Electronic Drum Sets

[Buck62]

Does anybody here use a Roland, Yamaha, or Alesis electronic drum set?
I like the sound of my old acoustic kit, but it sure would be nice to have all those different kit sounds and to be able to record directly in, instead of micing.
Then I would'nt have to shut off the furnace and tell the wife to stop walking around upstairs.
I'm wondering how reliable and versatile these electronic sets are, and if they break or have too many technical problems for use in recording.
I'm strongly considering purchasing one in the near future, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[copper96]

I own a Roland V-Drums Pro set. I think that those are kick ass for recording. You can choose between different mics, mic positioning, ambience, effects, rooms, compression, and a hell of a lot more. You can get any sound out of them.

I am actually selling my set because I just built a studio in my house and sound proofed everything. I am a drummer, and just like the feel of real drums. That is the only drawback to the electronic drums, although the v-pads are the closet thing to drum heads in the electronic sets. I guess I don't play really funky stuff so I really can't justify keeping them when I don't use all the features, just the basics. I record vocals, guitars, bass, and drums, that is about it.

If you are interested in them just shoot me a line at:

copper96@netnet.net

- Jason Vorpahl

[Jon X]

I have the V-Drums Pro, and agree with copper96 on the recording aspects of them. Except for the hi-hat I love the feel of the V-Drums after playing on them for a year. I've gotten so used to them that it feels strange at first when on a rare occasion I go back to playing my real kit. The v-pads are definitely better than any other electonic drums I've ever played. I've also played live with them, and they are very easy to transport and setup/teardown.

If you want to hear them in an actual song recorded in a home studio environment, check out my post in the MP3 mixing clinic.

[Buck62]

Unfortunately, I don't have four thousand dollars to fork over for the Roland kit. As good as Roland equipment is, I think all thier products are waaay overpriced.
I was considering the new Alesis DM kit or the Yamaha DS11. Both are about half the cost of the Roland V-Pro set. The Alesis set looks like it has more bang for your buck (no pun intended).
Anyway... Have you guys experienced any problems with the cables, module, or drums themselves? Are they strong enough to handle the repeated punishment? Will the pads eventually wear out and need to be replaced? If so, is it costly?
Tanx again...

[POLease]

I owned two older Roland elec kits, and only ever had a problem with the kick triggers. The transducer died, but it only cost me 1.50 to fix it myself. And if you' re looking for a cheap good quality set check out Logiztix padz.com, the have instructions on how to make your own.

[Buck62]

I checked out your tune Jon, and I must say that the drums did sound real punchy and pretty damn good for a non-acoustic set. The song itself was kick-ass in many respects... kind of a SRV/Jimi Hendrix feel. Overall it kept reminding me of 'Cupid's Dead' by Extreme. Not that that's a bad thing.. I love that song. Nice tone on the guitar, too. I might just add one minor change in the song and shorten it just a bit. Otherwise, it's a good, rockin' cut. Keep up the good work.

[hixmix]

If you own a set of acoustic drums you should definitely own an electronic kit.
Check out different the different brands to see what kind has the best sounds for you.
You can bang the hell out of them and not have to tune them.
Best of all, when you're practicing, all your family and neighbors will hear is the sound of the sticks hitting the pads.

[omnipotent]

I've been able to use a V-Drums Pro set recently, I've heard it's supposed to be the best, but i still prefur a regular kit(for drum sounds). The V-Drums Pro set just dosn't feel like a drum kit, i can't explain it but it just doesn't have the feel. Also i prefur the sound of a classic kit.
But I'm not a pro drummer and i only first played on it two weeks ago so i may not be the best person for advice.

[This message has been edited by omnipotent (edited 02-14-2000).]