DIY Drummer: returning snare sound to an old HQ pad.

I scored a rare 8” HQ RealFeel pad which once held a snare-sound  cartridge. Without the cartridge, I got it for a song.

Then I decided I wanted to add back a snare cartridge, but since the factory cartridge was long gone and unavailable, I went with a replacement cartridge from Offworld Percussion.

Using only a couple hand tools I had on hand — and why worry about cosmetics, because who’s gonna see the bottom? — I cut out a little of the particleboard underneath to accommodate the slightly larger and round shape of the Offworld snare puck.

The magnet in the bottom,  designed as it was for the size and shape of the original cartridge, would not accommodate the placement of the metal studs in the puck, so I added some rare-earth magnets on each of the four sides, based on the location and distance of the studs.

When the glue dried, I dropped in the puck. It held when I turned it over. (And since I had a hunch that this was going to work, I bought the shaker puck and the cymbal stand adapter as well.)

Results: a decent, workable hack

Lesson? Use your resources.

The result? A nice, useful pad. 

(Best used on flat, horizontal surface with NO tilt.)

Happy chopping.

Product Review: Offworld Percussion's Orbit -- a sustainable, American-made pad.

Offworld Percussion, known for innovative and durable practice pads made right here in the Pacific NW, have something new that I've fallen in love with.

The Orbit pads are part of Offworld's Aurora series, highly portable, and come with your choice of the following features:

-- your choice of black "Darkmatter", red rubber or yellow rubber playing surfaces;

-- your choice of to include snare puck (which attaches magnetically underneath), or not to include one for a plain pad without snare sounds.

The playing surface measures 8" across and comes firmly atached to a wood base with handles on either side. The materials for the pad come from the byproduct of making Offworld's popular Mothership Tenor pad, minimizing waste and warming my little environmentalist heart.

I got the red rubber Orbit-S (Sans snare puck). In place of a cutout for the snare puck, the underside of this pad has nonskid foam rubber that doubles as an occasional warmup surface.
Stacked on top of another pad or set on a tabletop, the pad stays in place pretty darned well.
I think it's more ideal as a travel pad than as a full-service marching practice pad. The rubber surface makes it versatile enough for marching, concert and kit drummers alike, and works well with anything from a 5B, to a 2B, to a smaller marching stick (like the Vater MV-20, my go-to rudimental stick at home). It can be used with a full-size marching stick but you won't get quite the same response or feel as on a full-size marching pad.

Next time I have to go somewhere, my Orbit-S pad will fit easily in the front pocket of my bookbag. And the sustainability factor puts it super-high on my like list.

I ordered mine through Flam7 Percussion. You can also buy it directly from Offworld. 

Just bear in mind that because it's made from manufacturing byproduct you may have to wait as much as two weeks or longer for your Orbit pad. Based on the time I've spent hanging out with it so far, I'm confident you'll find it worth the wait.

**NOTE: This is an unsolicited review. Offworld and Flam7 did not send me a free pad.
I paid the same price anyone else would.
That said, if you are connected to a drum pad manufacturer and would like me to test and review your product, I am happy to do so. Please reach out to me on Facebook Messenger and let's talk.

Homemade pad: an homage to intersectionality

I still enjoy experimenting with various materials to see if they'd translate to a practice pad.

This one is kind of special.

Inspired by a pad shown at Drumforum.com I decided to make my own version, a little fancier and more connected to my years as a professional bike shop mechanic.

Using scrap wood, bits and pieces from my time in the industry (including a cool pin I got years ago at Interbike and a piece cut out of an old patch kit tin whose bottom had been crushed), I went to work. The actual playing surface, as in the Drumforum post, is a 4" wide Rema Tip Top patch, large enough for a tractor tube; I scored a box of these as NOS from a tractor repair shop that was closing down.

Experimenting with layers, position and whether or not to make a tilted pad, I finally decided upon a micro-mini sort of "bus pad" like the ones Beetle Percussion sells for marching arts members (those DO work quite well on a tour bus, by the way!). I decorated it accordingly, wrapped it in a layer of old innertube for padding, and then covered that with white stick tape. I finally sealed that with a couple coats of clear nail polish to keep the tape in place and protect it a little.

Here's the finished pad:

Above: Cutout from an old patch kit tin

At left: the actual paper label wrapped around a spent tube of patch adhesive. I love the graphics, a foreshadowing of what we now see on packs of cigarettes in some places

(Note the origin of the patch kit.)

Below: A cute little pin I got from a dealer rep while attending Interbike, the bicycle industry trade show they used to hold every year in Las Vegas. Thankfully, that event seems done for good now.

I finished off the bottom with a repurposed cymbal mute, glued fabric side down, as a non-skid surface. It works better here than it ever did on the cymbal.

After everything dried, I started playing on it, lightly at first and then, when I realized it could take more of a beating, a lot louder.

