Newbie wants to know... where are the Double Basses!

[Swiss Frank]

It seems like most high-end v-kits now feature double-pedal bass, but I've never seen a kit with double basses. Even when drummers more or less duplicate a monster double-bass a-kit they use double pedal instead on the Roland.... what's the story?

Also forgive my ignorance, but is it correct that acoustic kits with double basses almost universally have them set up for practically the same sound only differing in pitch a bit (I assume with the main foot's drum being like a semitone lower)?

Related is, do many v-drummers ever assign a bass sound to a tom or rim, either 1) to play parts they couldn't play with their pedal(s), 2) to play a double-bass with different tunings, or 3) to do a riff that incorporates two widely different bass sounds? I've done the third a few times over the last couple decades writing drum parts on my keyboards.

The only track I know that seems to have two different bass sounds is this kind of esoteric, experimental Durutti Column tune with Bruce Mitchell drumming. The odd-numbered bass drum downbeats seem to have an 808-like long decay, though it might just be a floor tom or the engineer riding a reverb send. I'm not necessarily a fan of this track or the band in general but just to illustrate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEzYp0hqylU

[Kabonfaiba]

Interesting ideas.

Double pedal on a kick drum, or two kick drums with single pedals should sound the same... and that's the point. You are looking to increase bass speed up to 16th's as much as you are selling the illusion of 16th's out of a single kick drum.

Why using a double pedal on a e-kit? Expense mostly, it's not-cost effective. They're also triggers, and have no particular acoustic properties to work around (it doesn't care what or where it's hit with) the biggest reason is undoubtedly looks, but I used to argue that two single pedals were easier to balance because the left foot would have to work through the connecting bar, joints and angles - which may be upset if you twisted the pedal a bit.

So it's a narrower tolerance problem with double pedals, opposed to setting up two singles.

Lasty, (again) it just looks! Having two bass drums sets a certain presence about you as a drummer. If money was no object, I'd absolutely get two KD-140s for my e-kit. Wouldn't we all?

Only Roland stage shows are you most likely to see a double KD-140 setup though.

Here is the only video of my drumming idol stressing a Roland TD-30 to breaking point. It's setup to replicate a Tama Starclassic with double kick drums.
Secondly, it handily serves to demonstrate why COSM doesn't measure up to a-kits on drum solos.

[Swiss Frank]

Hasegawa is the drummer? (Or is it Isao or Nagai?) Looks like he can play! I agree the sound is bad but I think they mic'd the room, and either the PA is muddy or the recording mic is overloaded or compressing. COSM (or I think in this case "SuperNatural" is the brand they're now using) isn't perfect by a long shot, or even state of the art, but still sounds far better than this.

Back to the double-bass: it sounds like he's got two different pitches, so obviously he's not JUST trying to do 1/16th notes. (As you say, if that's all you want, a double pedal will let you do it.)