Author Topic: 12“ Mesh Head Conversion / only with foam / step by step / incl. videos  (Read 92252 times)

Offline AlanK

Re: 12“ Mesh Head Conversion / only with foam / step by step / incl. videos
« Reply #75 on: February 21, 2014, 07:55:23 PM »
Just throwing in my 2 cents... I ordered the white mesh set from 682Drums for my DM10X and I've had no issues installing or playing them whatsoever. They went on perfectly, the fit is perfect and the triggering is pretty much working without adjustment (one tweak for the rim on my snare, the rest of the rims worked fine as they were). I wonder if the size problem is only with the black sets?
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: 12“ Mesh Head Conversion / only with foam / step by step / incl. videos
« Reply #76 on: February 21, 2014, 10:03:35 PM »
You only need around 3mm of foam on the shallow 12 inch drums  I think the thicker foam was keeping the plate from vibrating properly.
JimmyB

This is looking like it might be the issue.. 6mm of foam takes more striking before I make contact with the rubber on the trigger setup.

Tell, me, should the 3mm be the only thing proud of the rim, or can the rubber on the trigger plate be higher too?

Offline Dobly

Re: 12“ Mesh Head Conversion / only with foam / step by step / incl. videos
« Reply #77 on: February 21, 2014, 11:33:50 PM »
Ok, I reread Gerdy's original post and watch his videos and saw that he tightened the head way way tighter than I had tried.

So I tightened in up, and up an up. Right to point where i can bearly turn the lugs any more and the bottom of the bolt are almost coming out clear of the plastic at the bottom.

This has improved the situation somewhat. Very much in fact. The velocity issue seems to be almost gone. Minor now and I might be able to live with it.

There is however a spot of dead patch.. ??? It is a area about the size of a coin, about half way between the center of the head and the edge. I just can't imaging how this is possible.

This may do for now, until can source some 3mm foam for the top.


Offline JimmyB

Re: 12“ Mesh Head Conversion / only with foam / step by step / incl. videos
« Reply #78 on: February 22, 2014, 09:06:58 AM »
If you 're in the USA, I have found the perfect foam for the shallow 12".  It's the waffle foam sold at Sears and harbour freight to line the bottom of tool box drawers. It wears like iron. Two layers of it oriented 45 degrees to on another makes about 3mm.
JimmyB

Offline Dobly

Re: 12“ Mesh Head Conversion / only with foam / step by step / incl. videos
« Reply #79 on: February 23, 2014, 08:30:53 PM »
If you 're in the USA, I have found the perfect foam for the shallow 12".  It's the waffle foam sold at Sears and harbour freight to line the bottom of tool box drawers. It wears like iron. Two layers of it oriented 45 degrees to on another makes about 3mm.
JimmyB

No, I'm in Gosford, NSW, Australia. That is about an hour North of Sydney on the coast.

I've had a look but can't fine waffle cone foam that is anything but way too thick. For you to use 2 of them at 45 to each other, they must be only 1.5mm each. That about right?

This got me thinking. The wife got a non slip thing for the dog bowl. It a kind of rubber mesh.  2 or 3 bits of that might do the trick. Just not sure how it would handle the pounding.

I have re cut all of the 6mm foam that has a hole for the bottom of the setup. As you can see in my post earlier with photos, the CD case I used made a smaller hole than the foam that came out of the drum in the first place.

My next attempt at this will be some combination of the newly cut foam, and 2 or 3 of the rubber non slip matting. I'll let you know how it goes.
« Last Edit: February 23, 2014, 08:47:44 PM by Dobly »

Offline Dobly

Re: 12“ Mesh Head Conversion / only with foam / step by step / incl. videos
« Reply #80 on: February 25, 2014, 04:31:44 AM »
Ok, here is the next installment of my 12" mesh head drama compete with photos and a video.

In an attempt to get a thinner layer of stuff above the trigger plate I got some of this..



My plan being to have 2 layers of that directly under the head and above the plate. 2 layers of this stuff it around 3mm.

Here it is cut out and ready to install on all 3 12" drums, assuming the first one goes well.


It doesn't go well.

Here is a shot of the 6mm foam that will go on the bottom. I'l use 3 of these under the trigger plate.



On first attempt 3 of those 6mm foam do not make the trigger plate high enough. (looking at my shots I might have only had 2 on my first attempt). Anyway..



So to the bottom of the pile I had one of these 3mm bits of craft foam.


