New E-drum kit--looking for feedback re: gigging

BrianAneurysm

Junior Member
Hi all. I just bought a Roland TD-15K, ostensibly as a practice kit since I have small children and my acoustic sets are off limits after 8 PM or so. After playing with it for a few days though, I'm thinking I could potentially get a lot of mileage out of it as a gigging kit in some of the smaller venues that I play (I love it, by the way--was always sketchy about e-kits because I thought they'd make for sloppy technique, but I really enjoy playing it). In addition to my main gig, I often get asked to sit in as backup for coffee shop style gigs with local acoustic acts, and normally I bring a cajon, snare/brushes and some hand percussion. These gigs are typically jazz, folk, or light alterna-rock style tunes, so nothing heavy--usually pretty small rooms.

What I'm wondering is if anyone here has used an e-kit as essentially a replacement for a percussion-style setup in a venue like that, and if so, what's your experience been? I didn't buy an amp, so I'd likely have to run through the PA, and that's one of my questions--these things sound fantastic through headphones, but how do they hold up live through a PA system? How difficult is it to get an e-kit dialed into the main mix and the monitors? Lastly, how durable are they? I take meticulous care of my gear, but in all honesty I've never had to worry about handling electronics on the road, and the last thing I want to do is find out the hard way that these pieces won't stand up to being set up and torn down a few times a week.

Apologies in advance for being a noob--I've done some reading and searching here on the forums and elsewhere but haven't really found any concrete answers to my questions, so I thought I'd just put it out there and see if anyone else has had similar experiences. Thanks in advance for any input!
 
I gigged in pubs for 5 years more or less every weekend using just a ratty old TD-6 and it never let me down. Having to bring a tonne of amps to get any decent volume was the only downside (but you won't have that problem playing jazz in small venues).
If it wasn't for the amps loading in and out would have been a breeze (whole kit folded up into one piece which could be carried out).
Sounds like you've got the perfect situation for an e-kit so I'd say go for it!
 
First two gigs our band played I used my Alesis DM8 Pro.

The joy which appeared on the sound engineers face when he was able to shift the rattly old acoustic gig, made me think that it wouldn't be too much of a problem.

And it wasn't. Mine were plugged into the amp, the amp on a very low volume, then plugged in turn into the PA. I don't know what the reason for the low volume through my amp was.

It worked a treat. Very simple for the engineer to sound check and everyone I spoke to after the gig said that it sounded as good as acoustic drums.

Been rehearsing with it since then but now have invested in acoustic drums for ongoing rehearsals and gigs only because I think they have more stage presence about them.
 
Thanks so much for the replies! Have either of you ever run the drums directly into the board/PA? It's not in my budget to pick up an amp just yet, and I'm thinking I may not need one anyway if I can run direct to the board then out through my band's speakers/sub combo. I'm not an engineering expert though, so if anyone has any feedback re: doing it that way I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks again.
 
I have. I've run my Hart/TD20 kit through the mains a number of times, and it works great. I've always used a monitor of some sort, though, to be able to hear myself properly- either a stage monitor through the regular monitor mix, or one or two of my Mackie SRM450 powered speakers set up right behind me driven by my own module. With the latter setup, it simply sounds as if I'me playing an acoustic set on stage, and the drum level run in the mains is just what is needed to balance the mix.

The next step is to go with in-ear monitors driven by the overall monitor mix, and abandon the stage monitor- to allow better control of stage levels.

The biggest issue is whether the band and the fans will accept E-drums at all. I've had quite a bit of pushback based entirely upon the look of them- never on the sound. It just depends upon what you are playing, and to whom...
 
I have gigged with a TD-9 in a smaller room and am about to do it again soon. It worked great putting the kit through the PA. But a monitor was really important for me, to hear what I was playing! I only have the basic Roland personal monitor amp *(the PM-10, 30W I think) and that was loud enough.

Good luck!
 
Thanks so much for all the input. I think I would be okay from a monitoring perspective--I usually use a set of IEMs that I have, but in a pinch I could always use a Mackie wedge that I use with my acoustic kit fairly regularly. I don't see this kit ever taking the place of my Gretsch kit for gigging in rooms that will support it, but boy it would be pretty awesome to have the flexibility of the Roland kit instead of being limited to pounding on a wooden box and using brushes on a snare!
 
Thanks so much for the replies! Have either of you ever run the drums directly into the board/PA? It's not in my budget to pick up an amp just yet, and I'm thinking I may not need one anyway if I can run direct to the board then out through my band's speakers/sub combo. I'm not an engineering expert though, so if anyone has any feedback re: doing it that way I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks again.
Provided the house engineer knows how to mix sound, going through the PA is preferable anyway. Probably got the best sound ever from the one venue we played which had it's own PA (normally had to provide our own speakers).
The speaker/sub combo is a good idea. Forgot to mention that I really needed to give my bass drum sound some punch by adding some subs to the set-up (first comment by audience members was usually that the bass drum couldn't be heard).
Let us know how the gigs go with some vids in the "Your Playing" section- would love to see the good old TD-15 in action!
 
I gigged with a TD6 for 3 years. As long as you pack it gently and keep it from getting moisture in the brain you will be fine.

Soundcheck is a dream with e-kits!!

As far as using it as a percussion set up in a coffee shop, depends on how loud you like the mix. Keep in mind the only way you will hear your kit is through the FOH or if you pack a small monitor.

Same for a large stage ... consider having something in the way of a back up or better yet ... use in ear monitors. I had the wedge monitors crap out a few times and it sucks when you have an e-kit!! I went to in ears -- that is heaven!
 
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