Page 1 of 1

Drumstick Reflectivity and/or Replacement

Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2018 6:52 am
by dannerino
What are the tips of those darn drumsticks made of? And why do they wear out?

Is there anything that can be done to bring a non-responsive drumstick tip back to life? Is there a substitute fabric that can be used? I can't drum with only one stick. Now that I've grown hopelessly addicted to your product and have seen my total beginner's drumming skills improve tremendously, what am I to do?

Re: Drumstick Reflectivity and/or Replacement

Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2018 7:05 am
by dannerino
While I'm asking questions, should I download the latest version? Or do I have the latest with 1.0.24? It wasn't clear on the website how to download updates.

Re: Drumstick Reflectivity and/or Replacement

Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2018 11:39 am
by Richard
The balls are covered in an expensive retroreflective tape that isn't available off the shelf and there is no good substitute as the tape we use has specific reflectivity properties for which Aerodrums is optimized.
We're aware that the balls can degrade over time if not handled with care so we do sell replacement ball kits for customers that need them: http://aerodrums.com/ball-kit/

The latest update brings Aerodrums to version 1.1. As noted on the installer web page, if you're on Windows, this update requires downloading and running a separate updater instead of using the "Check for Updates" wizard.
The major change in this update is the addition of a 3D visualization mode (https://aerodrums.com/3d-update/). This will obviously work a lot better if your ball markers are in good shape.
With your Aerodrums product key you can access the downloads here : http://aerodrums.com/installer/

Re: Drumstick Reflectivity and/or Replacement

Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2019 9:01 pm
by Mathar
After a good 2 years I have finally found a replacement for the fragile ball markers.

My solution consists of
- Meinl MPM3 Percussion Rubber Mallet
and
- 3M high reflex film, which I could order in an Onlineshop as sample in the DIN A4 format

I cut the foil into thin strips (each about 50mm long and 2 to 3mm wide).
I stuck it on the rubber heads until everything was covered.

For me it works wonderfully and plays very pleasantly. Despite, or just because of, the short and light sticks.

Many greetings from Germany

Re: Drumstick Reflectivity and/or Replacement

Posted: Mon Oct 14, 2019 10:50 pm
by condordontsurf
I am really starting to think short sticks are the way to go.

Re: Drumstick Reflectivity and/or Replacement

Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2020 6:46 am
by rainsoul
Mathar wrote:
Tue Oct 08, 2019 9:01 pm
After a good 2 years I have finally found a replacement for the fragile ball markers.

My solution consists of
- Meinl MPM3 Percussion Rubber Mallet
and
- 3M high reflex film, which I could order in an Onlineshop as sample in the DIN A4 format

I cut the foil into thin strips (each about 50mm long and 2 to 3mm wide).
I stuck it on the rubber heads until everything was covered.

For me it works wonderfully and plays very pleasantly. Despite, or just because of, the short and light sticks.

Many greetings from Germany
Hi can you give an online link to which exact tape you used thanks

Re: Drumstick Reflectivity and/or Replacement

Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2020 11:45 pm
by condordontsurf
I have 3 or 4 sets of the balls. I wonder at what point does performance suffer when the balls get smashed in (the most common issue).

Re: Drumstick Reflectivity and/or Replacement

Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2020 10:40 am
by Richard
Provided that Aerodrums can still tracked the damaged balls reliably, aspects such as detecting when a drum was hit or how hard it was hit should not be affected. The only aspect that may be affected is Aerodrums' ability to detect which drum was hit. If you suspect this is a problem, it can be fixed by repositioning the drums again as doing so will tell Aerodrums where the drums are located when using the damaged markers.

If you are using the Aerodrums 3D app then the 3D position of the sticks can also be affected by heavily damaged markers. For best results markers that are in good condition should be used.