It’s a pretty bold statement for us to say that the Mandala is the future of drumming, but we’re saying it. You might think it bolder still when we state that we have been waiting for the market to catch up to us. That’s right. If you own a Mandala Drum or even just know about it then you are a trendsetter and a trailblazer. Retailers and manufacturers too recognize that position sensitivity (such as Mandala technology) is the future of electronic drums and, with all the other advantages provided by electronic drums, a clear trend is emerging. Music retailers are devoting more floor space to electronic drum kits every year leaving less space for acoustic kits. Acoustic kits will still be sold, but electronic kits present greater value for retailers and manufacturers; and sometimes even for customers.

Retailers like ‘hot’ new products that get people in the door. Once in the showroom people will buy the new products, or they’ll buy accessories for their old products, but it’s all good business for the retailer. Larger MI manufacturers like new product lines too for much the same reason as retailers. New products create new sales. Even if the new products eat into sales of other existing products it’s okay. There is a need to keep things new and fresh. That’s progress.

So there is value for the retailers and the manufacturers, but what about you the customer?

Well, there are certain trends that say you may want electronic drums. First, computer memory and processing power have made home studio software very popular. You can use drum loop libraries, but if you’re a drummer you want to play the drums, and if they are not electronic you’ll need an elaborate mic setup. Second, the housing market is soft and trends suggest that people just out of school either continue living at home with their parents while saving up money or they move into an apartment or some urban setting with friends. Wherever you live, you may not be welcome long if you practice drumming at odd hours, or any hours for that matter. That’s where the space and volume control of an electronic kit are really valuable.

So here is the point:

If you’re anything like us then you don’t actually like electronic drums (but you probably love the Mandala). Electronic drums sold by retailers don’t sound good. Spend all you want on software and plugins, but the hardware remains just a set of on/off switches. The retailers and the manufacturers know this and they are working hard to bring position sensitive drums to market. Some of them (acoustic drum companies) may not have the technical electronic or design engineering capabilities. Some companies (like us) don’t yet have the brand clout or the money to dominate, and therefore revolutionize, the drum market. Not yet.

The future of the drum market is very bright. Position sensitivity will do for drums what the pickup did for guitars; perhaps even more. Like the Mandala Drum does now, electronic drums will go from perfect high resolution emulation of your favorite acoustic drums to personally synthesized triggers at the press of a button. You will have the sound you want with analog depth and nuance and digital versatility all with full tonal and volume control.

For now you can add Mandalas to your acoustic kit for a great hybrid effect. We provide sound files with the kind of depth and nuance that we hope will be common among all manufacturers and drum companies someday. We are building more content now. As for our technology; we are always working toward the drum future we describe in brief here, but as stated earlier, we are waiting for the market to catch up to us. The Mandala Drum as is can be mapped with a maximum of over 16,000 samples on a single drum surface at once (that’s too many positions already) and the latency is indiscernible to the human brain and is less than any other electronic drum we have tested. We mean it, We (as in You and us) are waiting for the rest of the market to catch up.

Here’s to a bright future. Cheers.

Luke and Vince