Author Topic: Wanting advice on DM10 Upgrades  (Read 2189 times)

Wanting advice on DM10 Upgrades
« on: August 20, 2017, 05:51:13 PM »
Hi ,all!

So I am not new to drumming by any stretch, however, I am relatively new to edrums. I bought the Alesis dm10x as my first electronic kit. I have played it for a couple of years now and for the most part am fairly satisfied with it (minding how budget friendly it is). Recently though, I made the mistake of giving into the temptation of playing a demo kit  (Roland td50kv) while at guitar center and now feel as if my kit is lacking. Once satisfied with the Mylar heads, I now despise them. I want mesh heads. I also LOVE the look and feel of having actual shells ones edrums.So I have decided to make some upgrades to my kit and wanted some advice, being that I know little of the edrum world.

I am tossing around the idea of doing one of the mesh head conversions (well documented through this site). My only concern with this is the feel and responsiveness of the drums. Most people I have found who have done these conversions have never played high end kits with mesh heads. Anyone out there with some input on how these conversions compare to Roland's feel/sound?

My next option I am considering is buying new pads to replace mine. I could get some Roland pads which will work (I have heard) but they are pricey. I have come across goedrums pads and look great and the price is right. Anyone have anything on either of those with the dm10 module? I also saw that goedrum has a hihat controller option. Anyone using one of these on the dm10?

Thanks for any input you guys can offer!

Offline Iggford

Re: Wanting advice on DM10 Upgrades
« Reply #1 on: August 20, 2017, 06:01:04 PM »
Hi ,all!

So I am not new to drumming by any stretch, however, I am relatively new to edrums. I bought the Alesis dm10x as my first electronic kit. I have played it for a couple of years now and for the most part am fairly satisfied with it (minding how budget friendly it is). Recently though, I made the mistake of giving into the temptation of playing a demo kit  (Roland td50kv) while at guitar center and now feel as if my kit is lacking. Once satisfied with the Mylar heads, I now despise them. I want mesh heads. I also LOVE the look and feel of having actual shells ones edrums.So I have decided to make some upgrades to my kit and wanted some advice, being that I know little of the edrum world.

I am tossing around the idea of doing one of the mesh head conversions (well documented through this site). My only concern with this is the feel and responsiveness of the drums. Most people I have found who have done these conversions have never played high end kits with mesh heads. Anyone out there with some input on how these conversions compare to Roland's feel/sound?

My next option I am considering is buying new pads to replace mine. I could get some Roland pads which will work (I have heard) but they are pricey. I have come across goedrums pads and look great and the price is right. Anyone have anything on either of those with the dm10 module? I also saw that goedrum has a hihat controller option. Anyone using one of these on the dm10?

Thanks for any input you guys can offer!


For a pad upgrade, try www.laurindrums.com.  The Laurin pads seem to be really well-constructed, and can be customized with quite a few different appearances.  They also have a compatibility chart showing them to be fully compatible with the DM10.

As a note, though, I have NOT upgraded to these yet.  I'm planning on doing a major kit upgrade over the next several months.  I'm upgrading to the Pearl Mimic Pro module, and probably doing a one-by-one upgrade to the Laurin pads.  However, I noticed that a couple of the foam columns in my snare have come off and are rolling around inside the pad.  I am going to replace it with a Laurin snare and then try some DIY stuff on it since I'm going to have to take it apart anyway. 

I'll post more on the pad upgrade as I get ahold of one to try, but everywhere I've seen mention of those pads, everyone seems to be happy with them. 

Hope this helps!


--Shawn

Re: Wanting advice on DM10 Upgrades
« Reply #2 on: August 20, 2017, 06:15:57 PM »
Hi ,all!

So I am not new to drumming by any stretch, however, I am relatively new to edrums. I bought the Alesis dm10x as my first electronic kit. I have played it for a couple of years now and for the most part am fairly satisfied with it (minding how budget friendly it is). Recently though, I made the mistake of giving into the temptation of playing a demo kit  (Roland td50kv) while at guitar center and now feel as if my kit is lacking. Once satisfied with the Mylar heads, I now despise them. I want mesh heads. I also LOVE the look and feel of having actual shells ones edrums.So I have decided to make some upgrades to my kit and wanted some advice, being that I know little of the edrum world.

