The traditional drum set is one of the least portable musical instruments, which is why beginners are usually left with practice pads while their bandmates are out wooing tone deaf chicks just by showing up with a guitar and unwashed clothes. This portable drum set could change all that if it became a real product.
Industrial designer Kevin Depape is the one who came up with the set, which he calls the Y-Drum. It consists of 9 pads, 2 cymbals, a Bluetooth module and a companion app, either mobile or desktop. Just lay out the pads, link them to the app, select a drum kit and you’re ready to practice. All of the hardware is stored in a box that doubles as an amplifier.
I like how the drumsticks are used as the handle of the box. Clever.
It sounds like it would be a blast to own, but Yanko Design commenter the great vashhhnu points out a possible flaw: the user can’t just play it on any surface, not unless they’re okay with shoulder pains. It may not be much of an issue if you’re just going to whack on one of the pads for 15 minutes, but for extended sessions, the great – and helpful – vashhhnu suggests either including pedestals for the Y-Drum or requiring the user to find a knee-high surface for the pads to minimize pain and the risk of injury.
You can read more a bit more about the Y-Drum on page 25 of Kevin’s Issuu portfolio.
[via Yanko Design & Kevin Depape]
