Suggestions to reduce E-Kit cymbal pad noise
How would you guys suggest quieting down the noise produced when striking a rubber cymbal pad on an E-Kit?
I am one of three drummers at my church, and we are very congregational in our singing. The instruments toe the line between being loud enough to hear and enjoy, and being quiet enough to let the voices fill the room.
We recently purchased a Roland TD27K-V2 E-Kit to have more control over the volume. It's worked out well so far and sounds good in the house mix; however, striking the cymbal pads produces a rubber "thunk" sound that typically isn't noticeable with headphones or when the speaker volume is turned up louder.
It's more noticeable for the people who sit closer to the side of the stage that the kit is on. I've gone ahead and purchased a KAT KBB Silent Beater to reduce the sound from the current bass drum beater striking the pad.
Do you guys have any suggestions for reducing the sound from striking the physical rubber pad? The only thing I can think of is to introduce a drum monitor next to the kit to mask the sound, which the sound guy would love I'm sure. And no one is going to want to use an alternative drum stick. So any suggestions? Or am I just out of luck haha.