Recording - January 2018 - 39

different synths and devices at the
same time.
About the only thing the BopPad does
not do is assign differing note values
to each quadrant's six zones. In other
words, you cannot trigger multiple notes
or samples by playing different parts of
the quadrant, although this would be
a cool feature in a future update. [KMI
says this is forthcoming.-MM] I should
note that while you can't trigger different
sounds on the zones, you can get different
tones and tuning based on how you
program the BopPad and then how you
push, bend, and slide notes. These are
the features that make the BopPad come
alive, especially when played by hand.
How far you can push a sound depends on how much control is offered in
the instrument itself, not the BopPad. As
mentioned above, if a parameter in the
virtual instrument or drum machine can
be assigned to MIDI, you can trigger effects,
bend notes, change mix and panning,
adjust LFO and modulation, do filter
sweeps and more with ease. Note that
the center of the pad has a MIDI value
of 1 and the outer edge is 127.

I used the BopPad in Cubase 9.5 to
play instruments and drums in Native
Instruments Battery and Kontakt, Steinberg
Groove Agent SE and HALion 6, and my
personal favorites: AAS Chromaphone 2
and the Hand Pan drums in Modartt
Pianoteq 6. The BopPad is a great sound
design tool when used with software instruments; I loved its ability to create sounds
with synthetic held atmospheres and
drones, with or without struck hits.
In every instance I was impressed
by how great the BopPad feels when
played by hand. It's very smooth and
firm, but at the same time it has just
enough subtle sponginess and elasticity.
Unlike the case with many other electronic
drum pads and alternate controllers,
your fingers never feel bunched up or
snagged by the surface.
When the BopPad is played with
sticks, you get a true sense of how fast
it triggers, with tight rolls, paradiddles, and some of the best ghost
notes I have heard/felt. If your virtual
synth and DAW can keep up, it's no
problem for the BopPad. you can use
as many BopPads as your computer has

USB inputs, so it's possible-easy,
actually-to make a BopPad kit!
One last thing to be aware of is how
amazingly the BopPad controls crosstalk,
i.e. accidentally triggering sounds from
other quadrants when struck hard. Thanks
to a parameter called Crosstalk Cancellation,
I found any and all crosstalk to be nil.

Bottom line

The BopPad is a great choice for adding
to a drum kit, for hand percussionists, and
even non-drumming desktop composers
who would rather tap and play drum
sketches than program them. With no
serious competition besides a few microphone/drumhead-based modeling instruments like the original Korg Wavedrum
and ATV A-Frame, this is easily one of the
most expressive drum pad controllers I've
ever played, and its low price of entry
makes it a steal.

PRICE: $199
MORE FROM:
Keith McMillen Instruments,
www.keithmcmillen.com

http://www.keithmcmillen.com http://cras.edu http://cras.edu/gainful-employment

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - January 2018