Silent practice - mesh heads or sounds offs?

Breachies

Junior Member
Hello everyone.
So I bought a new drum set a couple of days ago. I live in an apartment now and I obviously had to take drum mutes so I bought SP's sound offs as well.
They mute majority of the sound but still not that effective as I thought it would be and I don't really like the feel playing on them, it's just not that fun.
I heard about the existence of Pearl's mesh heads. So it would be nice if someone could tell little bit about them. Are these heads more silent than the sound offs? How is the feel compared to them? I heard they can damage your drum, Is that true?
Thank you very much.
 
I recommended people getting into mesh heads if they have another kit to use them on. Otherwise, you're spending alot of time changing heads if all of a sudden you have a gig at the last minute. But I like the mesh heads. They are pretty silent, probably a bit more bouncy than regular heads, but they do feel better than the sound off pads. They do not damage drums, I don't see how that would happen. A stick hitting the rim accidentally would be alot louder than playing on mesh heads.

I had a Sonor safari kit that I put mesh heads on, and I continued the use of the sound off pads on the cymbals and hi-hats. That was a great practice set. If I wanted it even quieter, I could've dropped a towel in each drum to keep the bottom head from resonating, but I didn't need to do that. I still recommend people getting a Sonor Safari and a set of mesh heads. It's still cheaper than getting a full Pearl Rhythm Traveler kit!
 
I was happy with the rubber pads on toms, used a regular practice pad on the snare (better feel than mesh heads), and ended up with a mesh head on my bass drum.

A half decent e-kit is a lot more enjoyable to own and play than a muffled acoustic set, though.
 
A half decent e-kit is a lot more enjoyable to own and play than a muffled acoustic set, though.
This is exactly the point and the OP said it himself- A-kits with drum mutes on are just not fun to play so why bother with mesh heads or mutes?
As for your questions- Pearl mesh heads won't damage your drums but they are single-ply and therefore not very durable. They will be quieter than the mutes but the way they feel to you is somewhat subjective (some drummers feel they're too bouncy).
 
This is exactly the point and the OP said it himself- A-kits with drum mutes on are just not fun to play so why bother with mesh heads or mutes?

This is what I thought when I purchased a Roland TD-10 V-Drum kit. And then I had the most expensive practice kit ever. To get an eKit with mesh heads is going to cost at least $1300 or so - so how much do you want to spend on a practice kit? I always thought the joy of playing comes from inside anyway - and if the pure joy comes from playing your acoustic drums on an actual gig, I'm failing to see why anyone would spend 1,000+ on something they're just going to practice on. 'Cause who would actually use a mid-level eKit for a gig?
 
This is what I thought when I purchased a Roland TD-10 V-Drum kit. And then I had the most expensive practice kit ever. To get an eKit with mesh heads is going to cost at least $1300 or so - so how much do you want to spend on a practice kit? I always thought the joy of playing comes from inside anyway - and if the pure joy comes from playing your acoustic drums on an actual gig, I'm failing to see why anyone would spend 1,000+ on something they're just going to practice on. 'Cause who would actually use a mid-level eKit for a gig?
Bo my friend, it seems you and I are destined to contest this issue for all time : )
Since not wasting money on a "practice kit" seems to be your primary concern this means you would have to switch over the mylar heads for mesh after/ in between gigs correct? (Talk about a PITA).
Otherwise you could buy a second, cheap, piece of crap kit and fit that with mesh heads (but then we've wasted money again haven't we)?
Personally I don't think either of these scenarios is very appealing to any drummer and certainly wouldn't be conducive for practicing at home.
I take your point that yes, e-kits are very expensive for what they do (I also currently use a TD-10) but what price does one put on having an enjoyable/ productive practice at home (albeit with a kit that doesn't live up to your high A-kit standards)??
As for your last point, many drummers (including myself) have used "mid-level" e-kits for gigs. Granted, we're not talking Disneyland gigs (just pubs and clubs) but I used a crappy TD-6 for 5 years with no problems. Does it really sound THAT bad to you? Judge for yourself...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dPaG9HOye8
 