And installed



On top of that goes the 3 bits of foam, then the trigger plate, then the 2 x thin rubber stuff..

Looks much better now.



All looked good to me as I put the mesh head on. (does it look right to you?)

The head once tightened pushed the top of the stack down flush with the top of the rim. Should be good contact all over one would think.

There are dead spots all over the drum

I've made a short video that shows exactly what I am facing here. Watch my just to the right of my right hand for one. No, that is not the audio on the video dropping out. 

What can I do? What have I done wrong?? Is the stack too high? Compressing the trigger plate too much???

(how to i make this video appear in this page, and not as the link below?)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AA81KWvF5A

Offline JimmyB

Re: 12“ Mesh Head Conversion / only with foam / step by step / incl. videos
« Reply #81 on: February 25, 2014, 08:52:19 AM »
I would go back to the original bottom foam. I didn't touch it. I just added 2 layers of the waffle foam and mine trigger perfectly. I get great ghost notes and a nice progressive volume increase.
JimmyB

Offline Dobly

Re: 12“ Mesh Head Conversion / only with foam / step by step / incl. videos
« Reply #82 on: February 25, 2014, 04:38:37 PM »
Thanks JimmyB.. I was thinking the same thing.. All this nonsense with 6mm foam etc.

I think the rubber 'non slip' stuff I got for the top might do the trick. 2 together give me about 3mm.

Looking forward to getting home form work to try this out later today.

Just finished my 1st conversion effort on my DM10x 12" snare.  I did 2 layers of 5mm, then trigger plate, then 1 more 5mm.  I am using the Pintech Reaction mesh heads and so far everything turned out great.  I plan on doing the other 12" toms then will have to adjust slightly for the 10" toms.  Thanks Gerdy! Worked like a charm!

AJC
DM10x, DW3002 pedals, Pintech Mesh, Yamaha Maple Custom, Tama Imperialstar, DW Performance

Offline vappicewins

Thank you Gerdy, I just finished part of my conversion, the foam.  Hellfire found some 1/4" foam on Amazon for me since I could not locate neoprene anywhere myself, and it is working like a charm so far.  I'll have to tweak some settings, but everything is working as expected across the whole head on each trigger.  You guys are the best!  8)


Offline vappicewins

Just installed and tried out my 8 and 12 inch Billy Blast II heads briefly, and must say I am very surprised at how much I like them and how very similar to striking a real drum it feels like.  It seems Hellfire, Gerdy, Trondster, et al truly masters of their domain.  Hellfire said this simple setup would give me the most realistic acoustic strike I could find in edrums, and I believe he is right.  After readjusting the sensitivity and threshold (of which I am still s complete noob), they really trigger nicely and best of all, don't hurt my hands!!  ;D  I was expecting to feel some pain from playing the triggers, but that only comes into play when I hit the cymbals and ride the hi hat/ride cymbals.

Now as far as the infamous BBII heads popping through the 12" hoop, I did run into that.  But looking closely at the Alesis 12" hoop compared with my old Royce hoop, it seems once again Alesis is going the cheapest route available.  My snare hoop was not perfectly round, so if I didn't have a spare 12" hoop laying around, I would have been up the creek.

That's not to say Billy Blast is free and clear either, because I think the hoops on the heads should be at least 2-3mm thicker, which would help the inferior (at least in my case) 12" hoops have more surface area of the otherwise excellent heads to grip.  I had no problem whatsoever with the 8" pad though.  Strange days indeed!!  ???

Still going to try AHayden's method he is experimenting with on one of my toms, but I already see I need all mesh heads and at least two new 12" hoops (I don't have anymore laying around), hopefully the 10" hoops will work as good as the 8" did.  Thank you all again!!  8)

Offline mpanzer

Hello everyone,

First, I'd like to thank Gerdy and Hellfire for such detailed instructions on their solutions!  I would never had tried any modifications on my pads without them.

I've been following this thread and thought I'd share the results of my experimentations. I played around with several methods (based on Gerdy's) to get the 12" pads (from my DM10X kit) to perform as good as the 8" and 10" pads converted using the Hellfire method.  My biggest challenge was finding an inexpensive and readily available foam to use with Gerdy's method, and the other problem I had was getting the sensitivity needed in the pads for the lighter hits and ghost notes.  Hellfire's method (including the removal of the circuit board or transistor) worked like a dream on the smaller pads.  Here's how I managed to get the same feel and performance from the 12" pads:

Materials:
Craft Foam sheets:
    Quantity: 1 sheet per pad
    I purchased a 12 pack of 11.8" x 17.7" sheets for about $5.00 US
Grey Foam Sheets:
    Quantity: 1 1/2 sheets per pad
    Frost King 15" x 24" x 3/16" window air conditioner filter - about $1.00 US per sheet (at Home Depot or Lowes)
    This foam is very similar to the speaker foam and easy to find (in the USA)

This method cost me about $2.00 US per pad.

