Customer Reviews

ION Audio Drum Rocker Rock Band 2 Drum Set

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I searched a long time before deciding to buy this particular drum set. I am a beginning drummer who Has an Acoustic set at Church. I wanted to practice at home but tearing down and lugging an acoustic set of drums home and back every weeek was not going to fly. (and I'm sure my neighbor would not appreciate the loud sound of the drums) So I searched and searched and searched online and at the local music store (who wanted $900 bucks for a similar set) and I made the decision on this one because of the price mainly. I was skeptical at first and kept my receipt and all parts handy just in case i needed to return this and......
The product is great. There are no problems with the wiring or foot pedals or anything. It does not have a "cheap" feeling to it either. physically speaking, it looks like a 500 or even 600 dollar equipment. The only thing that takes it down a notch for me is that you miss having a separate ride pad and crash pad. (they only give you one choice, either a ride or a crash) but fortunately you can buy a separate crash/ride cymbal and install it into the main brain. another disappointment is that it seems that you cannot add a splash cymbal pad if you wanted to. (oh well you can't have it all for this price)
When i practice, i do so in my living room which is not very large. My wife stated that it sounds as if i am striking phone books with drumsticks when i practice with the headphones on. This is a major plus because I have neighbors and i do not want to disturb them with my drumming nor do I want to announce to the neighborhood that I have a drum set in my house. (break-ins) It comes with a port where you can plug in speakers and play out loud also if need be. The variety of sounds are also fun too. I have not ventured deep into what the brain can do but so far I am far form being unimpressed
Even though the price is lower than other drum sets which can cost you 600-1500 and up. This one is not cheaply built. All of the parts and arms and body of the drum set is stable. My curious cats have already tipped it over, but no broken parts or anything like that. Overall I believe that if you are a beginning drummer like myself, this is the perfect low cost quiet set for you.

[...] it wasn't even listed on the Ion Audio website yet, but bought it on a lark. Build is solid. Sound quality is excellent (not quite what a $1500 Roland will provide, but really quite good) with the included headphones (and drumsticks). Control panel is fairly straightforward, but I strongly suggest reading the instructions. Feel of drum surfaces is very good; that of cymbals somewhat rubbery.
I'm not a drummer, but have been a musician for 35 years and wanted something to fool around on without a) annoying everyone in the house and b) having to listen to my two boys bash it to pieces. I've only had it for about 2 weeks, but I'm very pleasantly surprised.
Note: This set appeared on the Ion Audio website about a week after I bought it!

I bought this drum set about 5 weeks ago at the local Wholesale
Membership store due to the Cost, about 2/3 of the quoted price
here on Amazon. The set was on display, and after listening
to the cymbals on the headphones I decided to buy it. I purchased
the set specifically to add a more realistic drum track to my own
music, which I record on a multitrack recorder.

If you read reviews of electronic drums of every price range, there's
a host of problems that can occur, from loosening of the glue that
holds the pads, to broken foot pedals, to malfunctions of the computer
chips and wiring connections. At this price point, I decided I could
take a chance. Included with the set was a very nice Numark 125
headphone, a pair of large unvarnished drum sticks, 2 foot pedals,
4 pads, 2 cymbals, the drum module, and a sturdy PVC frame.

After using the set for several weeks I can say I am quite happy with it
so far. It assembled in about an hour, just using the diagram that came
with it. There is a small chrome wrench included that tightens all the
connections. My wrench is hanging from the frame so I don't lose it.

Initially I had a major problem in that there was no documentation in the
manual or on the ION Audio website of the 108 drum sounds and 15 patterns. The
prospect of scrolling through more than a hundred undocumented numbered
sounds to change the pad sounds seemed absurd.

I tried calling their customer service department, but perhaps due to the
newness of the product, and after a total of 45 minutes of musical hold
(and being transferred to three different people who said they couldn't
help but would transfer me to someone who could) I just hung up the phone.

Then, after two emails through the ION website contact form, and a couple
of additional emails to their customer service department, the ION customer
service reps finally came through and emailed me a list of the sounds and
patterns.

I don't know if this set will last, though it seems quite sturdy to me. I
hope the parts I can't see are as good as the parts I can see. I am
quite pleased with the quality of recordings I have done. As an amateur
musician, and a first time drummer I found the dynamics, sound and no
apparent lag time to be just what I was hoping to get. I did find that
to record direct to the multitrack recorder I needed to use the phones out rather
than the line out. The line out generated a lot of noise into an unbalanced
line in on my multitrack recorder. However the phones out generated a beautiful
clean recording.

I almost did not buy this because there were so many useless reviews, so I'll sum up everything you need to know about the product.
- The assembly is very easy, and fun. I normally don't like putting stuff together, but I had a good time building it.
- All the drums are adjustable to whatever height/angle you want it. (You can set it up for a lefty if you needed to).
- You can make the cymbol a crash or a ride (Both if you buy another cymbol separately). Or a tom can be changed to one of these if you wanted both.
- The pedals stick a little bit. Sometimes when you hit it it will do two beats instead of one, but it doesn't happen a lot.
- It comes with head phones (Pretty good ones), and to hook it up to an amp you need an adapter (Which was $6 for me). I played it through my Ampeg BA-115 Bass amp and it sounded great.
- Extremely durable. I was afraid it wouldn't hold up as well as it does.
- It's very quiet. I was playing with headphones on, and my mom said he could barely hear it when she was in the room.
- When I got it, the bass drum was way too loud and the snare was too low, but each drum can be individually adjusted.