Thanks for the replies.
I got the mesh heads. They are defenitely more silent and feels better though I am not so comfortable with the bass drum.
The thought of getting an e-kit ran through my head today but from some research on the internet, a descent e-kit costs more than my whole acoustic kit with mesh heads and sounds offs on the cymbals.
I heard some people say they regretted the dicision of getting an e-kit and selling their acoustic kit, especially if it's a cheap one.
 
Thanks for the replies.
I got the mesh heads. They are defenitely more silent and feels better though I am not so comfortable with the bass drum.
The thought of getting an e-kit ran through my head today but from some research on the internet, a descent e-kit costs more than my whole acoustic kit with mesh heads and sounds offs on the cymbals.
I heard some people say they regretted the dicision of getting an e-kit and selling their acoustic kit, especially if it's a cheap one.
Glad to hear you came to a decision.
Don't forget you can always go A2E (ie get triggers with the mesh heads) down the track should the need arise!
 
Bo my friend, it seems you and I are destined to contest this issue for all time : )
Since not wasting money on a "practice kit" seems to be your primary concern this means you would have to switch over the mylar heads for mesh after/ in between gigs correct? (Talk about a PITA).
Otherwise you could buy a second, cheap, piece of crap kit and fit that with mesh heads (but then we've wasted money again haven't we)?
Personally I don't think either of these scenarios is very appealing to any drummer and certainly wouldn't be conducive for practicing at home.
I take your point that yes, e-kits are very expensive for what they do (I also currently use a TD-10) but what price does one put on having an enjoyable/ productive practice at home (albeit with a kit that doesn't live up to your high A-kit standards)??
As for your last point, many drummers (including myself) have used "mid-level" e-kits for gigs. Granted, we're not talking Disneyland gigs (just pubs and clubs) but I used a crappy TD-6 for 5 years with no problems. Does it really sound THAT bad to you? Judge for yourself...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dPaG9HOye8

Yeah, I suppose we can agree to disagree. But what I did was get a Sonor Safari and outfitted it with mesh heads while keeping my main kits ready for gigs. It ended up being a $450 investment that was worth it and cheap. And I've done gigs with an octapad triggering drum machines in the 80s and the novelty was cool then but not anymore. I think a lot of music patrons would rather see and hear the real thing. It's not that emits can't sound good, I just prefer to pull a good sound out of a real kit with my real technique, and people can tell. I'm not unhappy I say "no" to ekit gigs. I spent too long honing my chops to not use them to their fullest. I've been confronted with churches who have their own v-drums too and I just say no. They just no longer make me happy.
 
I recommended people getting into mesh heads if they have another kit to use them on. Otherwise, you're spending alot of time changing heads if all of a sudden you have a gig at the last minute. But I like the mesh heads. They are pretty silent, probably a bit more bouncy than regular heads, but they do feel better than the sound off pads. They do not damage drums, I don't see how that would happen. A stick hitting the rim accidentally would be alot louder than playing on mesh heads.

I had a Sonor safari kit that I put mesh heads on, and I continued the use of the sound off pads on the cymbals and hi-hats. That was a great practice set. If I wanted it even quieter, I could've dropped a towel in each drum to keep the bottom head from resonating, but I didn't need to do that. I still recommend people getting a Sonor Safari and a set of mesh heads. It's still cheaper than getting a full Pearl Rhythm Traveler kit!

Good tip Bo. I practice and record on an acoustic kit. Even with the mute pads on during practice, that BD can still be heard inside the house. I'm gonna stay with the mute pads on all the drums, but add a Pearl Mesh head to another bass drum. Since I already have a BD mute pad, I'll stick that over the BD Mesh head to control the bounce.

I'll report back...
 
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