Electronic Drum Kits

[Waffleness]

Hello,

I am a pianist and guitarist, but would really like to learn drums. I normally program drums or play them on the keys, and as a result don't really feel the "groove". I don't want a full on electronic drum kit because of size and space, but just wanted some opinions on something like this:

http://www.kennysmusic.co.uk/alesis-...ource=googleps

Are they useless? In terms of using real sticks and doing rolls and flams and stuff, will it help me learn a bit of technique without a full on kit? Is the response fast, or likely to drop hits on quick rolls?

Thanks

[Drummerbones]

I haven't played that unit, but from taking a look, yes you can achieve a "feel" in your recording from something like this, though I've never been impressed with anything Alesis has ever made when it comes to drums. The feel in drums comes from the human element so anything you hit with a stick will give you some "feel"...that's doesn't mean it will be a good feel! No offense...I've been a drummer for 20 years and it's a craft and art form like any other instrument. If you're truly wanting to go the digital route, there is nothing better than Roland brains (drum modules) and mesh triggered drums. I highly recommend the TD-20, though you said you didn't want a full-blown kit. If your intention is to get great sounding drums for recording purposes I would highly recommend you check out Addictive Drums. This program lets you select every hit down to a subtle ruff and if you used correctly, sounds 100% realistic.

[Waffleness]

Originally Posted by Drummerbones

I haven't played that unit, but from taking a look, yes you can achieve a "feel" in your recording from something like this, though I've never been impressed with anything Alesis has ever made when it comes to drums. The feel in drums comes from the human element so anything you hit with a stick will give you some "feel"...that's doesn't mean it will be a good feel! No offense...I've been a drummer for 20 years and it's a craft and art form like any other instrument. If you're truly wanting to go the digital route, there is nothing better than Roland brains (drum modules) and mesh triggered drums. I highly recommend the TD-20, though you said you didn't want a full-blown kit. If your intention is to get great sounding drums for recording purposes I would highly recommend you check out Addictive Drums. This program lets you select every hit down to a subtle ruff and if you used correctly, sounds 100% realistic.

Hi,

I'm not bothered by the sounds, I have plenty of drum samples which I will use. All I am after is a MIDI drum pad interface. The alesis one I mentioned was just an example of the size of device I am looking for. Can you recommend any? Not too fussed about price, I just want value for money, and not a full kit. Something that will fit on a desktop.

Thanks

[suprstar]

I played around with a roland spd-20 a couple years back, that thing was awesome! It's an 8-pad midi controller, but it also has a ton of sounds built in too. You can also hook up more pads, any type (cymbal, pad, mesh drum, kick trigger, hh controller, etc), and they can be dual-trigger.

The spd-11 is similar, not sure how they differ. The spd-s is a 6-pad version of it, never owned one, but I know that unlike the spd-20, you can upload your own samples into it.

[Drummerbones]

I haven't played those units but I have worked with a lot of Alesis and Roland percussion gear and I strongly suggest if this is the path you're going to pursue to go for the Roland. Their sensitivity, trigger response, sample quality and realism are unmatched, not to mention the quality of their products. I highly recommend RMC Audio Direct for any Roland purchase. They have outstanding customer service and their prices are the best you will find anywhere. You often have to call them or email them for a quote, but they'll beat any price around. I know the unit below is quite a bit more than the Alesis model you linked earlier, but it will be worth every penny. Good luck.

http://www.rmcaudiodirect.com/Roland...ad-p/spd-s.htm

[Drummerbones]

They're not Roland, but Yamaha makes some respectable units as well. This is more in your price range.

http://www.rmcaudiodirect.com/Yamaha-DD-65-p/dd-65.htm

[TimOBrien]

I use a Roland SPD-S ($500 but worth it), but for half the price the Yamaha units will do what you need.

[jeffree]

Waffle, I'm a guitarist although I've had a drum set around for most of the last 30 years. Like you, I enjoy playing my drum tracks with sticks and pedals, especially since I use odd meters in my original stuff. Since I have no room for a full kit at the moment, I've been using the cheap Yamaha dd-65 with decent results. Sure, the pre-loaded sounds range from great to rotten, and the provided pedals are cheap little things. But I like the layout, which looks like a normal kit, and the Yam can trigger other better samples if desired. I consider it a great unit for the $200 retail that I paid. It'll never replace an acoustic kit, of course, but it works well in a tiny, low-budget project studio like mine.

By the way, early on, some of the Yams' high-hat pedals had triggering issues when using midi, but I've read that Yam has resolved that issue. If you call a Yam rep, you can find out which serial numbers began using the new midi fix. Good luck.

[ukenstein]

I've been using the Yam DD65 to trigger some grooves with good results.
Here here to Addictive Drums, they sound great.

I also have an acoustic kit but ofcourse it's loud during the wee hours and recording them is an art in itself.

Yamaha says to only power up the DD65 after all other hooked up gear is on.
Honestly sometimes I have a bunch of midi, audio and outboard gear I/O of my computer and don't always remember the recommended order to fire things up. Anyone aware of actual harm occurring with any gear from the order of power up or down? (I do usually keep volume gains and faders down until all is turned on).

Sorry Waffleness I drifted your thread a bit, however the DD65 as mentioned previously might be just the ticket for you.

[ukenstein]

My reply posted twice upon editing/ correcting a name error, sorry.

[Waffleness]

Thanks for all the suggestions, I will look into it