I'm also pickier about what I'll try and own, because no one is sending me free pads to try out.
Im neither good enough nor famous enough for that,
Fair enough.
I scored this pad and insert last week online, from two different sellers. They arrived the same day and I took some time to mess around with them.
Offworld Percussion has been making a series of smaller, lighter pads called the Aurora series.
This one, the Visitor, is from a wood platform of 9" diameter, with an 8" playing surface made of Offworld's "Darkmatter' material. It's the same material used to make their popular (and near-ubiquitous in marching circles) Invader practice pad.
More recently, they've adapted their Aurora pad to a slightly larger size in partnership with the fellas at BYOS, which they're calling the BYOSphere Pad. It features the same playing surface as the smaller Visitor, and also offers options of laminates to more closely approximate a high-tension marching snare drum. (I don't feel a need for laminates, now that I play on Mylar heads exclusively.)
Here are some photos.
The back side of the pad has a recess in the plywood platform, which allows for the insertion of any of a number of accessory panels into the recess. The most popular insert is the one that provides a tight, crisp "snare" sound -- which is what I bought from the other seller.
Small, strong magnets on the back side of the insert connect with equally powerful magnets inside the recess, allowing the snare panel to fit nicely and stay put.
Here's a preliminary video.
And since I already had the Invader pad, I decided to do a little comparison.
A couple of things I noticed right away:
1. The smaller, lighter pad is great for portability. It fits easily in my messenger bag and is light enough that bringing it along doesn't feel like a slog, especially in long walks through airport terminals.
2. You sacrifice volume and stability with this smaller pad. The original Invader is nearly 14" in diameter, and is really heavy because the entire pad is filled with "Darkmatter rubber, with a hard plastic rim that surrounds the rubber on the sides. Turning the pad over gives you another surface to play without a rim.
The Aurora Series Visitor pad is built around a plywood platform and uses a thin layer of Darkmatter rubber installed on top. This makes for a much lighter pad and changes the sound. The lightness also makes the inserts designed for it make more sense. In addition to the "snare" insert, Offworld also offers a dampening insert (for a softer sound, might be good in a hotel room); a Shaker insert (which sounds looser and "crunchier" than the Snare insert), and a Docking Station, a larger platform to offer greater stability for tabletop use (though the Docking Station can also be used with a snare drum stand if desired).
Details about all the Aurora accessories can be found HERE.
3. Another thing I noticed right away after a few strokes was that tiny particles of wood STUCK to the surface of the pad. I know that the Darkmatter material can be wiped clean with a arm, soapy water in a damp washcloth, and I suppose I could do that with my old Invader but I haven't yet. I'm going to wipe down the Visitor and see if that re-activates the "stickiness" of the rubber. If it does, then I may just let it get a little funky. I don't necessarily want my sticks to wear down quite that quickly.
Overall, I'm looking forward to traveling with this pad and trying it out in different places. If I like it enough I just might invest in another couple of inserts down the road.
It's a nice enough pad for the money that I'd recommend it, especially if you already use and like the Invader and are just looking for something more portable.
Happy drumming.
