What is up witht he hardwood drum pads?

Unfortunately, my next post is a complaint.

I'd been playing Rock Band and Rock Band 2 for a few months now and was very reluctant to try the Guitar Hero World Tour game. Seeing as Circuit City was going out of business and I was there anyway, I made an impulsive purchase decision and finally picked up GHWT.

I was excited that the drum kit would more resemble my Simmons SD7K electronic drum kit.
Then came the dilemma, even with stereo headphones on full blast, I could still hear the loud tapping from the drum stick hitting the drum head as if I was hitting a piece of plywood.
Of course there is no drum silencer kit for this drum kit as was available for the Rock Band drum kit and the aftermarket kits would require cutting one of the pads for the cymbals.

Next up, a negative note on the Guitar Hero set lists.