.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT REVIEW
.TITLE Logitech’s electronic skins for Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero
.AUTHOR James Booth
.SUMMARY Are you looking to expand your Rock Band or Guitar Hero drum kit? Or perhaps you’re more serious of a musician than what those kits support. Consider the Logitech Wireless Drum Controller. Although more costly than the above mentioned kits, is it worth the extra expense? Read on as Editor-at-Large James Booth takes a look at Logitech’s replacement drum kit.
.OTHER
When Harmonix released the updated instruments with Rock Band 2, they made vast improvements to their design and performance. But the Rock Band or Guitar Hero experience can get even better with the addition of third-party hardware, namely Logitech’s Wireless Drum Controller for the PS3.
.CALLOUT I loved them from the very beginning, and found them a pleasure to play.
Also available for the Xbox 360 and the Wii, at twice the cost of the entire Rock Band 2 Bundle, Logitech’s Wireless Drum Controller is not for the faint-of-heart or casual gamer; it’s designed with the more serious e-musician in mind. Shown in Figure A, Logitech’s drum controller is more like a real electronic drum set than that furnished in the Harmonix bundle.
.FIGPAIR A Logitech’s Wireless Drum Controller for the PS3.
.H1 Features
Logitech’s Wireless Drum Controller is packed with loads of features that make it a premium improvement over the standard drum kit. First and foremost, the drum pads are constructed with a silencing feature to reduce noise. The drum pads and cymbals are fully adjustable, ensuring a more comfortable drumming experience. The tension of the kick pedal is adjustable, making it more responsive. The entire kit can be broken down flat and leaned against a wall or slid under a bed so as to take up less space, like some of those SoloFlex exercise machines.
.BREAK_EMAIL To learn more about Logitech’s Wireless Drum Kit for the PS3, crash your high-hat here.
The brain box has all of the buttons necessary for a PS3 controller: d-pad, X, O, Square, and Triangle, as well as the PS button, Start, and Select. All of the pads and cymbals connect to the brain box by their own cord and color-coded socket, making not only for easy setup, but also easy customization. There is also one extra black socket for an unknown purpose, and a MIDI-in socket ostensibly for some future expansion. Figure B shows both the front and the back of the brain box.
.FIGPAIR B Everything you need is on the brain box, and a couple we’re not sure about.
Although initially branded for Guitar Hero World Tour, due to the interoperability of the Guitar Hero and Rock Band instruments, Logitech’s Wireless Drum Controller can be used on Rock Band 2 as well as Guitar Hero; it was with Rock Band 2 that I did my testing of this after-market expansion drum set.
.H1 Performance
The largest advantage the Logitech drums have over the Harmonix drums is responsiveness. From the lightest tap to the hardest slam, I never once had a problem with the missed hits or double-taps that some users have complained about. However, it’s essential that your instruments are calibrated for the proper television you’re playing on. Some TVs, LCDs and Plasmas in particular, have a lag between the display and the sound which can create errors in play. When properly calibrated, these drums were dead-on.
With Rock Band 2, most of the color-codes correspond properly. The difference is in the kick pedal and orange cymbal. In Rock Band 2, orange corresponds to the kick pedal, but these drums have the kick pedal keyed to kick pedal; therefore, the orange cymbal really has no function in Rock Band 2. However, due to the customization available, you can plug any pad, cymbal, or pedal into whichever socket you choose.
In a further echo of the customization possible with the Logitech drums, the pads and cymbals can be arranged in any position, elevation, pitch, or angle you choose. One of the difficulties I had with the Rock Band drums was that the pads were not positioned in a manner that was comfortable for me. This problem is alleviated on the Logitech drums as you can put whatever you want, wherever you like, to suit your comfort and play style.
The sound reduction of the Logitech pads versus the Rock Band drums is simply astounding. It’s like night and day as compared to the Rock Band drums. I was able to sleep through my daughter playing the Logitech drums (and listening to the game through headphones), whereas with the Rock Band ones I couldn’t even clear my head when in a completely different part of the house.
.H1 Verdict
When I first read about the ability to adjust the pads, and even to lay them flat, I was a bit concerned the plastic clamps would wear out and strip relatively quickly, but the threads and screws are actually metal, as is the main horizontal bar. In fact, the bar is notched; and the clamps can only close fully when properly positioned within a notch.
All of the clamps hold the pads and cymbals quite well, and only rarely did I encounter anything moving during play. Even then, it was only the cymbal during some rather brutal pounding. But due to the manner in which the clamps are secured, it’s kind of a pain to make any major adjustments dealing with the horizontal bar; such as laying the pads flat for storage.