I am tossing around the idea of doing one of the mesh head conversions (well documented through this site). My only concern with this is the feel and responsiveness of the drums. Most people I have found who have done these conversions have never played high end kits with mesh heads. Anyone out there with some input on how these conversions compare to Roland's feel/sound?

My next option I am considering is buying new pads to replace mine. I could get some Roland pads which will work (I have heard) but they are pricey. I have come across goedrums pads and look great and the price is right. Anyone have anything on either of those with the dm10 module? I also saw that goedrum has a hihat controller option. Anyone using one of these on the dm10?

Thanks for any input you guys can offer!


For a pad upgrade, try www.laurindrums.com.  The Laurin pads seem to be really well-constructed, and can be customized with quite a few different appearances.  They also have a compatibility chart showing them to be fully compatible with the DM10.

As a note, though, I have NOT upgraded to these yet.  I'm planning on doing a major kit upgrade over the next several months.  I'm upgrading to the Pearl Mimic Pro module, and probably doing a one-by-one upgrade to the Laurin pads.  However, I noticed that a couple of the foam columns in my snare have come off and are rolling around inside the pad.  I am going to replace it with a Laurin snare and then try some DIY stuff on it since I'm going to have to take it apart anyway. 

I'll post more on the pad upgrade as I get ahold of one to try, but everywhere I've seen mention of those pads, everyone seems to be happy with them. 

Hope this helps!


--Shawn

Thanks for the reply, Shawn! I will have to give those a look. Upgrading to the pearl module, eh? I was looking at that (planning to do a module upgrade as well). What made you decide to go with this one over others? Not sure how I feel about the touch screen interface.

Offline Iggford

Re: Wanting advice on DM10 Upgrades
« Reply #3 on: August 20, 2017, 06:36:20 PM »
Thanks for the reply, Shawn! I will have to give those a look. Upgrading to the pearl module, eh? I was looking at that (planning to do a module upgrade as well). What made you decide to go with this one over others? Not sure how I feel about the touch screen interface.


No problem at all!

I did some research on module upgrades, and was looking at one of the Roland modules to begin with.  The TD-50 runs just above the price of the Pearl module, and the TD-30 was the same price as the Mimic on Sweetwater (those prices were about 3 weeks ago).  After listening to some reviews, and a reminder of its existence from members of this forum, I ultimately chose the Pearl.

I like the idea of the individual outputs for each trigger, something the Roland modules have but seems a little more limited.  The band I'm in records from time to time, so the option of multiple outputs is one that I really want to have.

I also liked the fact that each input has its own connection, rather than all of the trigger cables going into a single plug that connects to the module.  I know it makes for easier connection, but I have a drummer friend that has a Roland TD-9, which uses the same interface with the single input connector.  He had a bad cable and had to replace the entire cable set.  I'd just prefer to be able to work with single cables.  The TD-30 and the TD-50 both have separate input connectors, but I had also considered the TD-25, which has the single connector.

The touch screen did kinda concern me a bit, but I will probably get a case to transport it in and custom-cut some foam to keep it secure and protected.  Pearl does seem to have a decent warranty in case of failure, but I'm still researching that part.  It will be an important factor for me, especially considering the touch screen.

Then, there is the sound of the Pearl module.  I listened to some comparisons between the TD-50 and the Mimic Pro.  They both sound fantastic, but to me there is a noticeable difference in the sampled kits on the Pearl and the generated sounds of the Roland.  I'm wanting as clean a sound as possible, and I just felt that the Pearl had what I was looking for.  Plus, there is a large internal drive on the Pearl that allows for expansion sets, which they have promised to keep coming.

None of this is to knock the modules that Roland has released, as I would be perfectly happy with any of those.  My previous kit was a Roland TD-6 kit, and I got many years' use out of it.  For me, though, with as much money as I will have to invest in this upgrade, the Pearl seems to be the best deal.  I want something that can grow with my kit, and it just fits my hopes a little better than the rest.


--Shawn

Re: Wanting advice on DM10 Upgrades
« Reply #4 on: August 20, 2017, 11:31:22 PM »
Thanks for the reply, Shawn! I will have to give those a look. Upgrading to the pearl module, eh? I was looking at that (planning to do a module upgrade as well). What made you decide to go with this one over others? Not sure how I feel about the touch screen interface.


No problem at all!

