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Electronic Drum Amp?
- Thread starter Cochall
- Start date
Yeah, it was just a thought and wanted to see if anyone had ever used one for playing live or rehearsal.
A former bandmate had a set of Roland V-Drums and some Roland amp that was marketed as being specifically for V-Drums. I can't remember the designation. Regardless, he blew the driver in that amp on a regular basis with his V-Drums at volumes that I would not consider loud. That's my only experience with an amp for electronic drums and it wasn't pleasant despite coming from, arguably, the top dog in the electronic drumming market. Based on that, and that alone, I would skip it entirely and just get a bass amp.
Powered pa cab. I run drum machines and a norddrum through a Yamaha DRX15 and they get as loud as you would possibly want.
the little “drum amps” are seriously home practice level or super quiet something.
I used to play in a band that used triggers on kick and toms to beef up a light drummer - we used a bass head/ 15 cab combo and it worked fine for that limited use. For a full kit I’d want a compression horn to cover “brass” and snare hf.
the little “drum amps” are seriously home practice level or super quiet something.
I used to play in a band that used triggers on kick and toms to beef up a light drummer - we used a bass head/ 15 cab combo and it worked fine for that limited use. For a full kit I’d want a compression horn to cover “brass” and snare hf.
I once bought a Simmons DA200s drum amp just because the price was stupid low.
It did not sound good with a bass just plugged in. I think it was looking for a higher level/line level signal (like you'd get from an e drum kit).
It did sound good when fed music from my iPhone, though!
It did not sound good with a bass just plugged in. I think it was looking for a higher level/line level signal (like you'd get from an e drum kit).
It did sound good when fed music from my iPhone, though!
This. I've been dabbling in Roland e-drums for 20 years and I just don't like the e-drums dedicated combo amps that are so prevalent. I think they mostly sound terrible and very few of them have enough low end oomph to make the kick sound any good.
Powered PA speaker is the ticket.
I played in a band with an electronic drummer, and agree that a powered PA speaker is a great solution. Heck, I believe you can get a decent powered 12" or 15" for less than a dedicated drum amplifier. Add a subwoofer to really have some fun. Can be done pretty inexpensively, with brands like Harbinger, while still sounding way better than a dedicated amp.
I had a brief time with an electronic duo when we couldn't find a drummer we liked. I test drove a few options, but nothing for bang for the buck beat a modern powered PA speaker. I did overall like a little compression on it though.
I've used the Roland PM-100 for a few years, and it works well for my small practice space.
we were a post-punk trio built around big Tom based drum patterns interacting with bass as the primary melodic instrument. The new guy just didn’t bring that without electronic assistance
+1 on powered PA cabs. I was in a gigging/touring alt-metal band for a couple of years whose drummer used a Roland electronic kit. He ran it through a pair of powered PA speakers for monitoring and went direct out to the soundboard.
Sound was always consistent. And dig this, he actually struggled on acoustic drums because he was so used to not having to hit heavy on his e-drums. With his e-drums he could conserve his energy and not have to clobber anything. One thing I'll say about that band is that because of the varied dynamics in the music and the desire to always have consistent sound on stage, we never had volume wars at practice or anything. I left that band for other reasons, though.
Sound was always consistent. And dig this, he actually struggled on acoustic drums because he was so used to not having to hit heavy on his e-drums. With his e-drums he could conserve his energy and not have to clobber anything. One thing I'll say about that band is that because of the varied dynamics in the music and the desire to always have consistent sound on stage, we never had volume wars at practice or anything. I left that band for other reasons, though.
Powered p.a. cab (15" for the lows) or an old keyboard amp of some sort. I have seen a guy using a Peavey TNT bass amp (with horn) and it worked perfectly for him.
Drums span the entire spectrum of human hearing (the standard 20Hz to 20kHz) and an e-drums amp and cabinet needs to represent that range of frequencies in order to sound lik e it should.
Of course, compromise is typical in the real world, which means that musicians are frequently required to play with a stage amp or monitor that is a poor representation of the optimum sonic experience.
Been there. Done that. But I'm fortunate enough to have been in the biz for long enough that I've set myself up to not have to compromise as much as some others.
Meaning: If money, space, or other factors force you to use a stage monitor that sounds thin and harsh, then you should just smile and play with what you've got. After all, the show must go on.
But it's always way more fun if you have the means to hear yourself on stage with all the sonic glory that the gods intended.
Of course, compromise is typical in the real world, which means that musicians are frequently required to play with a stage amp or monitor that is a poor representation of the optimum sonic experience.
Been there. Done that. But I'm fortunate enough to have been in the biz for long enough that I've set myself up to not have to compromise as much as some others.
Meaning: If money, space, or other factors force you to use a stage monitor that sounds thin and harsh, then you should just smile and play with what you've got. After all, the show must go on.
But it's always way more fun if you have the means to hear yourself on stage with all the sonic glory that the gods intended.