The clamps must be fully released from the bar in order to completely loosen their grip, and it can be a bit difficult to get the prongs back into the keeper so the clamp can be closed again. Overall, it’s just easier to leave the drums set up once you have them adjusted to your comfort. Laying them flat for storage, like in Figure C, is a great concept, especially for those who are spatially challenged when it comes to their band, but it just doesn’t work as well as I had hoped.
.FIGPAIR C The Logitech drum kit can fold flat for storage.
The height of the entire rack is adjustable as well, again with metal-to-metal clamps and height markers on the legs to ensure all is level. With the ability to fully customize the adjustment of the pads and cymbals, I never once had to "think" about where something was. I have the green pad turned at rather an acute angle, but it works for me; all I have to do is flick my hand to the right and I hit it dead-center.
I liked the Logitech kick pedal in Figure D much more than the standard Rock Band pedal.
.FIGPAIR D Logitech’s kick pedal is more sturdy than that of the Rock Band drums.
.BEGIN_KEEP
It has been reinforced with stainless steel to take more of a beating. Overall, it’s a bit quieter, and it’s much more responsive. With the adjustable tension, the pedal can be fine-tuned to suit your comfort; a mere flick of the toes can be enough to register.
.END_KEEP
One complaint I have regarding the kick pedal, and this has been echoed by other users, is the plastic stop on the bottom of the pedal. It creates a clicking noise every time the pedal is depressed. The harder you hit the pedal, the louder the click will be. The Rock Band pedal has two plastic stops; the Logitech one rubber, one plastic.
During the development process, Logitech experimented with different combinations and materials, and found that without at least one plastic stop the responsiveness and accuracy of the pedal was greatly compromised. So unfortunately, you either live with the click, or sacrifice accuracy. I happen to prefer a small foot motion to trigger the pedal, and so don’t experience quite as much of a problem.
One problem I did have with the pedal is its tendency to slide across the floor during use. Despite having rubber feet, the pedal still tends to creep. Perhaps larger feet, or horizontal rubber strips would help keep the pedal in place.
The one thing I haven’t been able to figure out, and could not get an answer on, is what the extra black 3.5mm socket is for. According to Logitech, it’s not for an extra kick pedal; that can be accomplished with a 3.5mm splitter. Perhaps it’s for something yet-to-come in the future, as with the MIDI-in port.
All initial opinions were that the drum kit could be plugged into a MIDI sequencer and used as a set of electronic drums, but Logitech has pooh-poohed that, stating it is a MIDI-in port for future expansion.
However, via the instructions on [[http://pctutorialsonline.net/index.php/guitar-hero-world-tour-drums-on-pc.html|this site]], I was able to connect the drums to a PC and use them as electronic set. Granted, it’s not a feature Logitech had in mind when releasing these drums, but it’s an option that is available for the budding musician.
If I were to have one final complaint about the Logitech Wireless Drum Controller, it’s that it doesn’t come with an instruction manual or setup guide; there isn’t even one on the Logitech site. Although everything is extremely intuitive, some questions, such as the MIDI port and the black 3.5mm socket could be answered by the inclusion of a manual. In fact, other than the product page, there is very little information about the drum kit on the Logitech site. While there is a rather active forum community, again, there is very little drum kit information.
Although I am by no means a drummer, while using the Logitech Wireless Drum Controller in Rock Band 2, I actually felt like one. I loved them from the very beginning, and found them a pleasure to play. It was as though I were playing an actual set of electronic drums, as opposed to pounding on a toy trying to simulate a set of drums.
If you’re a serious music gamer, and demand the best from your music peripherals, the addition of the Logitech drums to your band is a no-brainer. If however, you’re a casual gamer, or are looking to create a band kit from scratch, I think they’re a bit frivolous a purchase and out of the price range under those circumstances.
.BEGIN_KEEP
Despite its retail price of $230.00 which is more than twice that of the Rock Band and Guitar Hero wireless drum kits, it’s well worth the cost. If comfort and adjustability were the only advantages it had, it would be worth the price. But there is so much more to this set. It’s quieter, more responsive, unlike the Rock Band drums comes standard with cymbals, and despite Logitech’s contention to the contrary, can actually be used as a fully-functional and programmable electronic drum set. It easily earns a four out of five rating.
.RATING 4
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
Learn more about [[http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/gaming/musical_instruments/devices/5754&cl=us,en|Logitech’s Wireless Drum Controller]].
Learn more about [[http://www.rockband.com/|Rock Band]].
Learn more about [[http://worldtour.guitarhero.com/us//|Guitar Hero World Tour]].
Learn how to [[http://pctutorialsonline.net/index.php/guitar-hero-world-tour-drums-on-pc.html|connect the set to your PC]].
.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO
.END_KEEP
