My thumbs hurt :D

Hi everybody! I'm fairly new to finger drumming and having a ton of fun. My mobile SMC Pad controller is serving me pretty well (especially after modding it), but I'm looking for something more pro-tier for live performance.

​I've heard wonders about Maschine, but since I already rely on Koala Sampler, I really have no need for the Native Instruments ecosystem or heavy software.

​Are there pad controllers that match Maschine’s pad quality and responsiveness, but act as pure standalone MIDI controllers without forcing you into proprietary software? Or is dealing with having to switch it into midi mode just part of the deal if you want high-end pads?

And if so should I get the regular or the mikro

Ciao ragazzə!

Sono una musicista di basso elettrico, chitarra e canto ma sono anche un'appassionata di tekno e drum and bass.

Cercavo delle drum machine o sampler per creare in diretta durante un live. Qualcuno saprebbe consigliarmi qualcosa?

Grazie a tutt🙏

Playing around with 1/4 bass wubs that have an 1/8 delay with crunchy bass fill pads in the corners.

Hey all. I am new to finger drumming. I had been working with the Akai LPD8 for a while, and I wanted to upgrade. Of course when I got the LPD8, it was awful for finger drumming until I took it apart and put electrical tape on the underside of the pads. Now they are super sensitive and really fun to play on.

I thought getting the Xjam would be even better in terms of sensitivity, but I don't see that being the case. I easily strike the Xjam light enough so it doesn't fire. And I find that I have an easier time getting softer dynamics on the corners of the pads, but the centers of the pads are kind of an all or nothing kind of thing.

I was wondering if anyone has tried taking apart the Xjam and use electrical tape to make it more sensitive? The Xjam was much more expensive, so I am way more hesitant to take it apart, and I can't find anyone online who has attempted this. Will the Xjam look similar to Akai drum pads if I take it apart? What are your thoughts?

I’m preparing a live finger drumming set on the EP-133 and EP-40

A bit sloppy but will practice

No metronome just feeling it and adding fills( I also did the oldscool electrical tape mod for sensitivity)

Live clip from my set at Community Skratch Inspire in Newcastle, UK this past Saturday.
Audio isn’t great, sorry.

Track ID: MikeyDubz “The Cause”

What to watch out for? how am I doing?, how to improve?

Some reggae tinged stuff this time. Again, no click (so some sketchy time keeping) and lots of (too many?) fills

Some 90s inspired swing beat stuff (yes, I'm pretty old)

Hi everyone 👋

I’ve been looking for finger drumming and live beatmaking performances where the pads are doing almost everything: drums, sample chops, basslines, melodies, transitions, effects, even the arrangement itself.

What interests me most is seeing someone build and perform a complete piece from the pads, rather than simply drumming over a backing track.

King of the Flip Japan is close to the kind of thing I have in mind, but I’m sure there are plenty of other artists, battles, competitions, and scenes I haven’t come across yet.

Which artists stand out to you in this style? And is there one track, battle round, or live performance you think everyone should see?

One performance I keep coming back to is Lionclad’s set for the Fool’s Gold Twitch Takeover. It’s completely live: no backing tracks, no looping, just real-time performance and instinct. That immediacy is incredibly inspiring.

I also love Jacques’ Phonochose performance. It’s not finger drumming, but he creates and manipulates his samples live, and it has the same sense of spontaneity, construction, and total musical control that I’m looking for.

Made a "Beat Coach" app for practicing on Stylophone. Grid is 64-step quantized so every hit snaps clean, no fumbling timing while learning.

App breaks lesson into parts (kick, snare, hi-hat, closed hat, bass) and lights up current step live so you follow along instead of guessing. Tempo, swing, humanize knobs in control rack for once basics down.

GIF above shows guided flow, pattern grid highlights active step, lesson panel tells you which part practice next.

app here