The method:
1. Similar to Hellfire's method, remove the small circuit board (using a soldering iron) from the 1/4" jack.  See Hellfire's instructions.  I found this was the only key to getting the ghost notes and lighter hits to trigger.  Usual disclaimers of voiding warranty, burning fingers, etc, etc.  :-)

2. Remove the stock grey foam from under the metal reflection plate.  The foam on my pads was easy enough to stretch around the reflection plate, but can also be removed while desoldering the wires in step 1.  As in Gerdy's method, this stock foam is not used, but do save it in case...

3. Cut the grey air filter foam as in Gerdy's method:  1 solid circle, and 2 circles with a hole in the center.  I had no need put the straight cut through to the center and left them as a full donut shape.

4. Cut one circle out of the craft foam the same size as the grey foam circles in step 2.  I then added a straight cut from the side of the circle towards the center.  This cut only needs to go to about 2" from the side of the circle.

Arrange the stacking in the pad similar to Gerdy's method, but with the additional craft foam circle at the bottom (similar to Hellfire's method).  Here's the order listed from top to bottom:

    1 layer solid circle of grey air filter foam (top of the stack)
    Metal reflection plate with it's attached grey foam up (and piezo down).
    2 layers of donut shaped grey air filter foam
    1 layer of solid circle of craft foam (bottom of the stack)
        - place the craft foam so that the wire from the piezo can pass through the cut.

NOTE:  I added the craft foam at the bottom to give some added stability to the very squishy filter foam.  I have not tested this exact method without the craft foam, but I worry (over time) the plastic ribs in the bottom of the pad will flatten the filter foam.

Before reassembling, you may want to plug it in and tap near the piezos to test that both the rim and head sensors are triggering.  If all's well, reassemble and enjoy!  BTW, I used Remo Silentstroke mesh heads, but any mesh head should do.

Note:  As with any mod, the trigger settings will most likely need adjusting.  I had to adjust the retriggering and crosstalk among others.  Here's what I have for my 12" snare pad:

Head:
    Sensitivity: 10
    Xtalk Rcv: 02
    Xtalk And: 02
    ReTrigger: 04
    Threshold: 29
    VelCurve: LOG2
Rim:
    Sensitivity: 20
    Xtalk Rcv: 05
    Xtalk And: 05
    ZoneXtalk: 06
    VelCurve: LOG2

I hope these findings will help others get their pads converted successfully.  The mods made the feel, performance and quietness of my pads FAR superior to the stock pads.

Best regards,
Matt
« Last Edit: May 26, 2014, 07:17:07 PM by mpanzer »

Offline mpanzer

After playing a bit on the 12" pads converted as I described in my last post, I noticed the stick would "bottom out" on the reflector plate with harder hits.  This made the contact sound louder and the feel not as nice as the 10" pads (converted via Hellfire's method).  I tried removing the craft foam from the bottom of the foam stack and added an additional solid circle of air filter foam to the top.  This made the harder hits quieter and with a better feel.  So now my pad is converted with 2 foam donuts below the reflector plate, and 2 solid foam circles above the reflector plate.  All foam is cut from the air filter foam sheets.  I'm loving it so far!

Thanks again gerdy for starting this.  :-)

-Matt
« Last Edit: May 30, 2014, 03:26:24 PM by mpanzer »

Subscribed- hope I don't need to solder or remove circuits :(

My dM10 X kit arrives tmrw.
DM10X kit, DW-3K double pedal, DW-3K tractor throne, 5AN VF sticks, Simmons DA200S, PS4 Gold headset.
Mods:
Remo silentstroke mesh conversion with 1/4" charcoal layer added on top of plates.
Sounds:
Bluejay in Module & EZdrummer 2 on laptop

Can someone help me?!!! Please! I just got this kit. But I don't know how to create and save a kit sound of my own

Offline mpanzer

adrian97c,
In my experience of converting them, removing the circuit boards was necessary in getting the extra sensitivity needed for lighter hits.

