Donner DED-200 Pro - and a new electronic drum journey

[Frank]

I haven't been hanging out here. I took a break from my band last year - too large, too loud, not what our venues want these days - and I have been musically inactive.

Never thought I'd take the plunge on a full electronic kit. I did experiment with some KAT stuff a few years ago for a hybrid situation. But, the band didn't really go for it.

Anyway, to date, I have listened to many electronic kits over the years, and I always felt they still sounded cheesy. I started looking at what was available, and affordable, and when I heard the samples on this Donner DED-200 Pro, I was impressed for the price point. Sounded quite legit to me. So I took the plunge, and that kit is now in my basement.

The mesh head drums feel and track very good. The latest version of the DED-200 Pro module sounds, IMHO, very legit. I'm not into having 4 billion electronic sounding sounds. I just want at least one good acoustic, organic sounding kit. The Funk kit in this module is the ticket for me.

I'll post a few more times as I log more miles.

 

[dumpmeister3000]

It's bizarre that the one musician in the band that contributes much to the onstage volume wouldn't be welcomed with an e-kit; yet 9/10 times, most guitarists in particular scoff at the prospect of an e-kit.

I'm sorry for your loss, but happy for you that you can play once again.

 

[Marcj]

Hey Frank, I've been waiting for these new modules from donner to come to Australia for a while now... usually the way it goes down here for us, we're at the bottom of the pecking order for new tech. Anyway, their old modules were absolute rubbish, but the ded-200 pro actually looks as you said, legit, but I just can't find anywhere to hear or play them in person first before I go ahead and order one in.

I'm looking for something that sounds like a real kit, snare and hats is where it's at, but don't want to spend Roland or Yamaha dollars because I need to use my son learning to play as my justification to spend more money on music gear!

How did you find the module performs? Quick enough to handle buzz rolls? And sound quality? ... for me if the snare sounds and feels expressive and reasonably natural then I'd be happy.

 

[doggyd69b]

I haven't been hanging out here. I took a break from my band last year - too large, too loud, not what our venues want these days - and I have been musically inactive.
Also musically inactive related to taking in two in-laws for two years. [rebuilt, dedicated entire basement level for them.] They passed in November - within a week of each other - and I just set up a kit in the basement level.

Never thought I'd take the plunge on a full electronic kit. I did experiment with some KAT stuff a few years ago for a hybrid situation. But, the band didn't really go for it.

Anyway, to date, I have listened to many electronic kits over the years, and I always felt they still sounded cheesy. I started looking at what was available, and affordable, and when I heard the samples on this Donner DED-200 Pro, I was quite impressed for the price point. Sounded quite legit to me. So I took the plunge, and that kit is now in my basement.

The mesh head drums feel and track very good. The latest version of the DED-200 Pro module sounds, IMHO, very legit. I'm not into having 4 billion electronic sounding sounds. I just want at least one good acoustic, organic sounding kit. The Funk kit in this module is the ticket for me.

I'll post a few more times as I log more miles.

if you ever want more/different sounds, remember the module can be connected via USB to your computer and you can try this: https://www.getgooddrums.com/
a lot cheaper than say EZ Drummer or Superior drummer but just as good sound wise.

 

[doggyd69b]

Hey Frank, I've been waiting for these new modules from donner to come to Australia for a while now... usually the way it goes down here for us, we're at the bottom of the pecking order for new tech. Anyway, their old modules were absolute rubbish, but the ded-200 pro actually looks as you said, legit, but I just can't find anywhere to hear or play them in person first before I go ahead and order one in.

I'm looking for something that sounds like a real kit, snare and hats is where it's at, but don't want to spend Roland or Yamaha dollars because I need to use my son learning to play as my justification to spend more money on music gear!

How did you find the module performs? Quick enough to handle buzz rolls? And sound quality? ... for me if the snare sounds and feels expressive and reasonably natural then I'd be happy.

66Samus has done a couple of videos on the Donner kits on YouTube, you can get a very good idea of what the kits can do.

 

[Frank]

Sorry for the delay returning here.

Sounds are high quality.
Tracking for most of the kit is very accurate.
Buzz rolls on the drums are do-able.

But ... I'm disappointed in the tracking of the hi hat - both closed and open.
The open is rough to get it to respond 100% of the time.
And, today, when I played something busy on the hi hat, closed, it dropped some of my strokes.

