Interface
The pursuit of developing pads and pedals that look and play like their acoustic counterparts – without the noise
No compromises;
great feel and quiet to play
All V-Drums pads – including snare, tom, and kick, cymbal and hi-hat – have to balance a great feel with lack of excessive noise when played. By understanding the structure of each instrument in an acoustic drum kit, we can faithfully recreate these characteristics within the interface of an electronic drum kit. A major innovation is the mesh head, developed in partnership with Remo Inc, the renowned US-based drumhead company. The mesh head changed the direction of electronic drums, by offering superior playing feel along with lower playing noise, something not possible with conventional pads.
Amazingly natural feel. Patent-pending three-ply mesh head with floating middle layer.
After extensively studying drummers’ performance techniques – from subtle jazzers to hard- hitting rockers – we knew we needed a playing surface that could handle every technique the world’s drummers could bring. The mesh head was inspired by a trampoline; the way the stick bounces will change depending on the hitting position, while the natural rebound lessens wrist strain so you can play in comfort for longer. The holes in the mesh surface disperses air vibration when struck, reducing the noise while retaining the playing feel. The latest PD-140DS V-Pad has a three-ply mesh head, with a floating middle layer that faithfully recreates the feel of an acoustic snare.
Natural swinging cymbal motion, thanks to meticulously balanced weight distribution
For cymbals, a natural swinging motion plays a huge part in getting the feel ‘just right’. We experiment with size, weight balance and depth of the bell. Then we painstakingly select the material and design the structure of the pad so it convincingly recreates the natural feel of hitting a cymbal.
Checking the samples of the three-ply mesh head, and testing the playing feel
We produced hundreds of prototypes of three-ply mesh heads. To achieve the best playing feel and quiet operation, we carefully measured the effect of hitting different areas of the mesh head by using a laser displacement meter to show how far the mesh head depresses when played with a drumstick at different velocities.
Two-piece structure Hi-Hat for natural open/close hi-hat play
The VH-13 hi-hat has a two-piece structure, with separate top and bottom cymbal pads. By paying meticulous attention to the way the components react, the vertical motion of both pads is affected by the drummer’s pedal work, for a smooth, natural playing feel.
AD1997
TD-10
V-Drums kit featuring world-first mesh head for snare and toms
Reproduce a unique playing feel of the acoustic bass drum by air-damping
V-Drums Kick Trigger pads are comfortable and accurate when played. The KD-A22 kick drum convertor makes a standard 22-inch acoustic kick drum into a trigger for V-Drum modules. It's equipped with a batter head featuring mesh head with a shock-absorber cushion, and a batter board installed on the drummer’s side to minimize the hitting noise experienced by the drummer. The KD-A22 emulates the feel of sinking the beater into the drum head by air- damping, via a shock-absorber cushion positioned inside the front head.
Testing the swinging motion, strength, and playing feel of the cymbal
An obsessive approach led to the creation of hundreds of prototypes, changing the shape, depth and cross-sectional structure of the striking surface…until we found the best way to reproduce the natural swing of a ride cymbal.
