DJs, when performing a set, use a variety of different buttons, pads, knobs, and more. These can range from FX knobs, and performance pads EQ filter knobs, to even different sliders and faders that controlled how much of what was heard from one track over the other.
But, let’s talk Drum pads! Do DJs use drum pads when they are performing?
Do DJs Use Drum Pads? (in short)
Drum pad controllers essentially allow a DJ or LIVE performer to create different beats entirely on their own, without a prerecorded track to play with or alter. Drum pads are an incredibly useful item that many artists use to develop their melodies and add sound elements over a preexisting track.
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What Does a Drum Pad Do?
Drum pad machines essentially allow you to create music quickly and easily with only a few clicks of a button.
There, it lets you put together your beats, loops, and song melodies, making every other aspect of DJing much easier and more readily unique.
Drum pads and drum pad machines often come with a variety of different-colored buttons, each having its own specific and particular sound throughout the music creation process.
These pads can also be assigned and reassigned based on what sound you want coming out of the respective pad and can be done using your DJ software.
Should You Use a DJ Drum Pad?
When becoming a DJ, one of the core goals is to mesmerize your audience with the way you control and manipulate music.
As with any other musical artist or performer, being able to convey the right sound at the right time is paramount to holding the listener “in your spell”. This is something that all the best DJs do, and one effective way they do this is by using the drum pad.
Because of its innate versatility, drum pads do far more than “just” create drum beats.
Many modern iterations also have MIDI triggering tools while others can perform bass lines, activate 808 beats, or access song parameters.
Simply put, while you don’t need to use drum pads to be a DJ, you should ideally use them if you want to become an exceptional one.
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Common Drum Pad Setups
Because DJs are all different, not every single setup will be the same or have the same sounding outcome.
For example, the “Roland SPD-Style” drum pads are very different from the “Push-Style” drum pads.
Here are some of the most common setups you’re likely to start playing around with before finding the one that is right for you.
Setup #1. The Roland SPD-Style
We mentioned this method before and it’s good to talk about it in more depth here.
The Roland SPD pad setup is known for being a fairly straightforward setup that doesn’t stray from its inherent form. It does have a MIDI trigger mechanism in place if you’re interested in getting a bit more technical, but it makes it a point of pride to be considered simplistic by nature.
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Setup #2. MIDI Fighter-Style Controller
The second setup acts more like an old-school arcade controller design.
No, it’s not going to have that same “natural” feeling as the Roland pad setup, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. In exchange, the MIDI Fighter-Style controller has a great deal more triggers and lighting options than the Roland controller, and is much smaller and more on the eccentric side, something that many DJs prefer overall.
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Setup #3. Ableton Push-Style
Lastly, there is the Ableton Push controller option. This drum pad feature is an incredibly powerful device that works as a fully functional performance hub.
Where the Roland and the MIDI Fighter push pads are great for people starting, the Push-Style setup is often used by professional DJs due to its extensive features and properties.
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Do DJs Use Drum Pads? Takeaway
We finish with our ‘do DJs use drum pads’ takeaway. When it comes to drum pads, they are an incredibly important and useful method of upping any DJ performance. They can be used, in their simplest form, as a way to simply help add beats to a track you’re creating.
On the other side, drum pads can be used alongside MIDI controls to completely alter what you’re audience will be listening to.
Focusing on getting, using, and mastering the drum pad machine should be a top priority for virtually every DJ that has mastered the fundamentals of DJing and is looking to progress to the next stage of proficiency.
Happy drumming!
Read this next: How to Make A Drum Beat From Scratch
