Remo Silentstroke vs. Aquarian Super-Pads (Low-Volume Drum Comparison)

[@Meteotrance]

you can also use the silent stroke with electronic drum trigger like Ddrum and Roland and you get massive acoustic sound or drum machine sound without noise, it's almost design for that ^^.

[@malonedrum]

Yeah, certainly an option as well. I’m not much in need of electric drums, so I don’t have any personal experience.

[@andrewkopke3610]

Great Demo . I've been looking for a demo that shows the true sound .

[@malonedrum]

Both great options, but honestly the newer Evans option is also really intriguing

[@marktetai]

Solid review without bias. Good explanation of the pros vs cons.... balanced against the price factor too.

[@malonedrum]

Thanks Mark! Hope it helps you make your decision... next week I’ll release my video on Tenor Sax mouthpiece comparisons

[@afmcmurray27]

Thanx for this awesome educational video for the endless search for silencing issues.

[@malonedrum]

Glad it was helpful!

[@DavidOLessons]

Thanks Mike. Extremely well done and exactly what I was looking for. You got my sub.

[@malonedrum]

Happy to help, for teaching these have been a game changer, and once I figured out that hack with the double hoop for a rim click ability on the snare, I solved all my problems.

[@gastonjabaly]

I ended cutting old heads to about 1inch smaller than each drum and used paking tape to keep them on the toms for the snare the same also cutted a mute pad in half so i can play on te other half of the snare for the kick 3 big pillows inside and silent cymbals that sort of kept some tone al around the kit and lower the volume by 50%

[@malonedrum]

I'm struggling to comprehend everything you're saying, but sounds like you came up with a DIY approach to save some money, so kudos to you. Always down for the DIY approach.

[@Ddrumzzz12]

Thank you very much! This video has been very educational as a drummer who lives in a condo environment, it has been very hard to practice and I ended up buying a Electronic kit but it just doesnt feel the same or sound realistic, i have bought the Roland V drum but would still love the accoustic kit, and this video has opened up real good opportunity!! Thank you very much for the wonderful advice! .

[@malonedrum]

Glad it was helpful!

[@theBRT1955]

Thanks for the well-balanced presentation Mike. Based on your comments and online product reviews, I think I'm going with the Aquarian for the feel. My wife is going to be much happier!

[@malonedrum]

My spouse works from home directly upstairs from where my drums are, and with the super pads I can play, and teach while she works without any problems. It’s awesome.

[@34rimshot]

I have been playing the super pads with the low volume cymbals for about a year and they have been a game changer. The only change I make is that i sometimes swap out my snare with another snare filled with towels and played without a pad on top. I do this primarily to focus on ghost notes. I also like the real feel of the snare and ability to utilize the rim. This of course makes the snare louder than with the super pad so I go back and forth. I agree with Mike that every persons situation is different. The pads are more money but I consider it an investment and it is so much better to be able to swap out from soft to loud by simply taking off the pads but I understand if money is an issue. Also the pads can be used as a practice pad away from the kit so that is a plus too.

[@malonedrum]

I completely agree! I usually steer students in a different direction because the investment for a beginner/student is a lot, but for adults and other pros I try to emphasize the investment

[@dxzxax8772]

Also RTOM pads, kinda a good mix of the feel of silent strokes with the practicality of the Aquarian Super-Pads.

[@malonedrum]

Yeah, I haven't tried those, but obviously another option that seems to be popular. I just don't like how it raises the playing surface of every drum, but a very small thing.

[@tottenhamteacher]

@@malonedrumI just bought the V2 that I’ll be using for a pancake set (don’t question me lol) but thinking about getting a super pad 10 for the small 10” snare that comes with the kit - Groove Drum Co. out of Portugal (didn’t custom order but did buy it from someone who did). Finally building my set in adulthood.

[@danalnajes]

Hi Mike, I own the Remo Silent stroke in both 12" and 14" for Snare drums I use the Bottom heads and snare wires to keep it Real Looking it's a Affordable but being a Single play head People need to be New Sticks prior to use..

[@malonedrum]

I’m not sure I’ve had the same sentiment towards using new sticks, but I agree these heads are only meant to played with so much force, I wouldn’t use marching sticks or ahead metal sticks, but I think most standard drum set sticks should be fine!

[@kasuu5821]

Very helpful! Thank you, Mike!

[@malonedrum]

Glad to hear it!

[@andycanona]

Nicely done, Mike. I enjoyed how you did the video. Keep it up. Liked and sub'd.

[@malonedrum]

Appreciate it Andy!

[@DrumHawk]

Fantastic video! Thanks so much for making this.

[@malonedrum]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@markadams3047]

Excellent tutorial very informative thanks for your help.

[@malonedrum]

Glad you enjoyed it Mark!

[@susanspellman4888]

Hi Mike, do think you could put the silent strokes on the reso side, and leave them on, and have normal volume heads on the batter side? Mainly for Toms, rack & floor tom, flipping the toms over to play the mesh side when you need quiet playing? Dixon has their Jet Set 5 piece drum set made specifically like this for quiet practice or normal volume. Except not for the snare. Dixon has a rubber mute to place on the snare batter side when low volume is required.

[@malonedrum]

Sure, you could do that, but the sound playing on regular heads as batter with mesh resos would be like playing concert toms.

