drum kit
Latest
Homemade electronic drum kit uses plastic bowls, serves battery-powered battery
Drums and parents go together like cheese and gravel, but if the little ones want to learn, the smart buy is a headphone friendly electric kit. Proud / sneaky parent Ian Cole, on the other hand, decided that a portable set of digital drums would be the ideal way to share his son's "talent" with the grand-folk. Using an ATmega168-based "Drum Kit - Kit Ai" from SpikenzieLabs, some piezos to register hits -- wired up via plastic plumbing tubes -- and a bit of imagination (ok, actually MIDI and Garage Band), he knocked up a fully whackable six-piece kit so Junior can get his Bonham on during those precious weekend visits. There's no word on whether pops will make a wearable version for added family fun, but if you want to see it in action check the video after the break.
Guitar Hero and Rock Band drums combine for ultimate MIDI kit (video)
We've seen our fair share of Guitar Hero / Rock Band drum kit mods, but without exception, this one is our fav. Tipster (and tinkerer) Jordan has taken the time to wire up a Guitar Hero kit and a Rock Band kit in order to create the most bodacious set of MIDI skins this planet has ever seen. Using a combination of Osculator, JunXion Lite and Logic, he was able to rig up the Rock Band pedal to operate as a high-hat pedal, while reprogramming some of the heads to act as cymbals. We'd bother explaining more, but we'll just point you past the break and advise you to watch (head to 2:20 if you're short on time!). [Thanks, Jordan]
Logitech tests the boundaries with overpriced wireless guitar and drums for Wii
You'd never know that we're still pulling out of a recession if you took one glance at the music peripheral market. The Beatles: Rock Band bundle costs more than some game consoles, and Mad Catz is charging $300 for a genuine Fender Stratocaster that controls Rock Band on the Xbox 360. Now, Logitech is joining the whole "rob gamers blind" movement with the introduction of the Wireless Guitar Controller and Wireless Drum Controller for Nintendo's Wii. Both products are licensed for use with Guitar Hero, with the axe boasting a maple neck, rosewood fingerboard and metal frets. Heck, there's even a "noise dampening strum bar and fret buttons," not to mention a touch-sensitive slider on the fretboard. The skins look all too familiar, with a trio of drum pads and a pair of cymbals to go along with the stainless steel kick pedal and its fancy adjustable spring. Naturally, you'll need to snap a Wiimote into each before mashing play, and more importantly, you'll need to empty $199.99 and / or $229.99 (respectively) from your bank account before snagging 'em this October.[Via Joystiq]
Video: Beatles Rock Band trailer, screenshots, Ludwig drums unveiled at E3
Today at E3 some seriously awesome Beatles Rock Band awesomeness was unloaded upon the world. In addition to getting a look at the full band set-up, confirming that you will, in fact be able to perform multiple vocals (read: harmonies), Harmonix also showed off the general in-game madness we can expect. We're filled with glee to see that no corners were cut here, and we agree with Ringo's estimation: the game is good. The Beatles: Rock Band will be released simultaneously for XBox 360, PS3 and Wii in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and other territories. Check out the totally rad trailer, our first shot of the Ludwig drums and another screenshot after the break and in the gallery below.
Guitar Hero 5 makes room for four drummers, axe slingers or screamers
Alright, so you know Guitar Hero 5 is on the way -- that's all fine, well and good. But, did you realize that the birth of that game will also enable you to destroy your den by making room for four drum kits? Yes, we're serious. GH 5 promises any kind of musician mix 'n match you can dream up, enabling gamers to play with three singers and a drummer, four bassists (imagine someone cloning Sting and replacing the other Police with artificial Stings) or four skin slammin' drummers. With possibilities this endless, you know things are bound to get savage.
Blondie drummer and UK Universities study effects of drumming games
Playing drums in games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero: World Tour could be far more beneficial than you may think. A study being conducted by the universities of Chichester and Gloucestershire, in collaboration with Blondie drummer Clem Burke, seeks to show the physical and mental benefits from banging away on a plastic kit.Dr. Marcus Smith, Principal Lecturer in Exercise Physiology at the University of Chichester, explains that he's "particularly interested" in seeing how the drumming affects "child and adult obesity, autism, stroke patients, disengaged communities, and health and mental well-being in the workplace." Regarding that last part, Dr. Smith thinks that a game like Guitar Hero: World Tour could do a lot of good in the workplace, saying the game could be like "a rock venue," lowering stress and increasing "productivity for the business." Sure, if something is going to get your workers to pump out those Excel spreadsheets faster, it's taking a quick break to sing some Elvis Costello.[Via GameDaily]
Ion Universal Cymbal Pack gives Rock Band drummers more stuff to hit
So we still don't know what that blasted mystery port is for on the back of the Rock Band 2 drum kit, but this one sure made our hearts beat a little faster. If you'll recall, it was Ion that dished out the premium drum kit earlier this summer, and this gives you the option to add in another cymbal if two just aren't enough. Too bad you can snag an actual cymbal on clearance for less than the $49.99 Ion's asking for this one; at any rate, she ships next week if you're interested.
