Alesis DM10 Mesh head Pad Upgrade Video!

[Hellfire]

If you own an Alesis DM5, USB, or DM10 Pro kit, here is the best DIY way to convert your trigger pads to mesh.

Alesis DM10 Pad Upgrade Video!

***Caution, You will Void Your Warranty Once You Do This Upgrade***

Quick FAQ (Thanks Recess):

Just spend half an hour reading this entire thread, and it strikes me that it could probably do with a FAQ on the very first post - as there's a lot of repeated questions.  I've put something together in case you want to edit your initial post Hellfire? I don't know if you'll use it, but wanted to do something as a way of saying thanks.

FAQ

1) Why remove the resistors? When you get a stock pad, the sensor plate is way at the top and thus the piezo element produces a much hotter signal, but once you do the conversion, it is no long at the top of the stack. It is below a much more adsorbent piece of foam and further down the stack. The result is a sensor with a much diminished signal output. That is why the resistors are removed. (if you leave them in, you may have to crank up the sensitivity - and that could cause issues)

*That also answers 'Do I really need to break out the soldering iron' - you may not need to remove the resistor, and could just cut slits in the foam to enable re-ordering.

2) My 'thick black foam' has a hole cut in it, making it like a donut - do I need to fill it in with something? No, the pad will still work just fine. Some folks report that it feels a lot better in the centre without the foam, with more rebound. However, others have taken the circle of white foam that is cut out, and (after trimming) put this inside the hole of the black foam, and report no problems.

3) Why put the funky foam at the bottom? Because it's used to raise the internal stack up primarily, and won't sink into the frame at the bottom of the drum.

[goony]

If you already have the dual trigger type of this pad, do you HAVE to take wires from the jack? Or can you do the conversion without having to solder...

[Hellfire]

If you already have the dual trigger type of this pad, do you HAVE to take wires from the jack? Or can you do the conversion without having to solder...

Never did it that way but, you can try.

[goony]

Was just a thought as my diy skills are shockingly bad... So if I could get away with not having to attempt soldering the better....

[Guinness]

Soldering is simple.  You can do it! 
 
Phil... question:  The jack used for the dual is a TRS (right?).  Does that jack female come standard on single piezo drums?  Or did you also have to purchase a TRS jack?
 
 

[goony]

I wouldnt attempt it, I know how I am, if it went wrong, and I would end up with one badly damaged pad..

[Guinness]

I wouldnt attempt it, I know how I am, if it went wrong, and I would end up with one badly damaged pad..

Practice first. 
 
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-solder/
 

[Hellfire]

Soldering is simple.  You can do it! 
 
Phil... question:  The jack used for the dual is a TRS (right?).  Does that jack female come standard on single piezo drums?  Or did you also have to purchase a TRS jack?

That's the best part of this project. No need to buy another jack. Even the single zone triggers come with a TRS jack. The single zone triggers just don't use the extra pin on the TRS jack.

[televator]

I upgraded my USB Pro kit over the weekend using this method, and it works great! Thanks for the great video.

A couple changes I made from the video:
I didn't do any soldering/de-soldering at all. My pads are already dual zone, and I didn't want to learn soldering for the first time on an expensive kit like this (although I know I should learn to solder). In order to get the foam off, i just used a fresh razor blade to cut a slit to the edge of each piece of foam, so I could remove it, cut it and/or reorder it without removing any wires. The large slit in the gray foam hasn't caused any problems for me while playing.

I made my own mesh heads out of fiberglass screening. They have held up good so far, but I may buy the billy blast heads if these don't last very long.

I used a small circle of the EVA foam as a beater pad on the kick pad. With that and the new foam order, I've really reduced the sound of the kick pad. The kick noise was by far the worst part of my kit previously.

Triggering has been great, and i haven't had any problems since the upgrade. The best part is the reduction in noise. I don't have to turn up my speakers or headphones nearly as loud to hear just the sampled sounds.

[Guinness]

I used a small circle of the EVA foam as a beater pad on the kick pad. With that and the new foam order, I've really reduced the sound of the kick pad. The kick noise was by far the worst part of my kit previously.

Triggering has been great, and i haven't had any problems since the upgrade. The best part is the reduction in noise. I don't have to turn up my speakers or headphones nearly as loud to hear just the sampled sounds.

You put a pad on top of the mylar head on the kick, or under it.   Replaced it with mesh also?
 
When I had my DM5, the pad noise was high.  So, when I get my DM10, my plan is to do the same...  switch to mesh heads.
 