For the 10" pads, I highly recommend the Hellfire conversion (including the removal of the circuit boards).  You might want to leave you spanking new kit alone for awhile to make sure everything's working well.  These mods obviously void the warranty.  The good news is that the electronics inside the pads are extremely simple and inexpensive to replace.

As for the 12" pads:  These are more of a challenge because Alesis decided to make the inside shallower allowing them to leave out the one layer of white foam.  This makes it very difficult to move the reflection plate down lower because the stock foam below it is already at (I think) a good minimum thickness.  Once I modded the two 10" pads (and adjusted settings), they worked perfectly from the start, but the 12" pads have turned into quite a project for me.  My goal has been to get them closer to the feel and performance of the modded 10" pads.  That said, my solution posted above still had crosstalk issues because the foam thickness under the reflection plate was not enough.  I've tried several other ideas including inserting pieces of rubber sheeting under the plastic drum shell to add more depth to the drum.  This showed promise, but the rubber was not thick enough.  Stacking 4 layers made it much better, but the rubber was not thick (nor stable) enough.  My plan was to take the shape I used for the rubber pieces and cut them from a piece of 7/16" thick plywood.  Before cutting it, I came across an old 7/16" thick plastic cutting board and decided to try using it.  IMO, either material should work fine, but I liked the idea of using plastic.  Each piece is about 2 3/4" long, 3/4" wide, and 7/16" thick and one piece is placed by each lug under the plastic drum shell (6 pieces per drum).  This gave me the extra depth I needed to move the stock gray foam above the reflection plate, then place 3 layers of foam (cut from the 3/16" filter foam) below the reflection plate.  This has gotten the feel of the pad much closer to the feel of the 10" (hellfire modded) pads.  The only additional change I'd like to make is to replace the stock donut shaped foam with one with a smaller (or no) hole in it.  The sensitivity is excellent without any crosstalk issues.  I will note that harder hits can bottom out because there's no foam under much of the mesh head.  BTW, by "bottoming out" this is just a slight problem in the feel of the hit, but not enough to worry about.  I may try three layers of the filter foam in it's place, but I don't think it's dense enough to maintain the sensitivity that the stock gray foam provides.  Until I come across some foam that's very close to the stock gray foam, I think I'll leave it alone.

I've attached a drawing of the shape I used for these "riser" pieces.  If you're interested, print it out (at 100% scale) and cut the shape from the paper so you can see how it would fit.  It will go next to each lug, with the curved side just inside the plastic ridge that the shell normally sits in.  The two notches on the ends should fit around the ribs of the plastic base to help keep it in place.

Sorry for the long post!  I just wanted to give an update of where I've been and were I am now on these mods.  I hope some may find this useful.
« Last Edit: July 17, 2014, 11:48:39 PM by mpanzer »

I just did this conversion, but more simplistic:

  • Added a 5mm Adam Hall layer on top of the trigger plate.
  • Left the original foam below the trigger plate as is.
I noticed that two 5mm layers are thinner than the original foam... So I didn't bother to replace it since it's got the right dimensions and sufficient thickness.
Also works great by the way.  :)

So basically this is the 'Drum-tec' conversion? Add piece of foam on top of plate & swap heads, Done.
« Last Edit: August 06, 2014, 10:09:35 PM by adrian97c »
DM10X kit, DW-3K double pedal, DW-3K tractor throne, 5AN VF sticks, Simmons DA200S, PS4 Gold headset.
Mods:
Remo silentstroke mesh conversion with 1/4" charcoal layer added on top of plates.
Sounds:
Bluejay in Module & EZdrummer 2 on laptop

...
« Last Edit: August 17, 2014, 08:51:13 PM by adrian97c »
DM10X kit, DW-3K double pedal, DW-3K tractor throne, 5AN VF sticks, Simmons DA200S, PS4 Gold headset.
Mods:
Remo silentstroke mesh conversion with 1/4" charcoal layer added on top of plates.
Sounds:
Bluejay in Module & EZdrummer 2 on laptop

I just did this conversion, but more simplistic:

  • Added a 5mm Adam Hall layer on top of the trigger plate.
  • Left the original foam below the trigger plate as is.
I noticed that two 5mm layers are thinner than the original foam... So I didn't bother to replace it since it's got the right dimensions and sufficient thickness.
Also works great by the way.  :)

yes ur right once I cut 2 pieces of my 1/4" foam & stacked them next to original foam, I realized it was the same thickness of the original bottom foam! (Less dense tho)

Just did my first 12" (snare) this way, works great! Just had to raise sensitivy from 25 to 35, lowered xtalk & thresh... Done!
Most likey going to do entire kit this way, as to have same feel on all heads. Comparing the 'feel' to the other 12" that I have yet to touch, it's only a tiny bit bouncier, only because the natural diff between Mylar & mesh.

