Practise on an electronic kit - gig on an accoustic?

[supermac]

For those who do this, is there anyone else who finds the transition from electronic to accoustic difficult?

OK, your technique certainly does improve.

But, sound-wise, size-wise and feel-wise, it takes me a good few songs to get re-acquainted with a 'proper' kit.

The sound element is especially tough. After practising with headphones and getting a perfect studio sound, real drums sound really ringy and quiet, no matter how well-tuned they are.

Anybody got the same problem?

[dairyairman]

i do exactly that. i practice at home on my electronic kit. at band practice i use an acoustic kit, but that's a practice kit also. when i perform i use my own kit. yes, there are some adjustments that need to be made moving around all these kits, but i've gotten used to it.

to me it's worth it to be able to practice at home on a very compact, quiet electronic kit. i can deal with whatever problems it has.

[mikeg]

I do this as well. To help with the feel, I measured the distance from the floor and angle of the heads on my acoustic kit and then set my Rolands to the same height and angle. I also tensioned the mesh heads to feel as close to regular drum heads as I could. I also adjusted the sensitivity on the toms to where I had strike them with similar force to get the fullest tone.

The Roland sound is almost perfect... and that's problem in my view because it sounds that way all the time. About a month ago I listened to band playing, and the drummer was using a set of Rolands. I could tell before I even walked into the room. They sounded fine for a couple of songs, but the range is still limited and (to me) the sound becomes monotonous.

[brady]

I do this too. (And here I thought I was the only one...) Actually I don't even have my e-kit plugged in anymore. I have it in the garage and use it basically as a 'practice pad' kit. It does help me work out some stickings or to get comfortable playing a new song. Then, whenever the wife is out, I'll practice on the acoustic kit downstairs. At first it took a little while to adjust to the transistion but I'm used to it by now.

[aydee]

Totally with you here.. Its like practicing flying on a glider and then flying a 747 for real ..

One messes the other one up. its great to work out ideas, concepts, etc.. not playing practice.

...

[aaajn]

I have been over here in Iraq since February and alll I get is the E kit. I have a Roland TD9 with me. The Snare head is mesh and the toms and hard rubber. Every once in a while, I get to hit wood and it feels awesome. I think the electronic kit had helped me build timing and probably stick control but I really miss Maple. I am interested in returning home to get the real feel back.
Does anybody have thought on the Cymbal difference? It is hard to hit a bell on the Roland.

John

[mikeg]

I have been over here in Iraq since February and alll I get is the E kit. I have a Roland TD9 with me. The Snare head is mesh and the toms and hard rubber. Every once in a while, I get to hit wood and it feels awesome. I think the electronic kit had helped me build timing and probably stick control but I really miss Maple. I am interested in returning home to get the real feel back.
Does anybody have thought on the Cymbal difference? It is hard to hit a bell on the Roland.

John

Cymbal differences are huge between E-kits and acoustics. I have a HART dynamics metal Ecymbal ride with a separate bell area, but even then it isn't close to hitting by K Custom. The dynamic range just isn't there. It's ok for practice though.

[MadJazz]

For those who do this, is there anyone else who finds the transition from electronic to accoustic difficult?

OK, your technique certainly does improve.

But, sound-wise, size-wise and feel-wise, it takes me a good few songs to get re-acquainted with a 'proper' kit.

The sound element is especially tough. After practising with headphones and getting a perfect studio sound, real drums sound really ringy and quiet, no matter how well-tuned they are.

Anybody got the same problem?

At first yes, the transition was a bit hard. But then I tried a couple more sessions on the a-kit, without the band, and now I don't have any trouble at all. That is maybe also because I prefer smaller sized drums: 13" hats, 13" snare, 10-14" toms...

Sound-wize, smaller diameter shells focus the tone more. To focus the sound without killing the tone, I use EMAD/REMAD on the kick, coated powerstroke or ambassador with 1/2 moongel on the snare, and clear emperor resos on the toms. I don't like muffling the batters too much because it accents the stick attack. Muffle the reso instead.

