You nailed it. I have been gigging with a high end e-kit and my drum teacher has identified that my playing and technique has been getting progressively poor due to the e-kits lack of dynamics and fine control that is used to get the sounds from an acoustic kit. As he put it - your just tripping triggers for a sound and there is no measurement of how you play the kit. I don't play an e-kit at my lessons and he noticed the change over the last few months. I'm back on my acoustic kit and I can tell you it was a struggle - especially my HH skills. Your representation of both kits are bang on. I now us my e-kit for quiet practicing at night and play my acoustic kit as much as possible. I try to limit gigging with my e-kit. Playing quietly with rods and brushes has expanded my playing ability. It's a happy balance. Great video Stephen - Thanks.
I’ve been a drummer for 49 years. Started at 10, became a professional in 1984. I’ve played a 8 pc Pearl Export kit forever with many cymbals. For the last 4 years I’ve been playing the Alesis DX10 kit. It’s amazing, sounds better then any acoustic kit I’ve played. This kit looks like a real kit and the heads feel like acoustic heads. My Alesis heads feel like Remo or Ambassador heads. I plug my kit into the PA with separate volume adjusting monitors. Our fans love the sound of my kit. With 100’s of different programmable Sounds and kit sound choices it’s a great Practice and live performing kit. Styxbarron
that's fine you are an experienced drummer. For a beginner i wouldn't recommend a Ekit to anyone who hopes to be capable on a Acustic. Learning on Edrums means relearning when your ready for Acustic i can fart on a edrum get perfect tone volume 😁
@@IrishStoner Beginner or otherwise, anyone who works diligently to become proficient at drumming can do so with either format. They both clearly have their place, and and edrums have repetitively proven to be musically useful.
I'm a beginner drummer (I'm 54 years old and in my 3rd year on the instrument). My first kit was an e-kit which was all I could play living in an apartment with limited space. I did that for 2 years and now have an acoustic kit along with the e-kit. In the 4 months that I've had the acoustic kit, a lot of that time has been spent tuning it and learning how to play on it, which sounds weird but I liken the acoustic kit to a hotrod that I built from scratch and the e-kit as a car I bought off the showroom floor. You're much more one with the acoustic kit because you get to know it intimately. I'm now adding mics to it which has introduced a mixing board and an entire different level of knowledge to it. As I've gotten the acoustic kit to where I want it (I've replaced all the heads and cymbals), I've found my time spent on it has increased substantially over the e-kit. Especially now with having the audio, it sounds fantastic! Just gotta figure out how to bounce the beater consistently for that big boom that I love.
I like Stephen's new take on e-drums :) I'm just transitioning from e-kits to an a-kit. Love my e-kits, love my a-kit. There are so many good arguments for both that everybody should have them! One more e-kit pro: you'll never struggle with buzz and sympathetic resonance and all that. My favourite a-kit thing is the hi-hat - an inexhaustible source of subtle sounds and expression.
Hey Stephen, Thanks for the video! You just nailed it. I learned the drums on A-Kits but stopped when getting into college. Now after 20 years I got me a nice Roland E-Kit and started getting back into the groove. I can practice at any time, match the sound to any song or genre I play and I can be the drummer of any band I want as I patch my Spotify through the kit. This is just fun! Lately I take advantage of the coaching functions like time analysis and quite count. This really helped me working through some of the exercises you provided. Both instruments are valid drums they just have different applications. Eventually I want to combine both. Thanks again, stay non glamorous!
So glad I decided to get some edrums as a way back to drumming, and before acoustics. I've got them right in my small home office (lucky enough to be a work from homer), not tucked away downstairs. There's another benefit, very small footprint. Been getting in at least an hour a day (or even late nights), often multiple hours daily, which would be nearly impossible blasting away on acoustics. I would warn that if you're in an apartment, even on a tennis ball riser, you're probably gonna have complaints. It doesn't bother my girlfriend when she's sleeping on the lower level but not directly beneath. And a quality second-hand Roland mesh set won't break the bank. Great tip on on the LV hi hats!
