Active Member needs help: Should I go electric?

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jaykeMURD

jaykeMURD

I sit on you.
Ah yes, the question that many drummers face many times. Many of you have done it, many want to, and some even despise it.

Here's the deal. I'm gonna explain my reasons for wanting to go electric and such. I want to hear EVERYONES opinon. Should I do so? I value everyones opinion, but I especially value the opinions of members I know to be knowledgeable and unbiased. Please, I'm looking at spending A LOT OF MONEY. I'm willing to do so because drumming is a major thing in my life.

So here's the justification:

I've been drumming for roughly 2 years. Over the last few months, especially since I began my new job, my practicing has slowly declined. I would like to be able to drum nearly every day, but because of work, I usually only get weekends to do so. I live at home, in a quiet neighborhood so playing later is out of the question. Basically every night I want to drum. But everyone's in bed!

I love drumming, for every thing it is.
I have natural rhythm, so I'm constantly playing beats with my hands and feet, as well as in my head. I love the physical aspect. My job doesn't really wear me out, but a full-throttle drumming session does so very well. It's good for me, and it feels great. Lastly, it's an excellent stress reliever. No more punching the wall and other various hard surfaces! ;)

So now that everyone knows I love drumming, consider this:

I'M DYING! I don't get to drum nearly as much as I'd like, and because of this, my skill is suffering. I'm not getting worse (getting rusty), but I'm certaintly not growing as much as I could be. When I could play every day, I would learn something new every session. But now it's killing me. I want to drum and can't.

Hell, I find guys/bands that are looking for drummers, and want to try out or just jam, and I'm not confident enough in my drumming to do so. I don't get to play enough to keep up to par.

So, as you can see, I'm suffering in many ways. I can't stand it anymore. I'm willing to spend TOO MUCH MONEY to get a good electronic set.

Not to mention, I'm sort of a perfectionist. I think anything worth doing is worth doing right. All in or nothing. So that's why a cheaper kit won't due. It must sound good, feel good, and fit me.

Now, why would I be spending so much money for a set that's just for practice? Beause I want them to be more than for practice, I'd eventually like to phase out acoustic drums. I know many of you guys frown upon the thought, but I honestly believe a good electronic set will help me grow immensely. I've spent a bit of time on some elec. kits, and LOVE the versitility and expandibility. I love being able to make multiple sounds, and having a broad sound pallette.

I suppose I'm just trying to justify doing this to myself. :rolleyes:

But I would like to know if you all think I'm making a mistake going TOTALLY electric. I think it's the right thing, but I've been wrong before!
 
*pulls jake back from the edge of the building branching from acoustic to electronic*


stick with acoustic drums bud, if you love drumming, u want to play drums, not mesh electronic ding dongs!

btw i guess i have natural rhythm as well, i do tha same things, and also (kinda weird), i find myself gritting my teeth to drum beats....
hehehe

STAY ACOUSTIC PLEASE

(shoulda made this a poll dude)
 
If you just want to practice, spend £100 or so and get yerself a practice kit! Stick with the acoustics for playing out, 'coz they sound so much better...
 
As long as you know there will never be a replacement for acoustic drums and that ultimately playing them calls for it's own unique set of skills (Tuning, dynamics, feel of cymbals, stick rebound ect) , then i think with two years in, you stand more to gain by getting an electronic kit than you do by not.

With the goal at this point being getting better and gaining confidence in your playing, electronic drums might offer you things playing otherwise just can't, such as playing to and learning from pre programmed beats,built in metronome to work on solid time, the practice flexibility you seek along with a fairly simple means to record.

Again, there is no substitute for accoustic drums or learning to tune them and to mic them, but if you want to play then you want to play. If i had the cash i'd already have an electronic set, heck i wish i knew if it were possible to trigger a few pads with my DR 550 just to practice at night too. If you do go electronic, don't get rid of your acoustic drums (Never!) make them the goal, do the product research of course, expect and accept they may become obsolete at some point and also perhaps consider getting two things, a single practice pad to warm up on and a headphone sporting bass player available to jam with you.

:)
 
I think an electric kit can be just fine. Like others have said, nothing will ever replace an acoustic kit from a feel and "vibe" standpoint but I don't think that's what you are trying to do anyways. Electric drums can offer a huge variety of sound pallettes. The technology today is giving them great expressiveness and feel.

I would say...if you are going to buy them JUST for practice and to keep your chops up for acoustic drums, do as somebody else said and just get a practice pad kit. I don't think it'd be worth the cost (unless you go used, but still...it'd probably be a pretty penny) But if you are looking to start playing them as YOUR INSTRUMENT (as it sounds like you are)...than why not? They offer a great variety of sounds and flexibility. You could branch into many areas of music and not have to worry about whether your kit is suitable for the gig.
 
Another vote for Electronic drums for practicing. I think in your situation, you don't have much of a choice. Again, playing out live you can play your acoustic kit, and of course integrate your electronic drums too if you find elements in the digital domain that you want to bring to your live set.
 
