, 2018)

+1 on the BopPad. I bought it to replace using a Cajon, live. We are triggering Addictive Drums samples and it works flawlessly.

I just ordered a ATV aDrums extended eDrum kit for my studio. I had the Roland TD30kv, but only had one drummer who wanted to play it. I am not a drummer, but sure do love to have an electronic kit for band rehearsals.

The ATV is real drum shells with mesh heads. I can add real skins and a cymbal pack and it would be a purely analog kit. I am looking forward to hearing how it sounds and how the drummers I know like playing it.


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## D Halgren (Apr 26, 2018)

Nick Batzdorf said:


> Qualification for why I liked the BopPad: I actually was a real drummer back in the day, one who totally sucked compared to a professional studio drummer (especially if you turned off the click) - however I was good at orchestral percussion.
> 
> So the reason for me to use pads rather than just banging in parts on the keyboard is because you can't play things like buzz rolls that way. And forget about tapping with your fingertips.
> 
> ...


https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...adjustable-range-electronic-mallet-controller


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## guydoingmusic (Apr 26, 2018)

This is probably a little more than you are wanting to spend... but...

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...-5-piece-electronic-drum-set-matte-black-mist


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## Nick Batzdorf (Apr 26, 2018)

D Halgren said:


> https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...adjustable-range-electronic-mallet-controller



Nice... but it looks to me like the problem is the same as with their Roli-like keyboard: the keys are too narrow.

And mallet players are likely to want graduated bars - at least I would - even though they're only necessary on real vibes or marimbas. It's muscle memory.

Dunno. The more I think about it, the more I realize that a regular keyboard is a better *controller.* What I probably miss is a real vibraphone and marimba!

And for them I'd have to add on to our house.

But I do intend to pick up a BopPad.


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## D Halgren (Apr 26, 2018)

Nick Batzdorf said:


> Nice... but it looks to me like the problem is the same as with their Roli-like keyboard: the keys are too narrow.
> 
> And mallet players are likely to want graduated bars - at least I would - even though they're only necessary on real vibes or marimbas. It's muscle memory.
> 
> ...


Ah, I see. Just thought you might like it since it has the same KM material as the BopPad. I have a BopPad and I love it. Might even pick up another.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Apr 26, 2018)

D Halgren said:


> Ah, I see. Just thought you might like it since it has the same KM material as the BopPad.



No no, I appreciate your pointing it out.

I probably would like it, and it's nice to see a mallet controller that's priced within reason. But opening up my wallet and parting with $1K is a different standard.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Apr 26, 2018)

By the way, vibraphones don't always have graduated-width bars, just length. But those aren't in the right place.


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