The response is tight and short -- somewhat what that of Offworld Percussion's Invader pad, but without the odd resonance because this surface is so much smaller. It would be fine for a modern marching drummer looking for a small pad to chop on anywhere. It easily fits in a messenger bag so it's very portable.

Here's a sample of the pad in action.

Because this pad is about intersectionality between my bicycle life and my drum life, I may also take a little inspiration from a fellow on the Marching Percussion 101 FB group, who showed off a very slickly-decorated Remo drum pad that he'd applied a Santa Clara Vanguard logo to (he'd marched with them back in the day); he had even created a presentation box with padded lining inside. It was something of a joke because most marching arts don't bother with a tunable Remo pad; but it was also very beautiful because of the care he'd taken to make this pad special.

So I may end up doing the same, making a presentation box for this pad out of a shop-sized Rema service tin. If I can find some leftover styrofoam to carve down, and then cover with felt (or some new shop rags, boiled down for maximum shrinkage and padding), I could make the lining decent-looking and functional. We'll see. Meanwhile, It's been a super-fun little project and I like how it turned out.

(If you decide to make one yourself, you'll want the 3" or 4" sized patches like above, which can only be found at motorcycle or automotive repair shops and online. I used one patch with the feathered edge trimmed off, glued down and allowed to set, and then a complete patch glued on top of it. The feathered edges do take some delicate maneuvering with tweezers so you don't mess them up while gluing in place, but the finished look was worth the hassle for me. As always Your Mileage May Vary.)

Happy drumming!

A little update on Xymox Percussion: Where's Waldo?

Those of you who remember my last review of a Xymox product, may recall that in the end, I was so singularly unimpressed with it I ended up selling it, still in the box, to someone else.

I hope he's happy with it, because the future of the company remains unclear.

If you want the full, sordid story, you can avail yourself by checking out the FB group, Xymox Percussion - Buyer Beware. In short, the owners have fled souther California and moved to Washington State, where operations have resumed, purportedly in a large garage somewhere in Yakima.

Meanwhile, dozens of Xymox pads are now popping up on web sites like eBay, Offerup and Mercari. Barely used tenor pads are selling for between $150 and $200, while Reserve Snare pads in various states of usage/damage are going for as little as $40. So even if the company is still trying to ship new product (including orders that are up to a year overdue), the offloading of so much product all at once could combine with the growing mountain of complaints to devalue the Xymox brand.

I own two Xymox pads as part of my collection, and will likely keep one of them for the long term.

This one, an early-generation Rubber pad with "snare" sound, probably dates from just after Xymox patented its "snare" sound mechanism in 2000. I used this pad in the studio when recording drum tracks for The Watchman's Chair in late 2019, and I still enjoy playing it.

It's a great little pad, it travels well and the rebound is pretty satisfying for an early-2000's pad in the Kevlar era.

I choce it for the studio recording because the volume would be easier to control underneath vocals and guitar.

The other pad I still own is a later-era Reserve pad -- though curiously, this one does not have the "snare" sound mechanism.
It's just a very heavy practice pad with a thin rubber surface covered by a carbon fiber laminate.

In this case, I bought the pad used, and when it got to me, I discovered that the laminate was no longer glued down securely. So I could lift it off and just play on the rubber, which gave a different feel and sound.

But in the long run, I don't see any reason to keep this pad, and I will probably re-home it at some point.

And therein lies the challenge with owning a Xymox pad. It's a marching-specific pad for those who play exclusively on Kevlar-carbon heads at a very high tension. If you play a drumkit, or an older-style marching drum with Mylar heads, the laminated Xymox pad won't be very useful for you. It's designed for modern marching drummers, and marketed to young people in high school and college drum lines. Unfortunately, Xymox failed to understand that a high school drummer atracted to the color and style of their pads wouldn't necessarily find the wait-time attractive. Young people expect timely delivery, and if they don't get it they often move on to something else; a LOT of young marching drummers have done just that, choosing to buy a pad they wouldn't have to wait months or even years for.

A number of consumers -- mostly very angry parents who shelled out to buy the practice pad of their child's dreams -- are gathering online in chat rooms and groups to discuss the possibility of assembling a class-action lawsuit against the company. Meanwhile, young drummers who managed to get -- and wear out -- their first Xymox pads are selling them and buying something else (two of the most popular brands besides Xymox seem to be Offworld, whose pads are in high demand among college and drum corps players for their durability; and Beetle, a small-batch company making pads from recycled tires in the United States. For drummers on a budget, the Evans Real Feel is a fine practice pad that offers slightly more versatility than these aforementioned marching-specific pads).

So it remains to be seen what will happen with Xymox Percussion and their legal and financial issues. I'm not holding my breath, and probably won't keep more than one Xymox pad in my collection going forward.

One Drummer Chopping: Offworld Percussion Shuttle pad

Offworld Percussion has in many ways become the n'est plus ultra of marching practice pads, simply by dint of their consistency, quality control and overall lack of drama. They just make a good, reliable product and that's why so many drummers -- including me -- own an Offworld pad.

