Mark Electronic Drum Set

With the market for electronic drum sets running hot, it is no surprise to see a new entrant here in Australia. Mark Drums originate in Italy, and are wholly designed by the company that brought us the Mark Bass amps.
 I spent a weekend recently putting the Mark drums to the test, and my responses were all positive. The kit itself is lightweight, with strong components that make for a very easy set up. Not all electronic kits are easy to configure to one's normal playing set up, but the Mark drums were particularly easy to work with. The connecting leads all use network cable connectors, and with the sounds themselves processed within each pad, the rack has many points of connection, not just one for each pad, so there are lots more set up possibilities here. The cabling is very user, with virtually no 'spaghetti' wiring often found with electronic kits, another big plus in a performance situation. The pads all have mesh heads, and can be tuned to suit one's own preferences in relation to head tension. I found the pads very responsive and their size made them easy to play. They are very durable, with solid rims, and I could quickly get the whole kit to 'feel' like my normal acoustic set up. The kit comes with a hi-hat attachment for use with your normal hi-hat pedal, and the bass drum trigger likewise works with your own pedal. I found both of these very good, with the hi-hat being able to track almost all of my 'normal' movements on this instrument. There are player specific calibrations that you can set for the hi-hat and for the snare drum to immediately get the kit feeling like your own in terms of playability.

In terms of the electronics the Mark drums are aimed at the quality end of the market: 24 preset kits with over 205 different single voices, all of which can be used to create your own user kits. The samples used are first rate and sound excellent! There is a 16 level velocity control function as well that makes for a very 'playable' kit, adaptable to any musical style. The controller interface is also very user friendly, with all functions easily accessed. I could quickly build my own user kit, create loops in real time to play along with, and even found time to explore the velocity settings – with just a short tweak, I could get the snare drum following my every nuance, including flams, drags, and buzzes (one of the best closed roll sounds I have produced on an electronic kit!).

The more creative functions in the controller include Player Immersion, which allows you to adjust the sound of the kit from a listening perspective – you can choose to hear the kit from the audience perspective (out front) or from a player's perspective (behind the kit) or mix them together to get the live sound you really want. There is a Layering function that allows you to add a second sample to the main one (eg adding a hand clap to a snare sample) and there is a Kaleidoscope Function that allows you to combine sample sound variations to create 'continuous moving' sounds. There is a loop function as well and on-board effects. I have used a number of electronic kits over the years teaching in schools, and some recording work too, and the Mark drums stand up as one of the best such kits I have played.