Nyko's Metal Pedal adds weight to your gaming drum kits
Dry your eyes, drummer. We feel your sense of loss at the news that Rock Band 2 may not be getting its promised second kick pedal after all, ruling out proper reenactments of Lars' two-foot prowess (without a little modding). Now at least you can improve the quality of that one kicker you do have, replacing it with something a little more weighty. Nyko's aptly-named Metal Pedal, a bargain at $20, works with both Rock Band games as well as Guitar Hero: World Tour on all platforms, and is made of real metal to give a more authentic heft. No, nothing will feel quite like the real thing, but it's surely better than that cracked hunk of plastic you've been meaning to send back to Harmonix for months.
Rock Band 2 drum kit hides mystery port
The updated drum kit for Rock Band 2 apparently has a mystery port located in the back. This port, which was speculated to be used for a second kicker, won't actually be used for that. This, of course, has led to all kinds of speculation about what it's function actually is. Could it support something new, like the Guitar Hero rumor we heard awhile back? Harmonix isn't saying, for now. [Via Engadget; image courtesy of Joystiq] Rock Band 2 vs. Guitar Hero: World Tour. For other systems, it's an arms race for the most features. For us, it's a battle to remove the fewest. For Australian Wii owners, the winner will be the game that actually gets released!
Mystery port on 'Rock Band 2' drum kit gets even more mysteriouser
You know the supposed Guitar Hero: World Tour keyboard that never materialized? If you were really looking forward to that, get ready to have your hopes dashed on another mystery instrument that will probably also never come to be. According to Harmonix, that extra port on the back of the updated drum kit -- which previously was said to be for a second kicker -- is actually for something that's totally not a second kicker. What exactly will fill that port, though, the company isn't saying. Speculation is rife about another nebulous keyboard peripheral, but if you ask us our money's on a high hat, or maybe that other fundamental aspect of the drumming experience yet to be captured in the silly plastic instrument game genre: the triangle. [Via N4G]
Rock Band portable drum kit is not 'NunchukPlus'
While it looks like one helluva Wiimote attachment, this gangly peripheral is actually a portable Rock Band (or more appropriately, Rock Band 2) drum kit made by Mad Catz for Xbox 360. So no, we won't be flailing the loose ends about as we race our karts through Moo Moo Meadows. We're told the pads must be laid flat, like on a sturdy coffee table (best not glass) -- or in our case: the unpaid intern's back, or better, draped over his neck like some gaudy Jesus piece -- and repeatedly smashed to the beat of the on-screen cues. We're currently testing the "designed to withstand over 1 million strikes" certification, though the same intern has begun to complain that his wrist hurts. To which we reply: "Dude, stop hitting yourself." (Yeah, we're evil like that.)The "Official Rock Band Portable Drum Kit for Xbox 360" is currently in limbo on GameShark for $59.99 (and Buy.com for $10 less).[Via Engadget]
Mad Catz's brilliant Rock Band Portable Drum Kit for Xbox 360 now on sale
No two ways about it, Mad Catz has a winner on its hand with this one. The Rock Band Portable Drum Kit for Xbox 360 is a complete skins kit designed to be shoved into most any backpack and played on nearly any solid surface. The rubber pads are designed to handle over a million strikes, though that antique coffee table you lay these on may, in fact, not be designed to withstand such abuse. For those not exactly kosher with a full-fledged kit consuming the den, this seems to be the perfect compromise. And hey, it's only $59.99 to boot. Ships "soon," but not "soon enough."[Via OhGizmo]
Ion's $300 "Drum Rocker" premium drum kit for Rock Band unveiled
Well, that was quick. We mentioned Ion's fancy drum kit yesterday, which will be released around when Rock Band 2 ships, but works with both Rock Band games, and now we've got a price and a press shot of the Drum Rocker. The $300 set has high-durability pads, which are supposed to play quiet and will register the velocity of your hits, but the real win is the re-configurability of the whole set -- much like a for-realises electronic drum kit. We're also really digging the metal-reinforced kick pedal, which seems a major improvement over the junky, difficult pedal packaged with the original game. Only $300? We'll take two.[Via Joystiq]
Comparing Rock Band Wii drums with current drum kit
For those of you still down with Rock Band for the Wii, despite its lack of DLC, you'll be interested to know that IGN recently took the Wii drum kit for a spin. Apparently, when Rock Band first released on the PS3 and Xbox 360, some folks were having trouble with the bass pedal (among other things), so a revision to the hardware was initiated. With the Wii drum kit, all of those changes are already in effect.IGN says it best, though: "If you have the option, buy Rock Band for any console that's not the Wii, as you'll get the same drums (in black) and have access to downloadable content." Seriously, the Wii version isn't going to be that good, but if it's your only option, we wish you the best in rocking out and cross our fingers that Rock Band 2 isn't as lacking in the features department when it hits retail shelves.%Gallery-19119%
IGN's sticks-on impression of Rock Band Wii drums
Although we've seen a picture of the Rock Band Wii drum kit before, IGN has gotten its hands on the final retail product. Beyond the obvious Wii white color difference of the drum set, the site says that the drums come with the "upgraded" components currently packaged with the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions.The upgrades include a strengthened kick pedal and "somewhat" softer drum pads. For people who bought one of the original copies of Rock Band, they would notice a thicker spring beneath the Wii drum's kick pedal. The site concludes there isn't much difference in the hardware, but the Wii version has no DLC song option. If you have the option of purchasing Rock Band for another console, it's probably best to do so.