To make the shells stand out more, I use thinner and dryer cymbals. Maple sticks further subdue the cymbals (more so than toms and snare).

However, I learnt a lot more playing e-drums than a-drums. What bothers me the most is the sound of toms. I can't get my acoustic toms to sound like in the studio. Is there a way?

[DrumEatDrum]

I really lool at e-drums and acoustic drums as two different instruments. They do require a different touch.

But they are similar enough to make practicing on them better than not practicing at all.

[Big Chris]

One bonus I've found is that it seems harder to play stuff on my TD8 than my Pro-Ms. So if I practice and can nail it on the TD8, it's easier to do it on the 'real' kit in a gig situation.

[aydee]

Ok, here is Dennis Chamber's & Jojo Mayer's take on it for whatever thats worth.
To practice on surfaces with less bounce ( read acoustic kit ) improves hand form & technique, and then to go on and play or gig on a surface with more bounce ( read rubber, mesh heads ), can only be easier, if anything. Rather than the other way around. Thats DC's logic on why he practiced on pillows...

I, for one hate the moment when I get off my E-kit and move to my acoustic kit. Its like getting off a roller coaster and wobbling around for a few minutes till you get your balance back.

Yukipoo!


...

[aaajn]

I don't have the awesome experience that many others have so check my conclusions but a cool aspect about the E-Kit and headphones is, when I turn the volume down, I can hear greater differences in between notes. For instance, when I practice Rudiments on the E Kit at a lower volume, the sound more choppy at a lower volume than the do cranked all the way up. It is like lower volume helps identify timing better than I can get on the acoustic or amplified set up? Make sense?

[Fishnmusicn]

I have both an E kit and an acoustic now. After a long layoff the E kit came first and it is a good practice tool and definitely better than just a practice pad. You will get better with it. But what I have found since is the renewed love for actual acoustic drums, the sound and feel and nuances will never be matched by the E kit, the instant return and gratification is so much more real.

[Spence]

Yep this is me too.

Always takes a few songs/minutes to get feel of the kit down.

I find that it takes me a while to get used to using all the different parts of the drums (especially the snare) and cymbals.

The TD12's have certainly made me a better drummer though. I can practice any time day or night now.

[Cuban]

You could always do as I did and replicate your acoustic kit on your 'e' kit.

[ChrisCirino]

I have my e-kit set-up as close to my acoustic kit as possible. I play pretty small drums so the transition is not too bad, though it is noticable.

[yesdog]

One of the bands I play in have a TD12 at their rehersal space. I think they are great for practice you can keep the volume in check while rehersing. I have used them at a couple of gigs that were small clubs. I can't stand them when playing a gig, there is no feel and the rubber cymbals hurt my wrist. I used a real hihat and ride the last time I played out with them, it made a world of difference. I still can't stand giging with them I perfer the real deal. I have been given one chance to use my real drums at a small club. They are afraid it will be to loud. Its time to by some pinstripes for the toms and a dead ringer for the snare. I will keep you posted. I also told them if they don't turn up I won't play loud ( what a concept ).

[dairyairman]

I have my e-kit set-up as close to my acoustic kit as possible. I play pretty small drums so the transition is not too bad, though it is noticable.

wow! you have some awesome gear!

[LinearDrummer]

I have my e-kit set-up as close to my acoustic kit as possible. I play pretty small drums so the transition is not too bad, though it is noticable.

Yes I do the same with setup (I like your setup too)
.
Coordination and Motions can be practiced effectively...however sound/tone and the physicality of playing acoustics live does not translate well.

Also E hi-hats just don't work well IMO.

[jdrums1968]

I had an e-kit for a while and I did not care for it. I could not set it up the way my accoustic kit was set up(i.e. could not get the high hat and floor tom positioned the way I like it) and the sound was too generic, if that makes any sense. Also, I could not get clave sounds with the kit I had nor could I get the sound when you lay the stick on the snare and hit it with the other stick. (I should know the term for that but it escapes me). I just prefer to set up my accoustic kit with silencer pads. I can move around better and set it up the way I like.

