Electronic Drum kit?

So Benjo, if you prefer quiet and relaxing sessions on a compact kit, apparently the Doc suggests you should 'stick' with your unreal e-drum choice.
 
So Benjo, if you prefer quiet and relaxing sessions on a compact kit, apparently the Doc suggests you should 'stick' with your unreal e-drum choice.

Yea. As everyone knows, it's impossible to play relaxing or quiet stuff on a real kit.

Also, I can say from experience:

CLAK - CLAK - (hollow thump) - CLAK - CLAK

Is anything but relaxing to anyone else within physical ear shot.

I'll be open for advice giving on the subject of e-drums all day long. If you want more expert opinion, just ask!
 
I am a beginner in the world of drumming, and i am currently getting the money together to get my first kit..........(BTW i can only get an electronic drum kit and my budget is about £600)

Hey Benjo - as you get involved with e-drums, you need to be aware they can be very addictive and consume a lot of your time. It starts off as a fun activity playing a basic e-drum setup with a variety of preset kits, but before long you'll probably be tweaking the settings and making your own user kits. The next phase is when you want bigger and better sounding kits and you may get hooked on a quest for greater variety of natural sounding percussion mixed with electronic effects. This has been my experience and I suggest the major music companies should be more accountable for enabling an addiction known as compulsive e-drum tweakers syndrome. I aquired a DTX Multi-12 several years ago thinking it should be easy enough to customize it more to my liking. However I'm still fine-tuning it and creating new kits trying to simulate my favourite drum sounds (eg Alex Van Halen's snare drum is a real challenge: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH7j185hotE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p24lrvN5XcA)
Whereas some dedicated acoustic drummers will be spared this dilemma as they are satisfied with a single kit that suits their preferred music styles.
So I offer this cautious advice as you enjoy your unreal e-drumming experience.
 
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I didn't say you couldn't play your toy fake drums, I just said the guy posting was more likely to get help on a dedicated toy drum forum.

Or just get some sleep and play your real drums in the morning like a man.


Good grief, somebody turn this kid's mic off already.
 
e-drums are to acoustic drums what a Strat is to a Martin D-45 or a synth is to a baby grand. E-drums and a-drums are two different beasts designed to do basically the same thing but in different ways with differing advantages and tradeoffs.

I started off in the 70s playing a Gretsch birch rock kit. I expanded it. Then got Roto-toms. Then I got into electronics, first with a Simmons SDS7 analog/digital, then some custom stuff I designed, then MIDI hit. I started using the Roland line, first with rubber pads and a TD7 module, later with a TD20 and custom made mesh pads. Presently I'm looking to get back to acoustics. Here are a few thoughts from 40 or so years of drumming...

The disadvantages of e-drums are:

1. They tend to have a more narrow tonal and dynamic range than acoustics. In other words, they're not as responsive (although the higher end kits are much better in this regard than the entry level kits). For many people this is not a huge issue, especially if you're using a lot of compression on your records or PA. If you're sloppy with set-up or have a cheap module, eliminating false triggering will further erode the dynamic range.

2. Off the shelf look rather like toys. Lots of plastic. This can be an issue if you're the sort of person who is testosterone driven and needs to have their "manhood" validated by appropriately sized inanimate objects. This is not an issue if you're not playing out with the kit. Also, there is a way around this and you can save money in the process. A popular DIY trick among e-drummers is the "stealth" kit. Basically, you buy a basic acoustic kit that looks nice and some cheap cymbals. Then you replace the heads with mesh heads and add triggers. To the cymbals, you add some clear sheet vinyl underneath to damp the sound and add triggers. You get a kit that appears to be a normal acoustic but it requires no mics. And of course, good mics are not cheap so you can save a lot there also. www.vdrums.com is a great resource for DIY stuff.

The advantages of e-drums are:

1. Obviously, they are very quiet! You actually have a volume control!

2. You can completely change kits by turning a knob. One minute you're playing a maple jazz kit, the next minute a birch rock kit, then a kit using all Roto-toms, then a kit made up of various ethnic instruments. And they never go out of tune.

3. Recording (and PA) is easy: No mics, just plug in and go.

4. If you don't make a stealth kit, they are small, light and easy to transport.

5. Because the sound of the drum has nothing to do with the physical size of the trigger, you have greater kit placement choices.

I posted a detailed blog entry about my drum gear journey a few years back here. I hope you find it interesting reading.
 
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