Why this??

[E-Dog]

A few people have suggested a electronic area for percussion so I thought I would start this catagory and see if it's usefull or not.

So if your into this or have a e-kit here ya go ..

[tcraw1010]

EXCELLENT !!!

This will be a great section to post info, thoughts, ideas and descriptions on how to create DIY electronic kits.

With all of the innovation within the GN Community for acoustic drums, imagine the types of things and innovation we can come up with in creating DIY electronic drums.


LET THE INGENUITY BEGIN !!!



TOM

[Orange9mm]

Once i get a job (soon), I'm going to be building a DIY electronic kit. Hopefully by mid spring, I will blog the process step by step, and I plan on making it look not cheesey either, by using aluminum (soda cans) and creating what looks like shells around the pads. The only challenge will be if I decide to create a soda-can scrap shell for a bass drum. I know this might sound crazy but I'm cheap and it should work and look good, as I'm not into the hybrid look, or the standard electric kit look.

Wow I used a lot of commas. I estimate a cost between 175 - 250 dollars, excluding the module, and a working hi-hat a majig. (standard 5 pc, with 2 crashes and ride). I have no idea what to do for the hi-hat yet.

[E-Dog]

Good Idea I was just thinking it would be real intresting seeing someone document this in a blog system. Maybe by then GN will be set up to offer the blogs to peeps agian.

[James_Walker]

I'm sure I'll be more of a spectator than a participant, but count me among those who welcome this new section of the board.

If nothing else, hopefully this will result in some folks crafting e-drums that are a bit more cosmetically appealing than the Stormtrooper black-and-white Roland kits, or the all-black kits by...well, sometimes it seems like EVERY other e-drum is solid black...

[rhjanes]

I got two....both about the same....oh....the studio I rehearse in, has a kit...I drag my computer over and my spare DrumKat is over there.
Gibraltar rack. Drumteck rubber pads. Alesis DMPro's. Roland Hihat pedal, and one Pintech hihat pedal. Iron Cobra kik pedals hitting Pintech mesh kik trigger...DrumKats hung for multiple cymbal sounds....what else.....I forget....

[JLee]

I welcome the start of this section as well. I went to AIT a while ago to pick up some cutoffs to complete my electronic drum set, and have begun the finishing process. Going to go with a natural gloss tung oil finish inside and out (no acoustic properties to alter one way or the other) and leave the shells at around 4" of depth.

Went back on Ebay after a few defeats and got a great deal on a Gibraltar 350 series rack with wings - 40" curved front bar and 2 24" side bars. I will be going with 8", 10" and 12" rack toms, a 14" floor tom and a 13" snare. Can't decide on what to do for a bass drum - I am torn between building an additional drum on a stand at around 13" or so, or just going with a Hart Dynamics or Pintech kick trigger. I am figuring on two or three cymbals - Pintech practice cymbals probably covered in close cell rubber and I will no longer have an excuse for not practicing as I should. That is, once I bite the bullet and buy a module as well. Since this kit is not likely to even leave home much, I am thinking that something along the lines of an Alesis DM5 should suffice.

Looking forward to a lot of input and information - thanks to the Ghostnote administrators for starting this section.

[HiString]

OK, I'll try and start the ball rolling...........the following link is a DIY-How to convert practise pads blog which is well laid out and illustrated. I strongly suggest anyone interested in this kind of thing, copies the page to their PC.......................http://members.cox.net/ampage/triggers.htm

:cool:

[tbone]

OK, I'll try and start the ball rolling...........the following link is a DIY-How to convert practise pads blog which is well laid out and illustrated. I strongly suggest anyone interested in this kind of thing, copies the page to their PC.......................http://members.cox.net/ampage/triggers.htm

:cool:
Great job on that blog!! Plus great job on the veneer flattening blog, too!!!

[O-Lugs]

I used to own a Simmons SDS9 kit. What a piece of s h i t that thing was. I think V Drums are nice, but why they are so expensive, I can't understand.

[HiString]

Tbone,

For the record, I have no connection to that DIY Trigger site, it's just something I found while surfing a year or so ago and stuck in my Favourites folder.............have I said something about flattening veneer?.............I can't remember :D ..........must be getting too bloody old and have too many things going on around me. I have considered documenting the next kit I veneer with a view to "blogging" it here but people would have to be aware that some terminology and some products used may be different to what US guys are used to.

