DIY Week: Pt 2: Homemade robot drummer

It's currently under attack from a horde of slashdot traffic, but you should still be able to witness P.E.A.R.T, the robotic drumkit inspired by Rush drummer/Ayn Rand enthusiast/travel writer Neil Peart (that's him in the picture, not the robot). The best bit of the site is the video clip showing P.E.A.R.T playing Silverchair's 'Tomorrow' along with a couple of the Uni of Louisiana students who built it. Interestingly, what it proves is that crappy MIDI drum patterns sound as crappy through a real drum kit as they do through your soundcard.
DIY WEEK CONTINUES - CLICK FOR PART 3

Posted by Tom Whitwell.

Comments:

I am one of the guys that built this thing (Frank Graffagnino). I know it has its limitations, but c'mon... it has got to sound better than MIDI through your soundcard... doesn't it?

If you don't think so, at least tell me it is more exciting.

FG

# posted by

Frankie : 12:58 am

sorry frank.
its crap.
its not very funky..you need to make it get stuff a bit wrong and get it to forget to turn up to band practice,and when it does turn up, to have forgotten its sticks / cymbals etc

then it will be a real drummer.

x

# posted by

Anonymous : 4:34 am

frankie, I think it's a damned cool concept and robot, but of you want theat real drummer sound, you're gonna have to give it some alchohol or drugs.

# posted by

Anonymous : 6:49 am

Frankie again...

well, the point wasn't to make a drummer... it was to make something different. It should sound like a drummer, yes, but the goal is not to replace human drummers: the goal is a replacement for MIDI drums.

I'll work on the drugs and see what I can come up with...

FG

# posted by

Frankie : 5:45 pm

Cool Idea but came out sound awful. Sry dude

# posted by

Anonymous : 5:23 pm

I think it's kind of cool, maybe an improvement could be allowing velocity control of the hits though.

# posted by

Anonymous : 3:14 pm

I think it's really cool. I'd like to have one.

Frankie's got the whole point: the idea is not to substitute a real drummer, but to make the best-sounding MIDI drum machine possible. I think he achieved this goal.

# posted by

Locadora do Werneck : 1:57 pm

Some decent microphone placement and proper compression, etc., would really help in the sound quality on the videos...

Nice job though

# posted by

Anonymous : 2:16 am

I cant believe they get any credit here! how about captured by robots! way more interesting and puts to shame this project!

# posted by

Anonymous : 12:08 am

Hi guys ,check out the awesome robotdrummer from Robocross.It kicks ass

# posted by

Anonymous : 4:38 pm