Hihat On A Drumrack VS Hihat On A Stand (Is It Worth The Extra Cash?) 

I have failed you Justin... I bought a Roland drum set new :( If my calculations are correct my future grandchildren should be able to finish the payment before they retire though :D

YES *FINALLY* someone addressing this!

Here's the thing: When you use a hi-hat stand, you have tactile feedback via the control rod through the cymbal to the foot. It's subtle, but it's very much an important feedback for you to lock in (even subconsciously) the time more readily. Without this feedback it's not impossible to play accurately, just more difficult. The thing that makes "hihat standless drumsets" feel artificial is because you hear the sound without feeling it in your foot. You get this same effect using a cable/remote hat, but that's a subject of a different video.

The one advantage to using a hi hat not on a stand is that you can place it on the right, or in the center of the kit, while maintaining left foot pedal position. This is much cheaper than buying a $300 or $400 cable remote assembly stand.

The main thing is that hihats have a ton of things that can't be emulated properly yet, as opposed to close, open and variations of open. There's also pressure when the hihat is closed and how each cymbal of the set hits each other when you angle them. There's also the good old cymbal wash, that no module nor vst does right til this day.

On my Ludwig acoustic, I bought the cable attachment so I could place the hi-hat on the drum rack. I wanted the versatility of placement. I did the exact same thing with my Hart Pro eDrums set and have the hi-hat on the rack in a better location for more fluid and natural hi-hat hits.

I like my remote Predator hi-hat stand. That way I can put it where ever I want on my rack. I currently have it over my toms so I can play open handed. It also opened up space on the left for my new SPD-SX (it's awesome).

dude you have to teach us how to do the feel in the intro it sounds so awsome😆

Not worth going broke to buy a drumset? I thought we could be friends Justin :(

I enjoy the CY-5. I feel cool when I can position my hat anywhere on the rack like Danny Carey or Mike Mangini. However a moving hi hat would be nice if you go between acoustic and electric. I hope to get one soon for that reason.

I played acoustic for 11 years, long time ago,, when i later this year will buy me a electric drum set / workout machine,, I will for sure get me a set with a proper hi-hat stand. I don't qualify to know a lot about the electric alternatives but i can never see myself give up the hi-hat stand, not even if alternatives may be just as good in practice. Thank you for a wonderful drum channel. :-)

I think that if youre coming from acoustic drums or if you play both, a hi hat stand is a must

Awesome, Justin! Yeah, like you said... everyone's different. Being an acoustic player my whole life, I was so darned happy to finally have the freedom (aside from using a less-than-responsive cable hat) to break away from my pedal placement being determined by so many other factors, which also includes the cymbal placement. I have the Alesis DM10X Mesh kit and I Love the "Real Feel" Hi Hat pedal. I do not feel that I am in the majority on this! LOL The thing sticks to the floor really well, and when I get another kit, I'll have the two pedals side-by-side while having the cymbals on complete opposite sides of the kit! Yaaaay! No more bulky hi hat stand!!!! Hate those things - though I've always loved playing hi hats!!!

Hello Justin, greetings from Ecuador. Thanks to your videos, I can have a better perspective to make the improvements in a drumset that I could acquire. A friend sold me a new Roland TD11KV, which decided to get rid of after damaging the drum module in the first installation (something incredibly unusual). He did not want to know any more of this and decided to sell it for $ 800 including the flight case. It was a good acquisition, since I could repair the module's electronic problem and it is 100%. Following your advice, I bought a used VH11 and an additional CY-8 as crash2. The CY5 that worked as hihat, I have placed it as a splash building a cable splitter to separate it from Tom 1 and everything is perfect. A big hug and thanks for all the information you give us.

Just bought Yamaha 562k kit with 13” hihat on a hihat stand…………. Wow what a difference from just using CY-5 and fd-8 HH controller pedal. It feels so much nicer to play. Now I do like not having to lug around extra hihat stand and not needing double kick pedal set and kick tower with my double KT-10 kick trigger pedals I bought used. Got them for a steal only 100$ each!!!!! At 200$ that’s 70$ less than the price of just one brand new KT-10 kick trigger pedal. I absolutely love these pedals, so easy to daisy chain them for double bass action, only need 1 kick drum cable to module, less gear I have to lug around with me. These pedals go great with my multipads and my new mini kit I built recently. I made a rack similar to Roland’s compact folding rack. It’s great

I’m pretty happy with my go-edrum high hat controller for 50 bucks on my tama hi-hat stand. When i have 350 bucks floating around I’ll probably get a roland vh-11 but really for me what I’ve got feels pretty darn good - and it hasn’t broken yet fingers crossed.

