This video, via LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER, demonstrates how to create low-budget Kraftwerk style drum pads, using batteries, tin foil and glue.
Here’s the completed drum pads in action:
Here’s the video summary:
Some people asked how to make the tinfoil drum pads in one of my videos. so just made an Art Attack style how to. these pads should work with most synths/drum machines or whatever you have that have gate/trigger ins.
3 x AA batteries. tinfoil. gaffatape and the rest is up to you.
like modular, maybe an ARTURIA micro brute or something similar like an KORG odyssey or something.
**start with 3 batteries, if it isn’t triggering chances are there isn’t a good contact somewhere.
but if your sure of it, maybe put another battery in the row, but don’t go over 4 then you might be in sketchy breaky territory. the power they send out is pretty low because of the crappyness of tinfoil. so there won’t be any casualties.
if your a bit worried about that then put a 1k resistor between the positive side of the battery and the drum wire, but everything your plugging it into will have protection incase something goes wrong anyways. but don’t plug up too many batteries or you might start a synth fire, no one wants that.**
awesome, gonna try that when I get a free day
Excellent performance.
Taping everything together will work for like one day. But its certainly an easy plan.
There’s ways kids make velocity drum pads using piezo elements (that can be gotten cheaply)– doesn’t take much more work than this one, and could probably even be taped together, but even with soldering it’s not too tricky, just need to avoid over-heating the piezo silver side.
Wicked Performance! Gotta try this one rainy day