This is a tut about how to convert the Alesis Real Head Pads into Mesh Head Pads It's verry simple, you don't have to buy anything exept the Pad and the Heads.
Just tried this technique but there are a couple issues that need to be taken into consideration. One is that in swapping the foam into top position above the trigger pad, you drastically reduce the sensitivity of the unit. This results in a reduction of maximum volume as well, just ain't ticklin the piezo enough! The original real head pads were loud and rather hard feeling but did have a nice range of sensitivity and as they were two zone I wanted to get some more mileage out of them. I like the 8" size (I loved the 6" Dauz pads from the beginning and have a few of those) because I like the maximum amount of targets within a beaten zone! I had gotten a couple Evans Soundoff 8" drum mutes ($8) that were basically off-road grade mouse pad-like neoprene and cloth. Was trying them over the existing heads but wasn't loving it (hadn't glued them down yet tho). Got a pair of cheapy Pearl single plys off of Amazon ($11) and coupled with the thick foam just made things too trampolinee for my taste (I adore the Yamaha textured silicone stuff but still a bit pricey for my limited budget (according to wife) so only have two). For the second one I left the existing foam assembly alone and simply placed the Soundoff pad over the trigger plate (no need to cut the rubber around it) and screwed the mesh head down over it . This was a much better compromise. Trigger response was close to original but the rubber/mesh combo gave a really nice controlled rebound that was close to my silicone pads. Ordered another set for my other pair. One could experiment with yoga mat material, extra thick mouse pads or whatever is handy. I may try other things but want to see how full set plays for a while. A two or three ply would probably be even better, may upgrade later. One mistake was I kept cranking the heads down over the rubber to improve the response and broke a piece from the plastic frame holding the lug nut! Fortunately "box o' olde drumm parts" came to the rescue but at least I know a single ply mesh head is stronger than the cheapo Alesis!
Note: I have the DM10 Studio set...there is one difference that I see. The black foam that is put on top in this vid. actually has about a 2" diameter hole in the middle of it. So far that hole hasn't seemed to be a problem, but I'm considering going to a crafts store and replacing this foam with a piece that doesn't have the hole and see if the sensitivity increases. Overall I'm very happy with the conversion (I used Pearl's mesh head). Takes away the unwanted 'slap' sound of the conventional head and puts all the wanted sound through you speakers/headphones. Also, I did have to increase the sensitivity a bit on the DM10 module but this is no big deal.
@Shikibob you need to flip the foam pad cuz it has better rebound and its also quieter when you hit the pad. you can get some mesh heads at guitar center here in europe you can get them from thomann it is an online shop for musicians
Umm I just recently started the process on an Alesis DM8 Pro kit I just bought brand new. But the thicker foam in my toms have holes in the center. Not small ones either. Any advice? Can I still put them on top? I kinda don't know what to do from this point.
I got a REAL HEAD 12 inch for 69 bucks...I upgraded it to a mesh head..and its so FN good ,it triggers when hit the snare in any spot....i got a shtty Turbo..hated it, and spent over 3k in MKII PRO KIT mesh heads,3 12 inch 3 10 inch from the factory,the Surge MOD,new cymbals a 8 inch REAL HEAD bass trigger ,i also converted to a mesh head..so easy...so i had a problem with just the snake,but they sent me all new turbo pads cymbals and mod,so i have 3 mods 8 extra cymbals ,and then bought the PDP PDDP402 400 Series Double Bass Drum Pedal,and of course 2 Alexsis strike 1,000 watt amps..buy these REAL HEADS..there super cheap easy to convert and are better then the MK II pads,now i going to buy 3 more 10 -12 inch real heads.the 12inch i got for 69$ omfg the kick pad 97$
@TsintsIgnis Yes your right. this method is realy simple copared to other methods. it takes about 5-10 min to convert your old pad to the mesh pad and you will notice a appsolutely amazing drumming feeling. i saw other tuts where they cut the wires of and then solder them together again. i think thats not that easy and you need more equipment aswell. so this method is realy simple, fast and also a little child can do this with folowing my instructions.