Thanks for the lesson... I have a Roland TD-6S from 12+ years ago, upgraded with a larger mesh pad I use as a snare, but I only play for me and I have a ball being able to play whenever I want without bothering anyone...
Another nice thing about an e-kit (especially in a church setting) is that whoever is running the sound doesn't have as much to mix. I can set up my mix and then he can just adjust my overall volume with everyone else. Our sound guy is only in that role because we needed someone and he stepped up. The less he has to think about, the better.
I have both. Only used electric drums a few times live. I do use them for quiet practice. In a live situation I did have a gentleman ask what they were because he loved the sound. The band can't stand them because they say they can't feel them. For me there are too many cons so they just get used for practice. I do use a small sample pad for electric sounds that I don't have on my kit.
I practice on an electric kit, but back in October I was volunteering for a haunted attraction and one of the sections in it was a trailer park. One of the trailers was a rocker trailer and their drummer stopped showing up partway through, so I got to mess around on an acoustic kit.
As a drummer who has started drumming journey 4 years ago and only played in a beginner e drum kit , i am still confused whether to go for the acoustic one or a better advanced e drum .....pls note that I never played on an acoustic kit ... this video helped me big time
I'm an absolute beginner. Friend upgraded from his Donner DED-200 e-drums and gave them to me for Christmas. I'd never played anything (other than air drums!). With my living situation, the only place I could set it up is in the living room, and I invariably practice while my wife is just a few feet away watching TV. If they were acoustic, I don't know if I'd ever be able to practice. I am interested in jazz (spent some time trying to learn the sticking for the Sing Sing Sing drum solo), but like rock too. If and when I get a chance to play on acoustic, I wonder how consistently I would play. On this, the music software I'm using (Melodics) doesn't care if I play really hard or barely scrape. At least it keeps me honest with regards to timing.
I have been playing on an eKit for 8 years now at my church gigs and really like them. Small form factor, lots of sound options, volume control for cage free drumming, easy to move, good for practice at home ... my acoustic kit is gathering dust these days.
I've been using electric pads/kits more lately for the unlimited sounds potential. I hooked them up to a laptop so I can use professional samples and it's wonderful! You can for instance play live LoFi music by using LoFi drum samples while you play. It could be the I.T. guy in me that likes to mix my passion for drumming with my passion for computers lol. Another pro for ekits for beginners: One of the big things that separates amateur players from pros is their ability to mix instruments within the kit. Really driving the snare and kick, but holding back on the cymbal volume. With an ekit, that's already built into the kit and can be adjusted as needed. You can get a perfect mix right off the bat and it can help beginners develop an ear for how loud things SHOULD be when they move to an acoustic kit. Edit: I wrote this before finishing the video where you talk about self-mixing the kit. I'll amend this by saying the it can be a plus as well as a minus because beginners already have enough things to work on, they can learn the basics before worrying about self-mixing with an ekit.
Hi Stephen, Take a look at the Roland VAD507 the latest kit. The HH/SNARE have dual connections making them way more versatile. I have to admit this kit is so impressive it's difficult to rely on acoustic kits and be as versatile. The other advantage is obviously you don't have to mike the kit making mixing easier.
I got the VAD 706. Amazingly realistic. Digital ride, hi hats, and snare. I can play all night long and get the sounds I want. Choose from dozens of types of snare AND tweak that snare’s tuning, depth, type of heads, snare tightness, width of snares… incredible versatility.
