EFNOTE PRO System
The EFNOTE Pro System represents a significant advancement in electronic drum systems, catering to professional drummers, producers, and live performers seeking superior sound quality, consistency, and flexibility. This analysis delves into its features, performance, and suitability for various users, drawing from the provided specifications to ensure a thorough understanding.
Design and Build Quality
The EFNOTE Pro System features an innovative two-piece design, comprising a low-profile control surface with a touch-screen full-color LCD and a floor-standing base unit with a robust enclosure and reliable cable connections. This design ensures both operability and expandability required by professionals, with a footlight equipped on the bottom of the surface controller to aid setup, which can be turned on and off as needed. The system eliminates the need for acrylic panels, enhancing its modern aesthetic and functionality.
Sound and Playability
Research suggests the EFNOTE Pro System offers superior sound quality, loaded with the highest quality drum sounds available on the market. It contains legendary drum sets with the delicate resonance of aged shells newly captured and recorded by EFNOTE, raw and organic, not synthetic and electronic. It includes a variety of shells such as maple, birch, acrylic, steel, aluminum, brass, titanium, and even a towel-muted sound, ensuring a wide range of tonal options. The diverse cymbal collection ranges from bright and crisp modern sounds to dark and soft vintage sounds, including modern trash/effect/stacked cymbal sounds, providing versatility for any musical style. The ELISE Sensing Processor 2.0 ensures precise triggering, enhancing playability across all pads, which are individually wired for maximum flexibility.
Connectivity and Recording
The system supports up to 12 XLR outputs, connecting to the stage box or soundboard for digitizing your drum riser, ensuring perfect isolation and clarity. It features 12-ch buses to the console, with 12x XLR balanced bus outputs, dedicated bus compression for Bus 1 to 6, HPF and 2-band EQs for Bus 1 to 12, and stereo-link for two adjacent buses, all equipped with ground lift switches for enhanced mixing capabilities. It includes 2-ch Monitor In (XLR balanced) for monitoring return from the console and 2-ch Line In (TS unbalanced) for an additional sampling/percussion pad, with adjustable volume and ground lift switches for XLR jacks. USB 12-ch multi-track recording and 16-ch USB MIDI simultaneously allow for quick editing and recording, catering to drummers, producers, or mixers, meeting artist budget requirements. Bluetooth connectivity further enhances its versatility, eliminating the need for wired connections in some scenarios.
Performance Modes and Customization
EFNOTE Pro supports 7 shells and 8 cymbals, with all pads individually wired, enabling players to adapt to any musical environment. Kits are available in many configurations, easily customizable, allowing users to create the perfect kit for their needs. All sound settings can be quickly saved and loaded for multiple players and set-lists at any time, ensuring flexibility for live performances or studio sessions. The system eliminates mic bleed and feedback problems on-stage, creating an ideal FOH mixing environment with clarity and balance, freeing the drummer to connect and engage with the choir, acoustic instruments, audience, and congregation.
Included Accessories and Value
The system includes a high-powered headphone amp circuit with 1x 1/4-inch jack and 1x 1/8-inch jack for simultaneous use, ensuring enough loudness for practice or performance, supported by a high-quality DAC and audio circuit. Stage-box reliability is a key feature, eliminating the need to change mics, mic placement, tuning, head replacement, and maintenance at every show. Just assign its 12-ch balanced outputs using stereo or mono sends for kick, snare, toms, cymbals, click, and external sampling pad, each channel equipped with HPF, 2-band EQ, compressor (Bus 1-6), and ground lift switches, enhancing its professional appeal. The inclusion of a footlight and the two-piece design add practical value, making setup and operation intuitive.
Suitability and Use Cases
EFNOTE Pro System is ideal for professional drummers and producers, offering a robust solution for live performances with its stage-box reliability and elimination of mic bleed, ensuring clarity and balance in the FOH mixing environment. Its customizable kits and extensive connectivity options make it suitable for studio recording, with USB multi-track recording and MIDI capabilities enhancing production workflows. The evidence leans toward it being perfect for educational settings as well, given its flexibility and ease of use, though its high-end features suggest it’s primarily targeted at professionals.
A robust selection of shell pack configurations are available, so that each player and venue can find their dream setup. Supports EFNOTE 3/3X/5/5X/7/7X pads