Great stomp box kick bass drum pedal by Roland. Here's a couple of thoughts on both it and other things I've tried for getting a bass drum accompaniment to a slide blues type thing.
Thanks, man! I didn't know that, as I only had it here for a short while. That's something to be aware of for people checking this out, thanks for the comment.
I got lucky a few years ago and found these on sale. The deal was so good that I bought two. This kick and then the "SPD Wav Pad", which has snare, tambourine and shaker sounds, and, I guess, is meant for uploading more of your own. Mounted them on a piece of plywood, with a second piece in front, so I can rest my heels on that. (They have two 5mm screw holes on the bottom for secure attachment.) I never bothered to get very good at "foot drumming", I just do a boom-chick thing with these two devices. It's good for a couple of songs per set ... after that, it tends to get repetitive. I would agree that the regular price is way too high.
Sounds like a cool setup you've got. Totally agree with the repetitive nature. I've seen some guys do it every song and it becomes very fatiguing to listen to, especially if they're going for a heavy sound with it.
I have the same basic aim: adding THUD to my solo performances. But I also stand while I play and much prefer heel-stomping vs. toe tapping. I don’t have a drummer’s strength and my leg eventually tires out and I get sloppy with timing over a long set. So I have stayed away from the Roland because it doesn’t look heel-friendly. For now I’m using a Wazinator Dropkick but need an external Tech 21 Para Driver DI pedal to make it THUD. Which makes my whole setup double the price of the Roland. Just wish there was a digital alternative for all the reasons you outlined. Thank you for the balanced and informative review. Keep thuddin’
Haha! Fantastic over-use of the word 'thud'! I have tried standing whilst thudding and found it pretty hard going. It's strange that it's so tricky to find something so simple isn't it?! I looked at the unit you're using and it's quite a price. I think a less expensive version of the setup you have, like a cheap EQ pedal and a relatively inexpensive piezo solution is maybe the way to go. Thanks for the comment, appreciated. Ben.
I like heel stomping better too, I currently have a kick drum pedal/suitcase setup for that, but I can’t really get the kick drum sound in my head out of that and the extra mic’ing is a pain in the ass. I’m planning on replacing my suitcase with this SPD One that I just ordered…but I do think I’ll house it in a tiny suitcase just for the aesthetic and to really confuse people how I’m getting such a big bass sound 😂 I hear you on leg fatigue though, I was getting worn out playing pedals with my heels feeling like I was standing on my toes, so I built a small plywood platform with a cut out for the pedals so they stayed at ground level and an anti-fatigue pad on top to keep me basically level with the pedal so that I’m more or less flat footed and just have to bounce my heels around instead of feeling like I’m standing on my toes
@@johnnymcgeemusic I just bought a Meinl Kick. It’s a new pedal series, they all just do a single sound. Digital. The Kick is really punchy and sounded great when I took it out to an open mic. And it was $119 which is more affordable than the acoustic alternatives. And it was very comfortable using my heel.
@@hiddehanenburg9440 oh cool! I wasn’t even aware of that line. I ended up biting the bullet and ordering a couple SPD One pads that I found for a pretty good price in gently used condition. I think I’ll give it a shot just heel tapping them, it would be nice to not have to pack around a couple drum pedals once I start gigging. I think I’ll still do a similar setup like I have though where I have a nice anti-fatigue pad on small piece of scrap plywood and cut out some recesses where the pads can sit that will keep them from moving around and allow me to stand more level. I’m curious to see how it will work out. I try and post some videos of how I plan on using them since I had a hell of a time trying to find an example of how I wanted to use them here on RU-vid and I’m sure it could help someone else out. I felt a little better about getting the Roland pads since I also play an electric drum kit and the fact that I would be able to incorporate them into that as well as my solo acoustic performances made the price a little easier to swallow. 😅
The Finhol Kick Box is a fine, cheaper alternative. It has two samples; a cajon and a kick drum and nothing more. I've used one for loads of gigs. But I'll love it, if I had two of the SPD's to play both kick and crash. I'm waiting to find a SPD used just to save some money - or if Mooer or Nux makes a cheaper version.
