Author Topic: Cheap and nasty drum kit into something gig'worthy  (Read 2077 times)

Offline Dobly

Cheap and nasty drum kit into something gig'worthy
« on: June 04, 2019, 04:31:10 AM »
I spotted this 'WX' drum kit on the Facebook market place, for $50AUS.. (about $35US)



I snapped it up. Darn, if I cannot make that kit a thing of beauty, nobody can.. :)

All the heads bar 1 had a hole in it. The pad screw onto the rack and the bolts are so long it hit the heads when you played on them. That was simple fix.  I added a couple of nuts and a washer to the bolts. Job done.

However I need 4 new heads. Nothing but the best. This kit is to become my son's (12) new kit.  So I set about making 3 ply mesh heads out of screen printing mesh (thanks again ignotus) ;)

If you are game to try this at home, here are some tips..

Start with securing at 4 corners and leave excess thread there (as you can see in this image)



Now I only need worry about sewing a 1/4 at a time.



Tie of the thread at each end securely (to the loose thread you left above). Once it on the drum and tightened up if I can come undone, it will.

Once I had one of pads in operation again I tested it out for response.

https://vimeo.com/339703399

The heads feel great to play. My kit has these heads and they are perfect. Not too bouncy (like the Remo Silentstrokes)

You'll notice in the photos a roll of electrical tape. That is so you don't secure the mesh too tight. Else you will never get it on the drum. The bigger the head you are doing, the more stuff you'll need under there.

Next job was a mount for my old DM10 module. My Drumit3 module has the mount from the DM10. Not time to buy one. So I made one.

Once you have your wood cut and holes drilled, try it out on the module.. Make sure it fits. Mine didn't. The washers are covering the huge holes I had to drill to make it fit. :)



Installed..



Solid as a rock

(Note the power cable poking of the rack pipe there.. That is ready to pull through the cables that need to go to the right side of the kit)

The metal bit if one of those post supports that you can stick in concrete and put a post on. I cut off the end that holds the post.

Job done



Now my lounge room looks like this...



His kit facing mine for the upcoming drum offs. :)

If you have careful eye you can see a little black kit in the background. We found that on the footpath in a someone garbage pile. That 16" bass drum is going to part of my kit someday soon.. :)



« Last Edit: June 04, 2019, 07:51:28 PM by Dobly »

Offline Andy Keys

Re: Cheap and nasty drum kit into something gig'worthy
« Reply #1 on: June 04, 2019, 06:01:51 AM »
Awesome! 
Especially the "future drum-offs" :) 8)

Offline mpanzer

Re: Cheap and nasty drum kit into something gig'worthy
« Reply #2 on: June 04, 2019, 10:09:28 PM »
Nice Dobly!
Every time I see practice pads like that I think of trying to convert them. Pretty cool little kit for next to nothing (assuming you have a module laying around)!

Offline Dobly

Re: Cheap and nasty drum kit into something gig'worthy
« Reply #3 on: June 04, 2019, 11:40:32 PM »
Nice Dobly!
Every time I see practice pads like that I think of trying to convert them. Pretty cool little kit for next to nothing (assuming you have a module laying around)!

They look like practice pads but they are little edrums. They have the piezo side mounted between 2 bits of rubber.. Simple 1 zone design.

I used the DM10 for a few years but upgraded to a 2box Drumit3 (chalk and cheese). So my DM10 was sitting in a shopping bag with it's cable snake and PSU in a cupboard. I am thrilled that it is alive again and rocking my son's kit.

Also, he has the Hi Hat from my DM10X kit. I have a GoEdrum hi hat now on my kit.
« Last Edit: June 04, 2019, 11:42:14 PM by Dobly »

Offline mpanzer

Re: Cheap and nasty drum kit into something gig'worthy
« Reply #4 on: June 05, 2019, 09:41:37 PM »
Oh yeah. I see the cables from the first picture. I've never seem drums that looked like that. In any case, I'm still tempted to try converting a regular practice pad. :-)

How do you like the 2box? I've been curious about them.

Pretty cool to do dual drumming with your son!!!

Offline Dobly

Re: Cheap and nasty drum kit into something gig'worthy
« Reply #5 on: June 06, 2019, 02:12:12 AM »

How do you like the 2box? I've been curious about them.


The 2box Drumit 3 is amazing.. The sounds in it are top notch.. Plus you can add your own sounds.. PLUS with the SDSE software you can take kits out of your drum software load into the D3.

SDSE plugs into the DAW Reaper. If you have the VST of the software (i have AD2) you can load a kit in, add any and all the effects you want, pick the kit parts as much as you want, then export that as a kit. SDSE takes each drum in the kit, makes 127 different velocity hits on it. Once it is has done them all it exports each and every one as a new instrument, along with the kit file so the D3 knows how to load it. I grabbed 7 of so basic kits out of AD2 but I can always go back in and EQ another kit and export it.

I did the jman 32gb upgrade on it too. (google that if you get one)

The D3 has almost no load time between kits. Just 1 second or so.

The D3 is as much module as I'll ever need.
« Last Edit: June 06, 2019, 02:14:01 AM by Dobly »

Offline Dobly

Re: Cheap and nasty drum kit into something gig'worthy
« Reply #6 on: June 06, 2019, 04:37:06 AM »
So, my son is having a play on his kit this afternoon. Just as he was finishing up he looked at the blue left rack pipe and said "Dad, What goes here?"



Good question. :)

I would think the same thing on my kit.

Offline Dobly

Re: Cheap and nasty drum kit into something gig'worthy
« Reply #7 on: June 07, 2019, 05:03:28 AM »
Sorted..



The same buddy who gave me the blue rack, game me Roland pad.

Perc4 had nothing in it.. Volia!

Offline mpanzer

Re: Cheap and nasty drum kit into something gig'worthy
« Reply #8 on: June 09, 2019, 11:20:43 AM »
The 2box Drumit 3 is amazing.. The sounds in it are top notch.. Plus you can add your own sounds.. PLUS with the SDSE software you can take kits out of your drum software load into the D3.
...

Sounds awesome! Thanks for the info! I love that you can import from AD2!  I’ll have to keep an eye out for a deal on one of those. Do you know if a ddrum DDTTi (Alesis Trigger IO) can interface with it to add more inputs?

Funny about You sons comments about the empty space on the rack. I ran out of horizontal tube on the left of my kit and even mounted a pad from the vertical leg. I don’t want too much chrome showing.  ;)
I think I’ve maximized the available space:



« Last Edit: June 09, 2019, 11:34:32 AM by mpanzer »