Korg Wavedrum Mini cheap in Japan

Korg Wavedrum Mini

Today I along with the Michael Schenker signature I found posted in an earlier article, I picked up a used Korg Wavedrum Mini for really cheap … $100 bucks! The only thing missing was the adapter but it looks like a standard Korg DC9V so it shouldn’t be a problem finding one around here. This is the third Wavedrum Mini I’ve seen for that price at used music stores here in Nagano-city, Japan. I am not sure why people are giving them up and why they are going for so cheap but I thought it would be kind of cool to work with so I picked one up.

My thought is to initially use the Korg Wavedrum Mini along with the Boss RC-300 loop station as a way to create grooves on the Wavedrum and then record onto the RC-300. I could then save the loops onto the computer from the RC-300 since the Wavedrum mini will not allow you to save patterns. Loop recording these days is pretty good so you can create whatever you want on the Wavedrum Mini and dump it onto a sampler quite fast and easily. You also can’t edit the sounds but you can add effects and you can also vary the sound with how you play a little bit too.

The Korg Wavedrum mini is still new and I’m sure when I think outside the box a little more it will be quite cool to keep hopefully. I also thought the Korg Wavedrum mini would be a good addition to the drum set I already have as well. Another nice thing about the Wavedrum is that it takes batteries so you can create patterns on the go. You will need to bring some sort of portable sampling device to record your newly created loop patterns, but that shouldn’t be too difficult to find with the current sampler gadgets out there. I actually have a Boss Micro BR recorder that would work well most likely and is very small. With the Boss RC-300 Loop station or something equivalent, I think the Korg Wavedrum mini will work very well. Currently I’m developing a music school in Nagano, Japan and the Korg Wavedrum mini I’m sure would work well in that environment. There are lots of possibilities.

Here’s a promo video from Korg which talks about the sensor clip, sounds, effects, rhythm patterns, overdubbing, and looper.

Roland HD-1 V-Drums makes the perfect kids drum kit

Roland HD-1 Drum Kit

A few weeks ago I found a used Roland HD-1 in great condition at the used music store. At my home studio here I have been wanting to get my two kids an electronic drum kit they could use when they alternate between the keyboards. I thought this would help get them more well rounded in music and allow them to try something different. My youngest one also has a fascination for the drums in addition to keyboards, so I thought it would be fun to put a drum kit in the studio. After a few weeks of the kids banging away on it, I am so glad I bought the Roland HD-1

What’s great about the Roland HD-1 is that it’s small, light weight, portable. and incredibly easy for kids to operate. There are 10 good presets ranging from regular drum kits to Tr-808 style drums. The kids can easily push the big number buttons and adjust the volume as they wish. I run the Roland HD-1 through a Roland KC-150 keyboard amp and it sounds great. There is also a headphone jack and when in use the HD-1 overall is very quiet. The bass drum and hi-hat pedals are slightly different than regular drum kits, but the kids handle them very well. My youngest (5) can scoot in really close and play without any problems.

I also looked at other Roland and Yamaha kits but they were much bigger and of course much more expensive. I usually try to buy used because I can get really great deals however finding used electronic drum kits is much more difficult than keyboards in Japan. I managed to buy the Roland HD-1 at less than half price for a new one so I thought it worked out well. The kids also seem to like the mesh snare drum rather than the rubber ones that Yamaha uses. I tried a few of the other drum kits in a regular new music store before buying the HD-1 and the kids seemed to really love the Roland HD-1. ( Note my kids are ages 8 and 5 ).

In addition, I bought a used Yamaha DTXpress sound module and was successfully able to midi it up to the Roland HD-1. This expanded the HD-1 to include Roland sounds, sequences, and training material. The Roland HD-1 cannot trigger the DTXpress via the cables I think, but I it can certainly trigger everything via midi which is all I need right now. It also makes the Roland HD-1 a bit more professional and the kids love the additional sounds and features the Yamaha has while retaining the feel of the Roland HD-1. We enjoy layering the sounds as well with the DTXpress and other sound modules I have in the studio. Plus later, you can even buy Yamaha Drum pads and attach them to the DTXpress to add additional pads to the overall kit. Pretty cool!

When the kids play, they usually take turns with one playing the Roland HD-1 drums and the other the keyboard. You will be amazed at how fast kids will pick up drumming and improve their timing. In addition, the kids are really starting to key in and understand the differences between a hi-hat, snare, crash cymbal, bass drum, toms, and ride cymbal. Note that the Roland HD-1 does have velocity sensitive pads and I believe they are all 1 zone. So on the snare for example you can’t get a snare sound AND a rimshot. Honestly though, if my kids outgrow this Roland HD-1 then they will definitely deserve a higher end model. The Roland HD-1 is great for that “show me what you can do” spirit … laugh. The kids are loving the HD-1 though and myself included enjoy teaching them new drum grooves. It’s a real kick!!!

Here is a demo of the Roland HD-1 V-Drums on Youtube