Very interesting discussion on some of the advantages that starting out with a e-kit can have. Interesting also what you said about many pro drummers having both set up in their drum rooms / studios at home. I think I was watching something on the TV about a famous pro drummer, and in his studio at home, he had both acoustic and e-drums set up together in this one massive kit! Many years ago now, I started learning on acoustic drums, but I was living above a motorcycle shop, so could make as much noise as I wanted. When I moved I had to give up learning. Now I'm an old guy, but I still want to play drums and learn more, not to be in a band or anything, but just for the fun of it! E-drums appeal for all the reasons you talked about, but also, and I don't think you mentioned this, an e-kit takes up a bit less room and can be put up and taken down more quickly than an acoustic kit, they also store in a smaller space. Thanks for the videos and advice, also the pdf downloads. I sure am going to make good use of them. Regards to you, David.
I think the difficulty comes from viewing the e-kit as being a means to an end to play acoustic kits. Really if you have an e-kit it is an instrument in its own right. No one seems to worry about a practice pad not sounding like an acoustic drum.
This is a great video! I have been playing drums at church and some jazz for 40+ years. Always owned an A-kit. I now play at home with a nice little Gretch be-bop kit with Meinl cymbals. However, I can totally relate to the feeling of being too loud. I'm seriously thinking about an E-kit. I'm kind of afraid I may never return to my A-kit though!?
I just restarted drums, only did it for a few months on the old acoustic about 20 years ago, i switched to guitar for the noise. About a month ago i bought a to electric converted acoustic kit. Now watching this video, hearing it and practice at the same time. I would have not restarted on an acoustic kit.
Haven’t watched the video yet, reading the comments first. My only complaint with acoustic drums and cymbals is volume. I’m 62, and have been playing many years, and my ears have suffered for it. Tinnitus is no fun. Wear earplugs designed for that purpose, sure wish I had. I have acoustic kits, and an EFNOTE 7 electronic kit. My biggest complaint with previous e-kits was the hats. My newest kit plays flawlessly, including the hats. I can adjust the volume in my headphones, so I’m not blowing out my ears. I do play an acoustic kit live, with earplugs. Setting up a small lightweight acoustic kit works better for me, than having to run wires, and haul a PA. I think a lot depends on what type of music you’re playing. There are good points to both. I would suggest to buy the best kit you can afford. I prefer my acoustic kit over my e-kit, but for my hearing, I’m playing my e-kit more than the acoustic these days. Just trying to save what hearing I have left.
I have two acoustic kits (Tama 7-piece Starclassic Maple and Pearl 6-piece w/ Session elite bass and Export toms) and two e-kits (incomplete Roland TD-3 with older pintech pads and Alesis Strick Pro SE). I much prefer to play the acoustic kits for all the reasons you mention above, especially if I'm playing with a band at a club / concert. However, my Alesis Strike Pro SE is great for practicing at home so I don't disturb anyone. I use it to learn songs and it's much easier to hear the songs I'm playing along with. I perform at a monthly music event where musicians select songs in advance from a list and then are assigned to those songs based on each person's priority of which songs they want to play. There are about 30 songs in a night and they are divided between 10 to 16 drummers depending on how many sign up, so you could wind up on more than one song. (I played on 10 songs last week.) The house kit for the event is a Roland TD-15. Most of the drummers don't like playing this kit because 1) it's not set up like their drums, 2) they can't always hear it, 3) sometimes the drums sound strange (ride cymbal doesn't stop playing on it's own sometimes, wrong patch, the drums can't always be heard on stage or off stage, etc. Yes, a lot of those reasons have to do with how the soundman sets up the sound. Regardless, most of the drummers would prefer to play on an acoustic kit.
For the first 4 years of my 30+ years playing I could only play my kit when I was at the practice spot, and I was only at the practice spot when the rest of the band was there and they never wanted to hear me try to figure it all out.
I stared on an ekit on November 2021. But last year, I really wanted to step it up, so I researched, studied, watched a lot of UA-cam videos and ended up buying a beautiful PDP Concept Maple, 3 piece rock config. And man are acoustic kits a whole different beast. Like you said: the power just can't be felt with ekits. I mean, I'm sure ekits have a their place, hitting acoustic drums is unmatched.