In my head, i was thinking the same thing...  they'll all be dual already, so I'll just need to reconfigure and add one piece to put on mesh heads.  you did exactly what I imagined.  Glad to know proof of concept works. 
 

[televator]

You put a pad on top of the mylar head on the kick, or under it.   Replaced it with mesh also?

i did the entire modification on the kick pad, including adding the mesh head. I then put the EVA Foam (funky foam) circle on top of the mesh head to serve as extra padding for the beater. The difference in kick noise is dramatic.

[mazzith]

You put a pad on top of the mylar head on the kick, or under it.   Replaced it with mesh also?

i did the entire modification on the kick pad, including adding the mesh head. I then put the EVA Foam (funky foam) circle on top of the mesh head to serve as extra padding for the beater. The difference in kick noise is dramatic.

I need to do this upgrade just have not had time yet, but that would work fine. I had to wrap my kick drum with a small thin blanket to help muffle the sounds. There was almost no notice in triggering because well, the beaters tend to hit it pretty hard even when the DW7002 had the beaters set to as far forward as possible.

[mazzith]

I upgraded my USB Pro kit over the weekend using this method, and it works great! Thanks for the great video.

A couple changes I made from the video:
I didn't do any soldering/de-soldering at all. My pads are already dual zone, and I didn't want to learn soldering for the first time on an expensive kit like this (although I know I should learn to solder). In order to get the foam off, i just used a fresh razor blade to cut a slit to the edge of each piece of foam, so I could remove it, cut it and/or reorder it without removing any wires. The large slit in the gray foam hasn't caused any problems for me while playing.

I made my own mesh heads out of fiberglass screening. They have held up good so far, but I may buy the billy blast heads if these don't last very long.

I used a small circle of the EVA foam as a beater pad on the kick pad. With that and the new foam order, I've really reduced the sound of the kick pad. The kick noise was by far the worst part of my kit previously.

Triggering has been great, and i haven't had any problems since the upgrade. The best part is the reduction in noise. I don't have to turn up my speakers or headphones nearly as loud to hear just the sampled sounds.

How well does it feel after the conversion?
Is it still stiff like before or a lot of bounce like Roland set up?

[televator]

How well does it feel after the conversion?
Is it still stiff like before or a lot of bounce like Roland set up?

it doesn't compare to the bounce of the roland, but there seems to be more bounce than with the original set up. I only changed one head at first to fully compare, and I definitely like the feel much better with the conversion. Playing rolls and double-hits (I don't know if that's the technical term) are a lot easier now. It's possible that some of that difference is subconcious (the softer sound could easily cause me to perceive a larger difference in playability than there really is).

With the conversion, playing feels more natural. Don't expect this to feel just like a Roland mesh set, but I think the conversion is well worth the effort.

[mazzith]

Well while I am not expecting a roland feel but I am looking for something a bit less stiff and more natural rebound. Would you say its closer to acoustic set or to how it comes stock in the feel now. I know Roland goes well past the acoustic and to super spongy
 

[Hellfire]

Well while I am not expecting a roland feel but I am looking for something a bit less stiff and more natural rebound. Would you say its closer to acoustic set or to how it comes stock in the feel now. I know Roland goes well past the acoustic and to super spongy

It feels much better than the stock. Much closer to acoustic in feel. Though similar in feel to the Roland, its not quite as spongy. I hope that helps.

[mazzith]

So I finally got my mesh heads today. I noticed that if the top layer of foam is more responsive if there is a holy in the center like the bottom pad. The other thing was I had to trim the top funky evo foam pad (the old one) to get it to fit.

I did not bother soldering the wires and just cut a slit in the in the foam and it does not effect the play at all. The noise difference made a HUGE difference though.

Thanks again for the video.
 

[Hellfire]

So I finally got my mesh heads today. I noticed that if the top layer of foam is more responsive if there is a hole in the center like the bottom pad.

I mentioned in the text about the 10" drum trigger that the hole in the black foam should not be a problem. I think it works great that way as well.

The other thing was I had to trim the top funky evo foam pad (the old one) to get it to fit.

I actually mention this as well in the video.

I did not bother soldering the wires and just cut a slit in the in the foam and it does not effect the play at all. The noise difference made a HUGE difference though.

Thanks again for the video.
 

I'm glad you like it. It is good to know also, that this upgrade can be done without soldering. Thanks for the full report.

[mazzith]

I mentioned in the text about the 10" drum trigger that the hole in the black foam should not be a problem. I think it works great that way as well.

