Mesh Drum-Heads hack - Better feel and perfect Midi triggering

Simple hack for making Mesh drum-heads feel better for quiet practicing and perform better with Midi triggers and Sensory-Percussion.
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[@paulmedrano3280]

Under appreciated genius. Works great for my kit. I put triggers inside and every drum reacts better with a bit of stuffing.

[@ranlevari]

thanks mate, glad it worked!

[@metalmessenger]

Do you have example, my drums are pilled up in a corner and im think of getting mesh heads for the bass drum, rack and floor toms

[@clydefroglol]

Wow what a smart idea! I’m thinking about getting some cheap shells from fb marketplace and triggering them with mesh heads and this is a great idea

[@EasyHeat]

I noticed a significant volume jump after the pillow. I'm an apartment dweller so that solution might not be ideal for me, but definitely looks interesting. I've pondered about using some type of felt or fleece material under a mesh head? Then loosely stuffing the shell with towels or blankets? Not sure... I have been using an Alesis MIDI Trigger I/O with various E-Kit pads (rubber/mesh) into Toontrack drum software for a few years now after I stopped gigging, but I never got on with the feel much. Recently I've invested in some Lemon brand full size e-cymbals, a used Roland TD-6v module, and have been looking at converting my old 90's Mapex Mars series 4pc kit to electric (12/16" toms, 22" kick). I have heard that smaller shells fair better in an A2E conversion, but that old Mapex kit has a lot of sentimental value, and I'd really like to get some use out of it. I'll let you know how I get on with the project. Great video! Thanks!

[@eahurtad80]

May seem unsophisticated, but this is actually a terrific tip. Thanks!

[@ranlevari]

'Unsophisticated' is my middle name... :) thanks mate 🙏

[@twtobin941]

Thanks, this is the exact problem I have been experiencing. I can solve some of it by adjusting "Hold" time calibration in my eDRUMin module. However, your damping technique is interesting, though it does make louder playing, and it is not ideal for centre-mounted bar triggers (like the UFO one I have on my snare drum). Another option may be to use a triple-ply head for better feel, then use an old-fashioned external clamp-on muffler to dampen the extraneous head vibrations. I may try this.

[@HOARDSNCORDS]

Fellow drummer.

[@RcKDrUmm3R]

I bet if you did have a 3 ply head from drum tec and the pillow you would yield a better result. Including using a better module like the Roland TD-17 with mask time and scan time settings

[@ranlevari]

I'm sure you're right. This is more about repurposing old stuff that's lying around in my studio.

[@Trymmelym]

Hey man, this is a great trick! Thank you for sharing! Have you tried doing the pillow trick on a snare leaving the snare wires and resonant head on? Only batter head as mesh. Wondering if you get satisfactory low volume acoustic snare buzz 😊 I'm trying to build a nice low volume acoustic kit you see.

[@ranlevari]

I actually.used a snare drum without the snares on but now I'm curious - let me know how it worked out!

[@Trymmelym]

@@ranlevari This works great! I just tested it on a 10" snare. The stuffing gives it a bit more low end, and kills the extreme bounciness. It feels and sounds much more pleasing compared to a standard mesh head setup. I also stuffed the toms and kick, and while experimenting I found that different kinds of pillow fabric changes the sound quite a bit. For the best low volume results I used a layer of folded wool blankets directly under the batter head. It sounds very good for being a practice kit, and it's really fun to play. I wouldn't consider it very much louder than using only mesh heads though. Again it depends on the stuffing. Thanks for the great tip!

[@ranlevari]

@@Trymmelym hey, thanks for the update and for the extra tip! :)

[@jasperbarendregt]

Might be interesting for me to experiment with this. Did you actually try this with the SP sensors? Or are you just guessing that it would work the same compared to a side-mounted trigger?

[@ranlevari]

Haven't tried yet but from what I gather it might help to make triggering a bit more accurate for the SP as well. Would appreciate it if you could let me know how it went for you.

[@DanielDrummerJunior]

Cooll!!!!

[@ranlevari]

🙏🙏🙏

[@hap.g.7640]

Studio that I'm playing drums at insisted on using electronic drums ,Also for live performances ..They have the Elisa's special edition SE I'm having the same issues with the meshes but mostly the Bass drum I tuned it really low and it helped some of that vibration but it still feels like I'm hitting a rubber band and not getting the right punch can you also put a pillow in an electronic drum like that or does it have to be a trigger drum .. are there better skins for this .. Can you recommend anything..

[@ranlevari]

good question. I'm not sure tbh but perhaps dig up some vids where someone opened them up and see if it seems reasonable to modify then in some way. For me - as annoying as it may be I d switch studios. Electronic kits are fine for practicing but not for playing music. at least imo.

[@anhellehna6858]

Hello!! Great tips!! Just a quick question. Does pillow affect the loudness of the hits compared to just a mesh-head? I know that it would feel much more solid. But also louder? If yes, how much louder does it become?

[@ranlevari]

it is a bit louder, yes. just try and see how it goes...

[@anhellehna6858]

@@ranlevari Thank you for your reply!! 👍😎

[@wocoolski]

Hi, what midi converter device are you exactlly using in this video?

[@ranlevari]

Roland tmc-6

[@larseadman6217]

thx... i will pillow

[@nielswil]

Nice thought but it brings the volume up.

[@ranlevari]

that's true but in my case it's still acceptable and is much more fun to play

[@jujubawav3818]

This work on bass drums too?

[@ranlevari]

worked for me

[@nickferrence8593]

I stuffed soft jackets...sweaters and other stuff in my bass drum and it really helps reduce the double trigger and bounce

[@xzivriel]

much louder tho, I know that's going to be a concern for a lot of e drummers

[@johncole4882]

Get better mesh heads. Problem solved

[@ranlevari]

for most cases you're right but no matter which ones I've tried I just prefer this feel.

[@kevinbothwell8425]

I had very nice triple ply mesh heads on my midi kit and still stuffed the kit with pillows, blankets, etc. makes a world of difference no matter what heads you’re using.