@Bonzdrummer it dependas on you drummodul i've got the alesis trigger I/O and there is a difference between the pads with mesh and pads without mesh. but i think you will notice a better and realistic sensitivety as before
A lot of questions about "why the trimming of the top pad that has the main trigger on it"... I tried the re-arrangement without trimming the main pad and kept triggering both the shell and the pad. DUH! You need to isolate the head hit from a shell hit. So, when re-assembling after the re-arrangement, make sure that original thin top foam with the pickup on it is not contacting the shell in any way.
@vlogittyguy it depends from where you are. here in europe/germany you can buy it from several online music stores like thomann but you can also check out ebay and amazon simply search for 8" mesh heads ;)
@devinisabeastsmith it's pretty easy. in the blackfoam is allready a cut where the wire is running through and you need to cut it up from the edge of the foampad to the cut. I'm not shure if you can see it in this vid how i cut the foam
@rojothe2nd you can do this but you wont get better results as before. when you change the position of the foam like showen in the video it will feel more natural and the trigger sensetivety is better than the default setup
@TsintsIgnis my foam has also a hole inside cuz the wire from the trigger is running trough the black foam. so you only need to cut from the edge of the foam to the hole and then you can easiely remove the black foam
@vlogittyguy yes it is realy simple you can simply slap on the new mesh heads on the Real Head Pads. it is 8". the same size like regular drumheads. i recommend double layer mesh heads cuz my single laye heads i used in the video are now broken.
@tanmanclan It's not that complicated to change the pads. i have done this conversion to 4 of my pads and they all work fine. it depends on your neighbours. i live in a house so it is no problem. it produces some noise when you hit the pad but it is a lot quieter when you change them with mesh heads. the conversion on my bass drum doesnt work that good cuz i had some triggering problems.
im gonna buy the Alesis drum kit. but i was curious in how to change the pads! you made me feel assured that i wont be heaving any troubles with my neighbours ;) this works as well for the bassdrum pad right? (just to be really reaaaally sure :)) i'd appreciate your reply very much! :)
So e'm I right in thinking this mod was done on a DM6 set ? I have a DM6 set and mine have 6 screws in each head not the 4 shown on your video. Are there different sets available.
@devinisabeastsmith cuz there is a wire from the trigger running through the foam and to get this black foam on top of the metal plate i must be cut in. i have seen some videos where they cut the wires and solder them together after they changed the position of the foam but this is to complicated.
actually there is almost no delay during playing e-drums just a few ms but you cant hear them. the video was recorded seperately from the sound so there might be some delays cuz i didn't get the exact timing during redering this video
I have an Alesis DM10 2011 Studio. It already has duel triggers. Do I still have to do all that you do on the video, or do I just put the new mesh heads on? Also will roland mesh heads fit my kit? Many thanks for the great Video. Bazcopper
Hello?, I was told I could get the "cheapest CONVERSATION I could get" here...so could somebody start conversing at a very low price? You just wouldn't believe the cost of "conversations" out there...I'm really glad I finally found a "conversation value"...hello?...anyone there?...?...DAMN...third place I've been, still no conversation...
with this drumset, can you play to your favorite songs WITH HEADPHONES and actually have the drum sounds in the song sound in your ear at the same time?
Peter Griffin go ahead try it.. you'll have a shitty feeling and sounding head. you need the foam underneath the mesh... this is probably the simplest/cheapest method you'll find
MonstaFreak13 - Nope! Didn't have to do all this bullshit drum "Surgery" lol hahaha 😁 This video is OLD!!.. I ordered replacements from "DRUMTEC" a couple months ago - No surgery bullshit needed - DRUMTEC replacement heads for THEE ENTIRE KIT - $200 The heads are AWESOME - Just take off the original head put the new ones on! Very quick, Easy and a professional job! Screw this old school Micky Mouse drum surgery bullshit lol hahaha 😁
you can try this but it's not that easy to get the plate with this little foam pad glued on top into the shell cuz it has a bigger diameter than the shell has. so i recommend you to cut about 1/2" out from the pad so it can fit perfectly into the shell. if you tried that please give me a feedback if it worked for you.