I started on acoustic as a guitarist because 3 guitarists and no drmmer do not make a band. :) Eventually life changed seeems I no longer played with the band. Still have 2 acoustic sets of shells and hardware but after 13 yrs of not playing I broke down and bought a Roland. My primary use it to keep practiced and use as a song writing/recording tool. It's just extremely practical in a typical household/neighborhood. When and if I want to really record I'll do it with friends on the acoustic. There's absolutely nothing like leaning into those heads when the time calls.
That was an interesting video and good overview in my opinion! I was fortunate to get a Roland TM6 drum trigger module from a fellow drummer second hand. It also has a hi-hat input so I set it up as a mini E-Kit for quiet practicing and also use it to “Hybrid” my acoustic kit with the awesome sounds it brings. What a game changer by Roland in my opinion. One huge advantage of the E-Kits and Hybrid Drum Kits is the vast soundscape that it opens up to an artist. The acoustic kit cannot do this. I consider the E-Kit as “another item in my stick-bag” rather than something to replace or compete with an acoustic kit. There is nothing that beats the feeling of playing an acoustic kit but in this era one simply has more colours to paint with. It all depends on the artist behind the kit.
I believe an acoustic kit is generally better but not always practical. I have an e kit in my basement. It's been a journey from an Alesis nitro mesh all the way up to my current and final Roland vad506 (my credit card says this is my last one for the foreseeable future). The biggest advantage I see is that I can play it at all hours of the day. I work from home and others are in the house, some mornings before work I go down and play for a few minutes up to a half hour. Same thing later at night say after 9 or 10. So overall, I actually play more because of this. Also, drums are loud and I play a lot. So my ears ... I can always turn the volume down.
the e kits are not really silent. The kick transmit a big vibration on the floor that can be noticed long down the building if you live in a condo. And the hihat is also noisy. In my opition better with low volume cymbals and skins. Better also for the dynamic. Triggers help a little bit too much sometimes.
Actually a old drummer since 1962 starting out with Ludwig then a Sonor with zildjian cymbals then having to sell my house and move into a condo no less, I bought a Roland TD17KL yes completely different and yes , no brush sounds so I bought a picolo snare working with brushes only. Now I have listened to various drummer Buddy, Joe Moreelo, Dave Weckl, and programmed their sets to my channel with using studio ear phones . although great enjoyment and pretty damn close to aucostic but the bounce the reverb of E verus acoustic big difference.But if you have played mostly on real sets and switched to E due to nothing or just a pad. You have to enjoy what you have..I have played rock and mostly high tempo jazz. It will do cause it sure is nice to hear a real drum sound . As far a your interpretation of difference your on the money.
Stephen knows what's up. Get home from work, cook dinner and maybe do some house chores... And then only is there time for practice, and then it's after 9pm. And then there's a noise ordinance that has to be followed. So the only time available is over a weekend. Struggles.
Iam home player for fun, so need e-drums to keep my family "safe" while I playing. Also have great teacher (visiting in his studio) and playing on jis "real" drums. Pros: - many sounds on edrums easy (iam beginner and don't know about tuning nothing) - it's quiet, so practice anytime I want - it's smaller, so more versatile, better can find position of snare, HH,... - easy to record Cons: - acoustic drums are more value of feeling, how to hit, where to hit, how to play quiet, personally for me is harder to play on acoustic drums, I mean I can play 3-4 minutes, and my hands hurts, on edrums is more easy. PS: I've got Roland TD17KVX with HH on real stand and pedal
E-drums are not quiet. They make less noice to some extend. But the kick is terrible. The difference is that the family does hear the ticking of sticks om the pads. It is not that the kit is less noisy, but it is a different sound, that still can be disturbing. I regularly get a "can you be less loud?" it sounds terrible. The toms are less noisy, but you should not underestimate the noise that still comes out of the kit.
