ACD Unlimited PHANTOM Pedal Demo
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- Опубликовано: 30 июл 2024
- Hey everyone! Here is my video showing you the amazing Phantom series pedals from ACD Unlimited!
Check out these pedals here - www.acd-unlimited.at/english/...
Dont forget to check out the ACD Unlimited Forum here - acd-unlimited.xobor.de
For anyone wanting to order a Phantom with a different beater surface or a heavyweight spring simply send an email to Dennis at ACD Unlimited letting him know after ordering or use the comments box during ordering to discuss any custom options.
I proudly endorse -
SONOR Drums
Istanbul Agop Cymbals
REMO Drumheads
ACD Unlimited Pedals
JH Audio In Ear Monitors
This video features music from myself, Collapse and Crowborn. 
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![George Kollias: Demon XR - drumtalk [special]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/C5eqx76nLk8/mqdefault.jpg)
That spring side marker is actually pretty smart because my pedal is the last thing I want to move around and never get back to the same adjustment
Yea it’s a great feature!
Never thought about other brands' terrible spring range before and why I have such issues getting those to a sweet spot. Thanks for this brilliant walkthrough!
Thanks! I wouldn’t call other brands springs terrible, but ACD has definitely taken a much better approach with it and once you feel it you find it lacking in the others!
Holy shit you drop such a bomb like this? ACD pedals below 1000 euro with this quality? I won't be able to sleep tonight!
and immediately availalbe ;-)
These are amazing pedals!
@@James-Chapman-Drums my only concern is about mounting foot blaster style triggers, there's not a lot of room under the footboard
*Another great, well produced and informative video James! Thanks so much, man!*
Thanks!
These pedals look and sound amazing! Very good gear review
Dude yesssss I’ve been waiting for this video forever.
Haha! Sorry dude it’s taken a while!
@@James-Chapman-Drums worth the wait! I think I’m still gonna save up and spring for the Darwin just cause I’m always tweaking. Excellent review though.
James - great, great video! I love your comments about the drive shafts and how zero latency ones still move. I have tried pretty much all the makes including the Offset pedal and they all move to some degree. I also really like how you agree that the beater ought to hit at 12 o'clock. So many pedals - even top ranges from the big brands do not hit at 12 o'clock (or do but you have to fiddle about for hours to achieve it!). I've discussed this topic with numerous drum shops whilst I have been searching for my ideal pedal and to be honest they generally look at me like I'm loopy - don't really seem to understand the concept! I have looked at Denis's pedals for years but the prices of the Darwins is too much for me, so maybe the Phantom might be more my sort of pedal. Thanks for your wonderful info and insight. Keep it up - so useful!🙃
Thanks! Yea unfortunately I find that people on the shops often don’t know too much about this kind of thing. Just the new products they’re stocking. Every feature on Dennis’ pedals is something you say “why doesn’t everyone do that?!” And I regularly have students say that exact same sentence when we discuss features of the pedals. Definitely have a look at the phantom, and with me I found the Darwins ended up saving me money as I no longer keep searching for that perfect pedal!
Cool and interesting pedal.
It is!
Looks nice🎉😊
Oooh yes please 😍
Dennis at ACD Unlimited really makes great pedals!!!
He does!
Love how the beaters work ass backwards, really cool quirk haha tempted, although in my mind Im still set on the Darwin's seeing as if I'm going to spend nearly a grand on a pair of pedals, what's a few hundred on top of that? 🤷 still, they look awesome, will definitely consider these!
I totally get it! If you can justify the extra money then the Darwin is unbeatable! But these are a great option for people that cant quite stretch to that.
For those who doubt these pedals..
The T-base plate is lighter and more stable than regular brands. The hinged plane is even wider than with general brands. Compared to the Darwin's, the Phantom's have slightly fewer adjustments. But for most drummers, this is more than enough. Less is more in this case. The Phantoms are certainly not inferior to the Darwins in terms of play. Furthermore, they have the same quality and solidity as the Darwins and that is a lot more than common brands. Mechanically, the force distribution is even almost ideal with the Phantoms. The Phantoms are certainly no less than the Darwins, but only has a few fewer options.
Just got the Darwins ordered long wait list but i already know it’s going to be worth the wait. Also got the hi-hat stand to match which just shipped should have it next week.
You’ll love them!
@@James-Chapman-Drums Welp, Since I am waiting for the Darwin’s, I decided to get the phantom pedals as well since there were a limit amount in stock still.
