Drum Pad Recomendations

[richginpa]

Hi Folks,

I am totally new to megadrum and looking into purchasing one of the units. my questions are specific to drum pads rather than megadrum specifically. As I do not currently own electronic drums/pads, i wanted to know if anyone had any recommendations in terms of where one can purchase the drums and mounting hardware, etc... and any recommended brands. I understand ebay is one option however, the results are overwhelming and im not sure specifically what i should be looking for. If there is an existing thread for new users that answers these questions - basically, what one needs if starting from scratch, that would be ideal. apologize in advance if this has been answered previously. Thank you for your assistance.

[airflamesred]

Welcome
The beauty of megadrum is that it will accept all manner of pad and cymbals so you don't have to worry about any compatibility issues with your choices.
Mesh heads will give you more of that acoustic drum feel whereas rubber pads will be cheaper. Essentially you need to set out a budget and see what you can get for that.

For me the process divides into 3 areas
1. Hardware, pads cymbals and stands/rack
2. A trigger interface (megadrum is the best choice)
3. Sounds

So, 1, you could start budget and always upgrade later on
If you went with a Roland/Alesis module this would be 2&3 in one unit.
The general consensus is that VST is the best sounds around. Plenty of options there with Addictive drums, EZ drummer etc. The possible downside of this is that you'll need a laptop with you
Once again you can start budget with the sounds and upgrade later.

[richginpa]

Thanks airflamesred,

So laptop not a problem and I am familiar with some of the VST Instruments as I have done some home recording.

Sounds like i just need to find mesh pads (reasonably priced) and something to mount them on. I was looking on ebay and some of the kick and snares were 500-1000, was a bit surprised...

I suppose ill need a bunch of XLR cables? And does the megadrum and its 50+ inputs plug into my existing firestudio via MIDI?

Sorry for the basic questions, i actually have read some of the forums (believe it or not) but some things were still a bit unclear.

Thanks again.

[airflamesred]

Perhaps just go with a mesh snare and rubber for the rest?

Megadrum has jack sockets for the pads (haven't seen an XLR since Simmons days!) usb and midi so you can connect as you like.

[richginpa]

thank you airflamesred!

ill have to keep looking around, cant do rubber

[dmitri]

I was looking on ebay and some of the kick and snares were 500-1000, was a bit surprised...

$500-$1000 for a pad? May be it was for a set of 5-10 pads?

[richginpa]

I think i was looking at new on ebay - the Roland KD140 14" Electronic V-Kick Drum is $1100 USD. Looks like that is current model...

[dmitri]

I doubt very much you will want KD-140 right from the start, taking in account it is all new to you. I can see many good kick and snare pads on ebay which are much cheaper.