looking at some elec drum - need advice

[bryonwinger]

hello. I'm looking to get into some sort of setup to get away from programming a drum machine for drum parts. I live in a townhome, so real drums will be too loud (although we DO plan to move into a house at some point this year). Also, I'm NOT a drummer though I can play simple beats just fine. I plan to use whatever I find more for inputing notes into Reason than actually learning to play the drums. To sum it up, I want to move away from using a keyboard for pounding out drum parts.

So far I have tried out Roland's SPD-20 and a few of the V-Drum kits - the V-Club, one of the V-Tour kits as well as a Pro kit (too much $$). I didn't mind the feel of the rubber pads or the mesh heads, but the thing that I noticed that bothered me the most was the (surprise!) lack of tonal changes whn playing snare rolls. Same sound, EXACTLY, with varying loudness. You know what I'm talking about here.

I was able to set the SPD-20 up with two different snare sounds on one pad w/o much difficulty and was much more pleased with the result - play a roll, louder accents play a slightly different sound - not quite perfect, but more believeable than what I was experiencing than on the lower priced V-kits. Also, much lower price point, more compact (townhome), I liked many of the internal sounds. I'm leaning toward this one so far.

I have heard about the drumKat controllers, somewhat interested, but I keep thinking, DK-10 = $500 no sounds & 1 extra trigger input (yeah and a hi-hit), SPD-20 <= $600 sounds & 4 extra DUAL trigger inputs (including hi-hat). I have also thought about buying a real kit after I move into a house and just micing it up, but I do like the idea of having the variety of sounds in an electronic kit/pad + samples on the computer.

Again, I'm not a drummer. I do want something that can handle a real drummer playing through it though. I have also considered using a controller with a real snare and maybe even real cymbals (eventually). Can anyone think of something else that I should check out or look into? Any help is appreciated.

thanks,
bryon

 

[mikeh]

I own V-drums, I also own a drumkat, an SPD6, a few drum machine and modules and a few accoustic kits. I've been a drummer for over 40 years.

Your observation about lack of tonal variance (the classic "machine gun" effect) is and likely always will be a weakness with e-drums. In addition, the cymbal sounds tend to be weak (too many overtones & harmonics to accurately sample).

That being said I am a fan of e-drums for recording, the wide range of sounds and the ability to utilize MIDI to delay committing sound to tape until later in the mix outweigh the negatives. Certainly, the ability to play with limited room sound can also be a huge plus (I lay drum tracks at 3 in the morning without waking up the wife). In addition, a huge part of an accoustic drum sound is the quality of the room (something many home recordist lack).

I will say that while a none drummer may find something like the SPD-20 to be user friendly, I have found drummers can have some problem with the tight spacing of the pads (vs. the more open feel of a kit). In fact some drummers have trouble getting use to a full e-kit (which does require a slightly different technique.

I do agree with you that buying a unit with on board sounds, vs. something like a drumkat with no sounds make more sense.

It sounds like you've already done some homework and have figured out some of the key pros & cons. If you decide to go electric, your should at least try the lower cost e-kits (I'm not a fan of the Yamaha Express - but at $1,000 it may be a better solution than an SPD20 at $600.

 

[bryonwinger]

Mikeh, you mentioned that you own a drumKat. How do the drumkat pads compare to the SPD in terms of triggering accuracy? As far as full ekits go, do any of them offer the tonal variations like on acoustic drums? I haven't made up my mind yet concerning all-in-one pad vs kit - still need to save plenty of dough before I make a decision

Also, if it helps, I plan on using whatever I get mainly for recording and it will probably never leave the house.

Thanks for your input,
Bryon

 

[mikeh]

My drumkat in an older model, however the accuracy is much the same as the SPD20. The SPD20 is much easier to get around related to the programming parameters, etc. and certainly having the onboard sounds is a huge plus.

Regarding tonal variance and response of full ekits - I've played every model of Roland and Yamaha I've played Hart and Pintech (pads - they don't market thier own modules) and I've owned or used every model of Alesis drum modules - I suspect I've had hands on with everything but ddrums (which I've been told are very good). Candidly, no electronic kit can offer the tonal variance of accoustic drums (in particular when it comes to subtle things like light stick work, brush work and things like press rolls.

However, in the vast majority of rock/pop/country material, e-drums can fill the need fine - since the drum parts are (or at least should be) more about the backbeat with minimum fills - to support the song. Jazz, slower ballads, etc (that require subtle ghost notes, etc) are normally not as well suited to e-drums.

I've heard (or read) that some samples offer more tonal variance, but I have not really used many samples (I have an Akai sampler - but libraries can be very costly and can be very, very hit or miss) so I can't offer any real testimony.

Like any musical/instrument choice - at the end of the day, you need to trust your ears. Since you have time while you save up your cash - continue to ask questions and play/listen to as many e-drums/samples, etc as you can - and make the choice that seems right at the time.