Ion Computer Drum Kit Nic

Manufacturer: Ion
Customer Rating:
List Price: $151.20
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Product Description

Product Details

Adjustable drum rack; Easy to assemble, store and transport
Takes up less floor space; Velocity-sensitive true drum feel and response
Advanced sample-playback technology for high quality audio
Easy USB installation. USB connection provides power (no power outlets required)
CD with PC-based tutorial program, application software, and music

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Customer Reviews

Quality OK, but needs refinement

Review Date: February 8, 2010

Reviewer: Keith Rust, Utah

It is clear that this is a rather new device for Ion, the software is version 1.0, rudimentary, lacking very clear documentation, etc. I wish it had more music to play to with the notation as I love the gaming aspect. The pads aren't the best, not recognizing the hits from time to time, but for a first drum set it's fun to play. Hopefully Ion will get an upgrade to the software as I see a lot of potential in this drum set.

the ion drum set

Review Date: February 7, 2010

Reviewer: vman,

i recently purchased the ion drum set and it basically sucks. if feels like playing on hard plastic. i don't like it. the pads suck. the software has a sound lag. you get what you pay for.

Computer drum kit

Review Date: January 28, 2010

Reviewer: Ms. Melissa, Las Vegas, NV

The drum kit was easy to put together and looks like a nice electronic drum kit. My 11 year old son is a beginning percussionist and loves it. The issue is that you cannot use it without having it hooked up to a computer and the computer being on for power. You must also have the drum kit software open to hear the drum sounds. The drum kit does not have a power source or power cord for the wall in addition to no speakers. It works well if you have computer to hook it to and don't need to use the computer while the set is being played. It works well and sounds ok, but not great.

Just about what you'd expect

Review Date: December 7, 2009

Reviewer: Steve, Florida

I was hoping I could try to play a little on this kit. I play guitar, but I'd love to learn to drum. You could start out learning a few beats on this kit, and it's fun for kids, but that's about as far as it will get you. A real drummer just couldn't live with this setup. That said, you can't beat something up too bad when it's this cheap. Just have reasonable expectations. It's almost a toy, and not really a full blown instrument.

It was a piece of cake to put together. Not very good instructions, but it was a total no brainer if you're mechanically inclined at all.

The software is REALLY bad. I installed it on a new (at the time) Vista machine and the latency (time between hitting the pad and hearing the sound) was so bad it was completely unplayable. There was probably a 300 to 500ms delay. I then installed it onto an older XP machine and the latency issue was gone. Unfortunately, even on the XP setup, if you scroll through more than 6 or 7 of the preset kits it starts to give you memory errors. Just looking at it you can tell it's cheap lame Asian made software that was thrown together.

The kit itself has some issues in that the clamps that hold the pads to the rack are plastic. They can't be tightened enough to actually hold securely. (I'm positive they'd break) It wouldn't be too hard to drill small holes and use screws to secure everything, but I was never that committed to the set to bother.

On the plus side, the pads seemed to track well. The hits were accurate, with no doubles and few misses. Once I installed on an older computer, the latency went to zero, as it should be. One neat feature is that you can build your own kits using other drum samples, so if you've been using something like Acid or Fruity Loops you can use single hit sample files in this software.

A cheap way to get drums in your home studio

Review Date: November 11, 2009

Reviewer: G. Goldman,

I bought these as a sort of experiment to see if they would just be a fun way to practice my drumming, or if I really could use them in my home studio. So far I've been mostly pleasantly surprised. Setup was relatively easy - I had them put together and the software installed in about 2 hours. In addition to the USB out cable, there is also a MIDI out jack, so you CAN use them as MIDI triggers (contrary to what I read in one review online). As far as sound quality, they sound as good as the samples you are triggering. Troll the internet a little and you'll find tons of free drum samples. Setting up a custom kit with the included software was super-easy. Sure, there are only 7 velocity levels, but for most rock purposes this is fine. My only complaints are: 1. There aren't quite enough pads to have a full 5-piece kit with crash, ride, and hi-hat, so you'll need to sacrifice one of the rack toms to use as a ride cymbal; 2. The "choke" function on the crash cymbal pad doesn't work; 3. There's no way I've found yet to add a bell sound to one of the cymbal pads; 4. The kick and hi-hat pedals have sensitivity issues (triggering when you don't want it, but no velocity variability); and most importantly 5. I can't seem to get the MP3 export option to work (this is the most major issue if you're using them in a home studio). But for $150, you really can't do much better.

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Posted in Drums