The Remo Silentstroke practice pad offers the same design as Remo’s other popular practice pads, but with a much more quiet drum head. The volume levels are reduced significantly when compared to the pads with the Ambassador coated head.
Feel and Playability
The Remo Silentstroke practice pad surface feels just slightly softer than the version with the Ambassador coated head, but it still has excellent feel and playability. The sticking definition with the Silentstroke head is a little less when compared to the Ambassador head, but the rebound feels about the same. I don’t consider this a negative, it’s just a little bit different. I find this to be a great feeling pad for practicing and warmup.
The ability to adjust the tension is a nice feature, and it allows you to dial in the feel to better fit your preferences. Out of the box it feels more like a tom head, but after tightening it up it feels more like a snare.
The excellent feel of this pad makes it a good option for those that like the features of the Remo practice pads but want less volume from the pad.
How Loud Is The Remo Silentstroke Practice Pad?
This pad is much more quiet than the other Remo pads which use coated Ambassador heads. The Silentstroke head reduces the sharpness of the sticking sound and brings the volume down quite a bit. I’ve seen claims that it’s an 80% reduction in sound levels, which might be a little lofty, and this pad isn’t completely silent. The rim is the only major noise factor here, since it’s still a hard rim that can produce louder sounds when struck with force.
Portability and Design
This drum pad is available only in the 8 inch size. At least I haven’t found any other sizes out there, like with the other Remo practice pads. The 8 inch size is reasonable and is a good balance of playing surface and portability.
This practice pad has a rim with 8 screws for adjusting tension. This head can be tuned by adjusting the tension. The tension adjustment can also affect the feel.
Once thing that’s kind of funny about this pad is that the tension screws are flathead screws instead of something like a typical drum lug. It’s more likely that a drummer will have a drum key on hand than a screwdriver. But they do include a small screwdriver tool with the practice pad, which is nice. Just don’t lose it.
On the bottom is a ring of padding for placing on flat surfaces and also a mounting point in the center. I didn’t find the ring to have very good grip and the pad moves around on flatter surfaces for me when I play it harder.
The mounting point is used for attachment to a cymbal stand, which works pretty well. Using a cymbal mount allows you to tilt the pad a little more easily if needed.
Durability
This is a durable pad and it will hold up to a good amount of use and long hours of practice. There really aren’t any weak points in the construction as far as durability goes. These pads seem to last long enough that most drummers only buy them once. If you do manage to wear out the Silentstroke mesh head replacements are available, which is nice.
Pros
- Has a rim with adjustable tension
- Very durable
- Lightweight
- Plays great with good rebound
- Reduced volume similar to a rubber practice pad
Cons
- Tension adjustment is flathead rather than drum lug style
- Slides around a little on hard, flat surfaces
The Verdict
This is an excellent pick for a practice pad if you like the Remo pad design but need a more quiet option than the version with the Ambassador coated head. The playability is really good and the adjustable tension allows you to dial in the type of feel you prefer.
If you’re not a big fan of being quiet or don’t like mesh heads, take a look at the Remo practice pad with the Ambassador coated head. It offers a little more sticking definition but it also can be pretty loud.
