The Science behind The Duallist

Why the Left Beater is as powerful as the Right?

Drummers are often amazed when they play The Duallist especially when they hear how powerful and equal the two beaters are. It seems to defy physics. How can a powerful down stroke on the footplate which powers the right beater, compare with simply lifting your foot up, which powers the left beater? The answer lies in the science behind The Duallist.

The Left Beater Conundrum:

Simply explained The Duallist produces a right beater movement on the downstroke of the footplate and a left beater movement on the upstroke. It would appear that the upstroke or lifting of the foot produces the left beater movement. This is not actually the case. The powerful downward motion of the foot on the footplate has two functions:

Firstly it powers the forward motion of the right beater towards the drumhead.
Secondly in doing so it stores some of the downward motion as energy. This is produced by the two belts which turn the contra-rotating cams against two independently adjustable springs.

The kinetic energy stored in these specially developed MatchPower spring mechanisms is released when the footplate travels back up again. The right spring pulls the right beater away from the drum head and the left spring powers the left beater towards the drumhead. It is this stored energy which is released in a controlled manner by the upward motion of the foot. This is why the left beater is as strong as the right beater, it is actually being powered by the downward stroke of the foot and not the weaker upward movement.

The Tests:

Independent tests have shown that the left beater is as strong as the right. The following waveform is taken from a test in a professional recording studio using a microphone placed 4.5 inches from a pillow-dampened bass drum. The first wave is the right beater and the second the left.

As well as the amplitude being equal the velocity of the two waveforms is almost identical demonstrating equal power and speed from both beaters.

The shape of the waveforms is also very similar. This is due to the close spacing of the beater heads hitting the same sweet spot on the drum head. This arrangement produces very similar timbres unlike some pedals with wider spaced beaters.

Similar tests have been carried out on the consistency and intervals between beaters on a variety of rhythms. These showed that the spacing between beats and therefore the controllability of the pedal was as good as or at times better than a professional drummer could achieve on a conventional double pedal. The Duallist also showed greater dynamics and the ability to alter the power of the beats more easily than heel-toe pedals.

No Science Degree needed!

To summarise, the power is in the spring, the control is in the foot. The rate at which the foot is lifted up determines the interval and rate of power release of the spring. This makes The Duallist both powerful and highly controllable. The MatchPower springs have been developed with the help of leading Universities and use material which is highly efficient at storing and releasing energy time and time again while resisting fatigue. Of course the springs are only part of the equation and they work together with the belts, cam positions, beater heights, SpeedSwitch mechanism and other features to produce the award winning Duallist pedal. But don't worry about the science, the men in white lab coats have done the hard bit, now its to you to do the easy bit - play The Duallist.