Following a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2016, controller specialist Keith McMillen Instruments is giving a full release to BopPad, a new 'smart' fabric drum pad.
Designed for drummers, percussionists and producers, this promises accurate hit detection (a latency figure of less than three milliseconds is quoted) and is velocity- and pressure-sensitive, while also offering continuous radius control. BopPad's surface can be divided into quarters, making it possible to assign four different sounds for kit-style playing, and can be hit with sticks or your hands.
The 10-inch pad is said to have a traditional feel and offer plenty of scope for expression, with its small size and light weight meaning meaning that you can stick it in a bag and take it anywhere. It hooks up to your PC, Mac or iOS device over USB, and settings can be made in the BopPad Editor software. There are also plans to support the Web MIDI and Web Audio APIs, opening up the possibility of linking BopPad to your web browser.
Find out more and get your order in on the Keith McMillen Instruments website. The BopPad costs $199.
