Yep. I'm working the mic, working my diaphragm, working my vocal chords, my mouth/lips, modulating my breathing, playing my bass, and am carefully phrasing for effect ... while the drummer and lead guitarist pound and wail over it all. 
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Your Thoughts On Digital Drums!
- Thread starter CoffeeLove
- Start date
Yep. I'm working the mic, working my diaphragm, working my vocal chords, my mouth/lips, modulating my breathing, playing my bass, and am carefully phrasing for effect ... while the drummer and lead guitarist pound and wail over it all. 
Exactly. And they have ZERO clue what a hard job all of that is. Anymore I'm calling them out on their disrespect for the vocalist when they start turning up. And I'm not even the lead singer.
Nobody’s playing Shea Stadium anymore. It was buried beneath the parking lot of Citi Field, which was built on Shea Stadium’s former parking lot.
Agreed. Many posters seem to think that “digital” = “fake”. They apparently don’t remember how awful some analog delays used to sound, how vinyl records sounded with all the pops and static, and how tape hiss ruined a lot of home recording projects.
I’m beginning to lose patience with posters that repeatedly say that various devices that don’t appeal to them “sound fake and digital”.
You all know who you are.
Yeah, there not fake, just digital, thus different in sound and feel in relation to acoustic drums. Not inherently bad either, just different. Similar to how a double bass might differ from that of an electric bass. It's great there are so many options out there to fit a variety of tastes, and glad our drummer is flexible in using acoustic for some gigs and electric for others.
Nobody’s playing Shea Stadium anymore. It was buried beneath the parking lot of Citi Field, which was built on Shea Stadium’s former parking lot.
I was of course speaking figuratively
Agreed. Many posters seem to think that “digital” = “fake”. They apparently don’t remember how awful some analog delays used to sound, how vinyl records sounded with all the pops and static, and how tape hiss ruined a lot of home recording projects.
I’m beginning to lose patience with posters that repeatedly say that various devices that don’t appeal to them “sound fake and digital”.
You all know who you are.
E drums have come a long way as well and some people haven't kept up. The older and current cheaper kits are quite one dimensional. You hit the pad and get a sound, regardless of how hard you hit or where you it on the head. The ñewer, even mid range Roland kits I've played have incredibly expressive snares especially, with location sensing and multiple layers for different velocities. Roland are doing a great job.
Not sure which Roland kits have individual outs, but I'd definitely take individual bass snare and hi hat outs to the desk if possible. These come out dry on my old dtxtreme 2s, allowing the engineer to set for the room
The mark of a good drummer is the ability to play quietly and slowly, with great feel and time. Steve Gadd is a master at this.
The drummer in the country band I play with is that kind of drummer ... tasty, good feel, perfect time ... and can let go without making us all go deaf ... and a really nice guy to boot. He refuses to play an electronic kit. Meh, to each his own. I'd use him for those gigs I get with the trio when I could use a drummer, but a full acoustic kit is just too much to squeeze into the corner of a tiny room. Has nothing to do with volume, in Kenny's case.
This is generally true, but when the genre is loud, a drummer who hits softly just to keep volumes down at levels where the singer can be heard doesn't really cut it.
Two cases in point: I went to see a friend's band a few weeks ago. They recently replaced their drummer, who retired. Their original music I really enjoy; it's hard rock, the BL has a background as a metal singer but their music is more melodic than metal. The drummer I first heard them with was a perfect fit for the music because he was really good and he also brought a lot of raw energy to their sound and that's what their sound needs.
He retired and their new drummer is technically great, but in no way would I say she's a hard hitter. She's really good, but their whole sound has changed and become more polished. I still like that band, but the raw edge they had is gone, and that raw edge was a huge part of what made their sound work so well.
Second case is a drummer I work with who is very well trained. He can play quietly but he understands that certain types of music require a certain level of energy and certain sounds can only come out of a drum when you hit it a certain way. Most of the time he uses an E-kit in order to keep the levels right while still giving him the ability to play with the energy the music requires.
There's more nuance to drumming, it turns out, than just playing softly or not. I wouldn't have said this three years ago.
I agree with you, sometimes the music just needs that Dave Grohl timbre. Having said that, he has fantastic feel, so I dare say he can play quietly and accurately as well. I think intensity and volume are also two different things.
Buy him a cajon! You can we get bass drum pedals for them!
+1
I absolutely love my Roland TD12 set. The feel with the mesh heads is very comparable to “real” drums. I use a Roland keyboard amp, so the sound is awesome. I truly can’t tell the difference in sound between my e-kit and acoustics that are amplified. Did it take a large investment in tweaking each and every trigger? Of course. Otherwise, garbage in, garbage out.
I have used this kit live, at gigs, home practicing, and in the studio with wonderful results. And, yes, the volume knob, is a blessing.
But..... the cymbals just aren’t nearly as reactive as real cymbals. I can quench the cymbals, but that is also very different. On the other hand, they sound great. Especially nice is the volume knob for cymbals, which are often way too loud in a small room.
The real let down, though, is the high hat. I have a very high end high hat set up. It uses a normal hi hat mechanism, pedal, etc. but the open/shut action is very difficult to control. So, i find myself frustrated. Need a real high hat, 100%.
I have played bass, a lot, with drummers on e-kits too. Never had a problem with it. The key is that they use a really good amp/speaker for the on stage sound. So, my answer was, of course, yes!
I really love the feel of the snare. The fact that it's tune-able in tension, just like a real snare head, is great. I also use the rim shot a lot plus the cross stick "click". Very useful.
My favorite part about the e-drums is the very long list of preset kits and the endless ways of modifying and customizing the kits. My favorite preset is the lucite drum kit with the snare wires disengaged.
Agreed.
Also agreed. The stock Roland hi-hat pedal just plain sucks.
I like them.....although I'm still not used to the phrase "Drum Amp".......
Several years ago I rented a TD30 kit for a home recording project, IIRC it was the only v-drum kit in the store that had individual outputs for each drum & cymbal.
I'd love to get a TD50 for the same purpose...there's no sense recording with electronic drums in a real studio, but if you're doing home studio stuff the drums sounds are likely superior to whatever you'd be able to mic up in your basement.
You're right. Superior sound and no neigbours hammering on the door. You can always take the Rammstein approach and rerecord the drums afterwards in a studio. They did that with Reise Reise.
I think the better thing is to use the pads to capture MIDI information and use a drum VSTi, like Steven Slate Drums, in your DAW to mix/process
I sometimes play in a trio with a drummer and keyboard player. The drummer mainly plays an acoustic kit but for small rooms he brings out his Roland e-kit. It sounds great and he loves playing it. I don't have any issues with electronic drum kits.
I'm lookin' at getting a sub-US$400 kit for auditions and jams (I AM NOT a drummer, gum-chewing and bass is bad enuff) - izzit a good idear, or do I need to spend more?
A Roland TD11KV (all mesh heads) runs about $700 (used) shipped on ebay. A discussion on vdrums concluded that kit will feel and sound ok for many drummers.
