Hyperhat pedal

[dschrammie]

Hey Hal -
Another question for you. I have a Hyperhat pedal that for the most part is just fine. There's just one thing that I haven't ever liked about it and that is that when I step down on it I get a loud "clack" and just doesn't have even close to the same feel as an acoustic hhat pedal. So I'm curious if this is typical of this type of pedal (I've never tried the Roland equivalents), or if it used to be that way and they have since been improved...I can't remember exactly when I purchased mine but I know it's been at least 5 years. Any thoughts on what I could do? Would a stiffer spring give it a more realistic feel? and I don't want to mess up the electronics of the whole thing and suddenly not be able to get a fully closed sound...so do you know if the thing can be opened up and modified as I've seen people have done with Roland pedals (I know that technically you probably can't tell me to modify the pedal...but can it be done?).
Thanks Hal.

[Hope Drums]

It sounds like maybe you have the older version with the tube on the front end....I can't comment on how loud those normally are because they haven't been made in years. The newer versions don't use a spring at all! They use a rubber "doo dat" "thingy" that causes the pedal to spring back and be less noisy! I use a HyperHat on my kit here at home for tech support and haven't really noticed a "clack" sound on it.

[dschrammie]

They use a rubber "doo dat thingy", eh? Is that the technical term for it?

Yeah this is an old one, has the big "tube" on the front of it where the toe of the pedal comes down. So I wonder if my old model can be retrofitted or something? The clack sound is quite annoying.
Whaddya say Hal? Lorrie?

[Hope Drums]

I don't know if they can retro-fit it, but you could probably do a trade-in under their retro-upgrade program and get a newer version! Give Lorrie a call 800-445-0506.

"doo dat thingy" works just fine with me and I'll assure you Lorrie will know what you are refering to when you tell her your HyperHat is the older one that doesn't have that under the pedal! ;D

Brian

[dschrammie]

Thanks Brian, didn't even think about the upgrade program they have.
Dropped an email to Lorrie, I'll let y'all know what she says.

[dschrammie]

Okay, well, just FYI to everyone, Lorrie's up to her ears busy right now...so she's hardly online that much. That means she doesn't really have the opportunity to check her email. So, if you want/need something from Pintech, CALL. That said, sure enough once I called I got an immediate response and the new Hyperhat is on the way...and my old clackity clack one is on its way back.
Sweet deal too. The MSRP on the Hyperhat is about $160...I think you can get it from Brian @ Hope Drums for about $140. However, trading in my old one and getting a new one for $84 is even better! Can't wait until it gets here!

[dschrammie]

The new Hyperhat has arrived and I'm pretty stoked about it. I haven't played on it yet, it's just sitting here next to me at work...the play test will happen tonight or tomorrow. I'm really pleased with how quick Pintech was in getting the new one sent to me, especially considering that their network was down and Lorrie had to go all old-school (i.e. pen & paper).

The design is definitely different than the original. As Brian mentioned, there is no spring on this...the resistance is provided by a closed-cell foam that is much stiffer than the spring on the original. It may be a little too stiff for my tastes, but it's way better than that spring. And no clickity clackity at all! It appears there's a little bit of front/back adjustment available where the circuit box is in relation to the pedal...not sure if that is something intended for adjusting the feel of the pedal or the signal response (or both?), I'll have to look into that.

So far it seems like it was made much better than the original Hyperhat. I'll get back with more later.

[fignewton]

Ha,
You do what i do, have your gear shipped to your work.
You of course have to open it, and even though you dont have it hooked up you have to play with it.
Then answer questions from at least 15 people about what exactly it does.
Good times.

[dschrammie]

Yeah...I don't trust stuff being shipped to my home...sits on the porch all day while I'm at work. No thanks.

I received a response from Lorrie right away (seriously, I just sent an email about an hour and a half ago!)...pretty much the response about that "adjustment" is NO TOUCHIE TOUCHIE! Moving it can have an effect on the triggering. Okay...good to know.

So I took it home at lunch and fiddled a little bit. The feel is definitely better than the old one and the fact that there's no more clacking makes it all worth it. Now, one thing that's the same is that there's no 1/2 open or super tight...it's either open or closed. I don't know if that's a limitation of the pedal or the module though. And you still have to anticipate just a bit...you have to open just before your strike if you want an open sound. That's a part of edrums that has always annoyed me because it's not realistic...but such is life...it's a small sacrifice and it just takes a little getting used to.

Another thing that I've noticed, as a general observation, is that the general feel of the hhat and kick pedals is that it's all very spongy and loose and that must be due to the very soft carpet/pad of the room. So if I play a heel up position on either pedal, the heel of the pedal actually raises up a little as the toe of the pedal sinks in. That's very frustrating because I can't get the 'double kicks' that I typically do on the bass (my way of cheating with a single pedal...I throw the whole foot down, landing the first kick and then as I lift the foot off I throw the ball of the foot giving the second kick). Plus, since the kick drum is so small (as compared to acoustics) it doesn't really have any mass to hold it solidly in place...so when I do attempt my doubles the whole thing shakes a bit, making the doubles even harder to execute. I have a feeling this would be a non-issue if I were on a more solid base. Ah well...maybe it'll force me to get better with doubles (and triples, etc.) by not being able to do that. :-\

[ghostman]

So I took it home at lunch and fiddled a little bit. The feel is definitely better than the old one and the fact that there's no more clacking makes it all worth it. Now, one thing that's the same is that there's no 1/2 open or super tight...it's either open or closed. I don't know if that's a limitation of the pedal or the module though. And you still have to anticipate just a bit...you have to open just before your strike if you want an open sound. That's a part of edrums that has always annoyed me because it's not realistic...but such is life...it's a small sacrifice and it just takes a little getting used to.

Another thing that I've noticed, as a general observation, is that the general feel of the hhat and kick pedals is that it's all very spongy and loose and that must be due to the very soft carpet/pad of the room. So if I play a heel up position on either pedal, the heel of the pedal actually raises up a little as the toe of the pedal sinks in. That's very frustrating because I can't get the 'double kicks' that I typically do on the bass (my way of cheating with a single pedal...I throw the whole foot down, landing the first kick and then as I lift the foot off I throw the ball of the foot giving the second kick). Plus, since the kick drum is so small (as compared to acoustics) it doesn't really have any mass to hold it solidly in place...so when I do attempt my doubles the whole thing shakes a bit, making the doubles even harder to execute. I have a feeling this would be a non-issue if I were on a more solid base. Ah well...maybe it'll force me to get better with doubles (and triples, etc.) by not being able to do that. :-\


That's called 'heel toe' and it is a much desired technique. Me, I just have two bass pedals and use the liberally.

I do find that the 'anticipation' for using the open on the hat's is annoying, too.. I find that I really have to think hard - and I have the PinTech hi-hat mount bit. It's great, but not 100%. Better than not having it!!

I don't play on carpet for the sponge factor.. I love my 4x6 plywood sheet - everything screws down, too. no shifting..

[ghostman]

I just got one this weekend - I must have the 'old version' because it has the 'tube' on the front. so far, so good, tho.