The Drum Rocker

[whypick1]

Electronic drum kit + brain with MIDI out (and preferably with re-mappable MIDI assignments) + Rock Band MIDI Pro Adapter = *****in' Rock Band drum controller.

[FujiSkunk]

So, the ION Drum Rocker isnt the only e-kit that can work with Rock Band? (i must have missed this :P)

Short answer: Correct. The MIDI Pro Adapter makes just about any e-kit compatible. Note I said "just about," so some research is required to play it safe.

Long answer: The Ion Drum Rocker was never literally the only e-kit to work with Rock Band; it just used to be the only officially supported e-kit to work with Rock Band. People took things like the Drum Rocker brain/game-controller, or the Guitar Hero: World Tour controller with its built-in MIDI input port, sometimes mixed in a whole lot of custom hardware, and came up with a lot of different ways that real e-kits could be played in the game. But the Pro Adapter has made all that unnecessary. Even the Ion Drum Rocker itself is somewhat redundant now, which is why Ion hasn't been too gung-ho about selling them since RB3's release.

[Sabzavfc]

Short answer: Correct. The MIDI Pro Adapter makes just about any e-kit compatible. Note I said "just about," so some research is required to play it safe.

Long answer: The Ion Drum Rocker was never literally the only e-kit to work with Rock Band; it just used to be the only officially supported e-kit to work with Rock Band. People took things like the Drum Rocker brain/game-controller, or the Guitar Hero: World Tour controller with its built-in MIDI input port, sometimes mixed in a whole lot of custom hardware, and came up with a lot of different ways that real e-kits could be played in the game. But the Pro Adapter has made all that unnecessary. Even the Ion Drum Rocker itself is somewhat redundant now, which is why Ion hasn't been too gung-ho about selling them since RB3's release.

Ah, thanks thats great news then! ill go down the e-kit and Midi controller route then, is there any relativley cheap e-kits anybody can reccomend me for this? thanks again for all the answers

[davidshek]

Ah, thanks thats great news then! ill go down the e-kit and Midi controller route then, is there any relativley cheap e-kits anybody can reccomend me for this? thanks again for all the answers

If you don't mind buying a used kit (and you shouldn't...e-drums are pretty durable things), look at your local Craigslist and try to find a used Roland TD-3 or TD-4. Or really any Roland kit, except for their entry-level HD-1. On the Yamaha side, there's the DTXplorer and DTXpress. All of the ones I listed will work with the MIDI Pro adapter.

[SeattleSauve]

Get an idea of how much you're willing to spend up front. I started thinking I wanted a TD3 set, then I tried the TD4s, then I tried the all-mesh TD9s, etc... and I ended up spending like 3k on my kit. I mean, I LOVE my kit, but this stuff is a slippery slope, so just be aware of that

To be clear, I sold my IONs which had all 3 cymbals incluing a pintech one for about as much as a good seat costs... So things do start adding up.

Now, playing rock band on a solid e-Kit is such a huge difference from the RB kits, so you will not regret it at all, as long as you don't end up going bankrupt.

[Sabzavfc]

Thanks for all the help guys

[drumshroom]

the dtxplorer would be a great entry kit and since it has been replaced by the dtx500, there should be some good buys out there.

if you are buying new, consider the dtx500. upgraded version of the dtxplorer brain with some great new features, and it does support open/closed hi-hat in rb3 (along with more inputs/more voices/support for the new pads/etc)

[Sabzavfc]

Hey guys, after all your advice i think im going to go ahead and get this kit http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/digita...10121613363712
Just before i do though, this will be compatible with Rock Band right? And am i better off buying the Dd505 instead? Thanks again guys

[HombreSecreto]

You really should demo a kit before you buy.

You really need to understand the hi-hat problem in RB3 Pro Drums before you buy. Everyone here will help. Reply back with what you know about it to continue discussion or ask Doc to point you to the best (of many) historical threads that explain the issue.

That said, to use in Rock Band, the drum module must produce the MIDI notes the MIDI Pro Adapter (or other adapter) expects. See page 11 of the DD402 manual (http://sessionprodd402.co.uk/session_pro_dd402.pdf) for the DD402 MIDI table, then page 5 of the MIDI Pro Adapter manual (http://www.madcatz.com/UsersGuides/R...97071_MUG.pdf; PS3 but MIDI map same for all consoles) for the expected values, which appear to be compatible (minus the hi-hat problem).

The good news is the DD402 brain appears to let you reconfigure the MIDI notes for each pad, which is unusual for an entry-level kit. This factors into RB3 game play (the hi-hat problem) because you'll want to reassign the hi-hat open note to something the MIDI Pro Adapter expects to activate a blue cymbal. This avoids the use of an additional "module" to translate the open hat note.

Otherwise, Welcome to the Family! You won't regret the upgrade.

[HombreSecreto]

Some concerns about the DD402 kit (and the DD505), though...

1) The only DD402 stock crash and ride cymbal positions on the DD402 are on the tops of the side posts. You may find this extremely restrictive (hence demo first). This can be easily remedied by the simple acquisition of standard 1 1/2" clamps, cymbal arms, etc...like I said, Welcome to the Family!

2) The descriptions provided in the DD402 manual suggest the brain is not expandable to add a second crash (or other trigger). Using a left side crash can be counterintuitive (a left-side ride even more so) if you've started from the basic rock band kit orientation. The DD505 has much more flexibility for cymbal placement.

3) If the DD402 pad construction suggests a Yamaha- or Simmons-like surface and rebound, then the DD505 looks exactly like a repackaged ION (Alesis made) but with a brain instead of the game control module like the Drum Rocker. As I said previously, I chewed up my ION snare pad relatively quickly, but my original Yamaha pad (and now ddrum mesh snare) show barely any signs of wear. See Doc's forums (docsrockbandmods.net) for endless ION pad upgrade ideas. The DD505 rack also seemingly lacks the stability of the DD402.