Remember I got that new tom when they shipped out the entire drum instead of a new head, well that tom 8inch had a circle out of the center like the 10 inch toms. I noticed that playing that vs the others it had a little more rebound and was softer to hit and it was more responsive on the light touches (slightly but still), so I disassembled all of the drums and cut the center out of them and was very pleased.

The mesh heads I got from Billy Blast were somewhat different then I was expecting but for the price they will be fine. They do not look as neat and clean and professional as the Hartz but for a fifth of the price you should not expect that. They are built well and if they last a 1/3 of the time as Hartz heads I still save about 20%. The only thing I wished is that they charged shipping based on what the actually charges will be. They charged me 15.65 for shipping yet USPS rate was 11.90. Only a few dollars different but you never want to get over charged on shipping.

I am VERY happy with this DIY modification. The notice has been reduced so much I was able to take that blanket off the kick drum to mute the striking from the mallets lol.

Big thanks to you Hellfire for the video and all these forums / webpages for the resources in helping me pick the right set up. I have been nothing but thrilled with my DM10 Pro and this modification only makes it better.
All your hard work does not go unnoticed. 

[Hellfire]

I mentioned in the text about the 10" drum trigger that the hole in the black foam should not be a problem. I think it works great that way as well.

Remember I got that new tom when they shipped out the entire drum instead of a new head, well that tom 8inch had a circle out of the center like the 10 inch toms..

Interesting..I guess Alesis has already made a revision to the pad design.

The mesh heads I got from Billy Blast were somewhat different then I was expecting but for the price they will be fine. They do not look as neat and clean and professional as the Hartz but for a fifth of the price you should not expect that. They are built well and if they last a 1/3 of the time as Hartz heads I still save about 20%. The only thing I wished is that they charged shipping based on what the actually charges will be. They charged me 15.65 for shipping yet USPS rate was 11.90. Only a few dollars different but you never want to get over charged on shipping.

I am VERY happy with this DIY modification. The notice has been reduced so much I was able to take that blanket off the kick drum to mute the striking from the mallets lol.

Big thanks to you Hellfire for the video and all these forums / webpages for the resources in helping me pick the right set up. I have been nothing but thrilled with my DM10 Pro and this modification only makes it better.
All your hard work does not go unnoticed. 

Thanks mazzith. It is all about trying to help people out with their edrum issues (and try to save them a little cash as well).

[Guinness]

Remember I got that new tom when they shipped out the entire drum instead of a new head, well that tom 8inch had a circle out of the center like the 10 inch toms. I noticed that playing that vs the others it had a little more rebound and was softer to hit and it was more responsive on the light touches (slightly but still), so I disassembled all of the drums and cut the center out of them and was very pleased.

 The only thing I wished is that they charged shipping based on what the actually charges will be. They charged me 15.65 for shipping yet USPS rate was 11.90. Only a few dollars different but you never want to get over charged on shipping.

just FYI...  it is common for all companies to markup shipping costs.  Should you ever want a company to NOT markup, set up a direct bill with UPS, and have the vendor ship on YOUR ups number.   Otherwise, expect to pay 15-25% over actual shipping charges.
 
again, FYI.
 
On another note...  reading about your kit, makes me drool.  I can't wait to get mine...  (and do the mesh pad conversion!)
 
Thanks for keeping us in the loop.

[mazzith]

Here a pic of the drums finished up after the conversion.
So much quieter now I was able to take the blanket off the kick drum to muffle the beater noise.

Lexi playing them, they sure love my toys lol.

[Guinness]

Cute picture.
 
Btw... when r u going to take "Let's go Cowboys" off?   
The Cowboys sure did play some good ball at the end of the season.  Being a Niner fan, I'm certainly not bummed they didn't go farther.   
 
So, i had an idea.  When I do my head conversion, I was thinking I'd lay a piece of thin cotton material (white) or cheese cloth, and then the head will look all white, instead of a mesh pattern.  What do you think?
 
Also...  regarding the 'hole' you cut out.  Is it in the middle, like a donut, or on the outside, like a donut-hole.

[mazzith]

Its like a donut. I cut out about 3-4 inch circle out of it.
When you hit the dead center it gives it less resistance and bounces a little more then having a backing of foam, even though the foam gives easy enough.

As for the Cowboys pic and sig I'll never change it because if were not winning super bowls they need to get it going.

[Guinness]

i wonder what the opposite would be like.  Would it feel more like a real snare with a powerdot?   Perhaps I'll try it someday...