Drum Mod for Rebound?

[vtjustinb]

I guess I was wondering if anyone had any idea what type of sensor the drum pads use. It seemed like instead of being the type of sensor that relays serial sound input and uses peak detection to register a hit (common MIDI approach) the pads themselves acted like a large button where the top part of the pad would compress down onto a sensor at impact.

If the latter is the case I would imagine you could modify the pads by placing a layer of gum rubber on top of them (1/4" or so) to get a little bit of rebound back. If that's the case I'd definitely be interested in doing that, since the pads are rightly designed a little "dead" for the heavy-hitters and durability.

[Bakkster]

I would try putting mouse pads on top. They will hopefully give you rebound, but are easy to replace when you wear them out.

[Eastwood]

That would also keep the drum heads from wearing. Nice idea. Go buy dollar mouse pads and you'd be set. Plus they would act as a noise supressor.

[Bakkster]

I have a box of 48 mouse pads at home, so I'll try this out on the 20th and let everyone know how it goes.

[tf5_bassist]

erm... why do you have a box of 48 mouse pads? lol

[Bakkster]

erm... why do you have a box of 48 mouse pads? lol

My other project is a DIY eDrum kit. Piezo sensor on sheet metal sandwiched between mouse pads is a good cheap drum trigger :cool: Also, shipping is cheaper in bulk.

[Jixzer]

That mouse pad idea is great...I'll be trying that.

[tf5_bassist]

My other project is a DIY eDrum kit. Piezo sensor on sheet metal sandwiched between mouse pads is a good cheap drum trigger :cool: Also, shipping is cheaper in bulk.

hah! damn good indeed.

[Eastwood]

I wonder if these mouse pads would make it easier to drum roll. If you know how to do it in time, it could make some songs leaps and bounds easier.

[seafisch]

I would try putting mouse pads on top.

How do you suggest securing them in place so that you don't damage the drums and so you can remove them if necessary?

[AdamWill]

come on, this is the world of *rock music*. what is the only acceptable answer, in the rock world, to "how do I secure X to Y"?

yep. that's right...

duct tape. :)

[Bakkster]

How do you suggest securing them in place so that you don't damage the drums and so you can remove them if necessary?

I'm still trying to figure that out. It needs to be secured well on the underside, so that the pad doesn't lift and kill your rebound again. I'm thinking double-sided scotch tape. It's not too sticky to damage your pads, but it should hold well enough under stress.

Another concern is that foam rubber will dampen most of your force on the pads. This mod might make very powerful hits necessary, or just be too much. It will be fun to find out how to make this work.

[vtjustinb]

I'm still trying to figure that out. It needs to be secured well on the underside, so that the pad doesn't lift and kill your rebound again. I'm thinking double-sided scotch tape. It's not too sticky to damage your pads, but it should hold well enough under stress.

Another concern is that foam rubber will dampen most of your force on the pads. This mod might make very powerful hits necessary, or just be too much. It will be fun to find out how to make this work.

I have a set of quad pads from Vic Firth where the spocks (the small 6" drums) are applied to the board with 3m double-sided adhesive:

http://www.vicfirth.com/products/images/HHPQL.jpg

It's designed this way so you can have two spocks or one, depending on how your drums are set up (quints or a six-pack).

Needless to say after years and years of beating the living crap out of them with various mallets and sticks they've never moved an inch, although you could get them off if you wanted to.

----

I'd also mention having played a lot of different drum pads over the years a porous mouse pad might not bounce well enough. We used to teach the beginning percussionists at the middle school with mousepads on cafeteria tables, but they definitely don't quite have the rebound of a real drum. A nice gum rubber pad (which you can get about as inexpensively or maybe morso) than a mousepad will definitely provide more rebound.

[MrNazraq]

What about something like those rubber drawer liners at Home Depot?

I was thinking of putting a towel over the RB drums and secure them with a rubber band around the circumference. I wasn't quite thinking of giving it more rebound, just muffling the sound in case I wanna play at night and don't wanna wake up my wife...

Any other ideas for muffling the sound?

[BodhiWolff]

Some ideas for both rebound and sound muffling.

a. TAMA silent tips for drumsticks
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Tama-TCP10D-Silent-Tips?sku=440041

b. Deadbeats drumsticks with built-in rubber tips
http://store.drumbum.com/skuSTK-26.html

I figure that the combination of a set of Deadbeats plus a slightly less-than-reactive Rockband drumpad should be just about right for rebound, with the added benefit of a lot less "clacky" sound. I can't find these locally, and my favourite music store won't be stocking them for another month, so I can't test out the theory for awhile.

[JarethLegend]

I'm curious to know if anyone has used the deadbeats before and has anyone ordered them from drumbum? I believe I've seen deadbeats in two stick sizes and I wonder which one drumbum sells. I actually ordered these the other day http://www.percussionsource.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=220&prodid=257204 . They should probably be here Sat. I have no idea how well they actually work though.

After playing on the demo unit at Best Buy though; If the retail kit has as much rebound as that one then we need to figure out the most affordable and best solution to mod the kit.

[BodhiWolff]

Yes, I know that Deadbeats come in both Marching and "normal" sizes (not sure of the proper terminology, sorry). I myself would prefer the smaller ones.

I'm going to ask my local music store to order me a set, but that won't be for at least a month.

If anybody gets some good information about an online place that stocks the smaller, rock-friendly size, I'd appreciate knowing.