Recommended MIDI Drum Pad?
Hey all,
I’m searching for a MIDI pad, as the title suggests, for drumming and percussion (as triggering drums with my digital piano is a bit annoying). Preferably on the cheaper end, but not crappy (I know, it’s a hard one). I’ve heard, for example, that the Korg Nanopad 1s and 2s are fairly breakable, and I’m after something I don’t have to continually replace every few weeks of solid finger-drumming.
Any suggestions?
Cheers,
I like Korg PadKontrol even if I think you will get a lot of recommendations to look at the new NI Maschine Micro.
The new Novation Impulse keyboards also seem to have decent-to-good drum pads but I have not yet tested one (out in two weeks’ time.)
As good as the Padkontrol looks, it’s still a bit too much for me.
I was thinking the AKAI LPD8 (instead of say, the Nanopad) fits into my cheaper price-range better than most. What are your thoughts on it?
LPD8 is fine but don’t expect a long lifetime with those units, they are cheap and there’s a reason why.
only one option really - the lpd8. i think the build is pretty good and i drum it pretty hard… i used to break at least one stick usually during a practice session on an actual kit - so i’m not known for my gentle handedness when doing anything percussive…
it’s pretty solid and the pads have a nice feel to them and a decent size.
i wouldnt consider a nanopad for percussion after all the things people say about them.
there is a more expensive option - the vestax padone - which i am considering, but mostly for the extra pads, 8 isnt really enough.
i’m more likely to go the cheap route tho and pick up a 2nd lpd8 - to give me a more nautural feeling 4x4 grid. somehow two rows doesnt feel quite right to me.
+1 for the lpd8 if you’re looking for budget pads.
korg nano arent too bad, mine broke for over a year till I found a guide which said to pull apart the two contact sheets inside, I did this and it worked better then ever.
mine never worked from new but does after this fix, good thing is it takes up little to no room either, it sits over my touchpad if short for space.
find a used MPD 16 or 18, you might need a midi to usb cable depending on your OS
I also think the lpd8 is a good purchase. Shame about the teeny weeny knob caps though.
the vestax pad one is a perfect combination of size and ruggedness. but it is expensive. for the money, the lpd8 is a no brainer as its currently in the sub $50 range. You could buy 3 for the price of the vestax.
I just got the Vestax Pad-One this week for $150 Inc tax + free shipping (amazon). So far - love it! Built like a tank, much like the PDX decks.
I can get the Akai LPD8 for about $100 AUD, or the Vestax Pad-One for ~$180. Is the 2nd -that- much better, and therefore justified? I’m unfamiliar with it.
For the same price as the Vestax Pad-One, I can get a an Akai MPD18. Again, I’m unsure 
I don’t want to spend the extra if it isn’t worth it, naturally.
korg nano pad …or my fav korg padkontrol
If price is the issue then the Nanopad maybe worth a look. It has however been universally criticized for poor build quality and reliability. There are people on here that have never had an issue with them. My guess is that if it’s for lighter use and not something you are going to rely upon in a club environment then the Nanopad might be for you.
I purchased the Vextax Pad-One as there was a deal on and it and i thought the extra few $$$ were worth it. The Akai probably fits in between the Korg and the Vestax, (leaning towards the Vestax in quality) and Akai generally don’t make bad products.
As a side note, I tried the Pad-One out with an Ableton Drum Rack. When using the my internal laptop sound card I found it to be unusable due to the latency. As soon as I selected the S4 as my Soundcard the Pad-One was incredible. Lots and lots of fun.
I uploaded this earlier:
just replaced mine yesterday actually (after thinking they were ok before 
)
thinner/taller and more rubbery caps - makes it much more usable imho
Where did you get them from?
I’ve been thinking about sticking the knobs from my nanokontrol on it but then I’d have a poor nanokontrol with silly looking lpd8 knobs
ah sure lol - don’t think the lpd8 ones would look good on the nanokontrol plus the NK ones arent great anyway.
i picked up some of these: Pardon our interruption...
i ended up stripping off a tiny bit inside so they would fit.
i would embed the images but they’re too big - can’t see anyway of resizing using vbulletins bbcode… anyone have any idea?
edit: ah ok… surrounding an IMG in a URL seems to resize it?
i think i am getting sold on this vestax pad one lol i thought it looked dumb at first but now it seems pretty awesome!!
if the padone was going to be less than twice the price of an lpd8 then i’d go for the padone. 12 pads verses 8, which is important if you want it mostly for drumming… (where pots arent all that useful…)
the build of the lpd8 is pretty damn good, but from what i’ve seen on reports of the padone not much is built as solidly as that
the mpd18 has a nice 4x4 grid layout for drumming…