I play amateur pop/rock/blues and when we play out, it is in in very small venues and the sound is as or more important than my/our abilities.
Right now, my ONLY concern is that we play with a good mix, in tempo and sing on key. The E kit solves a LOT of sound issues.
You mentioned the dynamics of your ride cymbal and it is a good example. I only use my ride in maybe 20% of my play. I am more of a HH guy. When I do use it, it is straight 1/8 notes. In the music I choose to play, the way I choose to play it, the dynamics of the ride cymbal are of no importance. I don't pick music apart and 99% of the people I play for do not either.
When the day comes when someone important tells me that they liked the music, but I should have a more dynamic ride, I will start to focus more on the details.
In my simple genre, it's bass and snare to keep tempo and simple fills and crashes between segments. I think that is what most people hear, if they are even paying attention to the drums. I'm a drummer, not a front man.
The E kick/snare/toms sound good to me so I'm confident they sound good to the general public. The cymbals are.........close enough
I have read over and over how drummers are in love with the sound of their A kits and I have tried and tried to achieve this feeling without success. I would love to sit at someone's "perfect" kit just to see if it is the kit or my expectations. My A's just don't sound good to me. I even had them professionally tuned. I learned a lot from it and they do sound better, but I'm hardly in love with them.
Like I said, for what I do, the E's are much better. The only drawback is some people's perception which, fortunately, I can easily disregard.
As far as being a good drummer? I am making progress but I wouldn't consider myself a good drummer. I am a competent drummer, a good musician and a superior human being
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