Author Topic: Alesis DM10 Kick Pad fail. Can a regular 8" pad be used in its place?  (Read 2525 times)

Hey everyone,

Recently, my Alesis DM10 kick pad has decided to pay a long visit to the drum pad graveyard, and as a result I have no kick pad atm. I was looking to get another one, but after seeing how much they cost, and considering the fact that based on various sources, it seems that the Alesis realhead kick pads have somewhat of a design flaw in that they can't really handle the strain that comes with playing heavier kick drum patterns, I was exploring the option of buying a regular 8" pad instead, and mounting it in place of the faulty pad. Seems regular 8" pads are less expensive, probably because they have no stand.

So, I was wondering if that would be a possible option at all? Would that work? Also, how are regular 8" pads in terms of handling the strain of playing a kick drum? My kick pad didn't last too long, so my expectations aren't too high, but if a regular 8" pad would last on average just as long or maybe even longer than a kick pad, then I'm a happy man. Please let me know!

Thanks!

Offline rhysT

Re: Alesis DM10 Kick Pad fail. Can a regular 8" pad be used in its place?
« Reply #1 on: December 22, 2016, 05:04:52 PM »
Recently, my Alesis DM10 kick pad has decided to pay a long visit to the drum pad graveyard, and as a result I have no kick pad atm. I was looking to get another one, but after seeing how much they cost, and considering the fact that based on various sources, it seems that the Alesis realhead kick pads have somewhat of a design flaw in that they can't really handle the strain that comes with playing heavier kick drum patterns, I was exploring the option of buying a regular 8" pad instead, and mounting it in place of the faulty pad. Seems regular 8" pads are less expensive, probably because they have no stand.

So, I was wondering if that would be a possible option at all? Would that work? Also, how are regular 8" pads in terms of handling the strain of playing a kick drum? My kick pad didn't last too long, so my expectations aren't too high, but if a regular 8" pad would last on average just as long or maybe even longer than a kick pad, then I'm a happy man. Please let me know!

You could try this DIY repair option done by Dobly: http://www.alesisdrummer.com/index.php?topic=6785.msg46576#msg46576
A regular 8" mesh pad isn't likely to survive heavier kick drum patterns you mentioned.

A more compact option is Roland’s KT-9 Kick trigger pedal: https://www.roland.com/uk/products/kt-9/
« Last Edit: December 22, 2016, 05:47:27 PM by rhysT »

Re: Alesis DM10 Kick Pad fail. Can a regular 8" pad be used in its place?
« Reply #2 on: December 22, 2016, 11:10:14 PM »
Hey thanks for the reply man! I'll take a look at this DIY, but more likely that I go with getting a new trigger, just less trouble and time. I assume for the Roland, you're talking about the KD 8 not KT9? the KD is the actual pad where as the KT is the pedal itself, so I assume you meant the pad. By the way, when I meant a regular 8" pad, I was talking about a mylar one not mesh, but I assume it wouldn't take the beating just the same?

Lastly, how does the Roland KD8 pad handle metal double bass drumming etc as compared to the stock Alesis realhead pad? If it's more or less the same or even better, I think I'll just go ahead and get the KD8!

Again, thanks for the reply :)

Offline rhysT

Re: Alesis DM10 Kick Pad fail. Can a regular 8" pad be used in its place?
« Reply #3 on: December 23, 2016, 02:46:54 AM »
I haven't used a KD-8 pad but it should be sturdy enough for double bass drumming compared to your realhead pad.
Whereas the combo KT-9 trigger pedal & pad is ideal for quieter playing and a pair of them allows individual kick sounds to be assigned for each one in the module. This option works well for me with some modified FD-8 trigger pedals attached to the DM10 using a Y-splitter: http://www.alesisdrummer.com/index.php?topic=6142.msg42864#msg42864

Re: Alesis DM10 Kick Pad fail. Can a regular 8" pad be used in its place?
« Reply #4 on: December 23, 2016, 06:32:54 AM »
Thanks again for the quick reply! I've been reading up on the KD8 and KD9, and from what I read the KD8 feels like hitting a brick wall, and is a bit loud is that right? Whereas the KD9 is a bit quieter, feels better to play but I've also read that the cloth/mesh thing on it can get torn/worn out pretty quickly, and that it tends to move around quite a bit even after it's clamped to the bass pedal? I currently use a Tama Iron Cobra 600 double bass so not really willing to use any other pedal tbh...

I'm a bit stuck choosing between them tbh...not sure which will work better, but what I am sure of is that I don't want something floppy that'll keep moving around as I'm doing my double bass hits, not sure if the clamping will help or not. I also lay the back of my kick pad along 1 of the bottom cross bars of the drum rack, and with the alesis kick pad that usually stopped it from moving back and forth. Combined with the clamping of the pedal, that stopped the side movements. Would that be enough to stop the KD9 from moving around?

Help! :p

Re: Alesis DM10 Kick Pad fail. Can a regular 8" pad be used in its place?
« Reply #5 on: December 25, 2016, 07:31:04 PM »
Just bumping and updating this...after further research it seems that for the most part, the KD-9 is fine, but if I'm using a felt beater (which I am since that's what the iron cobras have), then I've read that I should look into getting falam slam kick pads to cover where the beaters would hit...so that the KD-9 foam/cloth etc won't get damaged. Can anyone confirm?

Also, does this kick pad use the same cable that the alesis pad uses? Just so I know whether I need to get a cable with it or not...

Lastly, does anyone know if the KD-9 height can be adjusted? It seems that they're taller than the alesis kick pad, and so I don't want any surprises in terms of the beaters not being able to be aligned properly with the KD-9 etc...although I can probably adjust the beater height etc, but just looking for people's experiences and insight here.

To add to that last point, Roland's website says the KD-9 is 17.25" tall, but strangely enough it doesn't look that tall in the video below, which is another reason I asked that question.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUQr7mcqmN8
« Last Edit: December 25, 2016, 07:38:05 PM by lp026713389 »

Re: Alesis DM10 Kick Pad fail. Can a regular 8" pad be used in its place?
« Reply #6 on: December 29, 2016, 05:30:48 AM »
Guys? Anyone please?

Offline Dobly

Re: Alesis DM10 Kick Pad fail. Can a regular 8" pad be used in its place?
« Reply #7 on: December 29, 2016, 06:20:18 AM »
I can't speak for the others on this Alesis forum but I don't know anything about Roland gear.

rhysT up above linked you to my DIY fix for the Alesis bass drum. I don't play double kick, but I am a very solid and sometimes very hard hitting player.  I  have been wacking the hell out of my bass drum for several hours now over several rehearsal sessions and it has not skipped a beat. And I don't expect I'll ever have any trouble with it since the mod.

If you look at what I did, i removed the piezo from the firing line of the beater. I broke my bass drum pad a few times before I did this mod.  I could easily change this mod to allow for two beaters.

Re: Alesis DM10 Kick Pad fail. Can a regular 8" pad be used in its place?
« Reply #8 on: December 30, 2016, 09:44:20 PM »
Thanks, appreciate the reply. :)