Korg Wavedrum 

Comments about Korg Wavedrum:

I bought this to add textures to sections of songs that are soundscape like. I took it to my rehearsal space without the band being there, so I could check it out with my kit. To be able to hear the Wavedrum with the rest of my set it had to be turned up to the point of feedback. Moving things around didn't really help. Having it close to my snare and tom caused cross triggering. It is safe to bet that playing in a doom metal band is not going to work with this. I have tried electronic drums in the past. The wavedrum is no different. The sensativity can be set at a higher level, but you would loose the subtlety that makes the Wavedrum what it is. Not only will the drums cause cross talk, but the huge amps will do the same.

It is nice to have all of the world percussion sounds in one place. Having the wavedrum would be less expensive than owning all or even a handful of the instruments included in it. Some of the triggering is strange with some of them, but can be worked around comfortably.

EDITING IS A MAJOR HASSLE!!!! Even though midi is out of the question to control other instruments, it would be a nice addition for ease of editing the patches. It is impossible to edit things without the use of the manual. Unless you have a really amazing memory, that is. The menus are pretty deep. Even a usb port would be nice. SOMETHING besides five small buttons and a rotory encoder. Speaking of the rotory encoder, when finding a patch 0-99 if you stay on a patch for more that a second it loads it. So if you go passed the patch you need and hesitate slightly, you have to wait. This would not be good for a live situation, and is irritating even when just messing around with it.

The build quality feels cheap. Sure the rim is cast aluminum, but everything else is plastic. If this thing gets dropped even a foot, it is going to be useless. If this is going to be in a studio, it would be fine. Taking it out on the road......not so much. It is also stange that they didn't include some sort of L-rod mount. It would be nice to have more mounting options. If you want to play it standing up, you have to order the special super high snare stand. I had problems using it with my set, due to the flatness of the Wavedrum. I even used a taller than normal stand.

All in all, it is an alright drum synth. I feel that the price could be lower. Probably around $250-$300. Due mainly to the build quality. I think it would be great for small venues with a quiet band, or small jam sessions. Though if you are going to drag the Wavedrum and cables and an amp and a stand out to either of those, why not just take a set of congas, a tamborine, and a shaker.

Comments about Korg Wavedrum:

I originally stumbled across the Wavedrum looking for a realistic sounding snare for my Roland electronic drum set. It has an amazing snare sound (I wish there were more), but it doesn't have good stick feel. I just didn't feel like a real snare drum and the sticks don't rebound like they should. It feels like a practice pad.

But as a hand drum, this thing is amazing. I'm in a Grateful Dead tribute band and the first time I brought it to practice, the guys called it "Space Drum". The built-in presets are great with a really nice variety. I've used a bunch of the more spacey sounding presets during our extended jams. It would be amazing with pedals like a looper, wah or whammy. In regular playing, I mostly use the Bongo, Conga and Djembe settings. When playing live, it sounds very realistic and cuts well. It's much easier to use on-stage than a set of Congas or Djembe. Sound guys love it because they don't have to do anything. When practicing with headphones, it's uncanny.

Negatives:

The menu is cryptic. I haven't even attempted to use the built-in loop function or tried to modify the settings. I'm lost. It comes with 2 pages of presets and I have to take the manual with me on-stage if I want to access something other than the Conga, Bongo or Djembe settings (which I've memorized). Another commenter suggested an iPad interface and that would be awesome. We're all using iPads on stage now anyway (controlling in-ear mixes, lyrics/charts, etc).

The plastic 1/4" connector is cheap and can't handle the rigors of gigging. Mine has shorted occasionally. An XLR connection would be great (and then I wouldn't need a DI box either). I might crack the thing open and solder in my own DI/XLR, or at least replace the 1/4" connector with something more solid. Batteries instead of an AC adapter would be great too. Drummers don't normally need power on-stage (or a DI for that matter), so it can be a hassle to get power. I usually have the Wavedrum sitting on a snare stand and I pick it up to play on my lap as a hand drum. Getting rid of the power cord would be great so I don't accidentally pull it out. The unit takes 10-15 seconds to boot. This isn't really a negative unless I accidentally unplug it live. The AC adapter is a world-wide version which you can change the plugs on by sliding them off. But it gets loose easily, so I had to tape the US adapter onto the wall wart with gaff tape. Get a bag or case for it. The 2 menu knobs keep falling off mine.

Acoustically, the drum is louder than I thought. Headphone practice isn't exactly silent and it will annoy others around you. Similar to an electronic set with rubber pads but louder surprisingly

Overall, this thing is amazing and one of the coolest instruments I've come across. All my percussion friends love it. It's one of those instruments that makes you want to write new music the first time you play it. It has a surprisingly organic feel and sound to it.

Comments about Korg Wavedrum:

I've tried the other effects units on the market. And I have to say the Korg Wavedrum surpassed all my expectations.
I purchased the Korg Wavedrum, for additonal effects. The Korg Wavedrum did not disappoint either. I enjoy all the pre-sets, as well as the option to add and save just about any sound you can possibly think of.
The Korg Wavedrum is built very well. I play aggresively and the Wavedrum can handle it.
The Korg is a little pricey, but is well worth the money.