Length:: 5:58 Mins

My video review on the Ion IED12 Pro Drum set.

The add-ons are as follows;
1) Cymbal pad - Ion Cymbal for IED01 and IED04
(has a 3.mm plug/headphone jack input)
[connected with a "Planet Waves 3.5mm Mono To 1/4" Mono Female Pigtail"]

2) Kick drum pad - "Yamaha KP65 Electronic Kick Tower for DTXtreme IIS Kits"

3) Double Bass Pedal - "Sound Percussion Double Bass Drum Pedal"

the kit is being played though my PA, the kit has ONLY 3.5mm outputs! You WILL need a 3.5mm - XLR, 1/4", or RCA plugs cable to connect this to a Mixer or PA system.

First, before I start this review, I'm gonna let you know that I'm a thirteen-and-a-half year old writing this review from my Mom's account (with her permission, of course.) Also, while the description on Amazon says it's a Drum Rocker for Wii, it isn't. This is the Pro Session Electronic Drum Set.
This set is excellent. I'm not a beginning drummer, and this set has pretty much everything i would want in an electronic drum set. It sounds great. Not quite as good as a Roland, but still really good. You can switch between different kits (my favorite's the techno one), and create custom ones.
You can assemble and adjust the set pretty much however you want (you even can assemble it backwards if you're left handed). The drum pads and cymbal pads are of really high quality. They feel a lot like acoustic drums (I know, 'cause I also have an acoustic set), and the pads have REALLY great rebound. I would recommend getting a third cymbal though (if you're anything like me, you can't do without a crash OR a ride cymbal). The Drum Rocker Cymbal Expansion Pack is compatible with this set, and works perfectly. I also think that it's really cool that you can plug an ipod into the module so you can play along with songs. I use that function quite frequently, mainly with songs that don't have any drums in them.
The only (minor) problems with this set, are that it's kind of a pain to assemble, and that the bass pedal double hits sometimes (it happens less and less, as you get used to it, however).
In summary, this set is excellent, and if you're looking for a high quality e-drum set that isn't ultra-expensive, look no further. I HIGHLY recommend it.
By the way, if my overuse of parenthesis bugs you (it can be quite annoying), sorry about that.

I bought this so I could practice without making too much noise. The pads have a nice feel, and the hardware is more then sufficient. The pedals suck though, and I'm thinking about getting a pad that works with a regular drum pedal; the pedals that come with it are switches and feel completely off. For the price though, it is great. I wouldn't use it to play live, but I am considering it as an electronic attachment to an acoustic percussion set.

I bought this drum set for my son who is moderatey mentally handicapped but musically inclined. He loves it and has hours of fun and exercise playing to his favorite songs on his I pod. He uses the head phones so it is very quiet except for the tapping sound of the sticks hitting the pads which is tolerable. It actually is fun for everyone in the family because even if you do not play the drums, you can invent some great riffs of your own! It is well made, easy to set up and has quality sound. Be aware tho that you cannot hear the drums outside the headphones unless you connect it to an amp. My son has a small amp from his inexpensive electric guitar that works well for this but it is sounds better through the head phones. It's easy to connect your ipod or mp3 player to the unit so you can play along with music. It also has pre recorded music to teach you how to play. The sounds from each pad can be easily modified on the control unit so the possibilities are endless for all kinds of music from classic rock drum sounds to crazy electronic sounds. All the pads are adjustable and can be put at different heights and angles to accomidate most preferences. This is a great product that brings out the creative side of anyone who sits down at it. I highly recommend it for everyone that has ever wanted to play the drums like a rock star! I also got the recommended drum stool with this which was only 30 bucks and well worth it. My 175 pound son sits on it with no trouble. Sturdy and comfortable. We love this and it was a big Christmas hit! Amazon shipped fast and had the best price.

Call me disappointed. The hardware seems well-put together, but the electronics has some serious bugs.

Setting up the drum kit went reasonably smoothly, and everyone in the family enjoyed banging on the set. Soon, however, my sharp-eared boy noted that a low lengthy hiss followed every strike on the pads or pedals. It wasn't enough to materially hinder the fun of playing, especially through the speakers we set up, but I suspect it would really get in the way of using this supposedly "Professional" set to make even an an amateur recording.

Soon thereafter, one of the kick pedals stopped working properly. Some simple diagnostics confirmed that the problem lies not the pedal itself, but rather the electronics. Ion Audio's website offered nothing to help me figure out a cure; there's not a trouble-shooting guide to be found, there.

I conclude that either I got a defective set or that they all suffer from a poor design. I'll try swapping out the present unit for a replacement (thank goodness for Costco's return policy), but the fact that I have to resort to such efforts already indicates a serious problem. I wouldn't buy this drum set if given a second chance.

When this item was ordered, the description, cost and pictures did not match. ION was kind enough to take the order back but I was disappointed due to the fact I could not get the item advertised.