OT: I'm about to get a proper digital drum finally!

[Jkater]

Sorry for the OT topic but at the drum forum, I'll be laughed out the internet for showing them what they'll undoubtedly consider just a little toy.

 

I've been researching a lot and at my humble price point, Alesis seems to offer the best value. I'm hesitating between the DM8 prokit and the DM10 studio kit. Both are rather affordable as far as e-drums go. Any experience with them?

 

DM8 : 600 euros

 

DM10: 800 euros

 

[cbh5150]

Richard, FYI I just took delivery on a DM8, but haven't opened the box yet , and may not be able to for a few days .

 

FWIW, I did a lot of research as well, and it seems that the reviews of the "real-head" pads (as found on the DM10) are mixed; there are many who say the surface is very stiff, has almost no rebound, and causes hand fatigue much quicker that foam/rubber or mesh heads .

[DaleH]

Don't hurt yourself...jk Listened to a guy playing in a local shop. Technology has come a lomg way. I was surprized how good the cymbals sounded.

[Jkater]

Richard, FYI I just took delivery on a DM8, but haven't opened the box yet , and may not be able to for a few days . FWIW, I did a lot of research as well, and it seems that the reviews of the "real-head" pads (as found on the DM10) are mixed; there are many who say the surface is very stiff, has almost no rebound, and causes hand fatigue much quicker that foam/rubber or mesh heads .

 

I read that also. I wonder if playing with the tension of the head could alliviate that a bit. They are adjustable ("tunable") like a real head. and I heard there are sticks that are designed to absorb some of the impact.

[Arr0wHead]

Just switch to mesh heads. I have the same Alesis drums, I've switched out all the heads for 2 ply mesh. Silent, and feels great.

 

Also, check out DMdrummer.com . Lot of information on these kits.

 

Here's mine:

 

[DaveAronow]

Richard, our drummer uses electronic drums for 90% of all our shows. They are easy to set up, transport, enable us to play quieter on stage when we want to and oh yeah, they ALWAYS sound perfect.

 

Anyway, one way he found to deal with the hand and arm fatigue caused by hitting the rubber pads, is he swears by some sticks he uses, I don't know much about them , guess I can ask him, but the sticks have a rubber core through them and the rubber absorbs most of the shock from the hits. He has a bad torn shoulder that never healed right and used to not be able to play more than a few songs before a lot of pain set in. He said those sticks chAnged his life. He can play four hours a night seven days a week and it doesn't bother him at all. He tried switching back to regular sticks every once in awhile and the pain always comes right back.

 

Don't know if this is any use to you, but something to keep in mind if you develop some sort of pain or fatigue.

[mistersully]

Just switch to mesh heads. I have the same Alesis drums, I've switched out all the heads for 2 ply mesh. Silent, and feels great. Also, check out DMdrummer.com . Lot of information on these kits. Here's mine:

 

holy cymbals batman

[Jkater]

Richard, our drummer uses electronic drums for 90% of all our shows. They are easy to set up, transport, enable us to play quieter on stage when we want to and oh yeah, they ALWAYS sound perfect. Anyway, one way he found to deal with the hand and arm fatigue caused by hitting the rubber pads, is he swears by some sticks he uses, I don't know much about them , guess I can ask him, but the sticks have a rubber core through them and the rubber absorbs most of the shock from the hits. He has a bad torn shoulder that never healed right and used to not be able to play more than a few songs before a lot of pain set in. He said those sticks chAnged his life. He can play four hours a night seven days a week and it doesn't bother him at all. He tried switching back to regular sticks every once in awhile and the pain always comes right back. Don't know if this is any use to you, but something to keep in mind if you develop some sort of pain or fatigue.

 

Thanks! This is a most useful information. I will definitely invest in those sticks no matter how much they cost (can't be that expensive). Your drummer and I have this in common: I had a bad injury six years ago. Broke the collarbone in three pieces, broke two ribs and damaged some ligaments in my shoulder. This left me rather weak on the left side. It even bothers me for playing guitar. Playing the drum simply as a hobbyist (no long gigs at all) will actually help me a bit building some stamina and relieve some stress... Plus, being reasonably talented rhythmically, it might be an aweful lot of fun. Might even do a MrSully thing and put cool BT's together for the folks here.

