Question Re: Drum Set

[mrslid]

I just got Rock Band this weekend for Mother's Day and was surprised when I set up the drums to see they looked different than the set I'd been playing at my friends house. The pads had sort of a rubbery feel to them unlike my friends. At first I was excited thinking I'd gotten some sort of new and improved set until I played them. I was getting in the high 90's on medium on my friends set only playing there a couple times and then I try out my own set and was only getting low 80's on easy. What the heck!! So I checked underneath the set and low and behold it is the EL model I'd read so much about and assumed wasn't being sold anymore since there were the QM models now which must be what my friend has.

My set is missing hits especially on the red drum. I even have to hit the pads more than once when using the drums to navigate the menus because it doesn't register. I'm not an aggresive player and when playing harder then I want to it;s still missing so I requested a RMA last night.

Is that why the QM's are so hard and loud because that's required for the sensitivity? I ordered a set of MCU drum pads from DrumSoft before I got Rock Band thinking my set would be a QM set in order to reduce the noise.

So is it true I may receive another EL set from my RMA?? There are 3 models of drums out there now but they are all still in circulation??? What's the deal?

Christa

[Phane7]

Not all EL's are bad. A lot of the things you hear about EL's are from people who assume that because the QM's are generally more sensitive that they are in some way superior. Personally, I think that's a mistake, considering that I don't know of anyone who has had a set of QM's that would roll properly without having some kind of pad or other modification made to it. EL's typically work fine 'out of the box'. It sounds like your EL's are bad, though.

You can RMA them and see if you get a set of QM's. If you got the thin MCU pads, they should work great on the EL's, anyway, if you get a working set of EL's back. If you get a better than average set of EL's back, even the thick MCU pads should still work.

[mrslid]

I did purchase the thick MCU pads. I will be happy with a set of EL's as long as they are good. I am a pretty gentle drummer though so hopefully a good set would be sensitive enough. I can't believe how some people beat on the drums!! My husband scares me when he tries to do it LOL. Which has only been twice since he just can't seem to get it and gets very frustrated.
I will be positive and won't knock it till I try it. I don't care what version they are as long as they work.

[Phane7]

My EL's have a double layer set of foam rubber pads on them and they'll register hits when I hold the tip 3" over them and let my wrist go limp. If that's sensitive enough for you, you probably won't 'need' QM's.

[mrslid]

Yeah there definately must be something wrong with them if they are not registering hits while navigating the menus. I'm certainly hitting them a heck of a lot harder than that. I can't see needing more sensitivity then what you are describing. Thanks.

[jeffisc001]

EL sets are inferior. Don't listen to people who don't play expert or for leaderboards. I have played each set and the QM is the way to go.

[Orion.Rock]

I just bought a new set today and ended up with EL's I had Qm's before but they wore out and cracked and all that and I modded them like 100 times but they just wouldent cooperate. So yeh the new EL's are garbage and dont resgister alot of notes ill try some coin mods but yeh I am getting sick of trying to fix the drums.

[mrslid]

UGH I just got my new drums today and it's another EL set. Is it even worth unpacking them and trying them to see if they are better? What do I do? Are there more expert level players out there that agree with jeffisc001's opinion that they are definately inferior?

[Libby]

UGH I just got my new drums today and it's another EL set. Is it even worth unpacking them and trying them to see if they are better? What do I do? Are there more expert level players out there that agree with jeffisc001's opinion that they are definately inferior?

I have an EL set, and it works fine. I may not be the best drummer in the world, but I do play on expert during many of the "classic rock" songs. It's worth a shot, pull them out and try them.

Besides, what could it really hurt?

[mrslid]

Yeah I've already set the new ones up and the old ones are all ready to ship back. Now I just have to wait for a time my baby is co-operating so I can try them out ;)

[Phane7]

If you have wonderwall, a good way to test it out is to go into practice mode and select only the guitar solo part at 50% speed. It's a long stretch with no drums at all so you can just go nuts with a few rolls and see if it drops hits or registers double hits. It usually takes me about 30 seconds to figure out if the drum set is good or not when I do this.

[mrslid]

OK this may sound dumb but I've only had RB for less than 2 weeks and I've actually been wondering. How are the rolls done on RB? I mean they can't expect you to keep a certain pace once it gets fast enough...or do they? How do you know how fast. I play on medium and some songs on hard. I don't think I've come across any real rolls? Just some pretty quick together sections that I don't think qualified. I hear people talking about dropping rolls and double hits in rolls but how do I tell? Will I knowwhen I come across it? Thanks!!
This set does seem to work better than the last so far.

[Phane7]

Just alternate between your left and your right hand on the same pad as quickly as you can while maintaining a steady rhythm. Even if you're not doing it as fast as a real drummer can, it should be fast enough that the drum head is still vibrating when the next hit comes and that'll expose any tendency of the kit to have issues on rolls.

A double hit will sound like two really fast hits that are obviously much faster than you were rolling. A dropped note will sound like a pause in the roll.

If it works perfectly on a roll, there's no reason that it won't on single notes.

[mrslid]

So how do you know in the game when it's asking for a roll. Anytime they are really close together or does it look different somehow? If they are practically next too each other (which I have seen) then I don't have to keep a certain time I can just roll or is it something I haven't come across yet?
Thanks!!!!