Im sold!!!
Awesome!
Can't figure out if this is a showcase for the pedal or your amazing feet! Bravo on both counts!
Haha! Thanks! It’s really the pedals in this case!
Hey James just seen your phantom video Darwin pedals do you play in a band you can play the drums really great man!!!!!....
Thanks! I'm not currently a member of a band as I mostly do freelance recordings and shows as a hired musician.
Hey James! Is Kyle from Instagram! Thanks for telling me about this video! Im gonna buy the strap drive for my phantoms later on! Can't wait to try it out! ENDLESS OPTIONS! 😁🤟❤
Hey Kyle, thanks for watching! You’re going to love the them. Such cool pedals! And I love changing between direct drive and strap drive too!
And to think, all we had was a dW 5000 back in the day. The adjustments make it easier for old dudes like me to regain a bit of speed.
DW pedals have beed overpriced and hyped for far to many years.
Has anyone tried using the heel-toe technique to play some fast (220+bpm) metal stuff on the Phantoms? I think they're probably very good for that kinda thing too, but would be nice to hear some comments on that.
These are good for heel toe as well, but I didn’t show that as it’s not a technique I used because I don’t use triggers. David Diepold will also be doing some videos with the Phantoms which will so show them in the faster tempos.
I noticed on the ACD website that the Universal Drive Shaft options are separated by Axis, DW, etc... what is the difference between the universal drive shaft and the one for, let's say, DW? Is that triangular notch changed to fit the attachment point on the DW's?
Yea the different versions of this are just to have the correct fittings for each pedal. The actual drive shaft is exactly the same.
Thanks for the demo. I am a bit puzzled about the things I would miss out when choosing phantoms instead of darwins. There must be still a lot of things, as darwins cost 50% more.
As far as I get, it is the same quality and components, meaning darwins set to the same specs as a phantom should feel and play identical. Driveshaft, springs, etc. are the same and not cheaper manufactured.
But what are exaclty the things, darwins offer on top?
I’ll be doing a video on the differences when I get a chance, but essentially yes, if set up the same they would feel extremely close. Not identical as there are very very minor differences in the layout of the pedal. But quality wise yes they are the same. The reason for the price differences is that the Darwin uses more material. It was designed as the ultimate pedal with anything any drummer could possibly want to dial it in. Due to this, it has more adjustments, so each part is a completely separate piece. This means more machined aluminium parts to make and also more time in assembling the pedals - which are all hand made. Because the Phantom was designed primarily to be able to give people a less complicated pedal and also a more affordable pedal but with the same ACD quality, many of the individual components (beater hub, cam etc) are all one piece and adjustments are made in a different way. Also the base plate on the two pedals are very different with the Darwin’s needing FAR more material. So Dennis basically made a pedal with as few pieces as possible to make it less expensive to manufacture, and quicker to build, which keeps the cost down for the customers - but without sacrificing the quality. But it’s still very adjustable as you can see if the video, and still made to the same standard as the Darwin FTW.
@@James-Chapman-Drums Thank you very much for this more than detailed response!
So in short: I usually am scared of too much adjustment options and really only tweak spring tension. In this case the Phantom might even be the better choice I guess when the overall quality does not suffer.
@@James-Chapman-Drums Actually, I have now watched both of your vids on the Darwin and if I am correct, the only features the Darwin has on Top is modifying the Cam Geomtery, which is really specialised stuff. If you use Direct Drive, Darwins also offer to change the length of the DD link, but for Strap it seems to be mainly the Cam tuning. As I would probably never touch this, I know ordered the Phantoms. Very eager to try them out!
Hi James, it seems to me that you can't adjust the beater angler completely separate from the footboard/driveshaft. Is this true?
It’s one piece to keep machining costs and therefore, sale cost down - but after altering the beater angle, you can compensate by independently adjusting footboard height on the footboard.
I already have ordered my Darwin FTW double pedal. About 6 months to go.
Well worth the wait. You’re young to love it!
