BeatIt test: Tama True Touch Training Kit

Upon making the decision to test the Meinl Practice HCS silent cymbal set (see the test: HERE), we immediately thought it would be a good idea to show these cymbals in action together with the Tama True Touch Training Kit. We asked Meinl (the distributor of Tama drums in Europe) to include a testing kit in the package, which they did. Simple as that.

1. Test

We tested the Tama True Touch Training Kit in our new studio, i.e. in an acoustically adapted room. The sound was recorded using a pair of Bayerdynamic TG I53 stereo microphones and a RME ufx+ sound card with its preamps. The low-volume training kit includes the following: a bass drum pad, a snare drum pad and three tom pads. During the test, we also used a set of Meinl Practice HCS cymbals.

2. Basic specs:

6″ bass drum pad
10″ snare drum pad
8″ rack tom pad incl. clamp
8,5″ rack tom pad incl. clamp
9″ floor tom incl. clamp, boom arm and L-rod
Tom stand
SKU:TTK5S

Hi-hat stand, snare stand, cymbal stands, kick pedal and cymbals are not included.

3. Product and sound

Below, we will describe each of the elements of the set tested, but first let us describe the kit as a whole. The buyer receives a very interesting alternative to having to play an acoustic drum kit quietly or practicing on practice pads or electronic drums. Here, we are dealing with a low-volume set that also imitates “real” drums very well. Thanks to a patented system, the snare pad perfectly imitates the feel of playing with snares. You can easily play all kinds of buzz rolls, grace notes and even tremolos. The pad can also be tuned. We really liked the bass drum pad. It gives great feel while playing, and is very stable and solidly made. In our opinion, it is the perfect practice pad for extreme metal drummers (for double-bass playing). The toms, due to the differences in size, sound in intervals and you get the impression of playing real melodies when playing drum patterns. All this makes the kit a drum kit for silent playing, not a practice pad kit. Add to this the clamps and tom stand included in the set and you’re in drumming heaven!

Bass Drum Pad

A compact and sturdy six-inch pad. The use of a special frame allows you to adjust the height of the pad to every foot pedal. The pad also includes a pedal mount. The frame angle adjustment allows the bass drum pedal to touch the floor completely, providing a super solid connection between the pedal and the frame. The batter surface is made of multiple layers of foam material, providing a solid punch with a slight decay. There are 10 vent holes on the back of the bass drum pad to disperse air when the beater strikes. This ensures excellent dynamics and audible bass drum simulation at any playing speed. You can adjust the pad to beater length up/down by 20mm. The pad anchors well, thanks to the wide and elongated two-legged base and the adjustable spikes that eliminate the creeping of the kick drum on carpeted surfaces.

Snare drum pad

10-inch, double mesh snare pad. TAMA uses a multi-layer construction to produce a pad full of sonic nuances. The heavy and durable steel backing plate combined with the disc-shaped hard resin base provides the snare drum with an exceptionally solid foundation and natural feel. The inner resin “socket” contains two different types of foam materials: one with lower density and a harder one. This structure provides springy, yet strong rebound of the stick. We sometimes have the impression of playing a snare drum with a kevlar head (especially with high tuning). The double-ply mesh head’s batter surface is connected to the pad housing by six screws that fine-tune the drumhead from low to mid-high tone. Even buzz rolls on the outer edge have more bounce than those played in the center of the pad. There are more than 100 stainless steel balls between the inner foam and the aluminum plate. These steel balls produce a clean, staccato, clanging snare sound and hit the aluminum plate in a dynamic way – harder strokes result in more snare springs, while softer ones produce less of that sound. This instantaneous response, together with the responsive dynamic articulation, provides highly accurate sensitivity to subtle changes in the dynamics and stick speed.

One should also pay attention to the snare rim, which perfectly stimulates rimshots. The casing of the pad is also designed to eliminate unnecessary vibrations, which are very often caused during longer training sessions. This, in turn, transfers the vibrations to our hands, which causes fatigue of the whole body.

Tom pads

Three sizes, from 8 to 9 inches, generate tonality when playing. The pad surfaces are made of double-layer foam rubber with moderately soft impact response. The drums are attached to the frame using the proven TAMA clamps. The Omni ball-bearing system allows fine adjustment of rotation angle. Flexible positioning of the floor tom is achieved by the multi-function clamp with a long, 30 cm arm.

Hardware

The set includes three mounting clamps, including one with an additional arm for positioning the floor tom pad. All three toms are to hang on a chrome-plated, three-legged stand.

Summary

In our opinion, this is a very interesting low-volume drum set, which emulates traditional drums very well. Playing on this set is anything but boring, which is often the case when practicing on pads. In addition, such a set equipped with low-volume cymbals becomes a full-fledged instrument – quiet, but with all the nuances of an acoustic kit. The price is not very low and oscillates around 600 euros, but considering that we get 5 professional pads, 3 clamps and a tripod, we do not think that the amount asked for this set is excessive. The only thing that is not clear to us is the replacement heads for the tom pads. We don’t really know whether the manufacturer provides for their replacement and what the optimal period of their playability is. We did find a list of spare parts, where the head is listed as a spare part and the symbol TTHT8A1 is mentioned. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a price or offer for this product online.

Here’s the score achieved by the Meinl Practice HCS cymbal pack:

Appearance: 10