www.megadrum.info

Edited on 20/02/2012: When reading everything further down please note that Syntex doesn't offer any kits any more but I do! See 56 inputs MegaDrum kit for sale

Now and then some people express their concerns about the cost of MegaDrum, be it a module I'm asked to build for somebody or a Synthex's kit which now includes a small, 10 Euro, donation to the MegaDrum project.

I'll try to clear some things up here.

First of all, when I started MegaDrum project the cost of a MIDI drum trigger module wasn't a main thing why I did it. If it were, I would have simply bought an Alesis Trigger IO, if I wasn't a DIY type person or, if I had plenty of money for my hobby, I would have simply bought a Roland TD20. But I was the DIY type person and I didn't have plenty of money for my hobby, so I built Admir's EDrum. But I wasn't happy with it. It was reasonably cheap and did basic stuff but it lacked features. And from this came my idea of the project:

MegaDrum was born to make a MIDI drum trigger which has the right balance between the set of features and the cost of having it.

I did set for myself a target of making MegaDrum as cheap as possible for DIYer to build without sacrificing the set of features and the quality. I think I can claim that I achieved this. If you build MegaDrum all by yourself you can squeeze in under £50-£60 budget! It is in fact cheaper than to build Admir's EDrum, it is even cheaper than Alesis Trigger IO, and of course I don't even need to mention the price of Roland or Yamaha modules of different levels. And now if we compare the set of MegaDrum features to other modules. Really,apart from on board sounds, is it closer to an Alesis Trigger IO or a Roland TD12/20?

Yes, I understand not every drummer is a skilful DIYer and can make a PCB. This is where Synthex came along. And did he come along just with PCBs? No, not only he developed he's own version of a PCB to make it simpler to build, made technical contributions to the projects like PIC18F2550 MIDI USB, gave an idea of simplifying schematic with a specific type of multiplexer IC. All of this and not just that! He came up with 3 types of kits to offer for sale to suite different types of DIYers. These kits actually save a lot of time to build MegaDrum, and I heard some say 'time is money' but of course they surely are wrong. Now, did it make much more expensive to build MegaDrum? Even with the most complete kit it is still on par, if not cheaper, with the Alesis Trigger IO. And should we now suddenly forget about the feature set once it became slightly more expensive to build? And should we now forget about getting satisfaction of building something by ourselves?

Yes, I understand some drummers may not have required DIY skills or they simply don't have time to build it. I understand this is when I'm asked to build a complete MegaDrum module. I'm sure if it were a mass product and being built on a conveyor it would cost not much more than a few dollars/pounds/euros to make. Sadly it is not a mass product. I still have to do it manually and spend some time building it. Again, some say 'time is money' but those, who say this, must be mistaking and surely the module shouldn't cost more than £50-£60. Ok, you did spend some time building it so £80. Or at least some might be thinking so. Did I ask much? £150. Is it much? It depends. But I hope that those, who bought these few modules from me, are happy with them.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you need just a cheap simple MIDI drum trigger, go for an Alesis Trigger IO, don't waste your time or money. It is value for money and it does its job.
If you want something more, think about MegaDrum. But, please, if you don't have time or required DIY skills, don't make the cost the main deciding factor. I myself wouldn't mind of getting something of Roland TD20 level for a fraction of its cost. In fact, with MegaDrum, I got it!

EXCACTLY!
well put dmitri.

i feel the MegaDrum is just like the TD20 - but without the built-in sounds.
and for me - that's perfect.
i H*TE(!!!) the built-in sounds of the Roland modules (yes the td12/20 as well), so ofcourse i was looking for something like the Alesis Trigger i/o, but with more features and inputs.

the Megadrum was the ONLY thing i would even consider.

for €105 i got myself something i put together myself, and i know (kinda ) how it's made.

Yes, very good post Dmitri !

Great post, dmitri.

I built MegaDrum because it's literally the ONLY thing out there that has the flexibility and performance I needed without the price tag associated with sound modules. I *very* quickly graduated from the sounds on my previous Yamaha DTXpress IV module to MIDI triggering and I knew there was no going back. Once I replaced the yammy kit with a Hart mesh kit, I knew I needed an awesome TMI. Nothing Roland or Yamaha had was suitable because they both (try to) pride themselves on their costly sound modeling and I wasn't going to use that functionality, period. After researching the Alesis I/O, it just didn't seem like it was going to grow with me, nor did it seem like it had enough flexibility to truly get the response I wanted.

I looked at Admir's eDrum, and while it looks nice, it just didn't catch my eye the same way MegaDrum did. I saw more tweakability on MegaDrum. I saw a project with regular firmware updates that constantly brought new functionality to the table with the same hardware. I'm sure Admir's eDrum is good, but I wasn't quite as captivated by the project and their community as I was with MegaDrum and the community here.

I ordered Synthex's kit because I wanted to get things done quickly. Not that my time is worth more than my money, but I really, really, really wanted to get drumming quickly. Printing PCBs would be within my realm of doable, but Synthex's PCB is just awesome so I had to get it. I love DIY projects and I'm really glad I got to mash up my love for drumming with my love for getting my hands dirty with a project. I agree that MegaDrum isn't for everyone, but for those who did build it... it's SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO worth it!