Hey Justin. I am a subscriber and a fan. I really enjoy your channel. I 've learned a lot from you my friend. You are the only one to go to for anything e drum related. Just wanted to let you know and the drumming community, that u can use a Roland CY12 as a top hit hat with alesis bottom hit hat and it really works!!. It was an Eureka moment for me. I dont have to spend any extra money on a new hit hat for a brand new strike pro! Its ironic but it solved my problem. Thank you , Edwin from Canada, cheers

I have been upgrading an old Alesis Kit for years, Started with DM6, DM8 and then DM10 module with mesh heads triggering AD2 sounds, I am using Roland Cymbals that improved the kit dramatically! I can't tell you how many Alesis cymbals I have gone through...... Upgrading my Hi Hat Pedal to Roland helps. I like moving the HiHat around on my kit it changes the way I play. Working on Hybrid Kit additions currently added DDrum Snare 13x6 Hybrid, DDrum 10" Hybrid.

Put mine on a remote hi hat stand. Works great and you can move the hi hats anywhere

Yes!! I need the stand!!

I played from 1995 till 2015 on a pad hi hat....and now I have the VH-11...and I'm NEVER going back. LOL. The improvement to me was worth the investment.

The Strike Pro also has a larger rack to accommodate that extra 14" Floor Tom and cymbal stand arm. Just an FYI so you know.

Justin, nice comparison analysis on e-drum equipment. Your pic graphics are an excellent touch.

Yeah, I get you. I have NEVER played an “electronic“ hi hat stand that felt right. On my Roland TD-30kv I use a mechanical DW remote high-hat stand that I “clamp” on via Gibraltar adjustable tube clamp. It was not cheap but neither was my Roland. I love it, and because it is lighter and easier to pack, it works well on the road. and it feels like a mechanical hi-hat stand because it is a mechanical high-hat.

A good thing to know is that on most kits it is stand-ard (pun intended) to have the Hi-Hat stand not included and thus you need to buy it separately

Great, informative video! I just recently purchased an Alesis Forge Kit. As someone who had only played acoustic drums my whole life, having the hihat on the rack was one of my biggest concerns. Would it feel weird playing? Would having just a pedal not connected to a stand feel unnatural? In my case, I was surprised at how normal it felt. I've had no problems playing on the rack-mounted hihat. I will say, that trying to get a half-open hihat sound or barely open hihat sound is a bit difficult to produce (though not impossible). I imagine it's due to the low price point of the kit I purchased. I haven't made any real hihat adjustments as of now though, so maybe that's what I need to do to get that barely open hihat sound.

Can you do a review on the Alesis Dm10 MK11 Pro ? I think this module and kit blows the KAT KT4 out of the water.........What say you ?

That 1000 dollar td 9 had 250 shipping tho lol. still worth it!

I was started with a hihat on the rack... pffff donn't give me the feeling that I used to have years ago with my acoustic drums... so I have buy a hihat on stand... and that's a BIG BIG BIG improvement !!!

I was wondering if I could buy like a dm10 drum set and then buy the hi hat stand and hook it up to the drums set

My opinion and what works best for me is having the cy-5 with the controller. Simple mount to the rack. Now I strictly use my kit for practice and my acoustic set is at my friends studio. Just bought the Td17 so had to compromise with the wife. Probably will upgrade to the vh11 later on.

Aside from the feel, is there any delay in responsiveness of a hihat on a drumrack? Also, does a hi hat on a drum rack allow for easier displacement between pedal position and the actual hihat? Cable driven hihat systems are noted to have lag, and I actually feel like the possibility of having responsiveness and the freedom to put the hihat wherever you want might be a cool point for drumrack hihats.

One more take on Alesis, before we pound them into the ground too hard, is that they have been providing a relatively inexpensive upgrade (Pro X Hi Hat) for all of their kits for quite some time, and I've heard some really satisfied responses from it. I never got it because I just don't like those darned hi hat stands! LOL Exception being, of course, my acoustic kit. I've tried Cable Hat systems and would really love them if they weren't so slow and clunky feeling. It's been a lot of years, so they may have improved. I have my Yamaha Hi Hat stand with Zildjian 14" New Beats and I just love them!!! That being said, my rack-mounted single-cymbal hi hat with separate pedal on my DM10X Mesh kit is really pretty awesome! I know you seems to really hate those cymbals. I can't wait to try some Roland cymbals to compare. My DM10 cymbals are (seem to be after a year of gigging) really well made. I was getting a little depressed after hearing you say that they were going to break on me. Several times now I've taken a really close look at everything and they really don't show any signs of breaking - and I really hit them at gigs. Granted, I clean them with non-gloss Armor All wipes which keeps the playing surface soft and supple. They choke really well and respond nicely to my hits. Also, I used to work at Plastics factories and recognize that the vinyl these things are made from is the good, expensive stuff. I'm really impressed with my Alesis kit!

