Mr. Intensity
02-12-2009, 07:03 PM
Alright, so now that I've gotten a chance to put this pad through its paces, I figured it was about time to make a thread about it and let you all have a review from a fellow PDFer.
I've got it broken down into several easy to read sections so you eyes don't scream at you for reading such small text.
Looks:
Right out of the box the pad looks awesome. It's all black and the playing surfaces, both top and bottom are quite shiny. The Offworld logo is nicely printed on the "bottom" part of the pad; kind of like most corps place the drumhead logo closest to the player. The whole pad looks much more tough than a Vic Firth Slim/Stock pad or a HQ Real Feel pad; there's a sense of industrialism to the thing.
Features:
The Offworld pad has three major features to make note of. The first is the playing surfaces; one on top and one on bottom. Both are made of the "space age" material and nearly cover the entire surface of the pad. The bottom surface is unique in that it's a very thin layer of material, about an 1/8 of an inch thick- this makes the bottom side of the pad feel like a Slimpad with the laminate on it. The same playing surface also has a very high grip tolerance- this pad doesn't move at all. I set it on my chest and stood up and the thing just sat there at a vertical to the floor and never moved.
The top playing surface is much thicker, I'm guessing probably around a 1/4 inch or more. This playing surface also features something that no other mainstream pad, save for those old Remo tunables with the plastic ring has- a rim!!! Yes, that's right, the Offworld has a rim that goes all the way around the top playing surface. The height of the rim sits around 1/4"-3/8" which replicates a nicely cranked down marching snare. The rim is not thin though, it's about 3x the width of a traditional rim and is rounded over, so when you do a shot on it, you're not cutting up your sticks. Very nice! :D
Playability/Sound:
This is a loud pad; nowhere near as loud as a Slimpad with the laminate, but it is much louder than a normal pad. I solved the problem by sticking my Real Feel underneath which cut down the volume by about half. The definition of notes is very nice, the low end isn't sacrificed like some pads- you can hear your 1" grace notes just as well as your 18" ups or 24" shots. Everything is very clear when playing, there's no muddying of notes and everything your hands play you hear.
The pad feels very much like a marching snare drum with a kevlar head (White/Black Max; Evans Hybrid; etc) and doesn't tire your hands like the black side of a Real Feel might. After playing for nearly a half hour on the pad, I could transition to the drum without having a period of "pad hand" adjustment. The rebound on the Offworld is awesome as well, your sticks acts as they would on a normal drum which is great for when you're chop building; there's nothing worse than practicing bad technique to get your heights up. I literally could have played for an hour or more and not had any sort of fatigue at all.
Price:
The Offworld costs $59 ($69 with S/H) which is more than a Real Feel or Slimpad, but in the long run, the pros outweigh the cons.
Final Verdict:
I give the pad 5 stars, two thumbs up 10/10, etc... It truly is an excellent pad and has replaced all of my other pads in my arsenal. I would seriously recommend this pad to anyone who is serious about improving their practice habits. However, the pad does cost quite a bit of money, so if you're tight on cash and need a pad, you should look for a cheaper alternative. But, if you can handle the price and truly want to improve your drumming chops- get this pad!!!
If you have any questions or want to know more about certain things with the pad, leave me a question or comment and I'll answer it as soon as I can. Otherwise, visit www.offworldpercussion.com for videos and reviews.
I've got it broken down into several easy to read sections so you eyes don't scream at you for reading such small text.
Looks:
Right out of the box the pad looks awesome. It's all black and the playing surfaces, both top and bottom are quite shiny. The Offworld logo is nicely printed on the "bottom" part of the pad; kind of like most corps place the drumhead logo closest to the player. The whole pad looks much more tough than a Vic Firth Slim/Stock pad or a HQ Real Feel pad; there's a sense of industrialism to the thing.
Features:
The Offworld pad has three major features to make note of. The first is the playing surfaces; one on top and one on bottom. Both are made of the "space age" material and nearly cover the entire surface of the pad. The bottom surface is unique in that it's a very thin layer of material, about an 1/8 of an inch thick- this makes the bottom side of the pad feel like a Slimpad with the laminate on it. The same playing surface also has a very high grip tolerance- this pad doesn't move at all. I set it on my chest and stood up and the thing just sat there at a vertical to the floor and never moved.
The top playing surface is much thicker, I'm guessing probably around a 1/4 inch or more. This playing surface also features something that no other mainstream pad, save for those old Remo tunables with the plastic ring has- a rim!!! Yes, that's right, the Offworld has a rim that goes all the way around the top playing surface. The height of the rim sits around 1/4"-3/8" which replicates a nicely cranked down marching snare. The rim is not thin though, it's about 3x the width of a traditional rim and is rounded over, so when you do a shot on it, you're not cutting up your sticks. Very nice! :D
Playability/Sound:
This is a loud pad; nowhere near as loud as a Slimpad with the laminate, but it is much louder than a normal pad. I solved the problem by sticking my Real Feel underneath which cut down the volume by about half. The definition of notes is very nice, the low end isn't sacrificed like some pads- you can hear your 1" grace notes just as well as your 18" ups or 24" shots. Everything is very clear when playing, there's no muddying of notes and everything your hands play you hear.
The pad feels very much like a marching snare drum with a kevlar head (White/Black Max; Evans Hybrid; etc) and doesn't tire your hands like the black side of a Real Feel might. After playing for nearly a half hour on the pad, I could transition to the drum without having a period of "pad hand" adjustment. The rebound on the Offworld is awesome as well, your sticks acts as they would on a normal drum which is great for when you're chop building; there's nothing worse than practicing bad technique to get your heights up. I literally could have played for an hour or more and not had any sort of fatigue at all.
Price:
The Offworld costs $59 ($69 with S/H) which is more than a Real Feel or Slimpad, but in the long run, the pros outweigh the cons.
Final Verdict:
I give the pad 5 stars, two thumbs up 10/10, etc... It truly is an excellent pad and has replaced all of my other pads in my arsenal. I would seriously recommend this pad to anyone who is serious about improving their practice habits. However, the pad does cost quite a bit of money, so if you're tight on cash and need a pad, you should look for a cheaper alternative. But, if you can handle the price and truly want to improve your drumming chops- get this pad!!!
If you have any questions or want to know more about certain things with the pad, leave me a question or comment and I'll answer it as soon as I can. Otherwise, visit www.offworldpercussion.com for videos and reviews.