This thing makes practicing a game. You could end up practicing more than you ever dreamed.

First of all, I am a recording engineer, not a drummer. So I picked the RMP-5 knowing I had no internal groove. Ideal customer for this, right? Turns out, yes. As I unpacked the trainer I noticed there was no power supply, but a battery. Hmmm, is this good? Well, as I got going I realized I didn’t have to be plugged in to anything, which was great. With just the trainer and my headphones, I was mobile.

I got to the sounds and started scrolling through snares. The selection of drum sounds is great for a trainer. You can also change the metronome sounds too. This is helpful, because some are easier to hear than others when you are trying to stay with the beat. The triangle is good for me. It is piercing my brain telling me to get with the beat.

The coach button is COOL! Okay, the boring demo has just turned into a fun game of “Can I get better?” This one button makes every penny worth it! It gives you various training routines to run through to practice your chops. The first is, straight up, stay with the click. As you hit the pad, it tells you if you are on, behind, or ahead. Sounds easy, huh? The challenge could keep you going for hours! Another routine starts you playing with the click and then it drops out for a bit. When it comes back in it checks to see if you stayed in tempo without the click. Very cool practice routine!

All in all, because this thing makes practicing a game, you could end up practicing more than you ever dreamed. I may get one if I ever decide to become a conga player!