Thanks a lot guys. I'm definatley going to buy a used Roland set, and slowly upgrade it as time goes on, providing I like the set, etc.

Just to calm some worried souls, I'm not gonna get rid of my acustic set. There's too mush money there to just set aside. For space purposes I'll probably tear them down and stack them up in the corner, but may continue to use them for gigs, etc.

Please feel free to leave more feedback on this topic...I soak up every bit of info!

Thanks again! :D
 
Jayke,

I feel you pain. I've been in that boat. One suggestion: Go to Guitar Center and jump on a Roland TD-20 kit. If you go with anything less, you'll be disappointed AND wasting your money.
 
fritzmusic said:
Jayke,

I feel you pain. I've been in that boat. One suggestion: Go to Guitar Center and jump on a Roland TD-20 kit. If you go with anything less, you'll be disappointed AND wasting your money.
Click to expand...

I've played on a TD-12 kit, a step down from the TD-20, and it was suitable. Sure, the TD-20 kit is really friggin good, but that's a bit too much money to spend right now. Sure, I could save up for it, but that'd take me a good 5-6 months to do so....that's too long for me. This is the last straw, I have to get en electronic set VERY soon.

Thanks again.
 
I played adrums for decades. I switched to edrums ( Dtxtreme IIs ) going on 3 years ago. I would not go back now. Too easy to record. Many more creative avenues with edrums. No turning back now. I'm having more fun now than I have had in years playing these edrums.

However, thats just me.
 
Okay, I can see your argument.

I Like the sonic potential from electrics - especially if you are playing clubs, because half the soundmen out there don't have the gear to make a kit really shine in a live environtment.

That said - I prefer triggering from a real kit.


So, have you thought about renting a practice space, rather than putting the money into a kit?

Do you all own the home you are in?
Can you invest in building a soundproofed/isolated practice space?

If you DO rent a place, make sure that you get some kind of insurance on your gear - you may even wan to purchase an el cheapo kit just to practice on there, in case it gets swiped. Just make sure you carry your pedals and cymbals with you to practice, that way if somebody does steal it - they just get a "beater" kit, and not your real kit.

Electrics are nice to have, but the reality is - you wind up hitting them softer than you do a regular kit, and it will effect your playing on an acoustic kit.



Tim
 
Tim Brown said:
Okay, I can see your argument.

I Like the sonic potential from electrics - especially if you are playing clubs, because half the soundmen out there don't have the gear to make a kit really shine in a live environtment.

That said - I prefer triggering from a real kit.


So, have you thought about renting a practice space, rather than putting the money into a kit?

Do you all own the home you are in?
Can you invest in building a soundproofed/isolated practice space?

If you DO rent a place, make sure that you get some kind of insurance on your gear - you may even wan to purchase an el cheapo kit just to practice on there, in case it gets swiped. Just make sure you carry your pedals and cymbals with you to practice, that way if somebody does steal it - they just get a "beater" kit, and not your real kit.

Electrics are nice to have, but the reality is - you wind up hitting them softer than you do a regular kit, and it will effect your playing on an acoustic kit.



Tim
Click to expand...

I failed to mention I'm 19 and still live at home with my "roomates" (parents) ;).... I would MUCH rather buy my electronic kit and keep it at home. But thanks for the insight!
 
For the past couple of years, all I had was my Hart Pro 6.4 with Roland TD10 and TD8 brains triggering it... I used Roland CY14's for crash cymbals because all other brands sucked. :p

For home practice and a lot of my recording it was priceless... Playing out live, it made for quite an arsenal (Latin Percussion sounds at the press of a button, etc.) but I did spend a lot of time tweaking on my volumes during some songs (The high-end Harts and Rolands give you real nice dynamics while sticking, but you still don't have the full control as you do with acoustics), not to mention the amount of set-up/tear-down involved... You pretty much have to lug around your own mini PA system so you (and the rest of the band) can hear what you're playing...
Other things like cymbal rolls, cross sticking on your snare, and the occasional mis-triggering on some superfast rolls had me start looking at going back to acoustics for playing out.

I couldn't justify the space requirements or $$$ of having both, so I traded the electrics for my custom acoustics. And even tho I miss the convenience the Harts provided me, I am so glad I did. :)

I will probably end up getting another electronic kit for home practice and some studio work.... But for live and a majority of recording, I'm keeping with my acoustics.

Just my .02

:)
 
To qualify any opinion I offer:

I haved owned V-Drums fro several years, have owned other e-drums going all the way back to the 80's. I've used e-drums for giigging, recording and yes, practise.

I also own 3 accoustic kits, have owned over a dozen accoustic kits since I started playing in 1957 and have used accoustics on about 4,000 gigs and probably about 100 plus recording sessions.

