So pads.
I think I've sort of arrived with this trio here.
Super-Pad has grown on me. There was a tendency, probably because of it being so quiet, to get a little rough in the beginning. At this pooint though, I think there's nothing more realistic I've played. Obviously, they all have the same surface so the tom pads might not be quite there, but it does feel like a head. I think an 8" mounted on something really solid would be a great travel option as well. As it comes it's best on top of a snare, but that's how I use it anyway. Turning the snares on it's obviously less quiet, but it gives a nice dry snare sound that totall kills any "snare mechanism" pad I've ever tried. You can't cheat with that type of sound. When I get into teaching full time sometime again I'd love to get me some of these on top of some snares as the standard. Love it!
The Moongel pad. Well, you could use anything to get no rebound. It's just practical for me to have this. I can put it on top of the snare or on top on the Super-Pad to get completely quiet. I used to just put a towel or t-shirt on top of my RealFeel, but this is an actual surface and it has an attack. This are long term investments, so really, why not? It's the stick version of brush wagging and it just sort of works the muscles on the other side which keeps things even and stable.
The Brush-Up pad I got only a few days ago, but it's great. 14", great head, sits snuggly on top of a snare if you want to. Does the job and keeps me from destroying the Super-Pad with brushes, which offcourse has no etching either. It has a realistic metal rim and your brushes can even get stuck on the edges like a real snare.
You can pay it with sticks, but it's loud. Because of the design it really reasonates a bit so you can do the phone book thing in a quiet setting, but get actual brush sounds.
Not having a good hi-hat option yet, apart from one of my rubber pads, from picking up a Big Fat Snare with a hole in the middle I got another little idea. You can sort of make make your own little "strike-zone" that way, but also it's a different sound and slightly more hi-hat like to play on.
L80s are on the list, but I want 14" hats and I don't really need a crash. I think they sdhould start sellingthem individually instead of just packs and have all sizes so people could replicate their regular kits.
For regular pads, not to tout another Aquarian product, the Tru-Bounce gets a lot of positive comments. I haven't tried it though.
Prologix are cool in that they have a lot of choices.
Offcourse, there are there all these special pads like Innovator, Xymox bla bla bla, but at last to me, they are first of all not very quiet, they sound unpleasant, they are sort of for a different purpose and the realistic ones are probably more on the marching kevlar side. If that's what I want I already got a TSS, so...
I feel I'm covered and these things actually feel good and give no "pad hands".