Turn real drums into a Rock Band drum controller
by Kyle Orland 
{ Jan 11th 2008 at 12:45PM }
Just as it's impossible to look cool playing a big plastic guitar, it's pretty hard to be taken seriously as a "drummer" when tapping away on an electronic drum machine straight out of an '80s video. Luckily for those who care about looking cool, Otronicon has posted a set of pictorial instructions for turning a real, full size drum kit into a Rock Band-compatible drum controller.
You might think that the real drum would be even worse than that clacky drum controller at drowning out the in-game drum line. Not to worry... just fill your drums with foam to quiet that natural drumming sound. So, to summarize, these instructions let you replace your fake drums with real drums that are working very hard to be fake drums. Just so we're clear.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mike @ Apr 9th 2008 9:30AM
I'm going to do the same thing. I'm going build some bucket drums http://www.edrums.info/bucket_drum_1.htm like these from my site.
Delgado @ Jan 11th 2008 1:01PM
It's a trap!
(The link is broked)
Delgado @ Jan 11th 2008 1:02PM
It's a trap!
(The link is broked)
Delgado @ Jan 11th 2008 1:07PM
Sorry, it seems as if the comments are broked too. :'(
Marty @ Jan 11th 2008 1:04PM
"Luckily for those who care about looking cool, Otronicon has posted a set of pictorial instructions for turning a real, full size drum kit into a Rock Band-compatible drum controller."
I hate to be the one who says it, but the guys who really want to look cool playing drums go out and play real drums in a real band. :P
Delgado @ Jan 11th 2008 1:11PM
Anyone else tired of the "cool people play real instruments" argument too?
Yay fun.
DCBlack @ Jan 11th 2008 1:29PM
Thanks to Cartman, we can reply with, real instruments are for old people!
Note: I play real guitar (poorly).
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Jan 11th 2008 4:02PM
Yeah, I'm damn sick of that argument too.
Guess what, not all of us have the time to go to practice and make sure we don't suck for real.
Why do you play shooters. Why don't you just join the army and volunteer for Iraq. It makes you look much cooler.
No, really.
MasterInsan0 @ Jan 11th 2008 6:21PM
As has been exposed many times, the flaw in the "play a real instrument" argument is that playing a real instrument is much more difficult. As in, difficult to the point of not being fun sometimes. Rock Band, on the other hand, allows you all the rock star fantasies without the fuss of, you know, being on the road 24/7 and doing cocaine to deal with the pressure of being a star.
[.sm0ke.] @ Jan 12th 2008 3:44AM
The real-vs-fake instrument argument doesn't apply to Rock Band's drums. I learned to play Maps on my dad's kit from playing it in Rock Band.
That said, you can play any song you want on a real kit, and you can put together your own beats. Rock Band limits you to what Harmonix wants you to play.
tl;dr Real drums and Rock Band drums are similar except the setlist for real drums is much longer.
Ibere @ Jan 11th 2008 1:14PM
This is madness...
Ibere @ Jan 11th 2008 1:14PM
This is madness...
Prince King @ Jan 11th 2008 1:22PM
Madness?!?! THIS IS SPARTAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!
JakubK666 @ Jan 11th 2008 1:44PM
THIS...IS...ROOOOOCK...BAAAAAAAAND!!!!!
A Pissed-off English Gamer @ Jan 11th 2008 1:41PM
If you have the money to buy a good drum kit, why the hell would you want to play Rock Band? Well, perhaps not play, but why ruin the kit TO play Rock Band? It's absolute silliness.
ThornedVenom @ Jan 11th 2008 4:12PM
Think of it as karaoke.
umm....hello??? @ Jan 11th 2008 1:47PM
not to mention, the idea of the RockBand drums were to CONSERVE space and make it more acceptable to leave in your living room to play videogames....
spambot @ Jan 11th 2008 2:28PM
Plus this would get me evicted from my apartment pretty fast.
Keith @ Jan 11th 2008 2:22PM
I have that exact same drum throne! Sweet!
Oomfoofoo @ Jan 11th 2008 3:09PM
In all fairness.
If you have the time to convert a crappy sub par $100-200 "entry level drum kit", that might be collecting dust in a garage somewhere, & will never ever seriously see the light of day on a stage ... then more power to you.
All "full size drum kits" are NOT created equal.
I mean ftlog, look at this ...
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Pulse-MX005-5Piece-Pro-Junior-Kit?sku=444551X
I'd convert a crap drum kit in a heartbeat if I had one laying around.
I'm 100% positive that any 'entry level kit' will sound way better after the fact :)
darkeyez @ Jan 11th 2008 4:11PM
i wonder though, if we can get a real drum set to be compatible with Rock Band, why can't we get a Guitar Hero guitar to do the same?
ThornedVenom @ Jan 11th 2008 4:14PM
It has been done before, by removing the strings and adding fret buttons.
[.sm0ke.] @ Jan 12th 2008 4:06AM
One thing that would bother me about playing on this is that the drum sounds in the game won't match up to the right part of the kit. The floor tom (the huge drum on the right, for you non-drummers) on the "controller" will be used as a cymbal.
rockman @ Jan 15th 2008 3:45AM
Just curious if anyone that owns an electric drum kit, like a yamaha dtxplorer, tried using it on rock band with a MIDI to USB converter.
Virgil! @ Jan 15th 2008 2:48PM
Awesome! For those of you going to NAMM, check out Dixon Drum's booth-- they're going to be unleashing a fury of new drums this year-- I bet they'd feel good and sound good if you jimmy-rig it for rockband!