Have you customized pad velocity settings or do you went with the defaults? At least for the kick drum, I found it hard to get consistent sounds out of it and added at least an Offset 3 setting on it. Actually this is similar to what you recommend to also do with Addictive Drums 2 in a video.
I did not get any better results with other pad curves. I do find that I play differently on this than on my Maschine (not consciously but just because my brain seems to know how hard to hit stuff in order to hear the right thing) and that seems to make a bigger difference than adjusting any settings.
I must admit there are a lot of different settings and itās hard to figure them all out. There is this threshold setting for example that seems to apply to either aftertouch or another pad function but it does not seem to apply to the trigger sensitivity of a normal hit. I found myself adjusting things, not noticing an improvement and then resetting everything and then just playing and getting used to the thing.
Ok, thanks - thatās interesting. Yes, I was also quite overwhelmed with the many options you have and how distributed they are in various menu structures.
The two things that stuck with me: Applying Offset where I had the feelin that I want to reduce the overall dynamic range. And then adjusting the ADGain values to make the pads a bit more sensitive.
Your funk demo sounds cool 
Nice playing!
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Yeah that makes senseā¦ for me the dynamic range is already a bit small and Iām only struggling with the trigger sensitivity with very soft hits. Thereās not that much that can be done about that I think, also because I already notice some ghost triggers sometimes so setting that threshold even lower will probably make the device freak out.
I wonder what the Maschine mk3 people did to make those pads so sensitive without the ghost triggers. Thereās some pretty smart stuff going on on that circuit board.
Hey Robert,
Just dropped by to sincerely thank you to keep doing these, even though I miss the lives, from time to time I try to catch up.
Thanks
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Iāve been watching this exchange with interest since its inception, as Iām looking to get started in finger drumming and was quite excited to learn of the introduction of Yamahaās new dedicated finger drumming devices. I will certainly await Robertās full review of the two devices, but frankly after reading through these exchanges Iām strongly leaning towards sticking with his recommendation to choose the Maschine Mikro. I can certainly see the appeal of having a device at the ready that doesnāt require a computer, but it would seem that this would be a more sensible option for someone who has already developed a reasonable level of skill. For someone with no prior experience, it would seem that it would be significantly better to learn on a device based on a widely accepted pad format for which learning material is already available. That plus the fact that the Mikro has such highly regarded pads makes it seem like the obvious choice.
I hope to release my review on Monday, so it wonāt be long!
The mikro mk3 seems to be still going strong. I must have tested 4 units by now, years apart in manufacturing date and they were all good. I did hear about some bad unit out there I must admit, so if you buy one and it doesnāt seem that great at all, consider swapping it out!
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You made another good point by the way, which is the fact that this unique FGDP layout might disappear if Yamaha ever discontinues these devices. A 4x4 pad controller will never disappear since there will always be some manufacturer making them.
My review video is published!
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Nice review!
I can relate to everything you said. Except that I did find the USB port useful, as you can use it to export and re-import your settings (and therefore create a backup). And you can also use it to import custom samples, which I assume will be very relevant to some people.
But if there were an editor software, this could also all be done via the regular USB connection, I assume.
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Yeah itās not like those extra features arenāt useful itās just that they would not convince me to pay almost double the price. The lack of a screen and not enough memory does though
Great review.
Very happy to see you exploring and having fun with digital kits. New drum N Bass / Dubstep lesson coming??? 
I have a question: do you know if itās possible to sequence the FGDP-50 using the Launchpad pro mk3?
I couldnāt find any video about sequencing the FGDP-50 other than this one, where the FGDP is sequenced by a DAW, but I assume that if a DAW can do it, so can another hardware midi controller like the Launchpad.
I was wrong, ignore this
I honestly donāt think these devices have a MIDI input. Also not when hooked up via usb. I have not ever been able to send a midi note in there and that it then was played with an onboard sound.
You can record the audio of the device and then play it back through the speakerā¦ but that is not sequencing. Thatās just using a crappy speaker as your audio output
Ah no ok oops, I figured it out. You can sequence from your DAW!
I donāt really know if midi over usb is the same as a regular midi message thoughā¦ it could be possible.
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MIDI over USB use the official MIDI protocol yes. It is just āfasterā .
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This could actually be a YouTube video idea, since no-one else has done it yet, and a video that would appeal to a new crowd.
Using the Launchpad Pro Mk3 to step sequence the Yamaha FGDP-50 (if possible), but there is a learning curve that might not be worth the time 
Iām a total n00b at that kinda stuff 
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Unfortunately, I sent back my FGDP-50 so I cannot try it out. But it should be simple, if the FGDP can play the notes from MIDI in.
First, you need to create a MIDI layout that follows the 4x4 conventions. By default it uses the GM Drums, which are āall over the placeā.
Then use a DAW or some software that can route MIDI from one devices output (Launchpad) to the other devices input (FGDP). Now you should be good to go.
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I actually meant to use both the Launchpad and the FGDP as stand alone devices - no computer involved at all - to do this:
The Launchpad has a 32-step sequencer and allows to have up to 4 tracks.
But the Launchpad uses Jack 3.5mm for midi connection, so I guess a cable like this would be needed to connect it to the FGDP
Youāre totally right about this.
imho the FGDP layout is superior to the regular 4x4 grid and this is the reason why I think FGDP layout will ultimately disappear: business / market always choose the worse options, whatever topic we talk about
re-controlling FGDP with DAW / launchpadā¦ I donāt see any point doing this. FGDP sounds are ok but far from being real good. For DAW sequencing I definitely prefer AD2 or custom samples.
And controlling FGDP with launchpadā¦ well, then just plug your launchpad to your DAW and youāll get much better results I believe.