Can Ion drums be fitted with mesh heads?

[karmajack]

After watching some vids, I noticed they were quite loud. I'm wondering if anyone with e-drum knowledge knows if these can be easily modified to have mesh heads.

[Ryder35]

I'm guessing not

[No_Skill]

Anything is possible, and we're going to try.

[Ryder35]

Anything is possible, and we're going to try.

Where do I pre order ;)

Actually though, one thing you need to consider is that most edrum pads are standard i believe. This means that people should be able to buy mesh head edrums and plug them into the ION brain. IFAIK anyway

[Rockin_it_all_nite_long]

ion drums can cook me breakfast

[Ryder35]

ion drums can cook me breakfast

Are you saying they get hot ;) if so I have an apple TV thjat could do the same.

[JorynnRace]

I can't really tell, but those ion drum heads don't look like they have dual channel (ie. not sure if my terminology is correct, but I mean drum AND rim shot) capability the way most mesh heads do.

So yeah.. I guess we'll have to wait and see if it is possible.

But if you are gonna spend that kind of money for mesh heads... just get a real e-kit. I know arguably.. the ION kit is ALesis etc etc.. but Alesis is not the greatest quality e-kit. They are OK, but cannot compare to the quality of Roland kits.

THEN, get yourself a set of the GH:WT drums and plug your e-kit into it.
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6194777.html
Cuz apparently... we'll be able to do that.

[Rockin_it_all_nite_long]

Are you saying they get hot ;) if so I have an apple TV thjat could do the same.

no, i'm saying that they can go to the fridge, pull out eggs and bacon, and cook them

it's the 200$ breakfast expansion

[Ryder35]

no, i'm saying that they can go to the fridge, pull out eggs and bacon, and cook them

Now that is what I call functionality. Will they BBQ steaks as well cause if so I am all over them :)

[bradjfowler]

Anything is possible, and we're going to try.

That's the spirit Rich, you can count me in for one of those :D

[davidshek]

I can't really tell, but those ion drum heads don't look like they have dual channel (ie. not sure if my terminology is correct, but I mean drum AND rim shot) capability the way most mesh heads do.

You're talking about dual-zone triggers, and no, the Ion heads don't have those.

But I think people are getting confused with their terminology here.

A drum PAD is the whole enchilada, the big round unit that mounts on your rack.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Roland-DualTrigger-Mesh-VPad?sku=449922&src=3SOSWXXA

A drum HEAD is a thin disc of material that goes on the drum pad. This is the surface you actually hit with a stick.

http://www.fullcompass.com/product/281035.html

The drum heads on the Simmons SD5K (and therefore the Ion Drum Rocker) are replaceable, but I don't think that mesh heads would make much of a difference because of the construction of the rest of the pad.

But the pads themselves are also replaceable, but quite a bit more expensive.

[Rockin_it_all_nite_long]

Now that is what I call functionality. Will they BBQ steaks as well cause if so I am all over them :)

To answer that question:


Anything is possible, and we're going to try.

[SamStone]

If the heads are replaceable like they are on the Simmons kit (and I haven't seen any reason why they aren't), then there are ARE cheap replacement mesh heads available for them.

For example, Pearl (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Pearl-MFH-Mesh-Tom-Head-for-Rhythm-Traveler-Drum?sku=448441) makes a mesh head that you can buy for around $5-10. They use a single mesh weave instead of the dual mesh that the roland V-drums use, and may break more often. But hey, for $5...

There are other silent drum heads available, such as the Evans hydraulic drum heads, which use traditional materials but have a thin layer of oil between layers of material which deadens the sound. They're supposed to be very quiet and feel great. Roland sells the heads for their mesh drums separately for around $30. Pintech and others also make replacement mesh heads.

Now, whether they will work with the sensors in these drums or cause problems that might require tweaking or something - I don't know. As always, until someone actually does it you don't know if there are any issues that might prevent this. But in theory, you should be able to put mesh heads on these drums for anywhere from $25 for all of them to $100.

Another option that you have when you buy a real E-kit is that you can replace just one pad with a really good one. Roland's cheaper V-drum kit comes with standard pads for everything except the snare, for which they use a Mesh head with dual zone trigger for better feel. Here's an example (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Roland-VDrums-Lite-Electronic-Drum-Kit?sku=449781). You can buy a V-drum mesh snare like this one (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Roland-PDX8-VDrum-Electronic-Snare-Drum-Pad?sku=449937) for $180 and get a nice big 10" surface to hit.

That's one of the things I really like about going the e-drum route. It really appeals to my tinkering, gadget happy hobbyist side. You can replace everything. Don't like the rack? Buy a new one. Don't like the cymbals? Get better ones. Not enough drum heads? Add another. It wouldn't work with Rock Band (unless you electrically combined it with another as an alternate), but if you have a drum brain it would (maybe accept a large number of inputs). And if you want to upgrade the pads to better ones, you can do it one at a time to save money.

By the way, here's an Alesis (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Alesis-DM5ProDPDZ-Dual-Zone-Drum-Pad?sku=491525) pad from the DM5 pro kit, to give you an idea of what they really look like. I think these are similar to the Rock Band pads, except they are dual trigger. If the Rock Band pads turn out to be made more cheaply, these would be a cheaper replacement alternative than the Roland pads.

And here's the hi-hat pedal (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Alesis-DM5ProHHPedal-Hihat-Pedal?sku=491526) that appears to come in the Rock Band kit, just for your info.

Given the prices of this stuff, the price of the Rock Band Ion kit looks pretty good, don't you think?

[Project_Mercy]

Yes they can. I'm not sure how good it will play with it.

There's a guy on e-bay who's been selling them

http://cgi.ebay.com/ELECTRONIC-DRUM-mesh-head-kit-for-DD502-DD608-Simmons_W0QQitemZ320274945756QQihZ011QQcategoryZ10 175QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Edit: Keep in mind, I'm not vouching for these people, and would much rather pay Goodwood for something equivalent. I'm just citing this as an example that there must be a way to do it.

[karmajack]

Thanks for all the input guys. And special thanks to Project_Mercy for that product link.
I would also figure, there will be plenty of other 3rd party mods and products to coincide with the Ion set. RB has a way of creating aftermarket business.

[RedTsunami]

THEN, get yourself a set of the GH:WT drums and plug your e-kit into it.
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6194777.html
Cuz apparently... we'll be able to do that.

Sir, you have just made my day.

[Nobak]

Wow... information keeps pouring in.

There are so many options, I have no idea which one I'll end up going for. I seem change my mind every 3 days.

[karmajack]

Yes the options are swaying my decisions daily.
Should I just stick to the RB2 kit with cymbals add on?
Go that same route and add GW mesh heads?
Perhaps the full ION set with 3rd cymbal, hope a silent head and cymbal mutes will come along?
There's also that MadCatz premium set that might come out.
All I know is I've started a seperate savings account dedicated to RB controllers and accessories.

[davidshek]

Yes they can. I'm not sure how good it will play with it.

There's a guy on e-bay who's been selling them

http://cgi.ebay.com/ELECTRONIC-DRUM-mesh-head-kit-for-DD502-DD608-Simmons_W0QQitemZ320274945756QQihZ011QQcategoryZ10 175QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I wouldn't advise buying homebrew mesh heads off Ebay. If you really want to replace the heads on the Ion drums with mesh heads, get some real Roland/Pintech/Hart mesh heads. The Pearl ones might be alright, but not for very long (they wear out VERY quickly).

The Ion drums should take any standard 8" drum head.