Your Thoughts On Digital Drums!

[Gizmot]

I’ve only played with two guys using digital drums. What’s great about it is that the levels are easy to control and getting a good mix is easy. However, in order to keep a live music feel, you need to play them through a really good wide range speaker. For quiet gigs or house of worship, digital drums can’t be beat

 

[Tony In Philly]

In some small rooms it can be a gig saver. I've played with some drummers that just can't seem to control their volume in a way that adapts to the acoustics of the room.

 

[murph7489]

I play in a band with a drummer that uses an electronic kit..He uses two brains..an Alesis, and a pearl..they sound pretty good..realistic. I don't mind them but as a drummer myself I don't think I would use one. I played his and I didn't like the hi hat thing...didn't feel right to me. However that is just me. I think if I used one I would want a real hi hat and a real snare. I imagine the sound guys love them though..very easy to control, no ambient sound from overhead mics and what not..direct into the PA..People that have seen us say it sounds incredible, so there is that, we do have a professional audio guy so that probably helps in the mix...I never hear what it sounds like in FOH. We play classic rock so I guess it seems to work for us...

 

[scuzzy]

Most properly tuned budget kits will sound and feel much better than the top tier electronic kits. The cymbals aren't even close, unless you only play closed hat. Even playing an acoustic set shielded with rods is far superior to e-drums.

On the drum forum they are all championing bassists needing to only go direct with an 8" wedge to save everyone's hearing in the typical concrete, rectangular gig-space. Or simply play the bass lines on a midi controller ran direct into the board.

I really don't get the drummer hate this forum displays. Stay in your lane...

 

[rd2rk]

A previous poster said that he played "extreme metal". I'm sure his audience isn't worried about their hearing, and the venues he plays likely know what they're getting. I went to see Ted Nugent at The Cow Palace in SF, my ears rang for 2 days! To see Ted with e-drums would be absurd!

Those situations aside. Do you play small clubs? Classy Lounges? Dinner clubs? Suburban house parties?
Does your drummer know the difference between a stadium set and a lounge set? Does he have and know how to play both? Does he play with dynamics, at a level appropriate to the venue and music?

If the answer to all those questions is a resounding YES then he's a PRO, and very uncommon in the $100 a man market. I don't need to worry about him, he's got it covered. If he ever NEEDS e-drums he'll get them and they'll sound GREAT!

Give a $10,000 set of e-drums to a guy who hates the whole idea and plays them under protest, the drums will sound like crap because he won't take the time to dial them in. Put that same set through a $500 PA manned by a dufus who spends most of the show in the parking lot getting high, the drums will sound like crap even if they ARE dialed in.

That said. The first time I played with e-drums I was blown away how good they sounded. The guy was a PRO, on a high end kit that he'd OBVIOUSLY dialed in. It was a suburban house party with a small but high-end PA manned by a PRO. I was sitting in for a set, and when I arrived I didn't see the drums till I made it to the band area, about 15 minutes into their first set. I wouldn't have guessed e-drums in a million years. Here's the kicker - THAT WAS TWENTY YEARS AGO! Modern sets, and monitor systems/PAs, are SO much better.

YES I would play with e-drums, anytime, EXCEPT if I'm sitting in with Ted (I don't play extreme metal)!

 

[Space Pickle]

I like them...I want one myself for home recording purposes but at the same time it's a poor substitute for real drums.

 

[LHbassist]

I would like to kindly point out, please, that by and large, "Subwoofer Mask" (which is a great description, by the way) has little or nothing to do with whether the kit is electronic, or not. It doesn't even have much to do with the mere presence of subs, per se. It is strictly a matter of: 1) Improper installation of the subs, i.e., improper positioning / arraying of the subs relative to the stage, along with the lack of a cardioid sub array when needed (either on account of inept installation or budgetary constraints), and / or, 2) Bad audio engineering on the part of the monitor guy and / or FOH guy. For example, aux fed subs and HPF are mandatory, and a little sub goes a long way. At FOH, it may be necessary to EQ an electronic kit feed drum by drum, same as an acoustic feed from drum microphones. The sad truth is that far too many "sound guys" just don't know what they are doing.

The solution to the problems you describe (as I'm sure you already know) lies as usual in a combination of dialing in the electronic kit so that the source is good to begin with both on stage and FOH (same as with an acoustic kit but with different processes), and then, hopefully, having someone running the sound board that actually knows what they are doing. Good luck with that. Just keep smiling on stage, and it will probably be fine.

Pete, you make great points.. I find onstage at The Atlantis, in Reno.. for example.. there are no subs at all. YET, in my modest Klipsch S4 in-ears, the kick is always too strong. The bass response is pretty good in those phones- and the kick produces an almost sub frequency in my head. It is definitely stronger, and fatter than my bass sound through the Gen 2 Aviom mixer and into my ears. I cannot EQ the lows out. The Behringer personal mixers actually work a bit better- hey have some channel EQ and compression, which helps. Still, the point I'm making, is that most DRUMMERS I play with LOVE to hear the kick prominent and fat. In the digital drum world, that spells trouble, because of THE ABILITY of a kick mad drummer to send a huge kick out to FOH, and to the monitor mixer, from the module. Hell, it's no fun with acoustic kits. I've played jazz gigs on upright, where it was literally impossible to use the instrument, and had to switch to electric. With NO FOH or sound person of any kind.

