Mesh vs. Rubber

[ScutMonkey]

So I've been reading these forums and a couple other tidbits here and there about edrums and I'm surprised how many people prefer rubber. Apparently this is due to ignorance.

I'm considering taking the plunge on an e-drum set. I have a set of Yamaha Maple Customs which are so large and loud I cannot play them in my house. Moreover, I never play live with other people to jam, much less gig anymore. What I'm looking for is something which I can run into my computer to record using something like BFD and/or other drum sampling programs.

My experience with e-drums is completely limited to Roland. I've played the various entry to high end e-drum kits from them and preferred the mesh heads to the rubber ones by a wide margin. However, I suspect this is because Roland makes lousy rubber heads. I've read alot on this site about the Yamaha DXtreme kits. What I'm looking for is something which feels as close to pounding on my Acoustics as possible. I was considering picking up some used Pintech or Hart Dynamics to mitigate Roland's extreme pricing but now maybe I'm back to the drawing board? Mesh vs. Rubber?

Please enlighten me.

[TAKnipe]

I guess it can all be summed up by what feels good to you is what you should use but try everything. To me, I want to play whatever approximates a real undampened mylar head the closest. With that being said, I think feel is really about the rebound you get or feedback from the stick.

To answer your question about Rolands rubber pads, they are a harder than the yamaha's. I prefer Rubber but use mesh currently until the new Yamaha's (silicone) come out. I also want to try the new Dauz rubber headed drum pad that is a real drum. I havent been able to get a rubber head on a real looking drum as of yet and until the Dauz pad came out I never saw a rubber headed pad made with a real wood shell. The closest mylar headed kit was the original DTXtreme's but they are hard to find as of late.

You might want to wait and try the Yamaha's or wait for our review of the Dauz rubber pad. Good Luck and welcome to EDF. Tom

[ScutMonkey]

I guess it can all be summed up by what feels good to you is what you should use but try everything. To me, I want to play whatever approximates a real undampened mylar head the closest. With that being said, I think feel is really about the rebound you get or feedback from the stick.

To answer your question about Rolands rubber pads, they are a harder than the yamaha's. I prefer Rubber but use mesh currently until the new Yamaha's (silicone) come out. I also want to try the new Dauz rubber headed drum pad that is a real drum. I havent been able to get a rubber head on a real looking drum as of yet and until the Dauz pad came out I never saw a rubber headed pad made with a real wood shell. The closest mylar headed kit was the original DTXtreme's but they are hard to find as of late.

You might want to wait and try the Yamaha's or wait for our review of the Dauz rubber pad. Good Luck and welcome to EDF. Tom

So what is it about the Rubber which appeals to you? Is Yamaha's rubber in that they have better trigger response or do you just like the Rubber feel? The few mesh heads I've played felt much more like a real drum strike, but I also didn't whack the piss out of them either, which is my normal play style. If I can get a good feel rubber pad, I suspect I'm going to get a much longer life out of it.

I also should have mentioned that I'm looking at a $1500 to $2000 price zone and I'll have to buy some sort of brain with that as well.

[Scorch Whammin]

So what is it about the Rubber which appeals to you? Is Yamaha's rubber in that they have better trigger response or do you just like the Rubber feel? The few mesh heads I've played felt much more like a real drum strike, but I also didn't whack the piss out of them either, which is my normal play style. If I can get a good feel rubber pad, I suspect I'm going to get a much longer life out of it.

I also should have mentioned that I'm looking at a $1500 to $2000 price zone and I'll have to buy some sort of brain with that as well.

Neither product (rubber/mesh) feels just like an acoustic drum head (mylar)..that's been the problem with either product....one is too bouncy (mesh) and the other is too hard (rubber)...Yamaha's top rubber pad (soon to be replaced by the new silicone pad), the tp120/100 is probably the softest rubber pad out there and probably feels the best out of the rubber pads that are available..still though alot of people prefer mesh (myself included)...because it is easier on the hands/wrists (my main reason for liking it better)....