You still need to take precautions and can’t place them anywhere. If they are placed on a cement basement or garage floor they are MUCH less noisy than a tradition kit for people in the house. My son practices at 2am in the basement while the rest of us are sleeping.
An E kit is absolutely better because it allows you to actually play with music. It is almost impossible to create a setup where your A drums will fit into a mix. E drums are designed to do exactly that. I never like the small E pads so I simply converted an A kit and the exact spacing and set up are the same as my A kit, which has been gathering dust. The E kit is also much better for rehearsal spaces because everyone is trying to keep up with the volume of the drums. The vocals cant keep up because of feedback so you have a bad mix.. They also eliminate the hearing damage issues.
A lot of the cons can be mitigated by money. Roland's Digital Hihat, Ride and Snare have come a long way and you can actually play the snare with brushes, it is just that no one has put the effort into to make a preset for them. There is one big but - but this is actually caused by false user treatment: you have to adjust the sensitivity carefully, your range is restricted from 1 to 128 and if it is set too high, you get those often cited 'machine gun' toms, because it always triggers the '128 hit'. So, if you are young and a beginner, you have to make compromises. On the other hand, if you are an old fart and you suddenly decide to learn the drums because you always wanted to ... the money you have worked for made can buy pretty good stuff. And if you are like me and your training sessions usually start at 10 pm because you are a night owl ... doesn't matter. And of course I pick the drum sound matching to the song. Some might be a bit tricky like the snare on Metallica's "Nothing else matters" which is very loose and effectively crosstalks with everything else, but I think you can even program that into the kit with subinstruments. And I would very much recommend to put two extra trigger bars on your kit (you can split one input with an Y-cable) for percussion. A lot of the recordings use extra percussion - for example said 'Nothing else matters' a tambourine - and why not play it? Or a bell tree - or whatever you need for the next song.
You are 100% correct. But still...personally i reallt don't like e-drum, i believe deep inside i will still wish to have and able to play real drum and cymbals even i already have e kit. So i choose to spend $ to build a quiet room.
Well, according to some UA-camr it is not "acoustic vs electric", it is "acoustic vs real". But who cares what some UA-camr says, eh? One point is undeniable, practicing on an e-kit is not very good preparation for playing acoustic. One big pro for electric is that you can practice always. You can pre-program kits for particular songs when you acoustic kit always sounds the same. If you want the sound of a set of African drums on your toms, no problem. Want your toms really dry in one song, with a lot of reverb in the next, no problem. I wish you overcome your personal bias in this area.
Leaning towards electric Have had real drums I’m 70 and just want the headphone sound or thru my huge stereo system ( with 2 concert size folded horn subs) With my guitars and Yamaha p125 then I’m set . What’s out there under $1,000.00 -- just for home
If there is no electric it just an expensive conversation piece. I’ve been out of electricity plenty of times and playing the acoustic kit was one outlet I still had 😊. That is the main reason I steer clear of E kits.
My E kit is nice.. but it's just not nearly as good as my acoustic kit! They're next to each other.. it's fun to practice on but that's really all it's great for IMO! It's just not practical for gigs!! Too much you can't do!! Ridiculous amount of fidgeting and editing kits for different songs... Can't beat my 7 piece Ludwig with dual 24" bass drums and 16 & 18" floor toms and 5 cymbals! I play my electronic kit through a Gemini speaker system. Or the PA system if I'm jammin' with the band..
Has anyone in here experimented with mic'ing silent stroke heads and low volume cymbals to reduce stage volume? Don't suggest a drum cage. I ain't playing in no cage.
e.Kit or acoustic, their is no battle, these are different instrument with different approach. Its like acoustic guitar vs electric guitar. Il love to play on my e-Kit and I love playing on acoustic as well. I think that for samll medium gig e-Kit is better because control of the volume and the mix is very easy, Acoustic you need minimum of 8 Mics and th emix ing is not easy. for big event with strong soundman acoustic is I agree better
E kits are nowhere as silemt as you mention. There is still a sound that's emitted from the sticks hitting the pads on a e-kit, as any apartment dweller could attest. Noise complaints a plenty.
