NAMM 2023: Evans and Sunhouse team-up for the Evans Hybrid Sensory Percussion Sound System

Evans and Sunhouse have announced that they have joined forces for the Evans Hybrid Sensory Percussion Sound System: an overhauled version of Sunhouse’s Sensory Percussion technology, which can transform acoustic drums into multi-zone electronic playing surfaces.

Described as using sensors rather than traditional drum trigger technology he system was first released by Sunhouse in 2015, and works using a combination of drum-mounted sensors and machine learning to map the surface of a regular acoustic or mesh drum head. Users can then designate up to 10 zones per-head, giving a hugely flexible and creative take on standard drum triggering.

The Evans Hybrid Sensory Percussion Sound System expands on Sunhouse’s original with a complete redevelopment “from the ground up” including purpose-built hardware and reworked software, and marks the birth of Evans' new Hybrid division.

Sold as a complete set, the new version comes with three sensors - each capable of tracking speed, velocity and timbre across the designated zones -  which have been redesigned to be more durable, look sleeker, and easier to attach/remove from your drum.

These sensors connect to the Evans Portal audio interface which has also been created specifically for the project (although it is compatible with Sunhouse's first-version sensors).  

It’s home to seven sensor inputs (so that’s a potential 70 playable zones when maxed-out), a built-in microphone, combi-mic/line/instrument-level inputs, plus aux-input, headphone and stereo outputs. The Portal is then hooked-up to a computer, where the sound generation, editing and mapping of the sensors occurs. 

Included in the Hybrid Sensory Percussion Sound System are 12 pickup elements, three 12-foot TRS cables, an Evans EMAD bass drum head adaptor and more. 

“Since 2015, we’ve continued to improve and grow Sensory Percussion,” says Tlacael Esparza,Co-Founder of Sunhouse. “To take it to the next level, we needed a partner with both manufacturing expertise on a big scale and a deep knowledge of the drumming community. 

“The partnership with D’Addario (EVANS) is perfect for two family companies combining our expertise to not only reimagine the world of Sensory but create the future of percussion.” 

"For more than half a century, EVANS has been innovating and perfecting the acoustic drumhead to push the possibilities and dependability drummers have available to them," adds Jim D'Addario, Chief Innovation Officer of Evans' parent brand, D'Addario. 

"Moving into electronics was an inevitable and natural progression of that mission, but it was not until Sensory Percussion that we felt truly inspired to move forward. Given all this, we found Sunhouse to be the perfect partner for breaking into electronic drumming."

According to Evans, the new Hybrid Sensory Percussion Sound System will be available in the US only at the time of launch priced at $1,499.99, with a global roll-out in the coming months.

For more information, visit the Evans website.