So my 3 remaining issues I have to see if I can improve are:

1. Tracking of open hi hat.
2. Tracking of the closed hi hat. When playing fast 16ths with both hands, it can drop some strokes. [Test: Mr. Brightside ]
3. Tracking of the rim shot. It frequently triggers a cross rim click not a snare rim shot.

Outside of those items bugging me, the feel and sound of the rest of the kit is very good, authentic, and satisfying.

 

[Frank]

if you ever want more/different sounds, remember the module can be connected via USB to your computer and you can try this: https://www.getgooddrums.com/
a lot cheaper than say EZ Drummer or Superior drummer but just as good sound wise.

I do have to try this at some point. Sounds like fun.

 

[Frank]

66Samus has done a couple of videos on the Donner kits on YouTube, you can get a very good idea of what the kits can do.

I went and checked out those videos.
All his videos are pre-DED-200 Pro.
There is just a single video on all of YouTube that actually has the DED-200 Pro. [which I believe has only been out a few months.]
It's at the channel: Life of Drumming With Jarvis

The easy way to tell if it is the newest Pro kit is - to eyeball the bass drum. The bass drum for the Pro is completely different than previous.
[Nice, large, rubber pad that feels great.]

 

[Mediocrefunkybeat]

I play a kit with mesh heads and LD80 knock-offs at the moment and can happily say that mesh heads are about 90% of the way there for me in terms of feel if tuned correctly. The cymbals are pretty decent and that to me has always been the downfall of most e-kits, especially hi-hats. It might be worth considering some LD80-style cymbals with triggers if you're happy with the module, it should improve things as long as the sensitivity is set correctly and the triggers properly installed.

Something like this trigger set:

HI-HAT - LOW VOLUME CYMBAL TRIGGER CONVERSION KIT | Magnatrack Drum Triggers

Instantly convert any Low Volume Cymbal into an electronic hi-hat. Magnatrack’s patent-pending low volume cymbal triggering system delivers accuracy and feel on any reduced volume or perforated cymbal.

www.magnatrack.com

With cymbals like these:

Low Volume 14" Hi-Hat Cymbals by Gear4music at Gear4music

Low Volume 14" Hi-Hat Cymbals by Gear4music at Gear4music

www.gear4music.com

I haven't tried the trigger set, so I'm not sure about availability, etc. but I can vouch for the practice hi-hats on their own playing quite nicely. You could just try the hi-hat if that's the main issue.

 

[Frank]

I play a kit with mesh heads and LD80 knock-offs at the moment and can happily say that mesh heads are about 90% of the way there for me in terms of feel if tuned correctly. The cymbals are pretty decent and that to me has always been the downfall of most e-kits, especially hi-hats. It might be worth considering some LD80-style cymbals with triggers if you're happy with the module, it should improve things as long as the sensitivity is set correctly and the triggers properly installed.

Something like this trigger set:

HI-HAT - LOW VOLUME CYMBAL TRIGGER CONVERSION KIT | Magnatrack Drum Triggers

Instantly convert any Low Volume Cymbal into an electronic hi-hat. Magnatrack’s patent-pending low volume cymbal triggering system delivers accuracy and feel on any reduced volume or perforated cymbal.

www.magnatrack.com

With cymbals like these:

Low Volume 14" Hi-Hat Cymbals by Gear4music at Gear4music

Low Volume 14" Hi-Hat Cymbals by Gear4music at Gear4music

www.gear4music.com

I haven't tried the trigger set, so I'm not sure about availability, etc. but I can vouch for the practice hi-hats on their own playing quite nicely. You could just try the hi-hat if that's the main issue.

Hmm. Thank you very much. I might check that out at some point.

So, there is a single connection from the hats to the module. Will it be the same with those - one cable transmitting both strokes and opens?

 

[Mediocrefunkybeat]

Hmm. Thank you very much. I might check that out at some point.

So, there is a single connection from the hats to the module. Will it be the same with those - one cable transmitting both strokes and opens?

Not sure. It obviously has one trigger to catch the hi hat strokes and a second switch on the floor under a conventional hi hat plate so if it’s anything like a normal electronic hi hat it’s two signals. One for on/off on the pedal and one for the trigger. Maybe they combine into a stereo jack cable?