[@susanspellman4888]

Thanks so much Mike! 😁

[@susanspellman4888]

The Aquarian Super Pads and another similar item the RTOM Black Hole drum head easy removable system are very expensive! 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@malonedrum]

@@susanspellman4888 I personally use the super pads and find them to be the best for wha I want out of the quiet system, but yes, they are terribly expensive.

[@StrappingYoungLadam]

I've had my drums at a family members house for about 10 years because I couldn't keep them in the last two places I lived. I recently moved into a townhouse with my own basement. With puzzle mats on the whole floor of the small room, a large area rug, acoustic foam panels covering a good bit of the walls, and a couch which would absorb even more sound, is it safe to say a combo of silent stroke heads and l80 cymbals would avoid being obnoxious to neighbors?

[@malonedrum]

I think your biggest issue in a situation with shared walls and something like L80s/Mesh Heads or Super Pads would be the transmission of the pedal and bass drum through the floor, so if you’re in a basement, especially with concrete floors/foundation, I think your chances of annoying people would be really low. You might even be able to let loose and play with normal heads and cymbals too once in a while.

[@ioodyssey3740]

Sounds great at volume so I'll just use 10db earplugs and the neighbors can eat it. Rock on!

[@malonedrum]

Earplugs: the original low volume

[@mavatj]

Great video

[@malonedrum]

Thanks!

[@HermesTrismegistes369]

Great video! Are the super pads super bouncy? I dont like the "reel feel" pad feeling.

[@malonedrum]

I think they feel much better than the typical guy rubber pads. It’s has some rebound, but not nearly as much as those pads. It’s a little more spongey.

[@andycanona]

Question for ya: Which would you say is the 'quietest' (lowest decibel; most silent) option out there to make an acoustic kit the quietest possible? Considering your comp between the Remo Silentstroke vs. Aquarian Super-Pad was great, would these be any quieter: "Evans SoundOff"; "Vic Firth Drum Mute"; RTOM Mesh heads"? Or any other not mentioned? Appreciate it.

[@malonedrum]

I think they are all close enough, but if you wanted the truly quietest option it would be silent stokes with no bottom heads. When I played it like that it was almost too quiet to even enjoy with my L80 cymbals. Any mesh head like the Evan’s SoundOff mesh heads will be the same. I’ve never tried the RTOM but I don’t like how it raises the level of your drums up. Pads like the VF mutes are fine, but I prefer the super pads or silent strokes

[@andycanona]

@@malonedrum Would rubber pads on top of L80 be overkill? What’s quieter: Rubber pads on a regular cymbal or the L80s by themselves? thanks a lot Mike! Appreciate it.

[@malonedrum]

@@andycanona I think rubber pads on an L80 would be about the same as a regular cymbal with pads. Honestly the pad will be quieter, but it will sound and feel a lot different. The L80 is great because it rings out like a cymbal and responds like a cymbal. Hi hats feel good, bells sound like bells, etc. It doesn’t ruin the experience of quiet drumming

[@MarcusV741]

I put sticky gels (cheaper version of moon gels from amazon)on my L80's.. helps with the overtones ..plus dollarama duct tape on centers of my remo Silenstroke heads for better tone and feel.. and no reso heads for more quiet playing.. also fluffy beater for the bass and hot rod-like bamboo drumsticks (both cheap from amazon)

[@MartinDee2000]

If you put a Silent Stroke head on the bottom of a snare drum, would the snares resonate against the head enough to be heard?

[@malonedrum]

Cool thought, but I don’t think it would work. I’d love to see somebody try it, but I don’t think the mesh vibrates enough to excite the snares.

[@georgebaggy]

Doesn’t work

[@bendaniel356]

You can get the snares to resonate a little bit if you loosen them significantly.

[@theDesync]

For the Remo Silent Stroke. Should you use nylon tips with that or can you still use wood?

[@malonedrum]

Honestly, I only have ever used wood tip, never really been a part of my sound to use nylon, so I can't speak to the idea of using nylon on the silent strokes, but I enjoy the wood tip on them just fine

[@theDesync]

@@malonedrum Thanks for the reply. I remember hearing people say you should use nylon tips for mesh heads but I'll definitely stick with the wood.

[@xcxangel9948]

Could you play silent strokes/L80 in an apartment without being annoying to the neighbors?

[@malonedrum]

I think above the combination of cymbals/quiet heads you’d need to consider 1) thickness of shared walls with neighbors and 2) factoring in where you’re drums are in correlation with neighbors, especially if they’d be set up directly above a neighbor downstairs. It’s not fair for me to guarantee your personal apartment without knowing anything about it, but I’d say this is your best solution to potentially play in your apartment. It’s not much louder than playing on your practice pad.

[@Ddrumzzz12]

If I could suggest also buy a thicker matt for you neighbours down stairs , or a sound proof matt you can buy on your local music store and a couple of wall music silencer just to make sure, but yeah as Mike said, it would all depend on the wall.

[@xcxangel9948]

@@Ddrumzzz12 Only the floor is the issue. That’s what I’m most worried about.

[@malonedrum]

@@Ddrumzzz12 yup, I’m in a basement so sound transfer below isn’t even a concern I’d have to consider. Thanks for mentioning that!

[@mghc7]

Can they take some hard hitting,I don’t hit jazz or funk like,bring on the hardcore playing

[@malonedrum]

I think they can take the same level of impact as normal heads, but unlike standard drum heads these wouldn’t dent, probably just tear or rip in that same case.