Just checked it out, thanks for the suggestion. It looks cool, I like the design. The Finhol seems to be around 200 dollars, plus import charges. For me that would unfortunately be even more expensive than the SPD. The guy I borrowed this from paid about 40 or 50 quid used and had no idea they were that expensive! Used is definitely the way to go. Cheers, Ben.
Regarding the price.. there is nothing else in the market that does this. Basic branded piezo stompers are marketed at £99. Roland are offering much more in the package. Once Ortega, Meinl, Logjam etc etc start costing ebay “special” money (£40-50) then Roland will drop their price to compete. That’s how it works in reality but I get your point. If you only use it for one thing that’s quite a high price per thud until you’ve got maybe 10,000 thuds in. Great video
Haha! 'Price per thud'! I like it. You're right, it's a free market economy and whilst they offer something someone else doesn't, they can charge what they like. Hopefully someone will realise they're on to a good thing and produce a simplified version of it for cheap. China, are you listening?! Thanks for the comment, Ben.
Thanks, man! The setting I got the most use from was the 'Stomp'. I think I would have added some compression and EQ during the playing bit. Cheers, Ben.
I've had two (Yellow and White) on my board for about 4 years. I use them for Kick and snare. I could not get the sound I wanted from passive types. To me the major downside to this and many other designs is the slope which is modeled on an acoustic kick drum pedal. This Does not work for something you just need to tap. I needed to add heel pads to avoid it giving me quite severe pain in the front of my shins. It should be low profile and flat.
I've had the Ortega Horse Kick Pro for years. Love it. It just broke down after YEARS of playing. So I'm now checking out what to buy. I think I might stick with the Ortega Horse Kick Pro cause it's really great. I'm just checking for a better alternatieve, but I don't feel like the SPD one is really better. As said in this video: you basically use only 1 or 2 sounds. The rest is just features that look nice but are not usefull ( for my use - acoustic solo guitar player) - But still: before I buy, I'll give it a few hours of searching on the web to see I'm not missing out on anything great.
Good video.. ya you couldn't play a cow bell for an entire song.. I guess you could use it for recording purpose would be nice to have separate channels to play 2 instruments at once with volume control for both
Yeh that could get costly in a rush. The guy that owned this one picked it up from cash generator for 50 quid! If you could do that 3 times you'd be pretty lucky!
You could, theoretically, but why would you want to? It would get affected by your guitar effects as soon as you turn those on. It also does way better in a PA than a guitar amp, sound wise.
Cool video Ben, production quality on your videos is amazing! subbed. I've got one of these SPD:one Kicks, use it busking here in London. It's great for four to the floor stuff. Definitely seems like they're aimed more at drummers than guitarists, and the price is definitely punchy. think you're paying for it to be built like a tank. shame you can't load up more than one sample like you can on the wavepad version of this, can see it having a bit more use then. I love this guy who uses a kick and their percussion pad, but not sure I can justify having two! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TDg71ohb35U.html . keep up the good work mate, cracking sound on the track in this video!
Thanks very much! That's ballsy to go and busk, I've never tried it. I was thinking about having a crack at it this year, though the rules regarding it are quite off-putting. (That might be the point though, ha!) I agree, the SPD is a much more versatile item than just a bass accompaniment. That video was cool ^ I've suddenly realised my bassist isn't working hard enough!
Yes, you can. You'll probably want to do that, because it takes AA batteries as I remember, so you'll be burning through a lot of them otherwise. Cheers, Ben.
It would be the same sound regardless of the limb you choose to play it with, it's a digital sample triggered by the impact with the pad. As I think I said in the video, that's one of the plus points since it doesn't matter where you contact the pad or what you're wearing on your feet, unlike a stomp box with a pickup. Cheers, Ben.
Yeah, nearly a great product. I find mine is becoming a bit hit and miss and when it doesn't trigger you get nothing of course. Silly sounds, battery life, bulky form factor, slippy rubber pedal mat, specific hit zone, I don't think its top of Rolands priorities!
The rubber pad has been mentioned by others too, so that's interesting. I didn't have any long term experience with this product unfortunately, so couldn't speak much on that. A few things to refine for sure, but as you say it's probably not something Roland are currently working on. Thanks for your comment, Ben.
