Drumport StompTech Laser-Stomp IR 2 in 1

Mis dos experiencias con este aparato han sido malas. He de decir que tengo la versión anterior formada por el pedal y el láser, y nunca me ha dado problemas, por eso me decidí a comprar la versión nueva que trae alguna configuración más y va todo en la misma pieza.
El primero que pedí era B-stock. A los pocos días comenzó a fallar y no hacía caso a las órdenes que se le daban y principalmente se aceleraba solo. Luego podía estar dos o tres días funcionando perfectamente. Finalmente, y en pleno bolo, comenzó a hacer lo mismo y no me quedó más remedio que devolverlo. Era imposible trabajar con él. Pensé, ya sé por qué lo han devuelto...
El segundo que compré era nuevo (no quiero pensar lo contrario porque en esta tienda son serios). Bueno, pues después de un bolo y 6 ó 7 ensayos de no más de una hora cada uno, el aparato vuelve a hacer de las suyas.
He solicitado la sustitución por otro (espero que a la tercera vaya la vencida, o seguiré utilizando el antiguo) y estoy a la espera de la contestación de Thomann.

I have tried various options for my acoustic duo, including a manual wooden stomp box with a simple pickup, and a small floor pedal called a Beat Buddy. Nothing comes even close to this incredible and very flexible “foot drummer” .
The 12 very high quality sound options do give a wide range to suit whatever you’re playing, but be warned, there is quite a volume variation on some of the different settings, and there is no volume control on the kit itself…… so you cannot make easy volume adjustments on the fly.

My Drumport 2 in 1 arrived with me in the UK, in a cardboard box with only
a minimal amount of paper packing material to guard against impact, so both control knobs had suffered hairline cracks where the grub screw inserts are positioned. I tried to include photos here, but can’t see a way of doing that. ( I will take this up with Thomann as a separate issue )

For well over £400, I was also quite surprised to find that there was no manual or user guide included. Perhaps not everyone needs such a thing, but a document of handy tips for getting the best results would have been a helpful, and time saving item to include as standard. I had to email both Thomann and the manufacturer to get any help in that direction, and in fairness , the guys at Drumport , did send me some further info.

In use, this has so much potential. Being triggered by a beam between the two arms, it is much more comfortable to play than many floor mounted stomp boxes that you have to hit with your foot at a higher angle. With the Drumport , the beam sits only just above floor level, so longer stints of foot tapping are less tiring.
There is only a small amount of info on the internet regarding this product, and most of it clearly describes, or very clearly shows a RED laser beam as the light source from the left hand arm. This was apparently superseded two years ago by an invisible beam that cannot be seen…… so if you don’t see the red light , don’t worry ! It will still work. It would have been helpful to have known this , and even more helpful if this unit had a small LED “power on” indicator.

This is not really a “take out of the box and play” type of product. To get the best out of it, some practice and getting to grips with all the options will be a worthwhile effort. The interaction between the left hand “beats” knob and the two toggle switches below it, takes some time to fully understand, but once mastered, this is a fantastic, albeit very expensive bit of equipment.

Conclusion:
Positives……Really good, authentic sounds. Physically easy to use. High degree of flexibility. Probably one of the best, if not THE best stompbox on the market

Negatives…..very pricey. No user guide. Needs a “power on” indicator.
Also needs a volume control. Mine came with cracked knobs.