I recently scored one of the first generation Shuttle pads from Offworld's warehouse. They had five of them still in the bag and blew them out on Instagram. Right place at the right time, basically.

The "Dark Matter" playing surface is thinner than what's used on the flagship Invader series pads, and it feels harder and brighter as a result.
Still, I can see why this little pad was so popular. It feels and plays well (especially if you play on Kevlar), and it travels well. If I had to choose between this and my Invader for longer workouts, I'd stick with the Invader as the thicker rubber is more forgiving and less fatiguing. But on the fly, the Shuttle is a nice pad to take to the park or on a road trip. The thick rubber bottom gives it a non-skid surface for tabletop playing, or even a short stint on your lap.

I think they discontinued it in favor of their Outlander series, which uses the same thickness of rubber in a circular design.

I might end up keeping this for the collection. I kind of like it.

UPDATE: Offworld is currently producing prototypes for a second generation shuttle pad; one will be made with a rubber surface only, and the other will be made to take their snare drum cartridge insert (like the Aurora and BYOSphere pads).
I think I'll hang onto my 1st gen Shuttle and call it good, as I was unimpressed with the Aurora pad and cartridge and sold them. Offworld needs to utilize much stronger magnets so the snare cartridges doesn't pop out on an accented note before I'll consider buying one again.

pad review: Offworld Visitor

A little late to the party on this, but that's because I try to find my stuff used to save money.
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 pad itself is rather lightweight for the paying surface, but it does feel and respond just like the Dark matter in my larger and much heavier Invader pad.




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.

Once the panel is set in place, it will hold when you turn pad right-side-up again, allowing you to use it on a tabletop or on a drum stand.

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.

practice tools and why they matter

I collect vintage practice pads (and sometimes sticks) because they are the tools I've used more often than anything as a drummer and percussionist.
The fact is that I didn't own my first drumkit until I was sixteen, and I never fell in love with driving or owning a car. So when I went car-free in 1990, I knew it would change my approach to drumming.
I kept my drumkit for a few years but eventually I lost interest in staying up playing till 2am, and sold it. After that, I mostly taught marching drum lines until 1997, when my bike crash changed my hand and my musical life forever.

Since returning to drumming on a daily basis, I've found that it's all I can manage to play on a rubber pad most mornings. My partner appreciates the muted, quiet sound of rubber; and I don't really have room for a full-sized drumkit where I live anymore.

So mostly, it's just me, some sticks and a pad.

In the mornings, I start with some eights and sixteens, slowly and with a metronome. After awhile, I open up my dog-eared copy of Stick Control (the book every single drummer should own) and play my way slowly through a page, or maybe two. The opening pages of eighth notes are great for morning meditation and also for warming up my arthritic hands and wrists very gently.

Finally, I'll switch to some easy corps-style warmups and street beats, and then if I have time I'll cool down with a few eights and sixteens again.

My regular tools for this:

Sticks -- Vic Firth Jeff Queen model -- my go-to stick most of the time. If I'm preparing for an indoor gig I'll switch to a 2B or maybe even a 5B on a muted snare drum.

Pad -- My primary pad is an Offworld Invader. On days when the arthritis gets too intense I'll switch to a homemade pad with 1/4"-thick gum rubber; or a Real Feel rubber pad.






Books -- I don't have a ton of these that I use often (though my rudimental drum library is pretty extensive). Here are my favorites:

-- Stick Control for the Snare Drummer (G. L. Stone)
-- Accents and Rebounds (G. L. Stone)
-- Syncopation for the Modern Drummer
-- America's NARD Solos (ed. W. Ludwig)
-- 128 Rudimental Street Beats (John S. Pratt)

I also like the warmups from Donka Drums. Kevin Donka is a world champion rudimental drummer who marched with the Blue Stars, currently marches each summer with Pacific Alliance, and went on to create an online resource of snare drum music for students at all levels. He also offers online coaching.

Metronome -- this is an absolute necessity for any drummer. Regular practice with a metronome improves timing and forces you to slow down when learning a new skill (drummers are notorious for rushing the beat, especially as they grow more confident with a musical passage. That's not necessarily a good thing.)
There are so many kinds of metronomes on the market that there is no one "best" model. Modern metronomes in use by marching drum lines utilize complex patterns of multiple pitches, and most drum lines swear by them. I continue to use the simple, reliable Seiko metronome I've had since college. It gives a single pitch at a variety of tempi, gives a concert "A" tuning pitch, and offers a light-only option for those who want to try keeping time visually.
Various versions of this type are available used on eBay starting at less than ten bucks. They take a 9V battery, can be used with a earbud, and they work just fine.



Even if you are blessed with room to store and play a full drumkit, it's good to get back to basics and woodshed on a pad regularly. Happy drumming!