Not sure. Just found the system with a quick Google, haven’t checked the details.

 

[Doraemon]

Hmm. Thank you very much. I might check that out at some point.

So, there is a single connection from the hats to the module. Will it be the same with those - one cable transmitting both strokes and opens?

With a trigger you need a separate (module-compatible) controller - pedal or stand mounted - to change open/closed sound.

 

[Frank]

3. Tracking of the rim shot. It frequently triggers a cross rim click not a snare rim shot.

I have sort of solved this. Not perfectly, but acceptably for me.
I was able to assign the rim to snare+rim.
Now I don't have cross stick clicks. But, I'd rather have the snare+rim reliably.
What I think I might do is change my 5 piece kit to a 4 piece kit, and assign one of my toms to a cross stick, if that is possible.

Spent lots of the day researching the hi hat situation, and learning how, even in 2023, with the latest and greatest, and even with high end kits, there is nearly universal disdain for the hi hat controllers.

Not giving up, but I may need to just fuhgetaboutit.

Apparently, Roland's latest and greatest HH solution solves it all. But it's $1200. So yeah, might have to fuhgetaboutit.

 

[Frank]

So my 3 remaining issues I have to see if I can improve are:

1. Tracking of open hi hat.
2. Tracking of the closed hi hat. When playing fast 16ths with both hands, it can drop some strokes. [Test: Mr. Brightside ]
3. Tracking of the rim shot. It frequently triggers a cross rim click not a snare rim shot.

I think the research ends there.

Have spent a great deal of time on it. Read every word online, watched every relevant video online.
It's a global problem with kits these days, especially low end kits.
Like most low end kits, Donner's didn't do anything to alleviate it.
It Should have been easy to design the pedal to mechanically adjust the play.
It Should have been easy to have functionality in any module to allow for some adjustments that would help match the response to the player's expectation.

The open thing has gotten a little better - simply because I am getting used to the change.

Overall, this is a very good kit for the dollars.
If I knew a 3rd party HH replacement was compatible, I'd probably bring myself to splurge the money and buy. But that's a crapshoot.

For now, it is what it is.

 

[Doraemon]

I think the research ends there.

Have spent a great deal of time on it. Read every word online, watched every relevant video online.
It's a global problem with kits these days, especially low end kits.
Like most low end kits, Donner's didn't do anything to alleviate it.
It Should have been easy to design the pedal to mechanically adjust the play.
It Should have been easy to have functionality in any module to allow for some adjustments that would help match the response to the player's expectation.

The open thing has gotten a little better - simply because I am getting used to the change.

Overall, this is a very good kit for the dollars.
If I knew a 3rd party HH replacement was compatible, I'd probably bring myself to splurge the money and buy. But that's a crapshoot.

For now, it is what it is.

I think you may be expecting a little too much from a budget kit like this, sometime it's already nice if it works and doesn't break.
As for the hihat pad, did you try the other cymbals, too? Put a crash on the hat cable and if it doesn't drop notes, ask for a warranty replacement for the faulty hat. Even a tom could work to test if there is any limitaion in the module for fast hits.

Crapshoot-wise, someone on reddit got the ded200 kit work with a Nitro module, which itself kinda works with the Goedrum GHC-AN controller, but that doesn't necessarily guarantee anything. Just a direction to shoot at. Even than you still have to get used to timing it. Open hits only register after the pedal fully reached the open setting, it has to happen first.

Apparently, Roland's latest and greatest HH solution solves it all. But it's $1200. So yeah, might have to fuhgetaboutit.

if you are referring to the VH14D, that only works with the TD27 or 50 modules, which costs a couple thousand more.

 

[Frank]

- As for the hihat pad, did you try the other cymbals, too? Put a crash on the hat cable and if it doesn't drop notes, ask for a warranty replacement for the faulty hat. Even a tom could work to test if there is any limitaion in the module for fast hits.

- Crapshoot-wise, someone on reddit got the ded200 kit work with a Nitro module, which itself kinda works with the Goedrum GHC-AN controller, but that doesn't necessarily guarantee anything.

Super helpful. Thank you so much.

It's a 5 piece so I can definitely afford recasting a tom to the hi hat. It's extremely unsatisfying playing quickly on that HH pad, and it will be a big improvement changing that to a nice mesh head.

