Hypercaffium
Well-Known Member
I don't need 10 reasons, just one: volume. I live in an apartment building and I can't play an acoustic kit. I mean... literaly.
Were you playing rubber or mesh electronic drums? I haven't found much difference in muscle memory / feel from an acoustic drum with a low volume head and a mesh-head electronic, and it's (IMO) much more enjoyable to play on the electronic drums.
Totally agreed on cymbals though - electronic cymbals just don't cut it, as far as touch / feel. For me, the ideal combination has been mesh electronic drums with acoustic cymbals. I'll use the low-volume cymbals if I need to really cut down the noise, but for 90% of the time, the high frequencies that cymbals produce don't really travel that far. I play my mesh-head electronic kit with regular cymbals (22" ride, 19" crash, 15" hats) with the door closed, and my wife can sit in the room next door and watch TV at a comfortable volume.
Hello
Have you ever performed with that arrangement (electronic drums & real cymbals)? Did it work out acoustically? If so, how did you mic the kit?
I've just joined a prog rock band. The rehearsals are at the lead guitarist's home, where he has a basement studio with an electronic kit. A DrumIt3 kit with mesh heads. The kit is fine but the cymbals leave much to be desired. I've talked the leader into letting me use my cymbals on gigs.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Regards,
Ken
Well... I was close to have that too, I don't have any trumpet, corner. Tenor sax or trombone, I have 5 guitars and 3 bass, 2 Guitar Amps, one bass Amp and 2 bass cabs, 3 mixers but JUST a sample PA, like 2 powered speakers 2X10 but yes, the drums was not needed especially that I'm not a drummer per se but a keys player with already 6 keyboards and several modules...The main reason for an electronic kit? Happy Wife = Happy Life!
For 36 years, I have been begging for an acoustic kit (flipped around Lefty). "NO... NO... NO... NO... You already have a trumpet, cornet, trombone, tenor sax, 5 guitars, a bass, and now a full size Yamaha keyboard. Plus a 100watt Boss Katana amp, a small bass amp, a PA system, etc... you do NOT need drums!!"-- quote, un-quote from my lovely wife.
SOOOO... We made a compromise. I showed her the various Alesis and Roland E-drum kits at the local music store. I mainly showed her the console, the settings, and most importantly, THE VOLUME KNOB, AND HEADPHONE JACK!
She agreed... So, when she's not home, I plug into my PA system and rock the hell out! When she's home, I wear my Sennheiser headphones and jam quietly in the house.
I got my wife her very own pair of GK Ultraphones to plug into her iPhone (with an adapter).The main reason for an electronic kit? Happy Wife = Happy Life!
For 36 years, I have been begging for an acoustic kit (flipped around Lefty). "NO... NO... NO... NO... You already have a trumpet, cornet, trombone, tenor sax, 5 guitars, a bass, and now a full size Yamaha keyboard. Plus a 100watt Boss Katana amp, a small bass amp, a PA system, etc... you do NOT need drums!!"-- quote, un-quote from my lovely wife.
SOOOO... We made a compromise. I showed her the various Alesis and Roland E-drum kits at the local music store. I mainly showed her the console, the settings, and most importantly, THE VOLUME KNOB, AND HEADPHONE JACK!
She agreed... So, when she's not home, I plug into my PA system and rock the hell out! When she's home, I wear my Sennheiser headphones and jam quietly in the house.
How is an electronic drum set like a fat girlfriend? It's fun, but you're not sure you want your friends to see you with it.
Humor aside, the folks at MusicRadar.com -- who recently crowned Tool's Danny Carey as the King of Noodly Doodly Drummers -- just published the definitive list of the Top 10 Reasons to Buy an Electronic Drum Kit.
Sadly, they didn't touch on the fact that a clear majority of today's professional drummers play a hybrid set -- with some electronic component augmenting their acoustic sets.
With all of that said, here's a tight synopsis of MusicRadar's over-long list:
1. Volume ... Never more than now has there been a greater need for hearing yourself mainly through headphones (paired with as much or as little backing track as you care to hear).
2. Variety ... Change from "vintage jazz to stadium rock to an 808-style electronic kit at the touch of a button."
3. Playability ... Apparently, rubber pads are not as bad as they used to be.
4. Practice ... Built-in practice tools like a metronome and, as previously mentioned, tracks via your headphones.
5. Portability and space ... I guess.
6. You can expand the sounds ... A repeat of No. 2?
7. You can expand the pads ... A la Terry Bozzio?
8. Price ... Actual cymbals that are hand-hammered -- a term that makes non-drummers giggle -- can be crazy expensive.
9. Recording ... Puh-leeze.
10. You'll become a more versatile musician... Like No. 9, utter balderdash!
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10 reasons to buy an electronic drum set
From quieter practice to flexible sounds, here's why an electronic drum kit is the perfect alternative to acoustic drumswww.musicradar.com