Yes

Hey Justin! I'm a guitarist that plays e-drums for writing/recording and have never owned an acoustic set. Guess I don't know what I'm missing, but I'm doing fine with a CY5 and FD8 into my ATV aD5. I may try the GoEdrum module with a stand, as it's REALLY cost-effective. Curious if I'll like it better. Thanks for all your vids. They are EXTREMELY helpful!

I went to Guitar Center because I had the money and noticed that e-kits had come a long way from back in the day (1980's, lol). I was so excited, unfortunately nobody at 'Algonquin, Il' Guitar Center seemed to be thrilled with their jobs, whatever. I originally bought a Simmonds (can't recall model number, cost about $500.00). Didn't lime it! Hi-hat on rack, and bass drum kicker was a cable connected to a 'pretend' bass drum. Hi-hat pedal, ditto (attached to a cable). So both foot pedals would 'move on me,' and I was continually adjusting both pedals, not fun. I came back about 3 weeks later (same gloomy place, mentioned above...hope they go out of business!), and snagged a Roland TD 25K, spending a lot more money, despair virtually NO HELP, and kits not set-up properly in the store (seriously, Guitar Center in Algonquin, Il needs NEW management!). I still own the Simmonds though it sits around collecting dust, ANYONE reading this, make your best offer, and it's yours (barely used, virtually new!). To this day I refuse to enter Guitar Center in Algonquin, Il due to their lousy service and incompetence! I literally spent around 7k there with their LOUSY service, NEVER again!

The one thing I would say about a hihat not on stand is that you can use it to play with toms and other pads and not just as a hi hat.

What I suggest to people selling is to just mention the module name and the parts included. No need to say if it's a KV or not. My take is that, if it's a Roland, quality should be good. No matter what series it is. :)

I was considering buying the Alesis Strike. I want a set for practices purposes that is similar to the size of my acoustic drums that I play at church.. My question is, since the Hi-hat isn't very good, what if I just swap it out for a real hi-hat that I already have sitting around, and mic it?

Can you replace the highat on the rack for the highat on a stand on any drum kit

Btw that DTX532k lic was not actually the 532k. Its from another line of DTX drumsets from 2009 it looks very similar tho but the module, sounds and mechanics are diffrieny

Do you think buying a hi hat stand is cheaper then buying a e drum kit with the hi hat stand already?

I bought the TD-17KV and I quickly had to purchase a CY-15R for a bell, and my next purchase will be a VH-10 hi hat. The footpad is making it difficult for me to get consistent sound out of the hi hat (but that is most likely just me). I wish I saved for a 17KVX.

I have a Go-Edrum hihat controller on a stand, but trouble placing it around the rack . My answer is buying a remote hihat stand. Hope to get that from my tax return.

I've played BOTH . . . totally prefer playing hi hat on a stand . . . why?? Because I can place the foot pedal where it is most comfortable . . . when you have a stand, it has to be directly below . . . limiting in placement and angle . . .

i agree, Hihats on stands are way better but when you're on a budget it's hard to find something nice and affordable. what I'd do is I'd buy the drumset i like (and can afford) and maybe upgrade the hihat later.

Totally agree

Thank god you made this video! By the way can you make a video on where to get a hi-hat on a stand because it looks like I would have to by the two pieces separately. Thank you keep up the good work

Hey Justin :) Hihat stand for me as I also started on acoustic. Like others, I like the fact you can move it around to find the most comfortable position. Although, as my kit is on a rack sometimes the rack can get in the way and it can take some fiddling around to get it right the first time. I’m also of the opinion that having the ‘feel’ of the opening and closing of the hihat through your foot and the variance in resistance when hitting open vs closed is important if you want the closest experience to an acoustic kit. But unless you play both or intend on switching to an acoustic style kit then it doesn’t really matter...

Just bought vh-10 for my td-6v drumset:D

Hi, I have a question! I just purchased an Alesis crimson 2 and I think the hardware features it has will be enough apart from the hi hat I want to upgrade the hi hat to one that I can put on a stand. Which one(s) would you suggest me to purchase bearing compatibility, budget and realistic feel in mind? Thanks in advance!

