Drum pad made of wood and rubber. It is used to learn how to play the snare drum. Design, prototyping, manufacturing, product testing, comparison with an acoustic equivalent.
Project description
The project was created as part of my interest in learning to play drums. I needed a drum pad that would have a similar drumstick bounce to an acoustic snare drum. It will be quiet and can be placed on a snare stand. I want to use this pad to practice learning how to play the snare drum, as a complement to practicing an acoustic instrument. The material used is intended to ensure a similar bounce of the stick as in a real acoustic snare drum.
Article in the form of a video at the bottom of the page.
Sketch
The materials were selected to make the pad durable and pleasant to the touch: solid wood, rubber. The pad is double-sided. There is thicker rubber on the top and an empty area left, e.g. for putting drum sticks, placing a metronome or as a handle.
On the other side there is thinner rubber that fills almost the entire surface of the wheel. The small margin left protects the rubber from damage, e.g. when moving or mounting it on a snare stand. The other side of the pad is also used for exercises - a harder surface. Additionally, the rubber on both sides prevents the pad from moving when it is placed on a table, for example.
Vector design
The project was made in Inkscape due to the planned subsequent cutting with a milling cutter and burning the inscription with a laser. This program allows easy export to other file formats supported by, for example, a CNC machine or laser software.
Cutting out a shape from paper
To cut the paper shape, I used a laser mounted in a small CNC machine.
The cut out form had two purposes. The first is a prototype to check whether the rubber on the pad will have the right shape. The second purpose of the cut shape is a matrix for cutting out rubber for a pad.
Paper prototype
Applying a paper shape to a wooden circle allowed us to check whether the dimensions and outline of the future rubber were appropriate. When striking with sticks, will there be a situation where, for example, you hit the wood and not the pad? The fragment of wood left at the top, not covered with rubber, also allowed, for example, to place a metronome or as a place to put the sticks or as a handle.
Cutting rubber according to a template
Cutting rubber with a CNC machine turned out to be problematic. It would probably be necessary to use a special rubber cutting cutter with the spindle turned off. That's why I laser cut a template out of thick paper and then cut out a rubber form by hand.
Burning an inscription into wood with a laser
I used a laser placed in a CNC machine to burn the inscription. It was controlled by the LaserGRBL program according to a graphic design made in Inkscape.
The finished drum pad
The pad does its job. It is comfortable and noise-free to exercise on. However, it does feel a bit harder compared to a traditional string. The bounce of the stick (rebound force) is comparable to the diaphragm of an acoustic snare - but without generating noise and greater vibrations.
Testing the pad with users
Possible testing methods. Research in the form of individual interviews collecting qualitative data.
The expected target group are people who can play the snare drum or the entire drum set. For these people, a drum pad is a form of training and skill development. Assessment of comfort, size of the striking area, size of the entire pad, and ability to be placed on a standard snare stand.
The second target group are people learning to play the snare drum or drum set. A pad for them as a beginning of learning to play the snare drum or the entire drum set without previous skills in playing the snare drum or the entire drum set.
Comparison: pad and acoustic snare
Checking what the reflection of a drum stick looks like on an acoustic pad and snare drum. The method involved placing the stick at the same height from the head (acoustic snare) or the surface of the rubber (drum pad) and at the same angle. Then release the stick and check to what height it bounces. How long will it take for the burping to stop.
The top head of the acoustic snare was tuned to the frequency of 270Hz, C#4 sound (CIS). In total (upper + lower head) the snare set to 150Hz D3.
The observations show that the made drum pad has very similar reflection properties of a drum stick to an acoustic snare drum.
