Those soul-less E-drums

braincramp

Gold Member
I remember saying this to a kid setting up a Roland set before his gig a couple years ago...but due to a summer at the shore apt. move I spent the money on a pretty nice Roland set and dont regret it..yes they are not acoustics but a synthesizer is not a piano either..My Rolands have opened my eyes to whole new paths as a drummer...and at my age thats an acomplishment..I had the E-drum bias that seems prevelent to alot of drummers (bad for technique, not real drums..ad infinium) but after searching for years for that perfect snare drum sound I was able to create it on my Roland set..its stuff like this that has made me an E-drum fan.. In my case it was fear of the unknown or change plus $$$ that kept me from enjoying this new adventure in drumming...it has turned out to be a great investment..and all I had to do was sell off a few snares and cymbals to get them..
 
Nice point of view... I started playing on an e kit, its a Yamaha, and I thought it was the cat's meow until I finally actually learned to play better. There are many really cool features and I love buttons and options so it was great. I now can't stand my e kit... what the very worst part about them for my ears/playing are the hi hats. I've played every kit that is displayed and avaialble at GC or SA and nothing has been close to the real thing.
I'm sure its an area that manufactures are working on...

The best part about e kits to me... apartment living and still being able to get a late night drum fix.

Enjoy your kit!!
 
I play a Roland TD-12, it has been the best thing I have ever bought. It has allowed me to practise freely and in private and has opened my mind to a whole new world of electronic sounds that I have been able to use in my acoustic playing. E-drums are an investment, not a quick fix in my opinion, though I'm a believer that E-drums are an instrument in themselves, separate from acoustic drums. I think E-drums can boost creativity to no end. As drummers we need to adpat, not shy away from the latest innovations.

I hope you get as much pleasure out of your E-kit as I have.
 
If it sounds good, it sounds good, I just find it rarely ever does compared to an acoustic kit.

I wouldn't turn down a Yamaha P120 keyboard... but most keyboards replicating pianos are inferior to actual acoustic pianos.

If you can make one work for you, congrats, they are certainly convenient, what with the ability to alter the volume and all, and the fact they tend to take up a hell of a lot less space.
 
I understand people's points of view and all, but for me, when im playing edrums, im just not having fun. I mean the reason we all play drums is to enjoy ourselves, so if im not having fun theres just no point. I know they're pretty similar to real drums, but i just don't have fun when playing them.
 
It's great to hear everyones perspective on this topic. I can say that until a few weeks ago I had only ever played e-drums (I purchased a Roland kit 6 months back) and I have to say, I absoloutely LOVE the feel of an acoustic ride cymbal.. the recoil, bounceback, whatever you want to call it made it feel natural as opposed to hitting on rubber, which I love. The dynamics are much easier to control (one of my major compaints with my Roland kit..) and it was just so much fun playing the accoustic ride. The hi hat is something that is taking getting used to (playing a regular hi hat instead of the rubber one on my Roland) but overall, it's much nicer to play.

I've even thought of supplementing my kit with an acoustic ride and plugging in my Crash2 cable instead of ride on the electric kit; I have to use an E-kit where I live as an acoustic would be much too loud, but I think I could get away with an acoustic ride. It's something I'll be buying in the future anyways, when I don't live in an apartment building.
 
Plus with downloaded kits I have:

  • 5 pearl drum kits dating back to 1984
  • 2 DW kits
  • 4 Yamaha kits
  • Brady kit
  • 3 Sonor kits
  • Burbinga kit
  • Ash kit
  • Cherry kit
  • Mahogany kit
  • 4 Tama kits

And so it goes on. Each kit is different and it's really educational to hear all these kits.

Cheers
Davo
 
I've played both acoustic and e-drums for a number of years now.

At first I really didn't mind e-drums and even went to the point of playing them exclusively for 6-9 months. When I got back on an acoustic kit my feel and groove were destroyed. I mean completely annihilated. I had to spend at least 3 months recovering from the effects of playing on e-drums.

I've really concluded that my progress on acoustic drums directly translates to e-drums, but not the other way around. There's so many intangibles of feel and dynamics that just aren't replicated in an electronic imitation.
 