[Thaard]

If you want your e-kit to sound good, buy an midi-to-usb converter and connect it to your pc. Then you need a DAW(protools, logic, sonar, cubase) after that you buy EZdrummer(or better Superior drummer 2.0). The sound is awesome, and as close to a real kit you'll ever get.

[Davo-London]

Yes, the post was about the transition between e and a kits ... not a "lets slag off e-kits again" post of which there are many.

I agree that the dynamics and hi-hat feel are the two areas where it takes some getting used to. However, if you use brushes, rods and sticks as I do, these have a similar affect as moving from e to a kits.

I actually prefer my TD12 hi-hats to the acoustics as they are quite cheap. I really should buy better hi-hats for the church.

Davo

[The Bassist]

I've got a decent TD-3 kit from Roland. I hardly used it after I got my acoustic drumkit until about two weeks ago when I decided to work on my timing and rolling. I don't have my own metronome for my acoustic kit, and the TD-3 module has a bunch of great exercises like a metronome playing for four measures, and then going silent for four. It has helped me drastically playing on my real kit, and I plan to continue practicing using it.

[danarchy11]

I haven't had a problem transitioning myself from e-kit at practice to acoustic live. However, my band has had an EXTREMELY difficult time. It was the sound quality change that threw everybody off. It was rough for everyone to go from record quality drum sounds that are easy to equalize volume to raw acoustic drums in a big room. The problem was so major, that we canned my e-kit at practice and I play with my acoustic all the time.

[Spinozalove]

I got a Roland td4 very recently and I use it for practicing at home. Before, I only had a slot of about two hours during the day where I could practice on my acoustic kit. So I did a couple of hours on the pad and a couple of hourse on the kit. Now I do an hour on the practice pad before I move to the kit and I can play for as long as I like without worrying about the noise. I have noticed my drumming improve already (especially my bass drum foot) and I have had no problems transitioning to the acoustic kit when I have band practice or a gig. Having said that I play on my acoustics with the band about four times a week so I get plenty of practice that way too. The roland does feel different but it's not too much of a problem considering the positive results I have been aware of in the space of just a few weeks.

[Pollyanna]

Yeah, I bought an e-kit recently and I've found the transition weird too. Abe put it well:

I, for one hate the moment when I get off my E-kit and move to my acoustic kit. It's like getting off a roller coaster and wobbling around for a few minutes till you get your balance back.

Yukipoo!
I experienced the same problem as jdrums:

I could not set it up the way my accoustic kit was set up ...


One thing that makes the change from e- to -akit less disorienting for me is:

... I don't even have my e-kit plugged in anymore. I have it in the garage and use it basically as a 'practice pad' kit.

With a practice pad kit you get a true (if unexciting) response that way. I find the sounds on the e-kit a distraction, especially since the cheapo kit I have has terrible cymbal triggers.

Some of the Rolands and Yammies have incredible drum sounds (and the Roland TD20 feels like a dream to play), but this wouldn't help my ability to pull the best possible sounds from my a-kit ... like a spoilt brat raised with a silver spoon having to adjust on a camping trip.

And you definitely can work on tone production on pads IMO - the sound ranges from ultra crap, to super crap, to fairly crap to bland. Obviously, the idea is to transcend crapness and achieve the nirvana of blandness :) And it really gets you hungry for playing on a real kit - you upgrade instead of downgrade.

The hard part for me is being disciplined enough to not turn the module on :)



I haven't had a problem transitioning myself from e-kit at practice to acoustic live. However, my band has had an EXTREMELY difficult time. It was the sound quality change that threw everybody off.

Yup, I tried this in the 80s with a Simmons kit. Fail.

A-kits have a sharpness of attack that I don't hear in e-drums, and that provides clarity. Not sure if it's technically true, just how it felt to me (and the band). Really weird having the sound coming from another place too.



In the end, I really relate to this comment from DED:

[incoherent garble] ... e-drums and acoustic drums as two different instruments. They do require a different touch.

But they are similar enough to make practicing on them better than not practicing at all.