FGDP-50 for learning songs

Finger Drumming Gear / Software / Setup
1

I consider buying FGDP-50 primarily for learning new songs. I expect that its standalone nature will help me practice more frequently.

My current learning routine includes

  1. Prepare and load a drumless and an original track to a DAW.
  2. Setup AD2, choose a preset.
  3. Setup a pad layout, assign custom samples.
  4. Tune pad curves to get reliable dynamics.
  5. Practice drum grooves with metronome @ 50% bpm, increasing tempo by 5%. Use an original track for reference.
  6. Switch from a metronome to a backing track @ 80% bpm. Loop specific sections of a song.
  7. Play the whole song with a drumless track. Reach confidence @ 100% bpm.

Based on your experience with FGDP-50 could you say how easy it is to

  1. Prepare backing tracks and load them.
  2. Change pad sample from sticks to claps.
  3. Edit hi-hat or snare pad curves to get reliable ghost notes.
  4. Setup a pad to choke cymbals.
  5. Change a tempo of a backing track.
  6. Loop a specific section of a backing track.
  7. Adjust drum kit volume relative to a backing track.
2

So what I would do is play backing tracks from another speaker from my phone tbh. They have to be a very specific format to work with the FGDP and I found it annoying to get them to work.

The backing tracks you manually load into the system also cannot be made into sections for as far as I know. Only the built in songs have sections. So again, having some sort of app on you phone that can loop a section of a song might just be the best option here.

Reliable ghost notes will also be hard. The lowest pad trigger treshold sometimes just isn’t there like it is on the Maschine units. I did get used to it and it works for me now but mostly because I play slightly differently.

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3

It might now seem as if I hate the FGDP units. I don’t, I play the FGDP’s every day! I personally just practice smaller things on them, not full songs. I greatly improved going from a beat into a fast fill for example. I also improved my hand independence.

So I love the FGDP units. If I would play a full drum cover I would still go to my computer setup.

4

Sharing my thoughts after a month of everyday practicing.

Note “a month of everyday practicing”. A portability is a key feature of this device. A good half of these practicing sessions were outside of my desk: outdoors, while waiting for an appointment, during a break at work.

Practicing itself can be divided into two steps:

  1. Practicing with metronome
  2. Practicing with a backing track

Practicing with metronome doesn’t require any additional tools. I couldn’t find an option to make the first beat of metronome of a different sound - all beats sound the same. But this is a minor thing.

For backing track practicing you need a mobile app that plays a backing track and makes it possible to slow it down.
I chose moises.ai because

  • it has mobile and web apps,
  • stem separation (isolate drums)
  • generated click track (paid feature)
  • easy way to repeat song sections (paid feature)

I think you can import up to 4 songs a month for free. It covers almost all my needs in practicing.
A smartphone is connected via AUX in and you are ready to go in seconds.

Notes

  1. I do not understand the battery charge indication of this device. It blinks with blue when battery is low, I believe, but I always miss that. Now I carry a small power bank with me.
  2. I still cannot get used to sensitivity. Spline curves make things better but hits are not reliable sometimes.
  3. Tom layout is convenient. Before I tried to re-orchestrate tom fills to avoid finger crossings. Now I can play close to an original version.
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5

If you give a short click on the power button, it will tell you the battery as a percentage on the screen. Might make it easier to charge before it’s completely depleted.

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