Howdy from the frozen wastelands of Canada!
I'm about (not "aboot") to perform surgery on an out-of-the-box DM10 dual-zone pad but I have a few surgical questions before hacking away at my patient:
1. In the video, considering that all that is done is moving the order and replacing a head with another, why the need for an additional piece of foam to lift the assembly? Is it because of the circled out white foam no longer provides the desired thickness?
The reason for the lift is because the dynamics of the pad has been changed. The stock Alesis pad is quite dead as far as the stick rebound. Once you move that stiff plate down and add a mesh head you will get more rebound from your stick. That rebound can cause the drum head to lift off the foam slightly as it flexes back up and then slap back down on the foam causing double triggering problems. By lifting the foam up slightly, it keeps the foam in contact with the head so you don't get the double triggering issue.
2. For that same foam lift, is a mute pad too thick for that job? I still have some from a drumrocker mesh mod, so it would save me a trip to the most emasculating store in the world (Michael's)
You can always give it a try. The only issue that I see is it might be a touch too thick. Most of those mute pads are about 1/4 inch (6-7mm) thick. Which is about twice what I need. However, some here have used 6mm thick foam and have no problems.
3. Anyone try with a Peal Muffle Head mesh? They don't carry BB's over here so that would be my only choice in mesh heads short of trying to use a V-Drum head which I know isn't a standard 10in fit and would require a second mortgage on my house.
You can use Peal Muffle Head but a word of caution. They will not last long. About 1-3 months depending on how hard you play. The 10in V-drum is standard so, it would fit. I normally don't recommend it because of the price.
4. I'm using this primo trigger on an Alesis DM-6 module (tight budget you see). DM-6 does not have trigger sensitivity adjustments (but it does have a kick-butt Bossa Nova midi practice track! ). How has the sensitivity changed after the mod? Better? worse? Would you recommend surgery in my case or is it an at-risk patient considering the DM-6?
I found the sensitivity to be right in the pocket for the DM10. I don't know how well it would work for the DM6 however. Remember, you don't need to do this mod if you like the feel of the stock pad. I would try the pad as is first with you kit and then decide from there if you wish to do the mod. I hope that helps.