 

[rd2rk]

"I like them...I want one myself for home recording purposes but at the same time it's a poor substitute for real drums."

I got an Alesis mesh-head kit for use in my apartment. Haven't had anyone over to jam yet, and I suck at drums, but it's SO much fun to put on the headphones and bang away in the middle of the night!

 

[rufus.K]

I love them.
I know drummers who love them and play them just fine .
People thought Dylan going electric was the end of the world once as well.

 

[Weberman]

I prefer to play along to beat-boxing - especially when performed by someone's out-of-touch dad. Like the impromptu street rap-battle from Teen Witch, you can't top that.

I've played to an assortment of electronic percussion devices, including machines. It doesn't really matter, although I slightly prefer having the sounds emanating from the actual drums, played by someone who actually knows what they are doing. It just seems a little more visceral, and all that jazz.

 

[Aidenn7]

A good drummer sounds good regardless.. But would have to have a sub monitor be hind me straight from the kick.. As I play by feel.. Lol.. But I'm a guy who rather have a percussionist who can play a drum kit over just a kit player.. And a rhythm guitarist who can do lead over a lead guitarist.. They know how to play to the song VS trying to be the star and solo all the time..

 

[Nephilymbass]

Our new drummer loves his expensive Roland kit. Have played with it, and others in the past, but not feeling the love. He is open to playing acoustic or digital, so not a problem. However, thought my bandmates would be in the same camp as far as disliking the digital kit, but they seem to be indifferent at the moment.

We play about 4 songs that fit the digital kit (Bust A Move, Rappers Delight, etc...) but the rest of the tunes are more classic, or had acoustic drums as part of the original recordings.

Thoughts

In my opinion hybrid kits are by far the best way to go. By this I mean an regular acoustic kit with a couple pads to play electronic sounds. For example the Alesis sample pad pro along with an acoustic kit.

As long as the samples they are using are good it’s not something I’d make a big deal about because to me the pros and cons of each balance out.

 

[BazzaBass]

Our new drummer loves his expensive Roland kit. Have played with it, and others in the past, but not feeling the love. He is open to playing acoustic or digital, so not a problem. However, thought my bandmates would be in the same camp as far as disliking the digital kit, but they seem to be indifferent at the moment.

We play about 4 songs that fit the digital kit (Bust A Move, Rappers Delight, etc...) but the rest of the tunes are more classic, or had acoustic drums as part of the original recordings.

Thoughts

Unless you are going to help the drummer carry all his gear in and help set it all up, you cannot complain

 

[juancaminos]

I voted yes. I used to shiver at the thought but after playing with a few digital guys I settled into it.

 

[kesslari]

My current drummer uses an electric kit with acoustic cymbals and hats. He has several different great sounding kits that he uses appropriately to add to and support the song.
And it has a volume control.
What’s not to like?

 

[BurtMacklinFBI]

I've been in a bunch of bands that used drum machines and sequencers, so I don't see why a quality set of electronic drums would be a problem for me. It'd be on the drummer (and sound engineer, if any) to make it sound appropriate to the music though. It strikes me as something that a good drummer could use to great effect, but a mediocre drummer would misuse as a gimmick.

 

[Clark W]

Our new drummer loves his expensive Roland kit. Have played with it, and others in the past, but not feeling the love. He is open to playing acoustic or digital, so not a problem. However, thought my bandmates would be in the same camp as far as disliking the digital kit, but they seem to be indifferent at the moment.

We play about 4 songs that fit the digital kit (Bust A Move, Rappers Delight, etc...) but the rest of the tunes are more classic, or had acoustic drums as part of the original recordings.

Thoughts

It depends on the kit and the drummer. I know two drummers who use them, and they both also own full on acoustic sets as well. But...

One of them really knows what he's doing on the sound and set up side of things and can really dial his in. His set is also really expensive and he uses a dedicated amp and cab for his set as well.

The other drummer, although really good at drumming, is not that great in the sound and set up dept of his electronic drums and needs some work in that dept. His drumming is fine, his sound not so much, and I think it's a combination of his lack of electronic technical skills and the fact the set he uses is a cheaper so so set and he plugs into the PA system leaving himself at the mercy of whoever is running sound.

 

[JW56789]

My thoughts on digital drums . . . . . . . . . .

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[Clark W]

My thoughts on digital drums . . . . . . . . . .

11111100010101010101011111101001010101000101001010111111010000000110101010101010101111111111111111111111100000000001010101010100000000000000011111110101010101011001010101010101010101111110100101010101010101000101111111111000010101010100000011110101111001110010101011001 !!

1001001 SOS
1001001 In Distress

 

[JGbassman]

I absolutely love drummers that have e drums. Love love love.

They have a volume! For smaller rooms and practice you just can’t beat them. Run them through an amp and it easy to really get the volume down. If they have a good kit, there is no real loss of sensitivity, and the drum sounds are really good. Add reduced noise cymbals and they are perfect for practice and smaller club gigs.

On big stages where I can get some separation, I prefer acoustic drums though. Not because of the sound, because I don't have to run as much in my in ear mix or in my wedge. A little kick and overhead and I'm good.