Rock Band kick pedal modded for double bass action

It's one thing to use a real live stompbox to activate Overdrive; it's another to hack up your Rock Band kick pedal to enable that sweet, sweet double bass action that Lars Ulrich, Joey Jordison and the rest of the crew (read: you) just have to have. As you'd expect, there's a bit more to it than just adding in a splitter, but if you're not frightened by circuitry diagrams and having to ask the hobby store guy for a 5-volt power supply, you'll be more than fine. Check out the video demonstration after the jump, and tap the read link for the full list of instructions.

[Via MAKE]

[Cahlito @ Apr 24th 2008 7:52AM]

i wonder if its still as easy to break as the original rockband kick pedal

[OneLove @ Apr 24th 2008 11:26AM]

die rock band hero douche bags, die!

[adam @ Apr 24th 2008 8:30AM]

laaaaaaaaaaaame. its really easy to hit two notes that close. its called a ghost note. you play the first note with the ball of your foot then it the pendal again real quick on its upswing. you can also go toe->heel which makes the cleanest sound but is pretty hard to get down, especially with small feet.

[Mike Cerm @ Apr 24th 2008 11:41AM]

I would agree with you, except the Rock Band pedal doesn't bounce like a real bass drum pedal, or work nearly as well as one. The normal pedal is fine for the simplified drum parts in the Rock Band game, but if you actually did have to play anything fast, the Rock Band pedal couldn't keep up.

[jptech @ Apr 24th 2008 8:32AM]

I fully beg to differ.

I know professional drummers who can play faster double bass with a single pedal than a rock drummer with two pedals.

I've seen it and heard it. It's really all about skill.

[Maratu @ Apr 24th 2008 9:11AM]

Dennis Chambers, Derico Watson to name ONLY two. Real skill pwns

[Nick @ Apr 24th 2008 10:10AM]

Derico Watson was my drum instructor in high school! Crazy fast foot...

[Andrew @ Apr 24th 2008 9:37AM]

This dude made this modification way too difficult. Could have been done with like 3 wires.

[UKNigel @ Apr 24th 2008 10:53AM]

It wouldn't have been as l33t that way though.

[tonybullard @ Apr 24th 2008 11:16AM]

I see your comments, but fail to see your diagrams and such...

I could do it with a tooth pick.

See how that works?

[John Laur @ Apr 24th 2008 12:36PM]

You are wrong, it couldn't.

The triggers are hall effect magnetic sensors. They are not momentary. With a simple parallel wiring (which is what I assume you mean"with like 3 wires") if one pedal is still engaged when the second is pressed there wouldn't be an additional trigger. The circuit this fellow designed basically changes the pedal switches into momentary triggers that will occur when either pedal changes state from not-pressed to pressed.

[Bax @ Apr 25th 2008 11:12AM]

care to elaborate a bit more? would it be like a splitter, but then just make the tow pedals in parallel so that the cicuit can be "tripped" twice?

[WarMouse @ Apr 24th 2008 9:38AM]

You guys are generally right about being able to do doubles with a kick pedal, but I'll admit it can certainly be a pain with the Rock Band one. The feedback is all up/down (rather than a beater swinging forward/back), and there's no real kickback from hitting the pedal, just resistance from a spring, which (at least for me) makes it kind of annoying to get clean doubles. Especially because it doesn't have anything to do with the actual moment when you hit the pedal, but just when the magnetic sensor gets close enough to trigger (though I could be wrong on how the pedal actually works---I didn't quite understand it).

Do they fully replace broken pedals? I know they were replacing kits that were shipped with broken sensors, but I had a pedal snap in half (like I'm sure a lot of people have) but haven't sent it in to get replaced yet.

[Roxxors @ Apr 24th 2008 10:05AM]

It must be very fulfilling to totally pwn at fictional drumming without cheating. You guys are so totally uber

[The 3rd Hot Dog @ Apr 24th 2008 10:49AM]

They do. I sent my pedal in with the deposit option and had a brand new one ready to go in like, three business days. Go to the rockband forums (www.rockband.com/forums) and check out what people say about "RMA". EA is good about replacing your stuff. Pretty impressive.

I broke it playing Paranoid.

[R2P2 @ Apr 24th 2008 11:48AM]

You could just do it the lazy way, and buy a Twin Rocker doohickey from the Omega Pedal people.

http://omegapedal.com/twinrocker/index.html

[intel352 @ Jun 7th 2008 1:35PM]

hell, for $25, that's worth it, and no external power supply, much smarter.

[Pash91 @ Apr 24th 2008 12:15PM]

Or, you could do what we've done since this thing came out, trash the crap pedal that came with it, and use a 1/4 to 1/8" adapter to plug in a real electic drumset bass drum and then use a real drum pedal. Just a thought ;)

[James Cameron @ Apr 24th 2008 1:08PM]

I don't understand the hype about this Rock Band thing. I see people playing it at Best Buy and I just don't understand what's so hype about it.

[Tom @ Apr 24th 2008 1:35PM]

You are not alone...

[Golferal @ Apr 24th 2008 2:48PM]

@onelove

Seconded. For a few extra sheckels you could buy a (used) real guitar, a real or electronic drum set, and a microphone and actually PLAY an instrument. This whole Guitar Hero and Rock Band thing is douchebaggery at its highest level.

[El Taco @ Apr 24th 2008 7:57PM]

ya, but with a real guitar, can you play "Through The Fire And Flames" by dragonforce with only about 2 hours of practice?

[Big Al @ Apr 24th 2008 8:51PM]

...and there in lies the point. Music is a skill that takes lots of practice and sacrafice to get to a level where one can play a song like that. Do you think Eddie Van Halen picked up a guitar and had the skill to play "Eruption" in two hours? No. He spent countless hours in his room practicing while other people his age were wasting their time with whatever was the silly BS of the day.

I know that there are video games where you can play basketball like Michael Jordan, box like Mike Tyson, or drive a rally car like Colin McRae (RIP), but music is not the same. It is accessible to just about anyone who wants to learn, and for little or no money. Please people, stop with this nonsense!

[Gygaxis @ Apr 24th 2008 11:11PM]

RE: I don't see the point of Rock Banding. Because it's a fun game. I Could don some overalls, buy a box of mushrooms and jump on them, it's not the same as Mario. Similarly why do people play wii bowling or ping pong or any number of other simulations? Not everyone wants to pick up a new hobby and form a band and cover whatever. But people enjoy karaoke, or similarly simplified forms of musical participation, especially when you can participate in it with your friends with relatively low investment of time. Hence why it's a game that you play and not a career that your pursue.

And on the topic of badass drummers: Thomas Lang

[Oddish @ Apr 25th 2008 2:27AM]

What's with allt the hating on Rock Band and Guitar Hero? It's a video game that some people enjoy playing. If you can't deal with that, please die.

[Bryan @ Apr 26th 2008 2:33AM]

Actually, if you had two rock band pedals and a splitter, it would be that easy. You just have to be skilled enough to only have one pedal down at a time and it will work pretty much exactly like it does here but without hours spent putting together a complex circuit. I have a homemade trigger for myself and this is how I do it.