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Yamaha DTX (silicone) Pad vs Roland Mesh pads.


Enigmatic

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Hey guys,
I am curious whether anyone here has tried both the DTX (TSC) pads and the Roland mesh pads.

I wish i had both the pads to compare side by side with the same sampler, unfortunately i dont. I am not a drummer, but i do know a thing or two on drums. I personally prefer the newer DTX Silicone pads over the mesh pads. The DTX silicone pads do not necessarily feel like mylar heads either, but with a little practice/compensation, you can get great results. As for mesh, i just find it too bouncy.

What are you opinions and experiences on these ePADs? Would love to hear.

Thanks.

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My experience comes from playing them side by side at Columbus Pro Percussion. I do not own either kit nor have I played on them live.

The silicone heads are fantastic. Really natural feel and the ability to adust the hardness is a slick touch. Both are more gentle on the wrist than those hockey puck-type pads; but like you, I find the mesh almost too bouncy.

If money is no object, I would take the DTX pads as my first choice.

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Thanks for the vote of confidence. IMHO Roland is a bit of a hype as well. They were the leaders once, but many are chipping in the ekit market. I pulled the trigger on the DTX kit, unfortunately, the drummer i am working with didn't like the pads on the first try. I am pretty sure he will appreciate it time as it does take some getting used to. I think the Yamaha DTX700 kit is a fantastic kit. I am hooking it up with SD 2.0, and will be recording some tunes with it soon.

Here'a pic of my baby. Yamaha Acoustic samples has to be one the best out of the box...

IMG_2972.jpg


Cheers.

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On a 2nd Thought the Alesis DM10 was also in my list. It has actual mylar heads, which is as close as you can get to the real deal, but the Alesis modules are buggy as hell. Mis-triggering, poor QA, plasticity hardware is only the beginning of a huge list of problems. I wish Alesis had better quality control. They are in the "good bang for the buck" market. They can and need to do better. The DM10 is still a good deal for 1K, as opposed to DTX790, which cost me 3K (after 10% discount). Can't complain though.

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Thanks Mel. It's nice to have an EKit that actually looks somewhat like a real drum.

I wish I could go the acoustic route, but can't do in my Townhome. I have seen your kit...that is a huge beast man... thumb.gif

Have you ever recorded with your kit? I am contemplating on an acoustic kit or probably a hybrid kit if ekit doesn't work out for recording. I will only have the snare and the plates mic'd and the rest of drums will be triggered by samples. It probably would be the way to go. Will know soon.

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The DTX pads are the bomb...very efficient and very natural feeling. The VDrums PDXs are a little trampoliny with too much spring, and the normal V Drum pads give a little too much for me. I am looking at a slew of other pads as well, so I'll let you know what I find out...

It's strange too because it's what you really get used to playing. I like the KD9 Roland kick pads because I played on a hard practice pad surface for so many years, that I don't like a lot of kick head bounce...go figure...

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Hey Carminemw...you pretty much nailed it. I actually dont like the snare on the DTX because I tune my acoustic snare with a slightly higher tension, but i can easily compensate on DTX pad with a little practice. The toms on the DTX pad seem perfect. It would be nice if Yamaha could allow the tension adjustments on these TCS pads. Maybe in future versions...who knows.. But either ways, I think the DTX pads feel more realistic than Roland mesh. I have seen plenty of good reviews on edrum forums as well.

I haven't tried Hart Dynamic pads. I think HD triggers are superior to Yamaha or Roland...but I could be wrong. The kits sure do look very nice though. Do Hart Dynamic use Mylar or Mesh? Any idea? Too bad none on the local music store carry HD ekits in stock.. bummer. Anyhoo...do update us on your findings.

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Ive got to completely disagree about the Alesis modules being buggy. The DM10 is solid, and a great brain against anything youll find under $1500. The best part of the Alesis pads though is that they take standard or mesh heads without trouble. All thats needed to use the mesh is to restack the trigger plate and foam pads so that the plate is in the middle and you are good to go, and you can use it like this with the real heads too.

The addition of the foam just behind the mesh on the Alesis kills a lot of that bouncy feeling I got from the Rolands.

In the end, I prefer something I can replace. Rolands mesh heads cost a fortune, and the Yamahas you have to replace the whole pad if some drunkard ever breaks it. With the Alesis, and standard head or mesh head (Like the cheap as hell Pearls!) will keep my pads like new for years and years.

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Merlin,
Maybe i was recalling Alesis synthesizers. Alesis QA isn't the greatest in the world, and their products are often a hit or miss. I have a friend who owns and loves his DM10. I have also read reviews on DM10 behaving badly. I dont know...but i might get one if i need to expand my kit. It does seem to come with a nice module at a great price ($999).

But you have to admit, the samples are horrible on the DM10 module....you probably have to tweak a lot to get a decent sound out of it...it shouldn't be that way. The DTX700 is great sounding module out of the box. Mostly Yamaha Acoustic kit samples.

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Quote Originally Posted by Enigmatic View Post
Merlin,
Maybe i was recalling Alesis synthesizers. Alesis QA isn't the greatest in the world, and their products are often a hit or miss. I have a friend who owns and loves his DM10. I have also read reviews on DM10 behaving badly. I dont know...but i might get one if i need to expand my kit. It does seem to come with a nice module at a great price ($999).

But you have to admit, the samples are horrible on the DM10 module....you probably have to tweak a lot to get a decent sound out of it...it shouldn't be that way. The DTX700 is great sounding module out of the box. Mostly Yamaha Acoustic kit samples.
I didnt spend any longer setting sounds and parameters on the DM10 than I did on the TD-20, or Yahamas and ddrums Ive played on. I think pretty much anyone making a module over $500 or so, and not called Simmons makes a decent kit these days. Its no longer rocket science.

I dont know of anyone that makes a module that has my drums on it, so replacing samples is pretty norm Id say.
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