[dauzman]

Im so sick of hearing the term " More like a Acoustic Drum " what a bunch of crap this is... Ive been involved with electronic drumming since the early 80's and have yet to see any electronic drums that feel like acoustic drums... Mesh feels like a trampoline .. Rubber feels like rubber some harder some softer...Mylar heads feel like a remo practice pad or muted acoustic head. None of them feel like a acoustic drum lets face it and stop all the Hype about it. We all have a favorite but none are even close to a acoustic drum ....Why should they ???? Why cant they just feel good to play on??? When this term is used to hype a product it is such a joke... Then you get end users who say it which really means IMO I prefer one over a other... Its all silly... If you catch your self saying this ridiculous term please try to catch your self your only adding to the myth that any electronic drum feels like a acoustic drum..... Sorry for the Rant but had to get it out of my system after hearing it so much...

[Hellfire]

I think it comes down to personal preference. I happen to like mesh with a foam rubber backer. The foam helps to kill some of the extra bounce. I think rubber has its place however. My biggest issue with rubber (being used other then cowbells, cymbals, misc stuff) is the over all size. Most rubber pads that you see at the big box stores are only 6-8" in diameter. They need to be more like 10-12" in diameter. Smaller targets will make it "feel" less acoustic. I think that is why I'm really interested in the new Dauz 10" Acoulike edrums. I know back in the day Dauz use to offer an 11" edrum (still might, I haven't checked).

I think mesh is really popular because it works (i.e. uses standard drum hoops and hardware) like acoustic drums. Rubber makes drummers think "electronic", mesh makes acoustic drummers think "it's just like my drums". It's a comfort level thing. That's my two cents anyway.

[Scorch Whammin]

I think it comes down to personal preference. I happen to like mesh with a foam rubber backer. The foam helps to kill some of the extra bounce. I think rubber has its place however. My biggest issue with rubber (being used other then cowbells, cymbals, misc stuff) is the over all size. Most rubber pads that you see at the big box stores are only 6-8" in diameter. They need to be more like 10-12" in diameter. Smaller targets will make it "feel" less acoustic. I think that is why I'm really interested in the new Dauz 10" Acoulike edrums. I know back in the day Dauz use to offer an 11" edrum (still might, I haven't checked).

I think mesh is really popular because it works (i.e. uses standard drum hoops and hardware) like acoustic drums. Rubber makes drummers think "electronic", mesh makes acoustic drummers think "it's just like my drums". It's a comfort level thing. That's my two cents anyway.

Agree!...that's one of the main reasons I like my RHP's so much...a mesh head with an entire foam surface underneath it to reduce the extra bounce that mesh drums typically have..:)

[TAKnipe]

So what is it about the Rubber which appeals to you? Is Yamaha's rubber in that they have better trigger response or do you just like the Rubber feel? The few mesh heads I've played felt much more like a real drum strike, but I also didn't whack the piss out of them either, which is my normal play style. If I can get a good feel rubber pad, I suspect I'm going to get a much longer life out of it.

I also should have mentioned that I'm looking at a $1500 to $2000 price zone and I'll have to buy some sort of brain with that as well.

I prefer the soft rubber on the TP65 and the TP65s rubber pad, it is the softest I have ever played. I like the stick response and the stick feedback I get. If I was spending 2,000, I would try to get the 1599 Xtreme special and with the extra money pick up a couple TP65's. But you really have to try the pads and see which ones you like the best. I also like having three zones at my disposal, talk about bang for the buck. No matter what you choose make sure your happy with it thats all that matters. Tom

[Scorch Whammin]

I prefer the soft rubber on the TP65 and the TP65s rubber pad, it is the softest I have ever played. I like the stick response and the stick feedback I get. If I was spending 2,000, I would try to get the 1599 Xtreme special and with the extra money pick up a couple TP65's. But you really have to try the pads and see which ones you like the best. I also like having three zones at my disposal, talk about bang for the buck. No matter what you choose make sure your happy with it thats all that matters. Tom

Yea...I was gonna recommend that kit also...great kit and and awesome price!..however, they may be very hard to find now...if you can afford a little more...I've seen new "in the box" IIISP's going on ebay for $2300-$2700...that also is quite the deal!...the hex rack alone is almost worth the extra coin!..:)

[dauzman]

Ive played on both of those Yamaha pads . Dauz 6" , 8" and 11" pads are all softer then both Yamaha models. I think I am the only company who offers natural gum rubber pads. Not injection molded sudo rubber thermo plastics.

[TAKnipe]

I have played the Dauz 6 inch and yes it is the softest rubber I have played. Might have also something to do with its design. So i stand corrected, but I havent played the other Dauz pads yet but I will. :)

I have to say also I have used the old Drum Tech pads and they were a pleasure to play on also, I still have a kick pad from them that I refurbed, very nicely designed but are not available any longer and the tubular Pearl arms are not a favorite of mine.