Someone on DW previously made an analogy between piano and organ. I agree with that. Both are great instruments in the right hands, but just playing the organ won't be helpful in playing an acoustic piano and vice versa. In my experience, if you're worried about e-drums messing with your feel then it's best to use it with the module turned off - like a glorified practice pad kit - and only turn on the module as a treat. I've never met an e-ride cymbal that even comes close to a good Zildjian, Sabian, Paiste etc.

As with a-drums and e-drums, they are close relatives but ultimately they are different instruments. E-drums in the hands of someone like Johnny Rabb or Pat Mastelotto are pretty mind-blowing. Many excellent players have hybrid kits.

In the 80s it looked like drummers were likely to split between a-drum and e-drum specialists - like Keith Jarret and Jimmy Smith on piano and organ respectively. However, it seems to me that programmed drums pulled the wool from under e-drums - similar effect and cheaper/easier.

Nothing can replace well-played acoustics in genres requiring that organic feel, though. By the same token, if you live in a flat with neighbours less saintly than Gandhi, e-drums are are a godsend, which is why Roland sells more drums than anyone.
 
I have a Simmons SD9K as a practice set next to my acoustic practice set. The two are complete opposites as far as feel goes. However, at 3 a.m. if I have an idea pop into my head or if I need to learn 50 songs by tomorrow and I have to work during the day, they are invaluable. Wifey and baby won't wake up and yell at me in pitch-perfect 3rds. That is why I dig mine.
 
I remember saying this to a kid setting up a Roland set before his gig a couple years ago...but due to a summer at the shore apt. move I spent the money on a pretty nice Roland set and dont regret it..yes they are not acoustics but a synthesizer is not a piano either..My Rolands have opened my eyes to whole new paths as a drummer...and at my age thats an acomplishment..I had the E-drum bias that seems prevelent to alot of drummers (bad for technique, not real drums..ad infinium) but after searching for years for that perfect snare drum sound I was able to create it on my Roland set..its stuff like this that has made me an E-drum fan.. In my case it was fear of the unknown or change plus $$$ that kept me from enjoying this new adventure in drumming...it has turned out to be a great investment..and all I had to do was sell off a few snares and cymbals to get them..

Gee, what do you think of guys who jettison the whole kit playing idea altogether and get into MIDI controllers like the Zendrum ZX? That's what I did and loved, and hated it. My technique went completely out the window for the couple of years I was into the Zen. But I got really expressive with my fingertips and thumbs playing these little trigger pads on the Zendrum. A triggered Roland R5 drum machine never sounded so good!

I think the reason I went to the Zendrum was because after having played the Simmons SDS5 and later the original Octapad, I deemed electronic drums as unreal. So there was no point in trying to mimic playing acoustic drums. I might as well go to an entirely different instrument. And like I said, I loved it, then hated it when I yearned to be playing the real thing again. The advantage of the Zendrum was it wasn't getting hit with sticks to eventually break, it was like a finely-crafted guitar. My wife said it succinctly when I was playing the Zendrum four nights a week: you spent all that time playing real drums now you have a career as a contraption artist. That one hurt!
 
I remember some 8 years ago spending huge amounts of money buying and importing a Hart Professional 6.4 kit from America, with a DDrum 4SE brain for the snare, toms and kick, and a Roland TD-6 for hats and cymbals. My plan was to practise on it every day. But... I just didn't. Once the novelty wore off, it just didn't do it for me. I admit it was great to be able to have band practises at home using it.

Eventually I sold it all and turned the small spare room into a practise room for my acoustic kit and attempted to sound proof it as much as I can. Now I'm much happier, I really wish I'd done that in the first place and spent the money on sound proofing instead.

I don't know what it is - there's just something missing for me when playing an E-kit.

It's interesting watching groove essentials 2 and the differences when Tommy plays the E-kit on some tracks, both in the feel, sound and facial expressions.

I'm not knocking them - it's just when I tried it, it didn't work for me. They've probably improved a lot since 2003 though.
 
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