Xbox 360 Drum Rocker Premium Drum Set
by Ion
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List Price: Our Price: $244.85 You Save: $55.14 (18%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $225.26 (click here) Category: Video Games See more product details |
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Video Game Reviews of Xbox 360 Drum Rocker Premium Drum Set
Customer Review: Decent but not Great as expected.
Summary: 3 Stars
I was wanting these since I first seen them, so eventually I had to buy them. I did so a week ago, at first I was all excited cause they really do look great. They are sturdy and can take a beaten more than the original ones. They are less noisey (cymbals abit loud). And Overall look/sound/quality wise I am happy.
Now what I am not to happy about is the cymbals. They miss alittle to much for my likings and for the price I paid I would expect them to work better. On slow beats its usually no problem but you cannot play a fast paced song on the cymbals do to the misses. Sometimes certain area's of the cymbal will not register a hit at all. What does register is if you huit the thin plastic part of the cymbal instead of the rubber but Im not sure that is a good thing to do, plus it is loud as hell if you do so and eventually it gets annoying. I've tried tightening them loosening them to no avail. They just arent that good at all.
I have read others state the same thing but then Ive read others who say they have no cymbal problems its weird. I was hoping I'd be one of those without the problem but Im just not that lucky. :(
Customer Review: This set ROCKS!!! \m/ (>.<) \m/
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm not a professional drummer, but love playing them. I upgraded from the original rock band set to this and haven't looked back since. Now I am playing expert on a lot of the songs with 5 star results. This set feels more like I imagined a real set would. It has a more natural feel to it. The ability to adjust the pads and cymbals is great. The frame feels pretty sturdy, as well as, the pads and cymbals. The pedal is solid, but somewhat noisy. I added the third cymbal, too. It's a lot of money, but the amount of frustration I would get from the original set made it worthwhile...Rock On!!!Customer Review: Fantastic upgrade to the stock drum kit
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been drumming may way through Rockband (and Rockband2) for about 18 months now, during which time I have gone through three stock drum sets. Finally, last October I took the plunge on the Ion drumkit, and I have absolutely no regrets. If you have room in your budget and you want to take your drumming to the next level, this is the kit with which to go. For what it is worth, I use the Xbox360, and drum at hard and expert levels in the 95 to 100% range.
The Good:
The kit uses a solid and excellently adjustable aluminum frame and is very stable. Between the swing in the arms and the way the connectors attach to the pads, you can put the pads just about anywhere (within reason) to suit your play style or body type, which is a tremendous step up from the fixed positions of the rockband drum set. The pads themselves are very quiet and 100% responsive -- no cross-talk between pads, and they provide great feedback and rebound response. I have found they pick up taps from edge to edge without difficulty, which is nice when you are running a series of 1/16th notes across the toms and can't get the stick heads right in the heart of each pad.
The cables are standard 1/4" connectors and in the event of damage, easily and cheaply replaceable at any music store. Ask me how I know and I'll mention I have a toddler in my home.
Although I am aware of other complaints regarding the sensitivity of the cymbals, I have had no problems (save one, discussed below) with any dropped notes even during extended eighth note runs at 200 BPM. (FYI, I have added a third cymbal with the same level of satisfaction.)
The foot pedal is a bit light and, despite its anchors and velcro, it still moves around a bit in kick heavy pieces (yeah, Tom Sawyer, I'm looking at you), but compared to the basic rockband set, it is a huge improvement. I also found that its action has improved with wear. Fresh out of the box it could catch now and again (the pedal would depress but not rise again), but within a week that problem had resolved itself and broken in, I find it a delight. The spring action on the pedal is quick, but not heavy, so it is ideally suited to my heel-up style. If you favor heel-down, or you wear heavy footwear, the spring may be too light for your taste, and you may find yourself accidently triggering the kick from time to time. However I put this in the preference category, not a knock against the pedal itself.
The Not So Good:
There is still room for improvement. The connectors that hold the pads and cymbal struts to the frame are plastic and a bit fragile. Although they hold firmly, and with no sagging, they can easily be overtightened and cracked. That is a problem I see only growing as the drum kit ages.
The pads are very quiet and with excellent rebound, but I have begun to see a bit of wear on the snare (red pad). Although the modularity of the kit would allow you to replace any or all of the pads individually in the event of a failure, I am not aware that replacement pads are available.
More seriously, the electronic "brain" is insufficiently shielded from static electricity build-up generated by the foot pedal. During the dry winter months (interior RH around 42-45%) I have had problems with static build-up from the kick causing the brain to either short (resulting in a disconnection from the Xbox console)or causing the high hat (yellow cymbal) to fail to register hits correctly (the input for the kick is directly next to the yellow cymbal input). This has been frustrating, but solveable with a stack of unscented dryer wipes. Between songs I quickly rub down the tips of my sticks, the pedal, and the cable connector for the kick. This generally allows me about 10 minutes of playtime before I need to repeat the task. A quick google search will show that this is a relatively common problem, and one ION will hopefully address in its next iteration of the kit. I did not have this problem during October and November when the RH was routinely above 55%).
The final issue is that while I do not have a problem with the kit being wired (instead of wireless), I do wish that the "power" cable was not hardwired into the electronic brain of the kit. If something happens to that cable (and it isn't particularly heavy duty), the whole brain will have to be replaced/serviced. I can see no reason to not have the cable connect at both ends, just like the cables for the cymbals and pads, allowing for easy replacement in the event your cat, dog, toddler or shut-in grandparent chews through the darn thing. But this is really a fine-tuning nit-pick, not a huge complaint.
To sum up, I have found my kit to be a fantastic improvement over the rockband or rockband2 stock drumkits, regardless of mods to those systems. The ION's cymbals and pads are responsive, sensitive, and precise while its frame and connections are adjustable yet solid. I find nothing about its price unreasonable, and if you are finding that transition from hard to expert frustrating because of the limitations of the basic rockband drum set, this set may be the answer to your prayers. It has certainly helped my game.
Customer Review: awwwsome.....
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the most wonderfull,impressive,greatest thing i have ordered since myiphone 3g,its unbelevably accurate,and highly fun to play the only thing i found wrong with this set is that the drum pedal is very loud but easly fixable with a new drum pedal for $75.00 here on amazon.com but i tottally recomend this product to anyone trying to improve there game play both in fun as well as personally well worth the money spent thankyou for taking time to read this review i hope it helps go buy it now lol have a wonderfull and great day and enjoy.Customer Review: Great kit, but pass on the cymbals
Summary: 4 Stars
I have been playing this kit two to five times a week since September and it has been holding up great. The pads are responsive and have a good rebound, and all of the components have held up to constant hard play, except for the cymbals.
Don't bother with the Ion cymbals. The sensors are attached with cheap plastic screw mounts which literally shear off after a few weeks of play. At first it makes the cymbal rattle annoyingly when hit; eventually the cymbal stops working. For about the same price you can buy Cymbal Trigger for Alesis DM5 Kit which are completely compatible with the Ion kit, and mine have held up for over three months now.