BopPad brings the next generation of percussion to Kickstarter

If you’ve ever been to PAX (on any coast or continent) you know that there is a clear intersection between gamers and musicians. I fit in that category having played percussion for most of my life. Today I spotted a new Kickstarter effort that may be of interest to those of you who also fall into both categories — a incredibly accurate drum pad. I say drum pad, but that doesn’t really tell the whole story.

The BopPad is a hyper-sensitive smart fabric capable of capturing the velocity, pressure, and pitch bend of percussion. If you’ve ever been frustrated by your ability to out-pace your electronic rig, or wished you could do accent taps, crush and buzz rolls, and proper para diddles, this could be your jam. But don’t take my word for it — check out Living Color drummer Will Calhoun jamming on the pad using only his hands.

If that’s not enough to convince you, hit the Kickstarter for Joel Davel from the Paul Dresher Ensemble, William Winant from Oingo Boingo, Robert Lopez from the Oakland Active Orchestra, Alex Swain and Dan “The Automator” Nakamura from Deltron 3030 and Gorillaz, and many more luminaries from the percussion landscape try it out for themselves.

The four quadrants lets you map just about anything you want, but the pressure sensitivity is the truly revolutionary piece. The fact that it interfaces with iPad, Android, PC, and every Midi-processing software you could want just shows how much Keith McMillen Instruments understands what the modern percussionist needs.

With over 102k out of a 35k ask, it’s clear that this is a device the industry needs. I cannot wait to run my rudiments on this thing. The Kickstarter campaign has only six days left. While all the early bird stuff is gone, don’t miss your chance at the next generation of percussion instruments.