1. If you do plan to join a band and gig - keep the accoustic kit. Electronic kits require some serious amp/speaker capability, have waaaay too much potential for failure on stage and most other musicians prefer to hear and feel accoustic drums on stage. In my humble but very qualified opinion - e-drums suck for live playing!!!

2. E-drum and a-drums are different instruments (just like an accoustic guitar is different from an electric) requireing different technique, etc. While e-drums can be a good practise tool for general kit playing (playing grooves, playing to CD's etc) any real hand technique will be different on mesh/rubber heads than on plastic drum heads. Accordingly, practicing basic rudiments, etc. should be done on a-drums.

3. At the end of the day, if not being able to practise is preventing you from improving at a pace you want and if you are as unhappy with that as your post suggests - than do whatever you need to do to keep the spark!!!!

4. A low cost practise kit is an option, however, they still do not play/feel like an accoustic kit and they can quickly become a bore to play - if they aren't fun, you won't practise and that puts you right back where you started.

5. If you can afford the e-drums (without compromising your ability to pay your bills, support your family, etc) then you should consider if your self satisfaction is worth that price - if so, do what you need to do.
 
i was having a similar problem as you last year in that i was having to live in a dorm and i was going crazy missing my acoustic set. i went ahead and bought the rolands td-3 and even used it on a few gigs where space or volume were big issues(but then i had to switch back to accoustics for that cause the electrics didnt cut it at all) i would really suggest getting some electrics for practice for the fact that they may not be gigable but they can give you your daily drum fix. the only downside to praticing on electrics though is its a big difference going from 8 inch rubber pads to 14 inch mylar heads(especially if you havent been able to play the acoustics in a few months) if you dont find that to be a problem then my suggestion is buy a cheap ekit just so you can get your drum fix... we are addicted and we need them i completely understand. but if you are a drummer who is easily effected by change and gets really settled in to whatever setup you have you might want to spend a little more money, maybe get on of the pintechs with mesh heads and a td3(if you arent gigging or recording then sound quality isnt that big an issue) and if you need good sound you can always just go midi(battery with dkfh can sound really good haha) ok well if you can pick out my advice from all my rambligns then i hope it helps :rolleyes:
 
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I know its a matter of taste, but I could not get warmed up to those mesh heads. In fact, to me, they felt less real than Yamaha's Real Pad technology. The pads on my DTXTREME IIs are wonderful. They have a great bounce, and the kick pad, when used with a rubber beater feel just like a loosely tuned bass drum. Anyway, don't ignore the Roland. You really have go get in there and compare the mesh to the pads yourself. I just don't want you to blindly purchase the Roland because folks tell you its better, because its not. They are about equal and you spend 1/2 the price on the Yamy. Also, there are a couple of features the high-end Roland module is missing that the DTXTREME has. I forgot what they are, but I can imagine they are pretty important to some.

Don't hesitate. Get an e-kit. Your life will change forever. You may never touch your a-kit again. hehehe...
 
demirateser said:
Also, there are a couple of features the high-end Roland module is missing that the DTXTREME has. I forgot what they are, but I can imagine they are pretty important to some....
Click to expand...


Ummmm....


What?

:confused: :confused: :confused:
 
The original Yamaha DTExtreme was waaaay too loud (when hitting the pads). I tried some in a studio (using live cymbals) and the stick on pad sound was so loud we could not keep the sound out of the overheads (noise gates didn't really help because we had to have a slow decay to let the cymbals ring and then the damn sound of the pads came though. Normally you expect some pad "click" when is normally buried in the drum mix - but we could not even use the Yamaha tracks we laid because of the excess noise.

I do admit I did kind of prefer the feel of the Yamaha plastic heads to the mesh pads (the mesh pads are a little too responssing and to get them loose enough to overcome that it can really be a bear to get them to trigger well. However, feel or no feel - if we could not record with them they had no value.

Has Yamaha fixed that with different pads. I though it was a terrible R&D oversight. I also thought the original DTExpress was a piece of crap - I worked in a drum shop when that whole wave of e-drums first hit the market (DTExpress, DTExtreme, Roland TD10, Alesis DMPro, etc) and I think every Yamaha kick tower we ever sold came back in after a short time for repairs.

I thought the Yamaha modules had some nice features and the Yamaha preset sounds were better than Roland - but the pads were crap.

I have not tried any of the new generaion Yamaha - I'm hoping they've improved!
 
didnt read the whole thread...

but what about those pads you put over your drums and cymbals that dead them???

is this not a viable option??
 
The pads don't cut out all sound (it muffles it to a dull thump) and if the original concern was practising at night and not disturbing others in the house - the noise could still be an issue.

A secondary concern would be the fact that the dull "thump" is not something that is inspirational to hear or play. If it ain't fun to play, then the stated goal of "playing more" could be compromised.

That being said - I actually think the feel of the pads are very good for developing hand/finger technique. There's just enough reistance to make you work a little more (much like the age old method of playing rudiments on a pillow).

However, just because the pads may be good for technique - this does not make the drums fun to play.
 
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