Friday Video: Rock Band in the blind
With Rock Band coming out shortly, we know some of you are still excited for the game, despite its shortcomings. But, that isn't the topic of discussion here, the topic of discussion is OHMYGOD 5 STARS WITH NO TV ON?! Ahem, sorry -- can you believe that he just got 5 stars on Molly Hatchet's "Flirtin' With Disaster" with the TV off? That's pretty darn good, if you ask us.Now if this dude got together with the Guitar Hero virtuosos, he could be in the greatest fake band in the universe.See also: Rock Band drum kit mod allows disabled gamers to get in on the action%Gallery-19119% Each week, our Friday Video segment takes a look at the gaming landscape online and brings forth an interesting video that (hopefully) gets the dialog started. Our previous week's coverage featured a video of Samus as a playable character in the Activision game, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.
Rock Band Drum Kit accessibility mod helps everybody rock harder
While we of course rock oh-so-very-hard on Rock Band's drums, the pedal just never felt right under our weakling calves. The problem is naturally exacerbated for folks in wheelchairs, since there's no way to avoid the kick drum or re-route it to another button -- at least out of the box. Some folks at Kinetic Communications modded up a doorbell to work as the kick drum button and screwed it to a drum stick. Not the prettiest mod in the world, but it got their wheelchair-bound buddy drumming for about $20, and it shouldn't be hard to replicate their instructions.
Rockers show off Guitar Hero's velocity-sensitive drum kits
The above Guitar Hero World Tour (the official GHIV title) video shows off the new drum set through testimonial from a few rockers – namely, Red Hot Chili Pepper's Chad Smith, Blink 182's Travis Barker and The Police's Stewart Copeland, all of whom are featured prominently (especially Copeland) on Rock Band and a pretty good sign they'll be on World Tour, too.One interesting detail gleaned from the video is that the drum kit is sensitive to velocity, meaning it can register how hard or soft you hit the pads. We're not shown any gameplay footage so we're not 100% sure how that'll translate to the virtual drumming. All we know is that we can't tell our friends this detail. It's taken us months to teach them not to bang on the set loud enough to wake neighbors six miles away.[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
Guitar Hero: World Tour drum kit gets demoed on video
We've already had a few glimpses of the drum kit for the now-official Guitar Hero: World Tour, but if you want a better look at the device that'll be cluttering up your apartment this fall, you may want to hit up the site linked below, which contains a promotional video showing the kit being played by some actual drummers. There's not a lot of new information to be found otherwise, but as none other than Stuart Copeland helpfully reminds us, the kit is in fact wireless. No headband included though, it seems.[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
Rock Revolution drums revealed [update]
Update: Keep in mind, folks, that the Wii version of the game hasn't been confirmed to use peripherals. The Wii port might utilize only the Wiimote and nunchuk for "air guitaring" and "air drumming." Nothing is set in stone yet, but we just wanted to make sure you were aware.Well now, those of you with a keen eye will undoubtedly do a double-take on this one. Don't those drums look an awful lot like the drum kit for another game? Still not jogging your memory? Well, try a convenient link.The Rock Revolution drum kit has six different face drums, of varying sizes, which tells us a lot about the demographic they're shooting for with this title: music-loving Octopi. Seriously, that's a lot of drums to be hitting on! We're scared of the 4 (and pedal) that comes with Rock Band, so the thought of using this kit absolutely paralyzes us with fear.[Via Joystiq]
