Electric dilemma

Stupidrumface said:

Is the 532 the best e-kit you've played?Because it doesn't seem to be a top of the range model judging by the price.

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I've demo'ed all of Yamaha's lines. Only the Roland and Yamaha $5000 flagship models are even remotely sonically interesting to me. Even then, it's an apple/oranges comparison. You might as well compare ice skates to roller blades.

The 532K was the cheapest eKit I could find with a realistic hi-hat, with the the exception of the DM8 + add-on-hat, which was just trash. It's been a wonderful practice kit though.

Cheers for that KamaK.

Not any closer to a decision anyway.That thread on the new Roland kit has opened my eyes a little to e-kits and the fact that they're really maybe not as advanced as I thought they were at this point.There seems to be some fundamental flaws even at the higher end of the spectrum.
There seems to be a lot of love for the 2box out there.Also a lot of people that use e-kits extensively seem to have some form of hybrid setup incorporating a few different pieces of gear from different brands.This has disheartened me a bit because it sounds like more technical work to reach something beyond a sub-standard result.

From a sound perspective the 2box module is probably as good as it gets...it's got 4GB of flash sample memory (i.e., more sample space means better potential for good sound) ...no other module comes even remotely close, at least from the roland and yamaha camps...

Stupidrumface said:

This has disheartened me a bit because it sounds like more technical work to reach something beyond a sub-standard result.

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It takes a change in philosophy to counter the disappointment. Inline roller skates/blades will never be iced skates, but within their domain a thriving ecosystem, rich new arts, and a pop-sub culture have emerged. Imagine trying to ice skate on a half pipe, or an ice-skate-park with ramps, a bowl, and inclined rails.

eKits are the same way. While they'll never be a acoustic kit, they don't need to be in order to succeed. Now if only they could get the price down to something reasonable... A TD 30 for $2000 for example.

I had a DM10 and I liked the module, especially with the Blue Jay sounds. I like you didn't like the pads and stuff. Why not just keep that and replace the Alesis pads for something like the Pintech mesh pads. Like these http://pintechworld.com/shop/pintech-5pc-drum-pad-bundle/

Or you could even pair it with like the DDrum Hybrid kit or something similar, basically a standard kit with triggers built in.

It's me again....Upon further review, and after looking at other e-kits and talking to some of you guys, I've decided the best avenue for me at this juncture is to break the bank and go for the 562K with the silicone heads and the better hh w/stand.....These forums really help an ole acoustic drummer with, what I hope is a sound financial decision...


P.S. If the truth be told, and I had $$$$$$$$$ falling from the inner most depths of my anal region, then I would definitely go with the DTX900, but that's just a dream. I believe I'll be happy with the 562K, I hope......

OleDrummer said:

P.S. If the truth be told, and I had $$$$$$$$$ falling from the inner most depths of my anal region, then I would definitely go with the DTX900, but that's just a dream. I believe I'll be happy with the 562K, I hope......

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Congratulations! Make certain to pick up a comfortable throne and BD pedal. The only other thing I would recommend is picking up extra velcro cable-ties at your local retailer (Target). The kit comes with 6 which is a bit sparse IMHO.

KamaK said:

It takes a change in philosophy to counter the disappointment.

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This is something I'm trying to appreciate.
The problem I have with your analogy is that I can't identify what benefits an e-kit has over an acoustic set.All I can see is the con side of the e-kit (reduced playability etc.) whereas I don't really see the pros at this point.Being able to switch sounds means nothing to me if I can't play them fluidly,it'd be like having a full length midi keyboard with great sample packs but your controller is actually missing about 20 keys.
Funnily enough I started to think about the first kit I ever had earlier,it was a run of the mill substandard fame e-kit.I loved the thing at first,never looked up any lesson or drum tutorial for a couple of months and just beat the hell out of the thing.It was when I looked up how to play a simple beat that the kit suddenly became sluggish and unusable.I thought the Dm10 would be drastically better but it isn't.The two e-kits I've played have started to persuade me that the instrument is at best an expensive side ornament and not something that you can build your creative process around which is what I want.It does seems slightly possible with some strenuous effort,what annoys me the most is I know I'm going to go through it all and thinking about the time and effort I'd rather exert on something else pisses me off!

I'm amazed the 2box is considered better than the td-30 module at a grand less.

Stupidrumface said:

The problem I have with your analogy is that I can't identify what benefits an e-kit has over an acoustic set.

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As far as I can tell, the benefits would be:

1: Unlimited sonic diversity (can make any sound, including samples). Some of the built in sounds are quite entertaining.
2: Can be recorded as MIDI, making flex, quantization, and sample changes extremely simple. Record once, play back as any synthetic kit your DAW offers.
3: Quiet practice
4: Feature Integration (metronome, play-along, coaching)
5: Hybridization - You can combine your A and E kits

You other option is the A-Kit conversion + Gen16's. It's certainly the most realistic feeling, and may very well be a better fit for you.

An A-kit conversion sounds a bit much,I think I'd be happy enough with mesh heads,I've never even tried them out.My main worry would be dynamics on the cymbals I think.Something with the feel of the Gen16's look suitable.It's putting all the best components together that will really be tiresome I'd say,I imagine there's a lot of crosstalk problems.

Can anyone here tell me if the DTX 502 module works with wireless headphones ?

OleDrummer said:

Can anyone here tell me if the DTX 502 module works with wireless headphones ?

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The 502 does not appear to be bluetooth capable, so BT headphones are out. If you pick up a headphone/transmitter combo with analog inputs, that would work fine.

For me the benefits are quite simple. I have a busy life, young family, and haven't had a kit set up in my house for over 10 years. Now, if I wake up at 4am I can go play and no one has a clue! Forget all the 'doesn't feel like a real kit, doesn't sound like one' blah blah blah. I'm practicing in ways I never have been able to before, learning things I never learned. It has a 100% benefit for me or someone like me. The benefit for my family is 150%.

And while mine is 'only' a 502 module, I would absolutely take this out and gig with it. It's not sheep stations, it's just a bit of fun. I'm not playing for the Stones. Where it's really a lot of fun is as a hybrid kit. Take the 3 zone snare, and a second pad, and have some fun! Maybe drumming is a serious job for some of you, but for all of us it should be a bucket load of fun!