electronic drums. for practice only.

[don strandberg]

Hi guys this is my first post. I am thinking of buying a Astro electronic kit. The AXE-58ODS.
I have a few questions? First, do you think it hurts your playing on an acoustic set. When you use the electronics to practice with? I live in an apartment and cant make noise. I also will be practicing on my acoustic set whenever I can.
Also can anyone give me feed back on the Astros? I am buying them at cost for 399.00

Thanks in advance.
Don///

[harryconway]

Right now I'm playing a hybrid kit. As far as an e-kit hurting your acoustic skills, some say yes and some say no. Certainly not practicing at all will hurt. Almost every drummer I know has a "rubber practice pad" and I've never heard of any teacher advise students not use their "practice pad" once they get an acoustic kit. And in apartment living, you have to do what you have to do, and make the best of the situation you have.

[don strandberg]

Thanks Harry. That makes a lot of sense.

[don strandberg]

Harry,, and members of the forum. Just one last ?? .
I am very happy with my new kit. The pads play pretty close to a real drum feel. There is a 35 page manual that I have a hard time understanding. And mostly I dont care.
Except for the fact on faster licks. The drums do not sound. There are missing notes.
I talked to the owner of the store and he said this is true of all lower end e kits???

Is this true. Other then that it is no big deal. It is the best thing I ever bought to practice in a small apartment. Most times I do not even turn the power on. And the riffs I am learning are of the same feel on my acoustics.

Harry thanks for your first post. It was why I bought them.
Don//////

[dharma bum]

Don, I have a Roland TD-3 kit, and it never misses faster notes. I guess that could be because I can't play that fast.... But the Astro pads and module are of a lesser quality than the Roland and the Yamaha low-end stuff. Also cheaper, so of course it's a trade-off. But I think the owner is not being truthful with you.

[harryconway]

I certainly can't vouch for the Astro's as a brand. Never seen 'em in a store or played 'em. Do a Google on Johnny Rabb playing Roland. He's all over the internet. I saw him do a one-handed roll on a Roland pad (not a mesh one either) at the 2005 NAMM and he was smokin'. Perhaps your pad/module has a sensitivity adjust you need to tweak. My SPD-S and my TAMA's both have adjustable sensitivity setting. Looking at http://www.astrodrums.com/axe580ds/module.php it mentions a dynamic velocity control. That's the bugger right there, probably. Dig into that 35 pg. manual and see what it says about dynamic velocity control. Hope that fixes your bug.

[don strandberg]

Harry thanks again. It took me a while but I found the prob. You were right on. The problem was in the gain min. velocity. The settings were way off. The kit is sounding great now and I am having a blast.
Thanks so much.
Don///