For my main goal was the muffled sound! I can play all night now!

Now To gerdys point I also realized the foam I ordered is less dense, so by using his method it could prob add more bounce because the plate would be few millimeters lower (due to the wieght of plate pushing down on the less dense foam), but I'm 99% sure I won't notice the diff.
If so, I could always try 1 piece of 1/4"(6mm) foam & few pieces of funky foam underneath.

For now I just gotta do the rest of the drums how I've done the first one & play for a few days :)
« Last Edit: August 17, 2014, 08:50:31 PM by adrian97c »
DM10X kit, DW-3K double pedal, DW-3K tractor throne, 5AN VF sticks, Simmons DA200S, PS4 Gold headset.
Mods:
Remo silentstroke mesh conversion with 1/4" charcoal layer added on top of plates.
Sounds:
Bluejay in Module & EZdrummer 2 on laptop

Re: 12“ Mesh Head Conversion / only with foam / step by step / incl. videos
« Reply #94 on: October 18, 2014, 08:19:53 PM »
Hello all --

First off, thanks again to Gerdy for the work that went into his original post, and to the others who've contributed their ideas along the thread. 

I just wanted to throw out an alternative source of foam for those of you in the U.S.  It's the firm charcoal foam from Foam N' More And Upholstery.  Here's the direct link...

http://www.foamforyou.com/charcoal_foam.htm#Charcoal Firm 

I've done five of these conversions now using this foam.  The first two I did with 1/2" thickness which I ultimately discovered was too thick.  The sound was fine, but the feel was a bit spongy.  The last three I did with 1/4" foam and I like it so much I went back and re-did the first two.

I got an 82" x 72" x 1/4" sheet for $28.85 including shipping.  Definitely more expensive than some of the other solutions, but it's a BIG sheet, and the quality is excellent.

Anyway, when I first started looking for foam to do this conversion, I found it difficult to find, so I thought I'd share this for others who might be having the same difficulty.

Happy drumming!

Scott

Re: 12“ Mesh Head Conversion / only with foam / step by step / incl. videos
« Reply #95 on: October 18, 2014, 10:05:45 PM »
Foambymail much cheaper site. It's been posted few times sorry you missed it... But glad you are happy with end result.
DM10X kit, DW-3K double pedal, DW-3K tractor throne, 5AN VF sticks, Simmons DA200S, PS4 Gold headset.
Mods:
Remo silentstroke mesh conversion with 1/4" charcoal layer added on top of plates.
Sounds:
Bluejay in Module & EZdrummer 2 on laptop

Re: 12“ Mesh Head Conversion / only with foam / step by step / incl. videos
« Reply #96 on: December 04, 2014, 01:13:20 AM »
Hello all --

First off, thanks again to Gerdy for the work that went into his original post, and to the others who've contributed their ideas along the thread. 

I just wanted to throw out an alternative source of foam for those of you in the U.S.  It's the firm charcoal foam from Foam N' More And Upholstery.  Here's the direct link...

http://www.foamforyou.com/charcoal_foam.htm#Charcoal Firm 

I've done five of these conversions now using this foam.  The first two I did with 1/2" thickness which I ultimately discovered was too thick.  The sound was fine, but the feel was a bit spongy.  The last three I did with 1/4" foam and I like it so much I went back and re-did the first two.

I got an 82" x 72" x 1/4" sheet for $28.85 including shipping.  Definitely more expensive than some of the other solutions, but it's a BIG sheet, and the quality is excellent.

Anyway, when I first started looking for foam to do this conversion, I found it difficult to find, so I thought I'd share this for others who might be having the same difficulty.

Happy drumming!

Scott

I ordered the 24*72*1/4 before I even saw this and it works like a charm.  Trondster had, thankfully, advised the speaker grill stuff breaks down eventually, especially the snare.  This foam is easy and very similar to that already used in the drums.

For $15.85 I got enough for 6 12" pads.  Plenty!

