Why don't club drummers embrace electronic kits more often?

[Nashrakh]

I do love how we tell other musicians what they should use, but then spend pages debating about how a certain model bass or amp doesn't "work" for us...

The punch line to that whole debate is that everyone and their mother wants us to go DI anyway! Ba-dum-tish.

As for those saying "imagine if you showed up with a 2 octave bass synth instead of a bass", well I would, but no one else in my bands would let me. Thanks guys...

 

[Charlzm]

You will always find the "Les Paul and a Marshall stack" guitarists, "P Bass and an SVT 810" bassist and wannabe Neil Peart circa "Moving Pictures" drummers. I tend to think a lot of drummers in general are more traditionalists than the rest of the band members, though.

 

[ERIC31]

I think I may have found a niche to fill. Since almost everyone on here doesn't like/hates e-drums, I should start playing and learn how to play on e-drums. Treat it like playing a new instrument. My hearing will still be intact and small gigs that don't require Tommy Lee on drums will be mine!

I had been thinking about this recently for a trio that could play low volume gigs in backyards, coffee shops, living rooms, stores etc with an e-kit, small guitar and bass amps and p.a. for vocals. No blast just music at a reasonable sound level.

Loud Rock star wannabe drummers that think they are God's gift suck! I've dealt with that before and won't do it again.

 

[buldog5151bass]

The punch line to that whole debate is that everyone and their mother wants us to go DI anyway! Ba-dum-tish.

As for those saying "imagine if you showed up with a 2 octave bass synth instead of a bass", well I would, but no one else in my bands would let me. Thanks guys...

You miss my point. Every post that talks about DIing the bass has a majority of bassists who say they should be allowed to use their amps, and every post that talks about different basses has people who say they should be allowed to use numerous basses with different setups and string choices because they "need their sound", and the feel of their personal bass. But we know that using one bass though a DI will allow you to have a more consistent signal.

Yet these same people here are saying that a drummers should just go along with it and use electronic drums because it is easier for the rest of the band. You can't have it both ways...

 

[arbiterusa]

Yes, and is occasionally missing a kick drum pedal

Wow. That is creepy. That is seriously what happened two weeks ago and it was the last stop but one on his train out. Showing up late to the last gig was the final stop. He's been relegated to "emergency last resort backup".

My bandmates let this go on too long. I was ready to fire the SOB the first gig he was late. I will not put up with that. Pet peeve.

 

[Hambone70]

As a bassist also running the PA, I love e-drums. The drummer can bang as hard as she wants, and I can turn it down.

Everything is DIed, except the vocals. Total volume control for any gig. And if I could DI the vocals, I would!

I generally prefer electric bass/guitar over acoustic, too.

 

[Wasnex]

It's another one of those stories where I see zero mention of actually telling the drummer he was too loud. You said "if anyone says anything he pouts..." , but not that you prompted him on that gig where patrons were being driven out due to his playing. Did anyone point that out? Did anyone tell him the acoustics were such that the drums are overwhelming? I know you shouldn't have to even tell a musician this, but we already know its amateur hour with this drummer.

I have all the sympathy in the world for the situation, but not if you're not even asking, in the moment the problem is happening.

Don't be afraid to be a d!ck.

Been there done that. Wrote about it in this thread.

 

[cchorney]

I like e-drums when they sound good, but a lot of times the cymbals don't sound realistic. But the problem here isn't the kit, it's the drummer. Find one who can play with dynamics, and also has a decent e-drum kit, and you've got a keeper. Even if you just find a drummer who can play with dynamics and is willing to play a smaller set, that's still a win. Loud and proud isn't the way to go for a drummer playing small places.

 

[edro]

Digital drums are about like a mutli-fx a modeler a whateverthehellitiswithknobs....

The drums sounds are samples...damn good samples.... In effect real drums....

Like any "Box", they need tweaking as far as sensitivity, etc...

Lot of 'programmed' stuff on the radio that sounds real....that ain't....but is....just programmed...

 

[swarfrat]

I'm a hack amateur drummer. E-drums basically suck until you get to the $5k mark. And even then, the two biggest sucking instruments are snare and cymbals, which are the most sound-critical members of the ensemble and also the problem children when it comes to driving the volume wars.

As an amateur hack drummer who only got into it write - I've been considering dumping my acoustic drums for floor space (my tastes run large), building my own mesh headed E-kit, and hanging on to my favorite 15" snare and APX cymbals for recording. That'd also let me achieve a proper 80's tom count while retaining my much loved 26" bass drum (or at least its sound).

 

[swarfrat]

And if I could DI the vocals, I would!

Throat microphone - Wikipedia

I've been curious, but not enough to spend money. I know they're not really optimized for music. But their subvocalization capabilities intrigue me anyway.

 

[Nashrakh]

You miss my point. Every post that talks about DIing the bass has a majority of bassists who say they should be allowed to use their amps, and every post that talks about different basses has people who say they should be allowed to use numerous basses with different setups and string choices because they "need their sound", and the feel of their personal bass. But we know that using one bass though a DI will allow you to have a more consistent signal.

