Silence of the 'Mesh'

[Noofy]

I've finally decided to take the plunge and purchase an e-kit. Since I live in an apartment with a VERY thin floor, the loudness of the pads are a big concern to me. So far I've played the Vdrums, Yamaha DTX and Alesis DMPro. Of the 3, Vdrums are definitely the quietest pads, however, I hear that Hard Series X pads are just as quiet. The only experience i've had with Hart is through the Alesis kit (from what i understand, Hart makes the pads for that kit though a cheaper version of their Series X pads). Has anyone played both the Vdrums & original Hart Series X pads and can tell me which one of the two is more silent? I can't find an authorized Hart dealer in my area.

any comments would be appreciated.

[RonBon]

Originally posted by Noofy:
any comments would be appreciated.[/B]

I have both and the Roland pads are more quiet but not by much. As an example, I play in my garage just below our master bedroom. There is nothing between me and our bedroom but a sheet of plywood, a 2"x12" brace and another sheet of plywood. No insulation, no sound dampening materials what so ever(well carpet). My wife can not distinguish between either pad. She can here me playing both brands of pads equally well, but they are still quiet enough that she can't here them with the TV on. FWIW.

The Hart's are half the price. Check sepdrums.com and musiciansbuy.com they carry the Hart's with good pricing.



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RonBon

[Noofy]

RonRob,

Thank you for your reply. You've been very helpful. My situation is pretty much as yours is except i'm on top (2nd floor) and the landlady is on the bottom. Do you have the Hart pads with 2ply mesh or single? also, what did you select for your sound module and why (if you don't mind me asking)?

[redman]

I don't think the mesh pads will be the problem it will be the pd-9's and pd-7's that you will be using for cymbals and the kd-7 that you will be using for the kick , unless you are buying mesh everything.

[Noofy]

my appologies. I have no idea where i got RonRob from RonBon's the name!

[sepdrums]

Before you buy any ekit, read up on noise in general. Here is a recent topic http://www.vdrums.com/discussion/For...ML/000577.html

You will get the dreaded "thump....thump thump...." and if you play double bass "thumpumpumpumpumpumpump". Your land lady will not be impressed by your ability to do add in mean triplets.

Mesh heads will help, and you must consider the noise from the cymbals (plastic cymbals sound like you are smacking a frisbee). Some ecymbals do have a rubber playing surface on them....it helps considerably. Cymbal socks will also help.

Erik

[RonBon]

Originally posted by Noofy:
RonRob,

Thank you for your reply. You've been very helpful. My situation is pretty much as yours is except i'm on top (2nd floor) and the landlady is on the bottom. Do you have the Hart pads with 2ply mesh or single? also, what did you select for your sound module and why (if you don't mind me asking)?

Right now I'm using an old TD-5 I had laying around from the ol' acoustic trigger days. It works fine for practice. I plan on buying the TD-10 once I'm finished putting the whole kit together. I'm staying with the Roland brain because the reasons others have given for going with another brand really don't apply to what I want out of a module. Strictly personnal preference.

My kit so far is: 1 PD-120 for snare, 1 KD-120 for kick, three Hart 2ply SeriesX pads for toms. Gibraltar rack is in the mail and Cymbals are next month.

Glad I could help.


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RonBon

[Noofy]

Thanks to everyone for their help. I was going to order within the next few days but after coming across a NAMM picture of the new DrumTech (of KAT fame) kit, I decided to hold off & wait.

Their answer to Roland, Yamaha & Hart should be shipping in a few weeks. This kit promises really nice things, but then again it's a company rep saying this.
The following site has the photos: http://www.sepdrums.com/NAMM.html

List price at the moment is $2096.

[sepdrums]

Hey Noofy - I played that kit at NAMM. It was very quiet..... There was almost no shell resonance present at all....some shells either plastic, wood, or aluminum still resonate even with mesh heads....
I have not heard of a firm ship date on these kits yet.

Erik

[Noofy]

Erik,
What did you think of the overall kit? Quieter than Vdrums? How did it trigger? etc etc. If it is in fact better than Vdrums or Hart, sign me up!
P.S. Let me know when you have them in stock

[sepdrums]

I really liked the kit and the hardware was very nice. I think it is just as quiet as any other e-kit on the market right now. It uses fully baffled shells and mesh heads, so there is really no room at all for sounds to be acoustically amplified. Most edrum kits using mesh heads have hollow shells... They are super quiet but there is still room for sound to bounce around...wheter they are plastic, aluminum, or a wood product...
I honestly think this new Drum Tech kit has serious potential in the market - even more so than the DTXtreme kit (which doesn't seem to be doing too well right now)... I would love to blab about it more, but it may sound like a sales pitch.... I will keep you posted.

Erik

[jag]

So has anyone tried a mattress. I'm figuring a medium to firm mattress on the floor, containing the foam for dampening and the springs for support, with a piece of plywood on top and a rug over that would be pretty effective. Just have to get past those people eying me with disgust as I pick one up off the curb downtown. "ugh,... No really, I'm not going to SLEEP on it!!"