My continued thanks to Hellfire, Gerdy and Trondster for all their work and advice! :D

Re: 12“ Mesh Head Conversion / only with foam / step by step / incl. videos
« Reply #97 on: January 16, 2015, 09:03:05 AM »
I correct my previous mistake, the 12" has 15mm black foam, the 10" has 20mm - although I need to double-check again...so that clears up my confusion. If the 10" does indeed have 20mm that would mean different foam requirements for different pad conversions....does anyone know the default grey foam depth in the 8"? (I only have 1 8" in the DM10x, the kick and I really don't want to open it up right now)

@trondster,  out of the box the 12" pad is way better than 10" for response and playability, also marginally quieter. It still needs the mesh head conversion though because of the mylar heads and there's only a thin layer of foamy rubber between the head and the metal sensor plate. I'm not sure if I just need to play around with the settings to get the 10" playing as good as the 12" but so far I am getting on better with the 12". So going on what I have found so far, if space is not the primary concern, then if I were you I'd get the 12" for snare. It would be worth getting some more opinions on the relative playability of 10" vs 12".

Why not simply add the 5mm foam directly above the plate, slightly increasing sensitivity and leave the factory foam alone?  Wouldn't it only affect the amount of tension needed - in this case a little "less"  than what Gerdy had on his conversion? 

Am I missing something?

Just asking.

This is my question as well.  I would like to add 5mm of foam to the top plate then a head of my choice (probably Remo Silentstroke).  Any need to fiddle around with the original foam underneath? Suggestions welcomed.

Offline Khes74

Re: 12“ Mesh Head Conversion / only with foam / step by step / incl. videos
« Reply #98 on: January 19, 2015, 01:48:12 PM »
I correct my previous mistake, the 12" has 15mm black foam, the 10" has 20mm - although I need to double-check again...so that clears up my confusion. If the 10" does indeed have 20mm that would mean different foam requirements for different pad conversions....does anyone know the default grey foam depth in the 8"? (I only have 1 8" in the DM10x, the kick and I really don't want to open it up right now)

@trondster,  out of the box the 12" pad is way better than 10" for response and playability, also marginally quieter. It still needs the mesh head conversion though because of the mylar heads and there's only a thin layer of foamy rubber between the head and the metal sensor plate. I'm not sure if I just need to play around with the settings to get the 10" playing as good as the 12" but so far I am getting on better with the 12". So going on what I have found so far, if space is not the primary concern, then if I were you I'd get the 12" for snare. It would be worth getting some more opinions on the relative playability of 10" vs 12".

Why not simply add the 5mm foam directly above the plate, slightly increasing sensitivity and leave the factory foam alone?  Wouldn't it only affect the amount of tension needed - in this case a little "less"  than what Gerdy had on his conversion? 

Am I missing something?

Just asking.

This is my question as well.  I would like to add 5mm of foam to the top plate then a head of my choice (probably Remo Silentstroke).  Any need to fiddle around with the original foam underneath? Suggestions welcomed.

I think 5mm isn't enough personally. I would go for atleast 1/4"

Re: 12“ Mesh Head Conversion / only with foam / step by step / incl. videos
« Reply #99 on: January 19, 2015, 05:52:16 PM »
I correct my previous mistake, the 12" has 15mm black foam, the 10" has 20mm - although I need to double-check again...so that clears up my confusion. If the 10" does indeed have 20mm that would mean different foam requirements for different pad conversions....does anyone know the default grey foam depth in the 8"? (I only have 1 8" in the DM10x, the kick and I really don't want to open it up right now)

@trondster,  out of the box the 12" pad is way better than 10" for response and playability, also marginally quieter. It still needs the mesh head conversion though because of the mylar heads and there's only a thin layer of foamy rubber between the head and the metal sensor plate. I'm not sure if I just need to play around with the settings to get the 10" playing as good as the 12" but so far I am getting on better with the 12". So going on what I have found so far, if space is not the primary concern, then if I were you I'd get the 12" for snare. It would be worth getting some more opinions on the relative playability of 10" vs 12".

Why not simply add the 5mm foam directly above the plate, slightly increasing sensitivity and leave the factory foam alone?  Wouldn't it only affect the amount of tension needed - in this case a little "less"  than what Gerdy had on his conversion? 

Am I missing something?

Just asking.

This is my question as well.  I would like to add 5mm of foam to the top plate then a head of my choice (probably Remo Silentstroke).  Any need to fiddle around with the original foam underneath? Suggestions welcomed.

I think 5mm isn't enough personally. I would go for atleast 1/4"

Thanks. I paid $8 for the foam, so if it turns out to be too thin, I can get 1/4 inch.  I'm not sure how much I'll really notice that extra 1/16 of an inch, though.  LOL!