It's a shame that the Rock Band drumkit really is so loud that you would consider spending over a tenner to put four pieces of coloured rubber over it just to make it a bit more bearable, but all things considered I think you can do without these.

Installation is foolproof - simply pull them over the corresponding drum and you're done. Comparing the sound made by hitting, you would be hard pushed to think the noise reduction is anywhere near as high as 40%, but it is assuredly less grating on the ears than hitting the bare drum pads. You could also feel with all that thick rubber coating you have yourself a kit that can withstand plenty of heavy punishment, although I hardly had them on long enough to see how well they protected the drums for you.

The rather severe drawbacks come when you put the newly-modded kit into use. While I was anticipating a slight loss of responsiveness to the pads as a result of all that rubber, I was not prepared for just how much of a… more »

It's a shame that the Rock Band drumkit really is so loud that you would consider spending over a tenner to put four pieces of coloured rubber over it just to make it a bit more bearable, but all things considered I think you can do without these.

Installation is foolproof - simply pull them over the corresponding drum and you're done. Comparing the sound made by hitting, you would be hard pushed to think the noise reduction is anywhere near as high as 40%, but it is assuredly less grating on the ears than hitting the bare drum pads. You could also feel with all that thick rubber coating you have yourself a kit that can withstand plenty of heavy punishment, although I hardly had them on long enough to see how well they protected the drums for you.

The rather severe drawbacks come when you put the newly-modded kit into use. While I was anticipating a slight loss of responsiveness to the pads as a result of all that rubber, I was not prepared for just how much of a difference it would make to my enjoyment of the game. There is little more infuriating in Rock Band, or indeed any music rythm game, than dropping beats you absolutely know you hit, and when making a conscious effort to hit the drums harder and more accurately proved futile the rubber was ripped off; and in an instant my drumming scores went back to 5 star ratings where they had been mostly 3 with the rubbers on.

I'm curious as to why none of the other reviews so far mention the loss of responsiveness so maybe your mileage may vary (I read that there are a few revisions of the Rock Band drums that have varying levels of sensitivity) but these did nothing for me. There are other solutions out there to the noise problem that surely work more effectively without impeding on your enjoyment of the game. If dampening the sound on your Rock Band drums still appeals, have a little look around rather than grabbing the first such solution that makes itself available on Play.com