Thanks for the advice! I hadn't thought to try amazon chat. If for some reason they don't want it back I imagine that something like this ddrum ddti would probably work great with the Donner pads and cymbals.
I'm looking for local used Roland kits. From what I've read Alesis doesn't seem to be worth it, even their "pro" gear seems prone to early failure. The Simmons SD1200 looks really good but there just isn't a lot of info about its durability and it seems earlier simmons models apparently weren't great in that department.
I think I've learned the lesson as to why everybody says "save and buy Roland".
I primarily plan to use a midi vst so an older roland kit should work great for me as long as I can find one with good pads. Used TD-11KV seems like a sweet spot for price (looks like $700-900ish) with good pads and cymbals.
I personally use an old TD-20 module I bought off craigslist for super cheap (but only as a midi interface), but if I hadn't gotten such a deal on that I would have gone with this guy since it does exactly what I need:
https://www.amazon.com/Ddrum-DDTI-ddrum-Trigger-Interface/dp/B00IQ7PYG4
Over time I just kept adding more toms and cymbals to my e-kit as I got extra cash. The mesh head Roland toms feel the best, but they can be pricey. I'd recommend buying used mesh toms off of ebay if you like that, but don't buy used e-cymbals since people really beat those things up.
This approach is also nice because you're not locked in to any particular vendor since you're "rolling your own" kit.
No I am on xbox.
Im using a trigger io with my ions plugged into that and both of my pedals. Then midi out of that into a ghwt drum brain which has midi in. Then connecting that via legacy adapter and the game thinks it is a stock ghwt kit.
The only downfall to this is that is does not allow for pro drums only regular. You can do this with any midi kit though.
Yeah! That would be the general price of cheaper drum brains. I have heard stories of people acquiring them through craigslist for dirt cheap, so that's always a route. Just make sure the drum brain offers midi out, and nothing bizarre because that'll compromise the Midi Pro Adapter. I can recommend this (http://www.amazon.com/Ddrum-DDTI-ddrum-Trigger-Interface/dp/B00IQ7PYG4/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1453010455&sr=8-12&keywords=alesis+io) for the price bracket.
Wait, if you already have an Ion kit, just buy an Alesis Trigger IO. My Ions work so much better than before, it's like getting new pads...they're almost as sensitive as Roland mesh pads now. You'll have to buy it used on Ebay or Amazon and it takes some time to set up, but once you do you're set.
EDIT: Couldn't find the Alesis but this ddrum module is the exact same thing.
Thanks for your thoughts. When you say a MIDI interface, do you mean something like this:
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I was planning on getting something like that so I can have more inputs for sounds with some of the PD-7s or PD-9s that came with my deal. But otherwise, I'm just going to plug my TD-10 into a computer with a MIDI/USB cable for the software you mention. It is definitely in the plans, but I've focused on setting up Phase Shift first so I can start playing some songs. The learning curve has been steep, but I think I've got it all set up.
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I've also started the restoration of one of the PD-120's. I may be done with some pictures tomorrow....