I did some research on module upgrades, and was looking at one of the Roland modules to begin with.  The TD-50 runs just above the price of the Pearl module, and the TD-30 was the same price as the Mimic on Sweetwater (those prices were about 3 weeks ago).  After listening to some reviews, and a reminder of its existence from members of this forum, I ultimately chose the Pearl.

I like the idea of the individual outputs for each trigger, something the Roland modules have but seems a little more limited.  The band I'm in records from time to time, so the option of multiple outputs is one that I really want to have.

I also liked the fact that each input has its own connection, rather than all of the trigger cables going into a single plug that connects to the module.  I know it makes for easier connection, but I have a drummer friend that has a Roland TD-9, which uses the same interface with the single input connector.  He had a bad cable and had to replace the entire cable set.  I'd just prefer to be able to work with single cables.  The TD-30 and the TD-50 both have separate input connectors, but I had also considered the TD-25, which has the single connector.

The touch screen did kinda concern me a bit, but I will probably get a case to transport it in and custom-cut some foam to keep it secure and protected.  Pearl does seem to have a decent warranty in case of failure, but I'm still researching that part.  It will be an important factor for me, especially considering the touch screen.

Then, there is the sound of the Pearl module.  I listened to some comparisons between the TD-50 and the Mimic Pro.  They both sound fantastic, but to me there is a noticeable difference in the sampled kits on the Pearl and the generated sounds of the Roland.  I'm wanting as clean a sound as possible, and I just felt that the Pearl had what I was looking for.  Plus, there is a large internal drive on the Pearl that allows for expansion sets, which they have promised to keep coming.

None of this is to knock the modules that Roland has released, as I would be perfectly happy with any of those.  My previous kit was a Roland TD-6 kit, and I got many years' use out of it.  For me, though, with as much money as I will have to invest in this upgrade, the Pearl seems to be the best deal.  I want something that can grow with my kit, and it just fits my hopes a little better than the rest.


--Shawn

You make some good points! Right now I'm mainly using my kit for midi recording in logic pro, so I like having the dm10 module only because it's easy to map. I definitely am considering an upgrade in the future though.

I checked out these Laurin drums, wow! The shell wraps look amazing! Do you know if the snare/toms support 2 zone like the dm pads? I will definitely give them a try if so!

Offline AlanK

Re: Wanting advice on DM10 Upgrades
« Reply #5 on: August 21, 2017, 02:09:06 PM »
Hi bak3, some of us have Laurin drums and most have good things to say about them. Search out Laurin Drum here and you'll find a number of topics (I certainly shared some of my comments in a few posts). Great stuff.. yes, two zones just like the DM pads for sure.
DM10X with Addictive Drums 2, Pro X hi-hat, 4 crashes, foam cone conversion w Roland mesh heads, Laurin Drums snare and kick, Mapex P710W double kick pedal, Mapex 2 legged hi-hat, Behringer 8 channel USB mixer, Tascam 144MK AI, Samson Expedition Escape powered speakers

Offline Dobly

Re: Wanting advice on DM10 Upgrades
« Reply #6 on: August 22, 2017, 10:47:29 PM »
bak3m3acak3

This mod I did to my DM10X pads turned out amazingly well. http://www.alesisdrummer.com/index.php?topic=7136.0

Is quite a bit of info there as I documented the entire journey so you see the hits and misses. In the end however I could not be happier.  I've tried the TD50 pads from Roland that they fee ok. Mushy compared to my pads. My pads perform very very well. From the hardest hits, to buzz rolls with mesh heads at any tension you want. I have tom 1 tight down to tom 4 which is loose (like a floor tom). 


Re: Wanting advice on DM10 Upgrades
« Reply #7 on: August 23, 2017, 02:03:43 PM »
Thanks for all the info, guys!

I recently reached out to both Robert Laurin at Laurin drums and Drumtec. Talking to Mr. Laurin was very reassuring being that he designed these drums specifically for the DM10 module (his own kit). However, it is a little more pricey to go that route (in the $600 ballpark without bass drum). Drumtec got back to me and told me that they DO ship their mesh head conversion kit to the U.S. and it would only cost me <$300 for all drums. So now I'm just weighing my options between the two.

Anyone have any experience with the Drumtec mesh head conversion kit for the DM10? I didn't even know they could ship it to the U.S. because I heard something about Roland having a patent on 2 ply mesh heads. I asked several times and they confirmed that they would ship to me (even gave my address and got a write-up of the cost).