Electronic vs. Acoustic Drums

[martinsecrest]

Thinking about setting up a practice space at my house.

Have lots of amps, but what would be great would be to have a drum set in situ, so as to not always be at the mercy of playing at the drummer's house.

Volume is also an issue. For the drummers in the audience ... would you consider jamming on an electronic set? Too weird? Guys I play with are generally over 40.

[Big_Bend]

Originally Posted by martinsecrest

Thinking about setting up a practice space at my house.

Have lots of amps, but what would be great would be to have a drum set in situ, so as to not always be at the mercy of playing at the drummer's house.

Volume is also an issue. For the drummers in the audience ... would you consider jamming on an electronic set? Too weird? Guys I play with are generally over 40.

I don't know any real drummers that would consider playing on an electronic kit. Those just aren't "drums" IMO. Drums are acoustic instruments. Even for practice.. no thanks on the electronics...

[martinsecrest]

One of the drummers I play with has electronics as his only current set, and he is pretty good. Younger, though, in his 30's. The electronics have some pretty clear convenience advantages to my mind, but since I don't play drums I don't know how they would feel to a real player, especially at first.

[honeycreek]

The drummer that I play with uses electronic drums and uses mine when he is at my house. I actually prefer him using acoustics. He prefers the electronic because it is so much easier to transport, takes up less space, and he sometimes uses the different kits available. To me, it's kind of like the difference between playing using a tube amp and a POD. They both sound great...but they feel a little different (even to those of us just listening). The Roland sets are very good. All that being said...it comes down to personal preference so if your drummer would play electronic then great...if not, then it won't matter what everyone else does.

The drummer I am talking about is a GREAT drummer so that is not part of the equation. Don't expect to be able to buy a cheap electronic set and think it will be equivalent to an acoustic set though. You also have to have some sort of sound system that is capable of handling the range (frequency and dynamic) of drums.

[jazztele]

real drums, with brushes or "hot-rods"

Can be quiet enough to play with unamplified acoustic instruments. Drums doesn't have to be John Bonham.

[RomanS]

When we play at tiny cafés or pubs where a full-size drum-kit would be too loud, our drummer plays cajon - he has a bass drum pedal mounted on it, and he usually brings a hi-hat and a small snare, and plays with brushes or rods; sounds quite good at much lower volume levels...

[Scantron08]

Originally Posted by jazztele

real drums, with brushes or "hot-rods"

Can be quiet enough to play with unamplified acoustic instruments. Drums doesn't have to be John Bonham.

+1

[imsilly]

I have a similar problem. I cleared up some space for an acoustic drum kit, but I have yet to buy one due to volume issues. The drummer I know is freaking loud. So I'm still trying to figure out how to get a decent sounding acoustic set that won't get me kicked out. The drummer won't touch an electric kit.

What are the options out there for silencing/attenuating the sound of acoustic kits?

Are there any decent sounding quieter acoustic kits?

[sax4blues]

I don't own electronic.
I don't plan to buy electronic.
I like acoustic drums.

But... At NAMM I talked with the big drum companies and:

Electronic drum sales are out pacing acoustic drum sales.
Development/R&D budgets for electronic drums are growing every year.
Even companies as old a Zildjian are colaborating with electronics companies.

I'm not saying electronic drums are good.
I'm not saying anybody should even consder electronic drums.

But I will say the days of a blanket put down of electronic drums as inferior kids toys are way past.

[woodman]

Originally Posted by imsilly

I have a similar problem. I cleared up some space for an acoustic drum kit, but I have yet to buy one due to volume issues. The drummer I know is freaking loud. So I'm still trying to figure out how to get a decent sounding acoustic set that won't get me kicked out. The drummer won't touch an electric kit.

What are the options out there for silencing/attenuating the sound of acoustic kits?

Are there any decent sounding quieter acoustic kits?

99% of it is up to the drummer; the quietest kit won't tame a basher. ... In one band a few years back, for rehearsals and tiny clubs, our drummer rigged up his kick pedal to a floor tom (tuned appropriately) and used stick bundles with only a snare, hat and one cymbal. But sadly, some drummers (much like some guitar players) don't feel like they're playing unless it's LOUD.

[Cheesehead]

I'm in a jam band with a bass player and drummer, all in our 40s. The drummer sold his acoustic kit out of convenience when he moved and purchased an electronic kit. Recently the bass player purchased an acoustic kit, which he lets our drummer use. We all like the sound A LOT better. YMMV.

[imsilly]

Originally Posted by woodman

99% of it is up to the drummer; the quietest kit won't tame a basher. ... In one band a few years back, for rehearsals and tiny clubs, our drummer rigged up his kick pedal to a floor tom (tuned appropriately) and used stick bundles with only a snare, hat and one cymbal. But sadly, some drummers (much like some guitar players) don't feel like they're playing unless it's LOUD.

That sounds like a great idea.

The drummer in question has spent his time in Punk and Indie bands, 'basher' would be a good description. I might start looking into some older kits with smaller diameters and maybe a little sound insulation. I'm not letting him near a proper kick drum if I can help it.