 

Here's a nice pic of me following that accident.

 

 

 

Again, thanks, Dave for the tip.

[cephus]

I bought a DM5 used several years ago for $175 at music go round. After recording real drums and having them sound like {censored}, I can deal with adjustment in technique to i can have some decent sounds for once. I record with a real snare, real hi-hat and I converted a bass drum pedal into this trigger:

 

[nightflameauto]

The sticks you guys are talking about are likely Zildjian Trigger Sticks. I picked up a couple pairs for use with my DM6 kit. They make a HUGE difference if you play for more than fifteen minutes or so at a time. Hand fatigue almost non-existent with these.

[Arr0wHead]

Again - if you convert to mesh heads the problem is solved. More bounce, less impact, unless you have the technique of a caveman you'll be okay. There's actually less impact than playing my actual drumkit. The reason these kits don't already come with mesh heads is because Roland patented them for sale in the US. So no other company can ship their product with mesh heads without paying a fee to Roland.

 

But it's an easy conversion. The heads I use cost me $50 for the entire kit. I bought them on ebay, and the seller even includes thicker foam to replace the foam inside your drums as well. PM me if you'd like a link to the seller. You can use any mesh head. Just unscrew, swap foam, swap the heads, and you're done. It took me 20 minutes to swap out the entire kit. As for the feel - go smack your screen door with a drumstick. It's kinda like that, but much tighter/bouncier.

 

These special drumsticks are aimed more at the hard rubbery pads - i.e. the old dm5 kits or the cheaper Roland kits. It doesn't apply to the kits you're looking at. You'll save your shoulder more with light sticks and mesh heads.

[mnewb1]

I have been very tempted to get an electronic drum kit in the past but I am already taking piano lessons and working on fiddle all the while trying to not forget what my guitars look like. I think it's midi drums on the synth for me for now.

[Jkater]

 

Again - if you convert to mesh heads the problem is solved. More bounce, less impact, unless you have the technique of a caveman you'll be okay. There's actually less impact than playing my actual drumkit. The reason these kits don't already come with mesh heads is because Roland patented them for sale in the US. So no other company can ship their product with mesh heads without paying a fee to Roland. But it's an easy conversion. The heads I use cost me $50 for the entire kit. I bought them on ebay, and the seller even includes thicker foam to replace the foam inside your drums as well. PM me if you'd like a link to the seller. You can use any mesh head. Just unscrew, swap foam, swap the heads, and you're done. It took me 20 minutes to swap out the entire kit. As for the feel - go smack your screen door with a drumstick. It's kinda like that, but much tighter/bouncier. These special drumsticks are aimed more at the hard rubbery pads - i.e. the old dm5 kits or the cheaper Roland kits. It doesn't apply to the kits you're looking at. You'll save your shoulder more with light sticks and mesh heads.

 

 

I first thought that swapping to mesh heads would cost me an arm and a leg but I found these and they are suprisingly cheap. http://www.thomann.de/de/cat.html?gf=e-drum_meshheads&oa=pra

 

so the triggering won't be negatively affected if I swapped the head? Also, what do you mean with swapping the foam? (sorry, I have no clue about these things). do i need to buy more than the heads? Thanks a bunch!

 

I'll probably still get those sticks. Anything that adds confort and safety will be welcome. The mylar "realheads" of the Alesis is supposed to be loud and that is a minus for me. quieter mesh heads would really be a huge plus.

[Arr0wHead]

 

I first thought that swapping to mesh heads would cost me an arm and a leg but I found these and they are suprisingly cheap. http://www.thomann.de/de/cat.html?gf=e-drum_meshheads&oa=pra so the triggering won't be negatively affected if I swapped the head? Also, what do you mean with swapping the foam? (sorry, I have no clue about these things). do i need to buy more than the heads? Thanks a bunch!