Yet these same people here are saying that a drummers should just go along with it and use electronic drums because it is easier for the rest of the band. You can't have it both ways...

A fair point. I've had excellent experiences with going DI, and if it helps me move less gear, I'm in... Had a gig on Saturday where load-out was a MAJOR pain because the venue was basically one long tube full of furniture, and people were standing everywhere, especially the places we had to move through. And they didn't seem to get that we had to move through the room more than once.

I just found it funny that non-bassists seem eager to defend acoustic drums, go to great lengths to mic up everything, maxing out their channels, but when it comes to bass... "oh, we'll just DI it". No consideration to the contrary given. A slight mismatch there. Those people can have it both ways, apparently.

 

[chaosMK]

Why even have a drummer just use a software like Superior Drummer.

Every drummer I know seems to fantasize about one, or has explored it. It gets expensive fast and most drummers do not have a car or place to live, so...

 

[Liam Wald]

Pretty much every drummer that I have ever known who has commented on electronic drums has said they suck. My guess is that it is universally agreed by drummers that they do not sound or feel anywhere close to real drums.
Real drums sound like drums. Electronic drums sound like speakers. The bounce and feel of a stretched drum head under a stick is completely different than the pad (more like a rubber practice pad) of those found on electronic drum triggers.

 

[PaulJSmith]

I think I may have found a niche to fill.

I had actually been considering the same thing, except with a set of those Traps drums ... essentially acoustic heads and rims with no shells. Unfortunately, I can't motivate myself to spend $700 on what appears to be a fairly cheaply made kit. Love the idea, though. They also make an electronic version.

 

[FunkHead]

TL;DR.

Because e-kits suck to play (played a Roland TD-9 kit with a band for about a year and half). They are no fun. Real cymbals are very complex instruments. Triggers aren't. The band should make you play an electronic imitation of your instrument - see how you like it.

My drummer made the choice himself to switch to an E-Kit. It was a Roland and he loved it. I mean he really bonded with it.

The huge benefit with it was the lack of Tinnitus causing volumes kicking back at him.

The only negative I ever noticed was the way it was received by other drummers at clubs. Many of them just wanted to see him behind a full kit.

I did play it a few times and I liked it a lot.

I am looking at purchasing one as we speak but I don't' have a PA in my crappy little studio. I have a few Bass amps and multiple cabs to use but I have no Idea how it would sound.

 

[edro]

I'm sure a lot upright bass players in the 50's were properly horrified when the first P-Bass came out, look how that turned out. I saw a ton of the Simmons sets in the 80's, that sound seems really cheesy and dated now, but the new sets are so good I doubt I'd know if I was hearing one recorded, though I guess a drummer would know.

Yep... I would imagine they could see the handwriting on the wall...
Old recordings were P's trying to sound fairly upright....

Mellotrons shook some string players that saw what was coming...
Moogs/Arps/Obie took some formally brass/string/wind jobs...thick ass patches that were 'close enough'.
Sequential Circuits rocked the organ world along with thick ass patches too...
DX7s shook all kinds of folks...put about the last damn nail in the Rhodes coffin...
Korg drove the last nail in the Rhodes coffin a foot deep with their Rhodes patches...
Roland D-50 knocked everybody out on the ethereal plane.....
Ray Kurzweil and Dr. Moog rocked everybody's world with the 250 fully populated.

Now, everybody and their brother's identical twin cousin's nephew's dog has killer sampled anything... Percussive, string, brass, cab, amp, chambers, stomp, sound effect...any source or any characteristic of a source.... Real...

Just got to learn how to talk the language of the device....

DAWs were bad juju at one time.... ProTools, Studio One, Sonar, etc. etc. etc. are da cheeze now.... Everybody and their brother has some DAW.... With plug-ins from hell that can add, subtract, do, undo, warp, unwarp, mimic, or whatever, anything.

Look at what we use collectively, one end of snake to the other, compared to what we get paid per man for a gig...

We are all bat tish crazy....but we already knew that.....

 

[PaulJSmith]

I am looking at purchasing one as we speak but I don't' have a PA in my crappy little studio. I have a few Bass amps and multiple cabs to use but I have no Idea how it would sound.

I used a few different bass amps over the years for my Alesis kit. It never really tickled me all that much. Earlier this year, though, I bought the Simmons DA350 Drum Monitor System for it. Wow ... what a difference. I actually enjoy playing that kit now.

A bass amp will work to just hear yourself. But, if you want a closer "drum experience," get a decent stereo monitor system. It really does make a huge difference.

 

[FunkHead]

I used a few different bass amps over the years for my Alesis kit. It never really tickled me all that much. Earlier this year, though, I bought the Simmons DA350 Drum Monitor System for it. Wow ... what a difference. I actually enjoy playing that kit now.

A bass amp will work to just hear yourself. But, if you want a closer "drum experience," get a decent stereo monitor system. It really does make a huge difference.

Thanks for the info.
Here's a good Video about E-Kits.

 

[edro]

JBL powered EONs might be pretty sporty as Edrum monitors... plenty of power now too...