By this theory, a programmable machine is better than a real drummer. Wont complain, always in time, doesn't ask for help to move the kit. REAL DRUMS! REAL DRUMMERS!!! Nothing worthwhile is easy.
You nailed it. I have been gigging with a high end e-kit and my drum teacher has identified that my playing and technique has been getting progressively poor due to the e-kits lack of dynamics and fine control that is used to get the sounds from an acoustic kit. As he put it - your just tripping triggers for a sound and there is no measurement of how you play the kit. I don't play an e-kit at my lessons and he noticed the change over the last few months. I'm back on my acoustic kit and I can tell you it was a struggle - especially my HH skills. Your representation of both kits are bang on. I now us my e-kit for quiet practicing at night and play my acoustic kit as much as possible. I try to limit gigging with my e-kit. Playing quietly with rods and brushes has expanded my playing ability. It's a happy balance. Great video Stephen - Thanks.
I’ve been a drummer for 49 years. Started at 10, became a professional in 1984. I’ve played a 8 pc Pearl Export kit forever with many cymbals. For the last 4 years I’ve been playing the Alesis DX10 kit. It’s amazing, sounds better then any acoustic kit I’ve played. This kit looks like a real kit and the heads feel like acoustic heads. My Alesis heads feel like Remo or Ambassador heads. I plug my kit into the PA with separate volume adjusting monitors. Our fans love the sound of my kit. With 100’s of different programmable Sounds and kit sound choices it’s a great Practice and live performing kit. Styxbarron
that's fine you are an experienced drummer. For a beginner i wouldn't recommend a Ekit to anyone who hopes to be capable on a Acustic. Learning on Edrums means relearning when your ready for Acustic i can fart on a edrum get perfect tone volume 😁
@@IrishStoner
Beginner or otherwise, anyone who works diligently to become proficient at drumming can do so with either format. They both clearly have their place, and and edrums have repetitively proven to be musically useful.
I'm a beginner drummer (I'm 54 years old and in my 3rd year on the instrument).
My first kit was an e-kit which was all I could play living in an apartment with limited space. I did that for 2 years and now have an acoustic kit along with the e-kit. In the 4 months that I've had the acoustic kit, a lot of that time has been spent tuning it and learning how to play on it, which sounds weird but I liken the acoustic kit to a hotrod that I built from scratch and the e-kit as a car I bought off the showroom floor. You're much more one with the acoustic kit because you get to know it intimately. I'm now adding mics to it which has introduced a mixing board and an entire different level of knowledge to it. As I've gotten the acoustic kit to where I want it (I've replaced all the heads and cymbals), I've found my time spent on it has increased substantially over the e-kit. Especially now with having the audio, it sounds fantastic! Just gotta figure out how to bounce the beater consistently for that big boom that I love.
Great analogy !
I like Stephen's new take on e-drums :) I'm just transitioning from e-kits to an a-kit. Love my e-kits, love my a-kit. There are so many good arguments for both that everybody should have them! One more e-kit pro: you'll never struggle with buzz and sympathetic resonance and all that. My favourite a-kit thing is the hi-hat - an inexhaustible source of subtle sounds and expression.
Hey Stephen,
Thanks for the video! You just nailed it.
I learned the drums on A-Kits but stopped when getting into college.
Now after 20 years I got me a nice Roland E-Kit and started getting back into the groove.
I can practice at any time, match the sound to any song or genre I play and I can be the drummer of any band I want as I patch my Spotify through the kit. This is just fun!
Lately I take advantage of the coaching functions like time analysis and quite count. This really helped me working through some of the exercises you provided.
Both instruments are valid drums they just have different applications.
Eventually I want to combine both.
Thanks again, stay non glamorous!