I played on Acoustic drums for years in bands then stop ed playing for a few years but then I needed to get back to playing so got a yamaha e kit and yeah a hi hat on stand is a must I just needed that feel and look I didn't like the pedal you get with must kits

What does it actually feel like to play those top-cymbal-and-bottom-controller hi-hat setups, compared to using acoustic hats? How do the setups that use two electronic hi-hat cymbals compare?

1:33 But the Millenium MPS-750X E-Drum Mesh Set has a HiHat on stand, a price of about 500 $ plus shipping and tax, and when you use the previous version, with Hi Hat on rack, you can get for 70 $ a Hi Hat.

My set has expanded to the point where the rack mounted hi-hat is better for me. Im using a Roland cy12h hh cymbal and an fd7 foot pedal. I may try to remove the legs on another hihat stand I have and mount it as a legless stand. But with 2 modules, 5 toms and 6 cymbals space is at a premium.😅

Being a capable guitarist but only a newbie drummer... I don't need it. I use a Yamaha DTX Multi 12 and just have one pad for closed and the pad above it for open hi-hat. It works fine for me.

Me: **Search "Alesis Hit Hats"** **Finds This** "This is exactly what I wanted to watch" **Clicks on the video** Me: Of course it's, you, Justin. It's always you (not a bad thing tho)

Man I really appreciate the Info! I’ve been batting between the Roland and the Alesis for the past couple weeks mainly wondering if the hats performed the same or not.

This one is huge for me I can't really even begin to grove if the highhat does not feel right I got a custom hi hat built by stealth drums on a stand with a vh-11 controller check out the testament cover I did on my channel it feels awesome but that's still a weak point of edrums they never get the hi hatt right the Atv high hat felt great as well

For my conversion, it didn't cost much more, only 10 dollars. And it was worth it

I tried both the stand and standless hihat, and to me i will go to the standless hihat. The difference between an hihat cymbals and hihat pads are to big to go play with te hihat stand. But it's a personnel thing.

The pictured crash cymbals are different sizes dude, the 522K has a 10" 3-zone pictured & the 532K has the 13" 3-zone...Dunno if the kits come with that difference or not...My 532K had 2 - 13" 3-zone cymbals...

Hi 65Drums, Sweet video! I have a Roland TD30 with a VH12. I broke the controller piece you show in the video (around 8:30). You say you replaced it with a cheaper version, but i can't make out the name of that controller. And would you happen to know if that specific controller you show will fit my VH12(!) aswell? Thx in advance for your response! Drumming greetings from the Netherlands.

I've been playing acoustic for 15 years it is definitely important to me. Feeling the pressure come off the cymbals and foot pedal. Also the placement of the hi uat when on the rack seems very odd to me... anyone else? I would want it where the module is.

Aha the old simulator vs emulator argument raises its head. My 11kv emulated hi hat (No moving cymbals and foot-switch) positions easily and plays with sufficient bounce. However, the fact that it has no bell area and MIDI mapping needs tweaking means it has some weak points. For the sake of space and weight it does prove tidy and compact. I'd prefer a stand like my acoustic kit so that I maintain those standard ergonomics in my playing. As a rule, I always use my own hh stand in any acoustic kit, practice venues.

I’n not happy with my hihat stand situation, as I have a double pedal and snare stand fighting for space, and it’s a little uncomfortable. Wish I had picked out a no-leg stand and rack clamped it, or a remote cable hihat.

Hey Justin! Why don’t you review the new Roland V-Drums accessories just released like the RDH-120 Hi-Hat stand. I’m in the market for a “two-legged” stand for my VH-11 and would like to know whether to try Roland or one of the other guys. I’m currently using a Pearl 3 legged hi-hat stand but besides the difficulty with positioning due to the 3 legs, I initially wasn’t all that please with the fact the cymbal center rod would allow for the VH-11 to spin out of range after a while. I eventually cured this via some Tite-Lock putty applied to the insert threads. It works but I don’t think this should have been necessary. Thanks!!

For stage prescence, yes obviously. But I feel no difference when I play a seperate E-crash for a hihat and seperate foot controller. In fact, I took my Hart Dynamics Epedal apart, because of inaccurate movement and retriggering from the stand itself.

So I’m a newbie, I have a TD 17kv coming for Christmas. As I haven’t played drums in past, I prolly won’t miss having the high hat stand? I may upgrade in future if I feel the need, but I didn’t feel like spending another 800 bucks plus I would have had to put more money just to make it functional. I did get a kt-10 and know I could have saved money, but I figure may as well get a good one.

Good video

What about no kit just the hi hat and I'm upgrading my own kit?

