Roland Kick Pad

saxophonesultan

Thinking about picking up my first Roland kick pad and building a super-quiet practice setup for a small apartment. I’ve been searching around but still can’t find straight answers on a few beginner-level things. Would love some real-world tips:

Apartment noise: How different is the floor vibration between a KD-10 with a regular pedal, a KD-9, the beaterless KT-10, and the bigger mesh kicks (KD-120/140/180)? In practice, does the KT-10 actually keep the downstairs neighbors happier? Any simple isolation platform ideas that really work?
Double pedal tracking: For faster stuff (say 180-220 bpm), which Roland kick pad tracks the cleanest with a double pedal? What module settings should a newbie start with to avoid double triggers or missed hits (threshold, sensitivity, scan/mask time, retrigger cancel, velocity curve)?
Cross-brand modules: If I plug a Roland kick pad into a Yamaha or Alesis brain, is it basically plug-and-play or do I need to flip polarity/trigger types? Any gotchas with kick inputs specifically?
Beaters and pad wear: Felt vs plastic vs wood beaters-does it noticeably affect sensitivity, rebound, or the life of the pad surface? Any beater styles to avoid on the KD-10/KD-9?
MIDI tricks: Can I use the kick input to both trigger a drum sample and also send a MIDI note to sidechain a compressor or play a simple bass tone in Ableton at the same time? Any latency concerns or routing tips for keeping it tight?
Durability/maintenance: On the KD-10/KD-9, what tends to wear out first in normal use? Are replacement faces or internal foams easy to swap? If buying used, what should I check to avoid a dud (dead spots, flaky sensitivity, rattles)?
Stability without noise: Best way to keep the pad from creeping on hardwood or carpet without adding more thump-anchor screws, velcro, risers, specific mats?

If anyone has A/B recordings of pad noise/vibration (KT-10 vs KD-10, etc.) or tried-and-true module presets for fast double kicks, that’d be amazing.

groovegoddess

Noise/vibration: KT-10 on a small tennis‑ball riser is the least neighbor-angering combo I’ve used. KD-10 is noticeably quieter than KD-9; the big mesh kicks feel best but put a bit more low thump into the floor unless isolated. DIY riser that actually works: two layers of 18 mm plywood, 6-8 tennis balls (or Sorbothane hemispheres) glued to the bottom, thin carpet on top. Keep it small-just big enough for pedal + pad.
Fast double pedal: Cleanest tracking = KD-140/120 (big sweet spot). KD-10 does fine if both beaters hit equidistant from center. Starter settings (Roland brains): Sens 10, Thresh 4, Scan 0.8 ms, Mask 8-10 ms, Retrig Cancel 4-6, Curve Linear or Exp1. If it machine-guns, raise Threshold a hair before cranking Retrig.
Cross-brand: Roland kick pads are just piezo TS, so plug-and-play with Yamaha/Alesis. Set trigger type to generic kick/piezo, start with low gain on Yamaha (hot inputs). No polarity flipping needed on kicks.
Beaters/pad wear: Felt = quietest, friendliest to KD-9/KD-10. Plastic = more click, still safe. Wood = chews KD-10 rubber and KD-9 cloth… unless you like buying parts, skip it. Lighter beaters also reduce floor thump.
MIDI tricks: Yes-send Note 36 to Ableton, duplicate it to a ghost track for sidechain while using the module’s audio for monitoring. Keep the buffer 64-128 samples; use a tiny negative track delay if layering a VST kick to keep phase tight.
Durability/used buys: KD-9 cloth frays first; KD-10 rubber compresses/dents over time. Check for even response across the face, super‑soft hits registering, no internal rattle, and solid spurs. KD-9 heads are replaceable; KD-10 usually means swapping the front assembly.
Stability without extra noise: Drum rug + industrial Velcro under the pedal, small sandbag behind the pad. On a riser, add two Velcro strips and call it a day. No screws unless you want your security deposit to practice a disappearing act.

If you want, I can bang out a quick phone A/B of KT‑10 vs KD‑10 on and off a riser later this week.