Ludwig has launched the Total Percussion Multi-Pad, a standalone electronic percussion instrument aimed at hybrid drummers and percussionists. The unit was unveiled at NAMM 2026 and demonstrated in a series of official Ludwig videos.
The Total Percussion Multi-Pad features a nine-pad rubber playing surface and is supplied with more than 2,000 built-in sounds, including a full collection of mallet instruments, percussion kits and effects. Each pad can layer two sounds with independent performance modes, while pad-linking allows up to four sounds to be manipulated simultaneously. Ludwig also specifies three kit effects per preset and an Active FX knob for real-time performance control.
User samples, loops and backing tracks can be imported directly via USB, supported by a Windows and macOS editor application for sample management and kit organisation. According to Ludwig, the software automatically formats and installs user content.
Expansion options include four dual-zone external pad inputs, two footswitch inputs, and a dedicated hi-hat pad mode intended for compact kit configurations.
While marketed as a Ludwig product, the hardware design, pad layout, control surface and I/O configuration closely resemble the Avatar PD708 multipad, an OEM platform manufactured by HXW and sold internationally under multiple brand names. No information released to date indicates the use of proprietary Ludwig pad sensors or a unique hardware architecture.
As with many products in this category, differentiation appears to focus on Ludwig-specific sound libraries, firmware and software, rather than on a new physical design. The Total Percussion Multi-Pad represents Ludwig’s latest expansion into self-contained electronic percussion instruments.
The new instrument has a street price of around US$600.