After following these steps carefully I have encountered two issues so far, maybe you can help me. 1. My volume is much lower in my headphones, only if I really strike the head hard do can increase the volume from the module to a normal level. This is especially true with my bass drum head. It's nearly silent and concerns me greatly. 2. One of my heads, when struck in the middle, gives me the rim sound. This may be due to the rubber pad inside still touching the shell. I think I read that could happen if you don't cut the pad short enough. Any help is appreciated.
Sorry, I didn't see this til after you modified your kit. But I offer some suggestion in a post, on this page, to help warn others from going the route this guy and a few others have instructed others to take. From what I understand, Drum Tec supplies mesh heads with a top foam for maybe a dollar or so more.
+Newt Dewrock Thank you for the reply, I have since completed the mod and have solved all issues, everything is working great! The trigger settings under "ext trigger" have to be greatly raised if you do the "sandwich" rearrange. Also during my modding process my bass drum solder to the piezo came undone. I had to resolder which is nothing difficult. Just need a cheap soldering iron from Walmart, though I recommend a better one if you plan on soldering more than this. Also, the Walmart solder kind of sucks, so spend a little more if you're buying solder as well.
You can just slap on the new Mesh Head an change your existing one. But it won´t make any big difference. Right under the head is a metal plate where the sensor is mounted. Putting the foam on top of this plate will give you the natural rebound. So I highly recommend you to put the silencer inlay on top: A) it will be much quieter when hitting the drum and B) Much more realistic rebound feeling. Hope it answers your question ;) I still got this setup even 7 years after making this video.
First off: DON'T remove, cut or modify shit! NOR re-position the foams etc. etc. 2nd: try rubber tipped sticks for "Real Heads" or try 'Rods'. Depending on your playing style or who you might be aggravating by the thumping n stomping as you practice or play, mesh heads might not even make a big difference. If you live in a house or an apartment where above, below and next to you, everyone can hear your 'pillow talk' or you, theirs... stomping and sticking on an elctric kit will be heard. PERIOD! If ya're gigging live or practicing with ya'r band... get a "decent" wedge monitor... Not an under-powered "made for E-drum" amp, in the form of Alesis-Trans Active, Simmons DA200S or anything in that category... Fuck those! Get something like a Mackie Thump 15 or a much more versatile & less expensive Pyle 15, which Pyle claims to be 1400 watts, which might be closer to 700 ACTUAL loud/maybe clean watts...??? And then kick n stick your shit and ignore your band members' asking you to turn down... Fuck 'em, just say, FEEL MEY NOW! Stick On 'Baybay'.
Oh my goodness mercy! You are right in what you say... I was not wanting to get into a sound reinforcement lesson. I was narrowly "talking" about practice options alone or with a band in the basement, garage or studio type set up. Quite a few times I've dealt with band folk saying, "they hear the thump of the drum pads more than the E-drum sample" and then turn their noses up towards E-Drums until they hear the midi/digital recording... and change their tune. AND, OHHHH Yeah, E-Drummers can get LOUD without mic feedback!!! LOL. Gotta love it.
depending on where you live. i've got mine from my local music store. i'm shure that many popular online stores do have hesh heads as well. Roland is selling some mesh heads as replacement parts too.
Yes in this case this is a dual zone pad. The middle and the rim is triggered. I'm shure there are also similar single zone pads but this tutorial should work on both. I've modified this ages ago an still got my pads like this. hope you are interested into modifying your pads too. greatings
+NejiDrummer Thanks! I have an old Roland kit with rubber pads, but they hurt my hands after playing a while. I've been looking into the prices of v-drum pads but they are really expensive. So I'm thinking about buying some used Alesis pads and converting them to mesh.
im gonna buy the Alesis drum kit. but i was curious in how to change the pads! you made me feel assured that i wont be heaving any troubles with my neighbours ;) this works as well for the bassdrum pad right? (just to be really reaaaally sure :)) i'd appreciate your reply very much! :)