I have a Simmons SD600 E kit. I love it! It's been years since I've played & wanted to get my chops back. I eventually want an acoustic kit.
So glad I decided to get some edrums as a way back to drumming, and before acoustics. I've got them right in my small home office (lucky enough to be a work from homer), not tucked away downstairs. There's another benefit, very small footprint. Been getting in at least an hour a day (or even late nights), often multiple hours daily, which would be nearly impossible blasting away on acoustics. I would warn that if you're in an apartment, even on a tennis ball riser, you're probably gonna have complaints. It doesn't bother my girlfriend when she's sleeping on the lower level but not directly beneath. And a quality second-hand Roland mesh set won't break the bank. Great tip on on the LV hi hats!
Thanks for the lesson... I have a Roland TD-6S from 12+ years ago, upgraded with a larger mesh pad I use as a snare, but I only play for me and I have a ball being able to play whenever I want without bothering anyone...
Another nice thing about an e-kit (especially in a church setting) is that whoever is running the sound doesn't have as much to mix. I can set up my mix and then he can just adjust my overall volume with everyone else. Our sound guy is only in that role because we needed someone and he stepped up. The less he has to think about, the better.
I have both. Only used electric drums a few times live. I do use them for quiet practice. In a live situation I did have a gentleman ask what they were because he loved the sound. The band can't stand them because they say they can't feel them. For me there are too many cons so they just get used for practice. I do use a small sample pad for electric sounds that I don't have on my kit.
I practice on an electric kit, but back in October I was volunteering for a haunted attraction and one of the sections in it was a trailer park. One of the trailers was a rocker trailer and their drummer stopped showing up partway through, so I got to mess around on an acoustic kit.
As a drummer who has started drumming journey 4 years ago and only played in a beginner e drum kit , i am still confused whether to go for the acoustic one or a better advanced e drum .....pls note that I never played on an acoustic kit ... this video helped me big time
I'm an absolute beginner. Friend upgraded from his Donner DED-200 e-drums and gave them to me for Christmas. I'd never played anything (other than air drums!). With my living situation, the only place I could set it up is in the living room, and I invariably practice while my wife is just a few feet away watching TV. If they were acoustic, I don't know if I'd ever be able to practice.
I am interested in jazz (spent some time trying to learn the sticking for the Sing Sing Sing drum solo), but like rock too.
If and when I get a chance to play on acoustic, I wonder how consistently I would play. On this, the music software I'm using (Melodics) doesn't care if I play really hard or barely scrape. At least it keeps me honest with regards to timing.
I have been playing on an eKit for 8 years now at my church gigs and really like them. Small form factor, lots of sound options, volume control for cage free drumming, easy to move, good for practice at home ... my acoustic kit is gathering dust these days.
I've been using electric pads/kits more lately for the unlimited sounds potential. I hooked them up to a laptop so I can use professional samples and it's wonderful! You can for instance play live LoFi music by using LoFi drum samples while you play. It could be the I.T. guy in me that likes to mix my passion for drumming with my passion for computers lol.
Another pro for ekits for beginners: One of the big things that separates amateur players from pros is their ability to mix instruments within the kit. Really driving the snare and kick, but holding back on the cymbal volume. With an ekit, that's already built into the kit and can be adjusted as needed. You can get a perfect mix right off the bat and it can help beginners develop an ear for how loud things SHOULD be when they move to an acoustic kit.
Edit: I wrote this before finishing the video where you talk about self-mixing the kit. I'll amend this by saying the it can be a plus as well as a minus because beginners already have enough things to work on, they can learn the basics before worrying about self-mixing with an ekit.
Hi Stephen,
Take a look at the Roland VAD507 the latest kit. The HH/SNARE have dual connections making them way more versatile. I have to admit this kit is so impressive it's difficult to rely on acoustic kits and be as versatile. The other advantage is obviously you don't have to mike the kit making mixing easier.