Will also check out the Goedrum controller. I was doing that yesterday, and I came close to taking the plunge with the -AN version. With your Reddit citing, it's probably worth a shot.

 

[Doraemon]

Super helpful. Thank you so much.

It's a 5 piece so I can definitely afford recasting a tom to the hi hat. It's extremely unsatisfying playing quickly on that HH pad, and it will be a big improvement changing that to a nice mesh head.

Will also check out the Goedrum controller. I was doing that yesterday, and I came close to taking the plunge with the -AN version. With your Reddit citing, it's probably worth a shot.

I got one for my Surge module (kinda same as Nitro, but may have a different firmware version) and at the time it didn't help with playing the half-open note, nothing really fixed that, but it was OK for open-close. But I wouldn't set my hopes too high, hi-hat controllers are very module-specific. If your actual pedal is the problem, than maybe this could be better (provided it works), but if slow reaction times come from the module, then no. I wonder if a stronger spring could spring it back to open faster? Or bending the rubber actuator inside.

If other pads trigger well on hihat input, I'd ask for a new pad if under warranty. You could also use a crash there, just would lose the choke if you switch them. I never had an issue with dropped notes using any of the cheap brands (Alesis, Pintech, Lemon), but maybe I'm just too slow.

 

[Frank]

In spite of my arm wrestling with the hat open, I am very glad I bought the kit. I should have bought such a kit a long time ago.

It is definitely helping me improve - working on stuff I otherwise didn't spend too much time on because I knew the whole rest of this very large household could hear me.

Also great having metronomes and songs right in the module. To be played at a wide range of tempos.

Very very helpful. And fun. And quiet.

 

[Frank]

Thought I'd share that the 200 Pro kit is currently - and probably temporarily - priced at 395 at Amazon.
That's a great price for this kit. I paid 50 more, from Amazon, when I purchased it.

 

[Marcj]

Hey Frank, thanks for the feedback... I ended up buying the ded-200pro purely on price point and availability, seems hard to find many lower priced kits in stocks.

Im pretty happy with the kit - for the price ($700aud). The sounds are fine, probably 2 decent sounding kits and the rest are junk (why doesnt someone just release a simple e-kit with only 1 great sounding kit and half a dozen snares?!) I think you can load up your own samples so might give that a try at some point. Oh max 3 samples per trigger so guaranteed machine gun snare and hats.

The hats do indeed suck, the controller pedal thing it's just a cost cutting exercise - if you have a controller with graduated steps you need another set of sample banks for each hat position on every kit, which takes extra memory space and processing power. My biggest issue is the shockingly low dynamic range the whole kit seems to be locked in at. Imagine 6 volume settings between soft and very loud, and whatever level you hit at gets locked into one of those 6 volume zones... it really sucks almost all natural feel out of your playing.

The mesh heads are very good, a little noisy compared to the Yamaha dtx or Roland mesh heads, and the kick pad is fine but the mushy rubber I think will wear out quick - we'll see. The hardware is actually really solid, not a lot of range of movement in the Tom and snare mounts, but a nice rack.

Came with a stool, kick pedal, sticks and heaphones which are all going in the bin... the stool I might just get a replacement seat top that isn't solid wood with a thin plastic covering that somehow manages to bruise both cheek and hole. Kick pedal is actually pretty good that stays.

Plugging into a DAW the latency is concerning, and MIDI tracks show that same terrible volume stepping... rather than 127 possible volume steps it's locked into 6. There may be a setting in the brain I've missed but I think this is just the way it's hard-wired unfortunately.
The menu is clunky and confusing, almost like French translated to Chinese then back to English, but not awful, just niggly things like when you start a song and add the click track it doesn't sync up to the song you need to tap it at just the right time.

Overall at the end of the day for the price it's a great entry level kit and worth the money, I agree Frank, perfect for my son to start playing on. But it's light years away from the Roland or Yamaha mid-teir kits - There hasn't been a comparable kit on the market for decades.

With the hats dropping notes you can change the sensitivity settings and that helps somewhat, grabbing the softer notes. If you're game you can peel away the rubber and replace the ultra cheap piezo mic with a cheap piezo mic and glue it back together... or unplug the hat trigger completely and just gaffa tape a contact mic underneath the hats and plug that in its place. Can vouch this works very well, $5 easy fix.