How would you compare the phantoms or darwins to trick bigfoot v1s? Ive had my tricks for about 3 months now and just really cant seem to get adjusted or use to them they just feel super heavy and like they take so much eflort to play. Now keep in mind this is my very first direct drive pedal so maybe i havent given myself enough time to adjust
They’re quite different. I’ve heard many people find that with the trick pedals and I certainly found them heavier than I like. It’s kit because of the direct drive. Generally direct drive feel lighter because the drive weights less than a double chain does. I think it’s most likely that you aren’t keen on the compression spring. Some people love it, others don’t. Personally I don’t. I would say 3 months is more than enough time to adjust to that pedal - direct drive isn’t the revolutionary thing people like to make out and a well set up, efficient pedal will feel good regardless of the drive system. In terms of feel difference, the Darwin’s and phantoms are lighter and more responsive feeling than the tricks for my tastes, certainly the engineering is better which is why trick have now introduced a new part which is a complete copy of an upgrade that ACD Unlimited makes for trick pedals. Also with the Darwin it is adjustable in every possible way and you can get any feel out of them at all.
Great video man. And ya I also currently have trick pro 1v’s. Really cannot seem to get them to feel good, had them 6 months. Bought them as direct drive, thought maybe that was the reason for the weird feeling, so I bought the trick chain drive conversion, still did not help. The compression spring sucks in my opinion, it feels like fighting the pedal the closer you get to the head. Spring is either too tight and hard to swing, or too loose with no rebound..tried heavier beaters too, I’m like 1200€ into this pedal and want to get rid of it. Was thinking about buying ACD r2 bias rod, but wonder if I should cut my losses. Have you tried the phantom in short board version? I am considering buying this and wonder if the short board is the better option for me, the trick longboard has traumatized me lol
it has nothing to do with it being direct drive, it's all about pull angles an leverage. if it feels heavy you have it set up that way.
❤
I like the simplicity of design on this vs the Darwin if I’m honest. I realize the baseplate on this version is to reduce cost and improve portability, etc. but it does make me hesitant to purchase. The clips posted, seems to be fine. In total honesty, have you had ANY issues with this?
Nope, it’s solid as a rock. If I’m honest the only issue I had was that it’s so tight fitting that when I pulled it apart to the the folding aspect it was a bit tough to undo. Totally doable, but very tight fitting so it didn’t look too graceful with it suddenly pinging apart! It’s still aluminium so it’s very very strong and remember this is only for a stable connection as old pedals and many hihat stands still don’t have any sort of base plate. I’ll try and get a clip of the underside tomorrow and post it to show you.
Hey dude, I’ve just uploaded a short showing the baseplate on the phantom. Super secure and it shows how it fits. Hope this helps!
@@James-Chapman-Drums thanks man! Very cool of you 🤙
@@bdubzdrumz
I got my own Phantom double pedal about 2 weeks ago and I couldn't be happier with my purchase. Trust me bro - this section is solid AF, just as the whole pedal itself. I played the well known Pearl Eliminator before and the Phantom's actual base construction is just as stable (whilst the phantom operates even smoother, of course lol 😉)✌️
Hey James have you ever checked out though I know you use Remo drum heads but have you ever checked out code drum heads
I've been aware of them from when they first started and I did try the out a while back. They're a UK based brand, but the heads are made in China (they were anyway, I'd be surprised if they'd changed) and I prefer not to use crimped heads - there is a reason Remo moved away from them and they don't really work for double ply heads in my opinion. I've heard people have good results with them and I'm sure they're fine, but personally speaking, nothing has sounded as good on my drums as REMO.
Hey James, are you able to fold the pedal together as easily with the direct drive connection too?
I haven’t tried, but I would think so. I’ll give it a go next time I’ve got the direct drives on and let you know.
Does the slave beater being on the right side of the “main pedal” take some getting used to? Are there any cons to that setup?
Well, never mind haha. You covered that at the end of the video 🤘🏼
Haha all good! Yea it doesn’t take long as all and there are no downsides!
How much in dollars cost this?
How would you compare these to a JoJo Mayer perfect balance pedal? Would the Phantom be smoother? I use a lot of push pull and Jojo’s pedal techniques , do you think the phantom would be as smooth or even more , perhaps?
The Joyo pedal is great and I love the linear feel of it, but these are smoother and have more power to them. It’s actually a very similar feeling pedal (especially if you get the short board version) but these are more adjustable for a greater range of setups and are smoother, keep in mind these are in a different price bracket so it’s not a criticism of the Sonor pedal what so ever. I’m a HUGE Sonor fan. The oversized round cam and strap drive do give the same linear feel. Whatever you can play on the Jojo pedal, you’ll be able to play on these too.
@@James-Chapman-Drums Thanks for the detailed explanation.
