One of the biggest challenges electronic drum makers face is recreating the feel of an acoustic drumset. This is because the electronic tiggers can't have repeating vibration waves (or resonance) in order to work right. Drum head surfaces and cymbals therefore end up less responsive than their acoustic counterparts.
Well Rhythm Electronic Technology Percussion (RET Percussion) has solved this age old problem with design innovations in the drum pads and cymbals. The following sections explain each technology, then you check out the latest electronic drumsets offered by RET Percussion.
NS2™ Triggering System
The best way to get real drum head feel is to use a real drum head. Who woulda thunk? Apparently not too many others. RET does exactly this! They use real drum heads for natural attack and response. The NS2™ (Natural Series 2) triggering system offers the same feel as an acoustic kit, but with the sounds and benefits of an electronic kit. Their unique muffling system cuts stick noise levels by 60 decibels and gives the drummer more natural dynamics and stick bounce.
As discussed in other areas on DrumJunction.com, electronic drums and cymbals can have multiple triggers to simulate the dynamics of acoustic drums. RET provides dual triggers on every one of their toms and snare- On every model!
On a final note, RET Percussion uses Neutrik locking connectors for the cables to securely fasten to the triggers.
Smartrigger Cymbals
To achieve a 'real' cymbal feel, RET Percussion uses Smartrigger™ Cymbals on each of their drumsets.
Instead of using gum rubber or some form of plastic, they use real metal! The trick is that they are made using a real brass alloy cymbals laminated to a special sound dampening layer to provide a realistic attack and response while being quite.
There are a few additional features of the Smartrigger cymbals that I would like to point out before moving on to the drumsets.
The first is that the 13" Smart crash cymbal is chokeable. The second is that the 16" ride cymbal has stick position sensing. This results in a very natural sound change when playing on different areas of the cymbal.
Finally we have the hi hat. It is the most versatile electronic hi hat I've seen. If your goal is ease of setup and portability, RET Percussion provides an arm to mount the hi hat cymbal to the drum rack. The two cymbals stay pressed together and the open/closed effect is obtained with a Roland compatible pedal (such as the Roland FD-7).
However, if you prefer to use the hi hat cymbals on a regular hi hat stand, they can be placed on a regular hi hat stand to behave exactly like acoustic hi hats! This is best accomplished by using the Visu-Lite RHC-100 which can be purchased from any Pintech dealer.
The picture to the left show how the Visu-Lite RHC-100 mounts onto a hi hat stand. It uses two clamps, one on the verticle tube and one onto the pedal's chain.
There is a wire and spring inbetween which creates the up and down difference in the controller as you depress the hi hat pedal. The controller is contained in a black box attached to the top clamp. This piece contains the variable slide switch that creates the opn/closed control signal.
You connect a 1/4" cable from this controller to the Hi Hat Control input on your module.
OK, now let's take a look at the latest electronic drum models offered by RET Percussion....
NS2 PRO
Talking about the different models is very simple because the ONLY difference in the NS2 PRO and the PRO-CX / PRO-EX is that the later two have add-ons (i.e. cymbals, toms). Otherwise, each model comes with the same equiment and features.
Every RET drumset uses hand stained 5" X 13" maple shells that come in your choice of six colors. All toms are dual triggered, and the Smartrigger Cymbals are used on every kit.
Here's a picture of the NS2 PRO electronic drumset along with a list of features given below:
Each of the drum sets include all needed cables, the only thing you need to provide is the electronic drum module of your choice and a bass drum pedal. Although the RET Percussion drum sets are compatible with all modules, be sure to use a module that supports dual triggers for both toms and cymbals. A complete review of drum modules can be read HERE.
Finally, RET Percussion backs up every drum set with a 1 year custom shop warranty. This is truly unheard of, but definitely welcomed.
NS2 PRO-EX
The PRO-EX model keeps the same number of cymbals as the CX model, but another tom is added, making this a six piece kit. In order to fit the extra tom on the drum rack, a longer expansion arm is used.
As mentioned in the specifications above, RET Percussion offers six custom stains to choose from. Three of the colors are shown in the pictures above, however the palatte below displays all six. Also remember that since RET is a custom shop, they can create any stain you'd like for a slight extra charge.
The word superior comes to mind when looking at everything RET Percussion offers with their custom electronic drum sets. You get real drum heads, real cymbals, beautifully stained maple shells that can be done in custom colors, and heavy-duty hardware. Expect to pay anywhere from $2,000 to $4,000 USD for a RET kit, depending on the setup of course. RET Percussion's website lists dealers in the U.S.
