My name is Robert Hall, and I'm the owner of TheStepKidsBand.com. As a professional musician for over 20 years, I'm here to help for any instrument or recording equipment questions!
PocketDrum – As the name suggests – is a portable drum set that fits in your pocket. You can relate to it as a kind of air drumming.
This drum set consists of portable drumsticks that connect to the App through Bluetooth.
PocketDrum can be connected to the official AeroBand App and GarageBand app and allows you to play a rhythm without disturbing your neighbors.
With PocketDrum, you can jam out or learn the basics during your free time. The vibrating response of the drumsticks gives you the feel of playing on a real bass drum.
The AeroBand app offers access to a closed hi-hat, crash cymbal, snare, high tom, bass drum, with cymbals and cowbell in development.
Besides, these sticks can also pick up the force or intensity with which you are hitting. They also provide feedback based on the bounce of the real drum.
The information is converted into vibrations in the stick, which creates a suitable sound in your headphones.
Manufacturer
AeroBand is the brand behind this product. AeroBand is a smart-device company that aims to bring music for everyone.
The company was established in Jan 2016. In the years 2017 and 2018, they produced PocketGloves and ProductGuitar, respectively. AeroBand made a PocketDrum prototype in August 2019, and the production of the finalized product started in September 2019.
Their team consists of a hardware project manager with ten years of experience, three hardware developers, four software developers, and a project manager responsible for the product quality and is very stringent about it.
AeroBand says that PocketGuitar fans – their first product – also provide useful suggestions that help them to improve the products.
Specifications
- Length: 35cm
- Stick Weight: 100g/Stick
- Dimensions: 13.39 x 0.67 x 0.67 inches
- Battery Capacity: 700 mAh/Stick
- Battery Type: Lithium Polymer
- Working Temperature: 0°-50°
- Connection Method: Bluetooth connection with an official application
- Wireless connection
- 3 modes of app control
- Rechargeable Built-in Battery Powered
Features
You can instantly connect PocketDrum to a phone table through Bluetooth 4.0. If you connect your headphones, it will be a noiseless drumming experience.
Besides, the drumsticks are very light, about 100 g per stick.
The drumsticks also come with a pre-recorded music track, built-in speakers, and play with built-in rhythms so that you can utilize the air drumsticks to their fullest.
The product uses an inertial A.I. chip and a new space calculating algorithm to function.
Some features that excited us are:
- 4.0 Bluetooth technology that is super-fast without any latency
- Works with AeroBand and GarageBand Apps
- Noiseless drumming as you can hear it through headphones
- Three modes; Tutorial mode, free mode, and game mode
- Lightweight drumsticks that can be played anywhere anytime
- Vibrating motors in drumstick provide a sensation of that hitting real drums
Camera or Surface Not Needed
PocketDrum is unique as you won’t require a surface to set it or a camera to use it. Other similar products, such as AeroDrums, require a webcam to use it.
So, PocketDrum is easier to use in these terms.
Extended Battery Life
You may have rightly guessed that PocketDrum runs on batteries. AeroBand clams that you can play this drumkit for ten hours with a single charge. We feel that this is an excellent duration.
Latency
The latency of PocketDrum is very low and comes at just 6ms of delay, which is negligible.
P.S: Any latency below 10 ms is undetectable by drummers. Only when the latency goes beyond 15 ms is a significant problem.
The Kick Drum
Many of you may be wondering how to trigger the kick drum. (To be honest, we had the same question)
We don’t know how you feel about drumming apps that compelled you to tap on the kick drum, but we are not a fan of it.
We were happy to find that AeroBand has changed its Pocket Guitar to a foot sensor.
The only catch here is that you have to get both the foot sensor and sticks.
Sound
The PocketDrum team has included both musical and technological professionals to get a realistic sound from this product.
Remember, we told you that the PocketDrum offers you to play the closed hi-hat, crash cymbal, snare, high tom, and bass drum.
You can curate different sounds by changing force levels. The force and intensity with which you play will influence the sound of each instrument you play.
Ah, the best thing.
While you snap the drumstick to make a hit, LED moves to the front as the motor vibrates, which gives the needed response.
This means that similar to vibrations, the lights dynamically indicate the intensity of your drumming. It glows brighter if you hit harder and less bright if you play it softly.
- Accurate sensors
- Negligible latency
- Noiseless
- Portable drum set
- Just needs Bluetooth 4.0 and an App to get started
- Three modes; Tutorial mode, free mode, and game mode
- Vibrating sensors give you a feel of playing on an actual drum
- Available sounds are closed hi-hat, crash cymbal, snare, high tom, and bass drum.
- A little costly
- May not be suitable for experienced drummers
- Limited available sounds
Should You Buy it?
Now, this depends on the reason for which you are buying this product. Other factors that influence this decision are:
- Your drumming experience
- The amount that you are ready to shell out
- Features you are looking for
PocketDrum has an electrifying concept and could be enjoyed by young drummers. However, it may not be innovative for experienced drummers.
If you are an advanced drummer, you may feel that the drum set is novel but not conducive to learning as there are no surfaces to play or feel one.
The price is also a tad high. Although the portable nature of this noiseless drum set is enticing, it’s hard to justify the cost of the product.
Besides, you cannot connect the drumstick to a digital audio workstation through wireless Bluetooth MIDI, a feature that might be present in other similar products.
Lastly, PocketDrum may not be appropriate for actual drummers. Kids or hobbyists may have more fun in using this product than anyone.
So, if you are planning it to purchase the PocketDrum to pursue your drumming hobby or for your kid, it may be an excellent option for you.
There are not many products with similar features that are as famous as PocketDrum.
Is it possible to connect or cast PocketDrum on a TV?
Right now, this function is not available. The manufacturer says that they are developing this function and will be available then. You will be able to update it using the App.
Is there a reset button on this product in case it freezes? I mean, if the power button doesn’t respond on being pushed and light is on
The power button is the reset button. You can connect the power to charge the drumsticks or press the power button long enough to reset. Manufacturers claim that all their products pass the safety test before they reach you, and they have not received complaints about crashing.
I want to learn how to play drums. I am a beginner with no experience. Is PocketDrum suitable for me?
Yes, this product is suitable for beginners as the AeroBand App comes with a teaching mode. You can follow instructions in the App and learn to play drums easily.
Final Thoughts
New generation drummers are lucky as they have access to various types of drums, such as electronic and noiseless, due to advance in technology. PocketDrum is one such unique product that uses technology so that you can carry your drum set in a pocket (literally!).
You just need a device with Bluetooth 4.0 and an app to get you started.
PocketDrum is noiseless and portable drum set The use of headphones makes this product noiseless. The best part is that the vibrations give you a feel of playing on real drums. LED lights also glow while drumming that resembles the intensity of your playing.
However, it may not be an excellent drumming experience for an experienced percussionist. It is also costly.
PocketDrum can be a good option if you want to learn the basics. It is also a good gift option for a friend or teenager who is looking to start playing the drums.
Happy Drumming!
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