Good Luck, T

[CaTaPulT]

I also think the reason eDrums will never have the real acoustic feel is they don't have the feel of acoustics. When striking an acoustic drum, the thing breathes (vent hole), it as resonance, you feel the drum (especially big deep drums like floor toms, kicks), so this all adds to the "FEEL" of acoustic drums, even to the feel of the drum head since you get the acoustic UMPH in the room and feel it in your gut. eDrums don't do that, almost like something is missing, Scott, you having great acoustic drums and should be able to verify this.
Ever since I got into eDrums, I feel something is missing from what I can remember of playing acoustics in my youth, I've come to this conclusion.... the subconscious of a human being is very strong, when even the slightest thing is missing, the brain makes the body feel like there's something missing and the "FEEL" is interpreted as being all wrong. Thus why eDrums will NEVER feel like acoustics. This is why I never did like eDrums much, the feel (resonance, breathing, vibration, etc) is missing, but yet again, I can't have acoustic due to my living arrangements, if I could, I'd never look at another eDrum again.
Take care

Regards: >>>> Jack <<<<

[EDrum Pro]

If Electronic pads played like acoustic drums they would be Acoustic not electronic. I have been into electronic triggering since 1979. I have owned every pad under the sun. From Simmons SDX at 15,000 dollars to ADD one from Dynacord, DDrum, Roland, Hart, Drum Tech Pintech, Dauz, Alesis, and Ignighter,Tech Star, PearlCussion, Moog,Synare,UPIF, by far Dauz pads play like no other for Natural Gum Rubber. Like any good practice pad from Real Feel or Gladstone. Not one pad has life time warranty none of them. And why should I need to up keep an electronic drum by replacing heads. I have been in music retail for over 35 years. I just don't give props where there deserved and Dauz drums are a testament to Dan's hard work in a Technical world where electronic drums are heading. For what Dan is asking for a kit you can't touch whats out there at any price. Trust me been there done that!!!! I'm here to help all make an educated purchase on drums and cost effective growth potential. I not here to blow smoke up anyone's you know what... Happy Holiday's to all at EDF. May your drum pads come true!! Mine did....

[ScutMonkey]

Well I spent a couple hours today playing various Roland and Yamaha e-drums and I have to say I'm just not going to like the rubber playing pads. I did like the Yamaha cymbals though.

Also, I discovered that I don't like mesh heads which are less than 10" in diameter. It looks like I have very expensive tastes. The only set I really enjoyed the feel of was a $7k Roland set.

One thing I did notice and I had to sorta redo my testing was that the way pads sounded through their respective brain affected my desire to actually play the pads. If the brain sounded like crap, I didn't want to play the pads anymore, no what style they were. When I played the $7k Roland set, the brain was initially on a stupid space sounding "kit" and I just put the sticks down and played on something else. Once I realize this was happening, I turned off the brain and was much happier. Strange, eh?

So now I have to finish selling my acoustic kit and then put together a plan of what I'm going to buy. From everything I've read, it's going to be cobbled together, sadly. Man, I wish I'd liked those Yamaha rubber heads. Would have made everything easier.

[Scorch Whammin]

Well I spent a couple hours today playing various Roland and Yamaha e-drums and I have to say I'm just not going to like the rubber playing pads. I did like the Yamaha cymbals though.

Also, I discovered that I don't like mesh heads which are less than 10" in diameter. It looks like I have very expensive tastes. The only set I really enjoyed the feel of was a $7k Roland set.

One thing I did notice and I had to sorta redo my testing was that the way pads sounded through their respective brain affected my desire to actually play the pads. If the brain sounded like crap, I didn't want to play the pads anymore, no what style they were. When I played the $7k Roland set, the brain was initially on a stupid space sounding "kit" and I just put the sticks down and played on something else. Once I realize this was happening, I turned off the brain and was much happier. Strange, eh?

So now I have to finish selling my acoustic kit and then put together a plan of what I'm going to buy. From everything I've read, it's going to be cobbled together, sadly. Man, I wish I'd liked those Yamaha rubber heads. Would have made everything easier.

Don't forget to try out the new Yamaha silicone pads (DTX900/950) when they come out....Feb./Mar. timeframe....maybe you'll like the feel of those pads..:)