 

 

Without getting too far into it, the alesis trigger via a piezo that is mounted to a rigid plate. Above that plate is a layer of cheap CHEAP foam. The drum head rests on the foam. This way, the impact on the head depresses the foam, which vibrates the plate and triggers the piezo on the underside. When changing out heads, most people choose to use a better and more dense foam in place of the stuff that comes installed. It makes the triggering better.

 

Those heads you link to are gonna cost you $10 a pop for single ply mesh heads.

 

This guy will set you up with the foam and heads you need for your entire kit for $50. The heads are homemade 2-ply heads. Very durable, great feel. And the foam and heads are pre-sized to fit your Alesis kit. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Alesis-DM10-Pro-kit-Mesh-Drum-Heads-/320820586424?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ab265a7b8

 

As for those sticks, as I said they're aimed at hard rubber pads. The problem is, that foam core will make them heavier than a very light set of sticks. They're not meant to relieve weight, they're meant to absorb impact. The mesh heads will already do this job for you, so you may find a good light set of sticks (I use a hickory 5A) might do you much more good than the foam core sticks. I used to use a similar product, Zildian silent tips. They are rubber sheaths that fit over the head of the stick. They added weight, and threw off the balance of the sticks. It made me hit harder, use bad technique, and in the end did more damage than good. I changed to mesh heads and it solved all my problems, noise wise. And a light stick and proper technique (look up moeller technique) will alleviate most hand, wrist, and shoulder stress for you.

 

 

 

And yes, the mylar "real heads" are very noisy. Also, the "SURGE" cymbals that come with some kits are incredibly noisy. They trigger better, and play great, but the stick noise is loud. The rubber DM style cymbals like you posted are much quieter. I switched from all surge cymbals to the less expensive DM pads for this reason.

[Jkater]

 

Without getting too far into it, the alesis trigger via a piezo that is mounted to a rigid plate. Above that plate is a layer of cheap CHEAP foam. The drum head rests on the foam. This way, the impact on the head depresses the foam, which vibrates the plate and triggers the piezo on the underside. When changing out heads, most people choose to use a better and more dense foam in place of the stuff that comes installed. It makes the triggering better. Those heads you link to are gonna cost you $10 a pop for single ply mesh heads. This guy will set you up with the foam and heads you need for your entire kit for $50. The heads are homemade 2-ply heads. Very durable, great feel. And the foam and heads are pre-sized to fit your Alesis kit. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Alesis-DM10-Pro-kit-Mesh-Drum-Heads-/320820586424?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ab265a7b8 As for those sticks, as I said they're aimed at hard rubber pads. The problem is, that foam core will make them heavier than a very light set of sticks. They're not meant to relieve weight, they're meant to absorb impact. The mesh heads will already do this job for you, so you may find a good light set of sticks (I use a hickory 5A) might do you much more good than the foam core sticks. I used to use a similar product, Zildian silent tips. They are rubber sheaths that fit over the head of the stick. They added weight, and threw off the balance of the sticks. It made me hit harder, use bad technique, and in the end did more damage than good. I changed to mesh heads and it solved all my problems, noise wise. And a light stick and proper technique (look up moeller technique) will alleviate most hand, wrist, and shoulder stress for you. And yes, the mylar "real heads" are very noisy. Also, the "SURGE" cymbals that come with some kits are incredibly noisy. They trigger better, and play great, but the stick noise is loud. The rubber DM style cymbals like you posted are much quieter. I switched from all surge cymbals to the less expensive DM pads for this reason.

 

 

Wow, this just fits the bill. He has also the set for the studio kit i intend to buy. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Alesis-DM10-Studio-kit-Mesh-Heads-/220922265570?_trksid=p4340.m444&_trkparms=algo%3DPI.WATCH%252BCRX%26its%3DC%252BS%26itu%3DUCC%252BSI%252BUA%252BLM%252BLA%26otn%3D5%26po%3D%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D5890407441710693122

 

I understand that he ships to Europe as well.