[martinsecrest]

My major problem with electronic drums is that the sound comes from one box in one place. However, if the drummer is good, this sin can be quickly forgiven.

Volume control, portability, and setup and breakdown is a fraction of the time of conventional drums. Once you get over the shock factor, these are good things.

[GregB]

I don't know any real drummers that would consider playing on an electronic kit. Those just aren't "drums" IMO. Drums are acoustic instruments. Even for practice.. no thanks on the electronics...

I respectfully disagree.

The single biggest problem working with a drummer is that they are too darn loud. Yes, it's possible for a drummer to play softer, but is YOUR drummer capable of doing that?

I just saw a great blues band, The Buddy Emmers Band, in Reno and everything went through the PA system. It sounded great! It was loud enough that you knew you were in a bar listening to live music, but not so overwhelming that you couldn't talk or hear anyone else. The drummer was using one of the new Roland kits and he sounded great. The guitarist, Buddy, was playing through a pod. Yeah, a nice Blues Jr might have sounded better, but would they still have the amazing clarity I heard that night? Probably not.

But we're really answering 2 different questions here.

1: What's appropriate for a practice space at your house?
2: What's appropriate for your gigs?

The answer for question #1 should certainly at least consider electronic drums.

[Chutist]

Okay... don't tell anybody... I'm a drummer.

But I'm also a pragmatist. I've been looking at adding a E-kit for years and just never can bring myself to do it. Part of it is expense! The Roland E-kits are OUTRAGOUSE. The top of the line kit - which duplicates my acoustic kit - is 6 THOUSAND dollars street! Even a budget "get by" for practice is 2700 street. I can buy a top of the line DW kit for that 2700!

Having absolute control of volume is nice but I can play soft when it serves the music. That's part of being a good musician. I can go to Rods for even more volume reduction when needed.

As far as "convenience" - E-Kit? Yes the kit is smaller but not if you include the SUB cab and power amp that you need to really sound like drums.

IMHO -drums are part of the show, visually E-kits (with the exception of the big Roland kit) just don't LOOK like drums on stage.

Bottom line is they are a great practice/rehearsal tool - if you can afford it - but not for a SHOW.

[String Tree]

It depends on what you are trying to accomplish.

Fact # 1: They sound different.
Fact # 2: How 'good' they sound is determined by how good of a system they are being played through.

For Live, I have mixed feelings.
I have played with 5 drummers who went electric.

Pro: Being able to keep the volume down saved our bacon many times.
Con: Set-up time always takes longer than you think it will.

Pro: You can sound like you did last night for the rest of your life.
Con: Unless something breaks. Electronic fixes are far more complicated than their Acoustic counterparts.

For recording, I LOVE the TD - 20.
I have a Prosonus Firepod dedicated to it.
We can record any time, night or day, with literally a flip of a switch.
I record to SONAR 5 PRO. I have all of these settings stored as a file. When it is time for a new song, open file, push Record.
No Mic set-up time. Just play!

8 tracks of damn fine sounding drums with no messing around.
We set the levels once a couple of years ago, and that was it!
He can mess around with his own headphones all he wants, has no effect on the levels going to the DAW. THAT is what the shouting is all about.

Since I record to 8 separate tracks, I can fiddle with the balance in post all I want.
This is also very useful when over-dubbing. Different players and singers want (and in my room they get) what ever mix they so desire while we work on their part.

http://www.mediafire.com/?a9paip0l4lwah8d

[Paul in Colorado]

I used to play with a drummer who had an electronic kit. It was great for headphone rehearsals to keep peace in the family. He ended up donating them to his church and bought a nice custom Gretsch kit. I didn't like the way the cymbals sounded. No matter how you hit them they always sounded the same. Right now I'm playing with a drummer who uses a kick, snare, hi-hat and a cymbal with brushes and blasticks. We rehearse with no amps except the bass player's.

[jimdandy]

I've played with two drummers: the one that sucked played an acoustic set. The one I play with now is freaking good and uses a Roland electronic kit. I don't care what the drummer plays -- just don't suck.

The set up/take down for the dude that sucked on his huge acoustic set was a giant pain in the rear. When I joined this band, I thought the electronic drums were cheesy, but not after hearing him play. He's money on them.

[brewwagon]

Dennis Brown ft. Sly & Robbie - Revolution. This was recorded in London. Channel Four's "The Tube" Revolution Riddim a.k.a. Here I Come Riddim
Riddim origin information: Artist: Dennis Brown
Song: Revolution/If this world was mine, Producer:
Year: 1988, Label: Taxi

[MN Punk]

I love electronic drums in the practice room and sometimes in the studio. They are just great.

But on stage, having electronic drums means one more stage-monitoring task which the sound guy must get perfect in order to not ruin your show.

I can get through a song with four broken strings and a drunken vocalist, so long as I can hear the drums properly, and as long as I'm standing near a real drum set I know I'll always hear the drums, even through earplugs. But if the "drummer" is just playing mesh heads and rubber cymbals and something goes wrong with the monitoring system, I might as well drop my guitar and walk off the stage. The gig's over.