Seems as if playing heel up is causing people to break their pedal...

[Tenacious_B]

I play heel down but from what I've seen & heard, it's people playing heel up that's breaking the pedal. The in-game tutorial shows the heel down method and I'm not sure the pedal is meant for playing heel up because applying that much pressure may snap the pedal. I'm not willing to risk it and play just fine heel down on expert.

[Ninjalotus]

bass pedal is still messin with me, workin my way through hard atm. I noticed that when i switched it backwards to try heel up, the most natural spot for my heel was righ at the flexing point just down from the spring. sounds plausible that this may be whats doing it.

[Gamatronics]

Mmmmm that sucks, I'm a real drummer and on a real drum set I play heel up (since in real life, you actually need to punch it hard in order to make some noise), but on RB all you need to do is press it and it registers, but sometimes specially on the fast pedal stuff my drummer instinct kicks in and I can't help myself to put my heel down, I hope mine doesn't break.... all I can do is hope.:p

[Vengeance]

my friend broke his bass pedal so we fixed it with shoe goo and tape now it works fine but sometimes it doesnt read it. so when i play drums i just tap the bass pedal with my big toe but after doing that for awhile it starts to hurt

[ManOwaR]

Playing heel up properly doesn't apply huge force down on the pedal actually. You dont even need it to hit the bottom once you are in rhythm.

[Bakkster]

Playing heel up properly doesn't apply huge force down on the pedal actually. You dont even need it to hit the bottom once you are in rhythm.

Which would be the problem, wouldn't it? ;)

If you give someone a complex task they are unfamiliar with and need to complete urgently (such as playing the kick in RB) they are probably going to use unneeded force.

[dragulaAC]

I play heel down and can tell that my pedal won't be breaking anytime soon from it. Where I apply the pressure to push down, the pedal won't break that high up on it. Maybe it is from heel up when you go down you may occasionally be pressing down closer to the middle of the pedal, where it seems to be breaking for everyone.

However, playing heel down, I'm not very good at the faster bass beats. I'm really trying to not resort to going heel up with this pedal.

[MJDoja]

the fact that the pedal and drum kit are all cheap pieces of ****, anybody who treats them like a real drum set will end up with broken hardware.

yellow pad is now DOA half the time (after playing fall out boy, no less)
bass pedal snapped cuz its plastic thats got no reinforcement

you can try using your sock or barefoot if thats comfortable for you, after after playing expert or hard a buncha times in the later tiers, your pedal might not break since youre being delicate.

tom sawyer + shoes + heel up = BROKEN PEDAL hahaha

[MrNazraq]

I can't imagine playing the kick drum with my heel down. It would probably make my shin muscles cramp up.

Also, I need to play heel-up if I'm ever going to get those quick double-bass hits. I think they're 1/8th beats or something. And even then they're still tough.

I play without shoes, though. I'm Asian and we always take our shoes off before going into the house. I would be uncomfortable wearing shoes on the carpet...

[Eastwood]

Considering that playing heel up is how you play in IRL. As longs as the balls of your feet and pressure are on the orange line, your pedal won't break.

[macafied]

Considering that playing heel up is how you play in IRL. As longs as the balls of your feet and pressure are on the orange line, your pedal won't break.

In theory... but not true. that's how i play and mine broke right at the orange line. I just fixed it with a couple metal brackets and bolts. Works great.

[Eastwood]

In theory... but not true. that's how i play and mine broke right at the orange line. I just fixed it with a couple metal brackets and bolts. Works great.

Well, there goes that theory, then. Mine fealt solid at that point

[ShroominWITfurl]

I can't imagine playing the kick drum with my heel down. It would probably make my shin muscles cramp up.

Also, I need to play heel-up if I'm ever going to get those quick double-bass hits. I think they're 1/8th beats or something. And even then they're still tough.

I play without shoes, though. I'm Asian and we always take our shoes off before going into the house. I would be uncomfortable wearing shoes on the carpet...


HAHAHA after u said ur asain ur name made so much more sense.

[macafied]

Mine felt solid for the first week too. then it started to feel 'weird' and finally cracked. I figured screw it I'll fix it myself. If I sent for a new one it would end breaking anyway.

[Bluvox]

Which would be the problem, wouldn't it? ;)

If you give someone a complex task they are unfamiliar with and need to complete urgently (such as playing the kick in RB) they are probably going to use unneeded force.

I think there is a disconnect on "heel up" and "heel down" between folks. Are some folks turning the pedal around and placing their whole foot on the pedal while backwards?!?

I get from "heel up" that only the ball of your foot is on the orange stripe on the pedal, beyond the spring and thus beyond the "flex point". There is a noticeable flex point between the spring and the bottom hinge that is weak, without any force you can feel it bend slightly while the pedal all the way down flat-footed. It's a stress point on the plastic because of the spring and the hinge, and with plastic that means it'll break. If they had used Lexan or reinforced the plastic with a rebar it probably wouldn't have been an issue.

But I'm pretty sure "heel up" doesn't mean to be pressing the button with your heel, and the pedal to be backwards. It's just a style of pressing a pedal without using the heel of your foot for leverage.

[Hanover]

I suspected this is what was breaking bass pedals....rather than you applying force evenly along the pedal, you are only putting force at the top, thus causing it to bend over time until it's weakened enough and breaks.

The guy in that video who's pedal broke was playing heel up.


But I'm pretty sure "heel up" doesn't mean to be pressing the button with your heel, and the pedal to be backwards. It's just a style of pressing a pedal without using the heel of your foot for leverage.

[kleners]

I actually play with the pedal mre under me and my foot high up on the pedal. actually i wrap my toes over the edge of the top. this has given me a nice feel and i have had no issues slamming out double bass since release. no cracks creaks or breaks.

DAMM YOU LARS ULRICH!!!!

[des]

i don't play expert just because the crappy pedal doesn't respond right. heels down is the only way it works right and i play fast heels up double pedals in real life. when i try to play heels up , i find myself stomping on the pedal instead of using momentum(spelling?). i heard of peeps using a head phone splitter to use double pedals but I've also tried using two feet on one pedal. the way the pedal springs back allows me to use both feet. i wonder if i made a mod that widened the pedal ?

[CENACHAINGANG54]

Mmmmm that sucks, I'm a real drummer and on a real drum set I play heel up (since in real life, you actually need to punch it hard in order to make some noise), but on RB all you need to do is press it and it registers, but sometimes specially on the fast pedal stuff my drummer instinct kicks in and I can't help myself to put my heel down, I hope mine doesn't break.... all I can do is hope.:p

I am also a drummer played for over 30 years and I am with you on this one. My natural instinct kicks in on the bass drum parts as well as hearing where extra bass drum beats should be. This is why I have to play all parts on expert for the natural feel of the song

[RX King]

About getting fatigue on your calves while playing heel down: can't you use your thigh muscles while playing in this position? You just have to lift your leg while keeping your foot on the pedal. I can play this way for quite a while before feeling anything.

But yes, it does seem to make sense that people are breaking their pedals from heel up drumming. You don't need to slam the thing!