Comments about Korg Wavedrum:

Well worth having
This is a really nice piece of kit - full of interesting sounds, highly sensitive to the way you play it, yet robust and funky!!
All of the Korg stuff s really high end - you pays yer money, but you still get alot for it and it's all very reliable....although check out the nightmare stories from the early days of electronic drums in Bill Brufords really excellent autobiography!
Really the best way to go if you want a syn-drum to complement your full acoustic kit.

Comments about Korg Wavedrum:

For those with limited or conventional sight this will be a toy. It can be an inspirational part of a show and certainly for those who know how to use it they will only sell theirs when Korg issues a newer design. If the new one has more user control, it will be an instrument in its own right something in a class by intself.
First let me say that this device is a great first release for the Wavedrum.
What would make this drum even better is the following:
More power on the volume.
More realtime control of the features. A Wifi Link to an iPad would be awesome to control and program its various features.

The controls are limited. I don't think Korg did a good job on the controls for programming of this unit because frankly," they were probably wondering how well it would do.

Some people said they would like midi ins and outs on this thing. Honestly I don't think the unit works that way. Sure you could put a midi out to control something else but this thing is an instrument and not a ""pad'. Okay so if you used the midi out you could control something else so that would work.

This thing sounds organic. It lives and breathes and that's why it is so popular. Don't expect this thing to be a drum set. It isn't that at all. It is a percussion synthesizer and it will add a new dimension to your sound. Incidentally the snares sound pretty darn good. If I were Korg I would have at least a dozen snares on this so that drummers could choose them on the fly.

It also NEEDS a better display system and I know that is tricky with the limited real estate right now.
This is solid. Well done Korg!
This is a unique instrument. You could get buyers remorse unless you know what you are going to use this for. If you are a drummer and you want to add more spice to your present set up. Go for it. If you are into audio landscapes", ethnic sounding drumming, this is like nothing else.
This needs a redesign to be a truly great product. Korg, this will be worthwhile. Just do it.

Comments about Korg Wavedrum:

I have been using the wave drum for accompaniment of modern dance classes, where I normally play congas, this fall semester. It has been a big hit with the dancers and the teachers. The Cold Wind program has been great for providing ambient sound during body awareness exercises, out of time. The tabla drone and koto suite programs are also popular. I like a lot of the big bass sounds. You need a good PA system to get the sounds out of this thing. On the downside, It is confusing to reprogram, so I have just been using the preset programs. Also you cannot adjust the speed of the prerecorded drum loops, which limits its usefulness in dance classes, where the tempo has to be adjusted on the spot. Some the programs have echo, but you can't adjust the echo on the spot either. so I use a Line Six echo unit to add rhythmic echo and to create loops. The sound quality is really good, with lots of special effects, which the dancers like. It has a really full sound for playing solo. I look forward to seeing the next generation of wave drum. I'd like easier to adjust echo, speed variable drum loops, looping capability, and more special effects, like military sounds, waves, bird calls, gongs, etc.

Comments about Korg Wavedrum:

I received the Korg Wavedrum a few days ago and have been playing with it nonstop.I really like the size and sounds of this unit. This will save your back as well as allow you to take up minimal space on stage and allow you access to a multitude of cool sounds.The articulation is excellent. The feel is very nice with the exception of the aluminum rim which after hours of playing can hurt your hands.Here are the negatives I have found so far.No Midi or USBIt takes too long to load programsEditing is pretty difficult with only 1 knob and 6 buttons.The manual is 50% useable.I will use this unit live as well as recording.The Deacon

Comments about Korg Wavedrum:

I needed something compact to keep me company on my deployment in Afghanistan. I am very familiar with the dynamic limits of electronic drums but this is something else! Sounds great with acoustic guitar sessions or just plugging in your IPod. If it could just take batteries it would make it more perfect for on the go. I?ve learned it?s very rugged also after dropping it a couple of times.

Comments about Korg Wavedrum:

I never had played any percussion being a guitar and keyboard player, however found the wavedrum to be very easy to play, a little harder to program without the help of the manual. The sound of the machine is awesome although some of the synth stuff gets a bit ridiculous. The reason it can't have midi is the way it processes the way you hit it. A normal drum pad has a trigger which "triggers" a pre recorded sound. The wavedrum uses real time information on how hard or where you hit the drum then processes it through that trigger to give you a unique sound, thus making a midi type of collaboration impossible, however giving a very organic drum sound.

Comments about Korg Wavedrum:

I had played the original and in it's time it was a nice piece. I have owned the new one for about a month now. First the gripes... everyone that has played it has asked where the midi is. Second the controls are really cryptic. The display is really dismal.Ok the sounds are well done. There is a huge catalog of preprogrammed stuff and most of these are quality sounds. Don't expect this thing to keep up with speed kings. It's a little slow in that regard.Programming is not that easy because of the lack of controls and the display but it is very easy to setup what you want.If I was Korg I would add MIDI, put in even a 16 character LCD or something and a few more rotary controls and this thing would be killer.