Roland, like other companies price their products at a point that the market will tolerate and if you think they are expensive, you ought to see the recommended retail on gear here in Australia. :rolleyes:

:cool:

[JLee]

Actually, the price point of any worthwhile edrum set is one of the biggest motivating factors (for me, anyway) of building my own. I was at a Sam Ash (competitor to Guitar Center) in Hollywood, and they are set up in a much more logical way - with a room in the back that allows you to check out the various kits without annoying other shoppers, something that is sorely lacking at GC.

Anyway, I got to work my way up from a $900 Roland kit up to one that costs around $5500 (yes, you read right). In all fairness, the kit was spectacular. While I have never been a huge fan of edrums for their own sake, I have to give it up for this kit. The response was incredibly realistic, and with the mesh heads it made almost no noise, and the gum rubber covering on the cymbals made them virtually silent while retaining a fairly life-like feel.

After pricing out parts for what I am looking to build, I arrived at a figure under $750 - assuming either a brand new Alesis DM5 or a used TD6. I am not saying that it will turn out anywhere near as good, but I assume that a lot of the response issues have to do with how you set up the piezos in the shells. Not saying that $750 is inconsequential, but it is much more palatable than $5500, which I could not rationalize unless I was gigging all the time with the kit.

[tcraw1010]

I used to own a Simmons SDS9 kit. What a piece of s h i t that thing was. I think V Drums are nice, but why they are so expensive, I can't understand.

EXACTLY why I asked E-Dog to add this section to the Forum . . . So we can pool our collective knowledge and ingenuity in creating affordable solutions to building DIY electronic drums. :mrgreen:

Of course, there will always be the cost of the drum module itself - my current favorite being the Roland TD-12. However, from the information I have been gathering around the internet over the past several months (from a variety of sources), building the e-drums themselves does not appear to be very difficult at all ... relative to building DIY acoustic drums, that is.



TOM

[drummerdan]

E-Dog. This is great! Thanks for getting this set up.

I own a Roland TD-6 that I have in my music room along with my Pearl kit. I'm finding that I am going to the e-drum more and more for practicing and even recording because it's so much easier. There's so much that can be done with an e-drum. Push a few buttons and you can go from a vintage jazz kit to a funky drum 'n bass kit in a few seconds. That's what is cool. Practice is fun (mostly) due to the brain and other stuff I have. The main problem with e-drums are the pads. You have to be careful to warm up properly or you can experince some arm pain. I speak from experience.

That's partly why.......

I am just starting an e-drum build. I am using a keller maple shell, 6"x10" (I'll use it as a snare) that I'll finish using lugs that was inspired by Woody (great blog, Woody). I'll post pictures and details later. Possibly, I'll build an entire kit if all goes according to plan.

Thanks again, E-Dog.

Here's a couple of pictures of my set-up. -sorry for the poor quality pics

[E-Dog]

Nice rig ..Didn't know so many people were into the electronics. Although I have to say I have been through a Yamaha and Vdrum set up over the last few years myself. .

[tcraw1010]

Nice rig ..Didn't know so many people were into the electronics.


I DID. :mrgreen:



TOM

[JLee]

Actually, I would think the only thing that is simpler about edrums is the lack of need for a proper bearing edge. Everything else (i.e. drilling for lugs, finishing (still want aesthetics, after all) and the like are pretty much the same about both.

The way I figure it, the practice I get on the edrum shells will carry over to the acoustic set I still plan to build. Also, I don't know about others on the forum, but I am starting to see the wisdom of using a rack instead of individual stands. I generally play a 6 piece with four cymbals, not the largest setup to be sure, but I can see where the rack with memory locks will save a boatload of time on setup and teardown, as well as allowing you to get the exact same setup every time.

(Not to get off topic though.)

[tcraw1010]

After only a week or so (actually, I think it may be more like TWO weeks),
this section isn't doing half bad. :)



TOM

[drummerdan]

After only a week or so (actually, I think it may be more like TWO weeks),
this section isn't doing half bad. :)



TOM

Once some folks start posting some examples of their work, I think there will be even more activity. Come 'on Tom, where's your stuff?!!! ;)