Just one more question : I have been trying to find the measurements in inches or cm , of the Phantom and FTW darwin pedals , to decide which one would fit better , next to my other pedals in my setup. Specially , I would like to know the footboard sizes. Havent been able to find them , though.
By any chance, would you have those measurements or do you know where to find them? Thanks!
@@BeatMachinery no problem. the Darwin footboard is 10.5", the Phantom footboard is 13 3/4" from the very top to the bottom, but that includes the full length of the strap adjustment channel (the Darwin doesn't) so from the bottom of the adjustment channel its 11". The Phantom is a longer board than the Darwin, but they feel similar
@@James-Chapman-Drums Thanks again! I use a middle Offset Double Pedal and The size that would match my other pedals , would be the Phantom size footboards. However , and as far as I know , there is no Middle Version of the Phantom pedal , right?
@@BeatMachinery no, not for the phantom. But the Darwin’s would probably still fit. There’s an extra bit of space where the straps attach so I’m going by where it flattens out. For example, I use a speed cobra hihat stand and I have no trouble switching between the phantom and Darwin and feeling right at home with that stand.
Anyone know how long the footboard is on both the Darwin and Phantom?
I’ll be doing a video showing the differences and similarities between the two pedals soon. But the phantom footboard is longer than the Darwin.
*the usable length is more on the Phantom, the actual geometry is 98% identically ;-)
@@James-Chapman-Drums Sweet thanks man, will wait for that video before making a decision.....I have bigfoot feet LOL
So did the dude who made acd pedals basically saw trick drums and said I can copy that but with many updates?
No, the dude who came up with this saw other pedals and thought “I can do better”.
Masterpiece
They definitely are!
Are these easy to get ? I never see them available anywhere online.
Yes, but you can only buy ACD pedals from their website - www.acd-unlimited.at/english/
@@James-Chapman-Drums Hopefully they ship to Canada too. lol
What does it cost in freedom bucks?
You’d have to check ACD’s shop on their website for your pricing. Thanks for watching!
I've never played them, they conceptually seem fucking awesome! My only worry would be they look a little shaky and thin
I'm imaging this pedal runs close to $1,000 like most pedals. I've had my demon drive for over 10 years and parts of it are held together by super glue. I just dont have money to throw at gear like that lol. Hope to soon though.
These are absolutely rock solid. They looks lightweight and flimsy but they are built really solidly out of super strong aluminium. When I had demons they fell apart really easily. But keep in mind those are die cast pedals, built to be put together on an assembly line. Don’t get me wrong, they felt great, but they are not worth what Pearl charge since the price increase. These are precision engineered pedals. Plus Dennis at ACD Unlimited really looks after his customers. If you ever had an issue he would help you out. His warranty card literally reads “This warranty card is obsolete, please know that you always have my full support, regardless of when the product was purchased!”.
Definitely different how the slave beater is outside the main.
Yea it’s a really cool feature!
Oh, phantoms cost a little bit less than czarcie copyto and now i dont know what to choose😐
about 40% less, not just a little.. ;-)
@@Drehbank1103 i'm not living in the EU, so it is export and they are cost ~1170€ as I remember, and phantoms cost 1026€
@@Drehbank1103 maybe you are right, not a little:) cause I'm living in Russia and they are not sending copytos here, so I had the option of sending via China and it costs 160€😬
In my opinion there is no contest. But it comes down to preference. The CK are amazing pedals too, but I know people have asked for upgrade parts from ACD for their CK’s because of some problems they’ve found with the drive shaft for example. Also I know a number of people who moved from CK pedals over to the Darwin pedals because the CK are a very heavy feeling pedal. Kind of like iron cobras, but the ACD pedals are much lighter feeling.
@@James-Chapman-Drumsthx for this information, I think it will help me with the choice
$1000 for a single?
No these are currently around €400ish for a single
phantom @400/450euro is a considerable saving over a FTW @726euro+
It is, and it’s an amazing pedal!
Just like a ddc duckster double pedal made in rusia
how about no? not at all?
They’re quite different, but I can see what similarities you might see with the strap drive
@@Drehbank1103 Sorry man, didn't mean to compare
@@James-Chapman-Drums And i see a little shakey in the pedal when doing a swivel, Or im just looking wrong? 😅
@@yuzthestrongman1218 No that is just the pedal moving on the ground because the Pearl bass drum pad is useless at staying in one place.