Hello, new here and I hope this hasn't been covered. I just purchased a Korg Wavedrum based on the simple fact that the unit is all self contained. I love the Mandala demo's and all the capabilities that the instrument has, but I can't imagine having to drag a Laptop around with me as well as the rest of my gear. Has anyone else considered this? All the big time guy's have techs that look after their stuff, so no big deal. I'm just a regular player with about 70/80 shows per year with a Classic Rock band at festivals across the Midwest and it just seems like one more headache carrying a laptop. Just looking for some others experience using this stuff live on stage and not in a bedroom, which is mostly what I see on Youtube.
Thanks,
Jeff
Laptop why???????
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analogdrummer
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Re: Laptop why???????
You raise a valid point, and (as much as I love my Mandalas) every drummer should ask those questions before taking the plunge into the world of electronic instruments. I actually wrote a article on my experiences with adding electronics (both keyboards and electronic drums) to my acoustic kit. All of it was pre-Mandalas, but the majority of it still holds true:
http://morganhendry.wordpress.com/2011/ ... -drum-set/
I talk about the "number of connections" a lot in the article. If you carefully think out and construct an electronics rig, this is really where your on stage setup time comes into play. I'm happy to say that after switching to my Mandalas, I'm down to a total of 3-4 connections: laptop power, the two pads, and the audio out to my keyboard amp/soundboard. I set up my own gear for every show (I have A LOT of it), and I have to say that we're not really any slower than the bands we've played with.
Now there is another issue, and that is one of software stability. Have I had epic crashes and freezes on stage? Yes. More than I would like? Yes. Did it happen in my non-laptop hardware setups? You bet. Honestly, once you step into the wired world, you kind of have to accept that you've introduced another failure mode into your music system. Personally, I'd rather debug on a laptop (with a big bright screen and trackpad) rather than dig through obscure menus in a drum brain or the like. If you are more of a hardware person though, Rhythminmind just posted a fantastic video where he demonstrates a computerless way to utilize the Mandalas (provided you have a hardware sound source):
http://rhythminmind.net/1313/?p=3869
But let's go back to your original question: is it worth it? To answer that, you really need to spell out what you need out of this new piece of gear. The best way (I've found) is to just write it all out. Go song by song through your set and try to think up what you would add. If your replacing existing gear, write down what you like and dislike about it. After you have those two lists, it becomes a lot more clear what you need. For example, let's say your response to every track was "add a cowbell". At that point it's a no-brainer: save your money and buy a cowbell, not an electronic drum.
After living with a laptop based system for awhile, I really wanted:
1. A way to map MIDI CC signals to pad position in an attempt to bring some of the sounds and techniques I've picked up in electronic music production to my live playing without having to drop the sticks and turn a knob
2. A extremely low-latency triggering system to replace the Alesis Trigger IO I was using
The Mandala satisfied both of those constraints with flying colors. As a bonus, they just made it through my band's recent tour through Belgium, Poland, and Germany unscathed, which is unfortunately more than I can say for some of my other gear...
On the whole, if you're really interested in exploring the full potential that electronic drums can bring to your playing, get the Mandala. Honestly, it's the fastest, most capable, and creatively open drum controller on the market today, and I don't think you'll find a piece of standalone hardware that can match what it can do. But, as I said before, if you don't need all that (and don't have a laptop/sound interface to use on the road), it can be an expensive investment, and one that should be thought about.
I hope that helps a little. I'd be interested to hear what others think.
Morgan
http://morganhendry.wordpress.com/2011/ ... -drum-set/
I talk about the "number of connections" a lot in the article. If you carefully think out and construct an electronics rig, this is really where your on stage setup time comes into play. I'm happy to say that after switching to my Mandalas, I'm down to a total of 3-4 connections: laptop power, the two pads, and the audio out to my keyboard amp/soundboard. I set up my own gear for every show (I have A LOT of it), and I have to say that we're not really any slower than the bands we've played with.
Now there is another issue, and that is one of software stability. Have I had epic crashes and freezes on stage? Yes. More than I would like? Yes. Did it happen in my non-laptop hardware setups? You bet. Honestly, once you step into the wired world, you kind of have to accept that you've introduced another failure mode into your music system. Personally, I'd rather debug on a laptop (with a big bright screen and trackpad) rather than dig through obscure menus in a drum brain or the like. If you are more of a hardware person though, Rhythminmind just posted a fantastic video where he demonstrates a computerless way to utilize the Mandalas (provided you have a hardware sound source):
http://rhythminmind.net/1313/?p=3869
But let's go back to your original question: is it worth it? To answer that, you really need to spell out what you need out of this new piece of gear. The best way (I've found) is to just write it all out. Go song by song through your set and try to think up what you would add. If your replacing existing gear, write down what you like and dislike about it. After you have those two lists, it becomes a lot more clear what you need. For example, let's say your response to every track was "add a cowbell". At that point it's a no-brainer: save your money and buy a cowbell, not an electronic drum.
After living with a laptop based system for awhile, I really wanted:
1. A way to map MIDI CC signals to pad position in an attempt to bring some of the sounds and techniques I've picked up in electronic music production to my live playing without having to drop the sticks and turn a knob
2. A extremely low-latency triggering system to replace the Alesis Trigger IO I was using
The Mandala satisfied both of those constraints with flying colors. As a bonus, they just made it through my band's recent tour through Belgium, Poland, and Germany unscathed, which is unfortunately more than I can say for some of my other gear...
On the whole, if you're really interested in exploring the full potential that electronic drums can bring to your playing, get the Mandala. Honestly, it's the fastest, most capable, and creatively open drum controller on the market today, and I don't think you'll find a piece of standalone hardware that can match what it can do. But, as I said before, if you don't need all that (and don't have a laptop/sound interface to use on the road), it can be an expensive investment, and one that should be thought about.
I hope that helps a little. I'd be interested to hear what others think.
Morgan
--------------------------------------
Morgan Hendry
Permutations: (http://morganhendry.bandcamp.com)
Beware of Safety: (http://www.bewareofsafety.com)
The Laterite Road: (http://www.thelateriteroad.com)
Blog: (http://morganhendry.wordpress.com/)
Morgan Hendry
Permutations: (http://morganhendry.bandcamp.com)
Beware of Safety: (http://www.bewareofsafety.com)
The Laterite Road: (http://www.thelateriteroad.com)
Blog: (http://morganhendry.wordpress.com/)