Hi guys. Does anyone has experience adding a hi hat stand to Alesis Surge Mesh? Thanks

OR you can look online and get a double hi hat stand anywhere from $50 and up I got mine on sale a while back from $150 on sale for $80 problem solved

Hi...is it possible to lock the hi-hat foot control (the one without the stand) into the closed position???

Sets a heavy price. But then you have to do throne, pedal, speakers, and cords.

Yea I would at least do a go edrum controller with a yammie pcy high hat pretty affordable and will be just as nice as the vh-11

I'm put in a spot where i have to choose between my acoustic drum kit and my e drum, so should i keep the e drum or sell the e drum and buy low volume cymbals and silentstroke heads?(plz don't suggest hybrid kits, i don't hate them but i don't really like them, i don't know why)

I recently got a used Alesis Forge kit for my son. Do you have any recommendation which hihat on the stand that would work with this kit? Thanks!

i am using low volume hihat+controller from jobeky and cy5 has a reserve when it will broke down.

Will the Roland vh11 work with cheeper Alesis modules like the nitro or surge?

Can vh 11 or 12 be used for the surge alesis where the hi hat is on the rack... can I upgrade? Or I would have to stick with the strike hi hat model?

Once again, nice video Justin. I started with a Kat KT4 kit because of the HI-hat stand and have since upgraded to a td30, 4-pdx100's, pd128s, vh13 ha-hats and cy15r. Only thing left that is Kat are cymbals and rack. Their rack is very nice. It's sturdy and the chrome looks nice. My question is: have you tried the ha-hat stands with no legs that attach to the rack? If so, what are your thoughts? Even if you haven't, what are your thoughts on that setup? Thanks for all you do!!

great video as usual, Justin. I prefer the hi-hat stand but only for aesthetic reasons :) I used my stand from my acoustic kit al my stands are 90's mapex - very heavy duty!

Please review or comment about Carlsbro CSD 310.

I have the Roland td 17 kv im adding a vh 11 hihat i don't really like the cy5 have you had any problems doing tgat at all???

Hi, does anyone have a recommendation for a low tension hi hat stand? I feel that the regular hi hats have too much tension for me.

Nice video ...Hey guy,Can you help me? Do you know if Can I use a RHH with TDX 400 ??

is it possible to convert the same hi hat on a rack to one on a stand ?

I have a super cheap e kit to practice on and holy shit I can’t even move the pads to a different setup. It’s like 500 bucks so can’t rly complain

Roland TD-17KVX!!

Justin, I understand your view as a young man. Having played from clubs, Coliseums, and and my largest venue was Oakland Coliseum years back, I truly got sick of acoustic drums and I used 3 kicks, 4 hi-hats, 8 toms, 3 rides & 26 cymbals. Again, busting drum heads, cracking cymbals and spreading sticks not to mention all of the tearing down, hauling, setting up , hauling again, unloading and setting back up in my studio. I have a Great Roland kit and Roland goes without saying, their mesh heads can't be beat but I feel that's all they have over Alesis. I have the DM-10 Mesh, Crimson and Crimson II kits and have played all of Alesis upper end drums. I think the Crimson kit Rock and I show them no mercy. I ma be 60 yrs old having played 54yrs I can still rock any drums in front of me.I bought an extra rack to get rid of the snare stand, I wanted everything on the rack which is a huge reason I went to e-drums because every kit sets on an Identical riser with casters and I have one casing box that will mount to any of the risers, lock it down and roll my whole kit into our trailer. I still play with 3 bands and they all have come to love the sound of my Alesis kits. I had my friends watch your videos and they and I respect your opinion, but they say my ears and years of playing are what makes the drums sound great not just the kit its self. I still like the research you put into e-drums so keep plugging in Man!

Now it's the Roland TD17KVX.

Can i use sennheiser hd 65 tv headphones on my electric drums

What’s Up Justin do you know a good spot where I can buy a electronica hi hat controller I’ve been looking all over the place and obviously they sell them the problem is all the ones I’m finding are shipping out of either like Denmark or Taiwan which means I’ll get the thing somewhere around my 65th birthday so if you have any suggestions on where to go online to buy one that I’ll Receive within the next couple I’d appreciate it! Thanks bro

Where can I even buy one ?

strangely enough , i find the yamaha rhh135 to be incredibly annoying. the regular yamaha cymbal with the pedal controller responds better.

I have a compact HD-3. Can i buy a VH11 and just plug it in?

rack mounted hats with a non analog connection are horrible... you have no opening control ... you can hold the pedal slightly open for a good swishing sound... its either open or closed... and i HATE that.

Either way, I don't mind...😏😏😏🥁🥁🥁🌃🚬

better on rack cus peddle can be moved anywere