Not affordable to most. But if you have the $$…🤔
I got the VAD 706. Amazingly realistic. Digital ride, hi hats, and snare. I can play all night long and get the sounds I want. Choose from dozens of types of snare AND tweak that snare’s tuning, depth, type of heads, snare tightness, width of snares… incredible versatility.
@@CB-wi3vc wow good for you. 👏 It should be for $9k. Roland products are the way to go. 👌
Very interesting discussion on some of the advantages that starting out with a e-kit can have. Interesting also what you said about many pro drummers having both set up in their drum rooms / studios at home. I think I was watching something on the TV about a famous pro drummer, and in his studio at home, he had both acoustic and e-drums set up together in this one massive kit!
Many years ago now, I started learning on acoustic drums, but I was living above a motorcycle shop, so could make as much noise as I wanted. When I moved I had to give up learning. Now I'm an old guy, but I still want to play drums and learn more, not to be in a band or anything, but just for the fun of it! E-drums appeal for all the reasons you talked about, but also, and I don't think you mentioned this, an e-kit takes up a bit less room and can be put up and taken down more quickly than an acoustic kit, they also store in a smaller space.
Thanks for the videos and advice, also the pdf downloads. I sure am going to make good use of them. Regards to you, David.
I think the difficulty comes from viewing the e-kit as being a means to an end to play acoustic kits. Really if you have an e-kit it is an instrument in its own right. No one seems to worry about a practice pad not sounding like an acoustic drum.
This is a great video! I have been playing drums at church and some jazz for 40+ years. Always owned an A-kit. I now play at home with a nice little Gretch be-bop kit with Meinl cymbals. However, I can totally relate to the feeling of being too loud. I'm seriously thinking about an E-kit. I'm kind of afraid I may never return to my A-kit though!?
I just restarted drums, only did it for a few months on the old acoustic about 20 years ago, i switched to guitar for the noise. About a month ago i bought a to electric converted acoustic kit. Now watching this video, hearing it and practice at the same time. I would have not restarted on an acoustic kit.
Haven’t watched the video yet, reading the comments first. My only complaint with acoustic drums and cymbals is volume. I’m 62, and have been playing many years, and my ears have suffered for it. Tinnitus is no fun. Wear earplugs designed for that purpose, sure wish I had. I have acoustic kits, and an EFNOTE 7 electronic kit. My biggest complaint with previous e-kits was the hats. My newest kit plays flawlessly, including the hats. I can adjust the volume in my headphones, so I’m not blowing out my ears. I do play an acoustic kit live, with earplugs. Setting up a small lightweight acoustic kit works better for me, than having to run wires, and haul a PA. I think a lot depends on what type of music you’re playing. There are good points to both. I would suggest to buy the best kit you can afford. I prefer my acoustic kit over my e-kit, but for my hearing, I’m playing my e-kit more than the acoustic these days. Just trying to save what hearing I have left.
I have two acoustic kits (Tama 7-piece Starclassic Maple and Pearl 6-piece w/ Session elite bass and Export toms) and two e-kits (incomplete Roland TD-3 with older pintech pads and Alesis Strick Pro SE). I much prefer to play the acoustic kits for all the reasons you mention above, especially if I'm playing with a band at a club / concert. However, my Alesis Strike Pro SE is great for practicing at home so I don't disturb anyone. I use it to learn songs and it's much easier to hear the songs I'm playing along with. I perform at a monthly music event where musicians select songs in advance from a list and then are assigned to those songs based on each person's priority of which songs they want to play. There are about 30 songs in a night and they are divided between 10 to 16 drummers depending on how many sign up, so you could wind up on more than one song. (I played on 10 songs last week.) The house kit for the event is a Roland TD-15. Most of the drummers don't like playing this kit because 1) it's not set up like their drums, 2) they can't always hear it, 3) sometimes the drums sound strange (ride cymbal doesn't stop playing on it's own sometimes, wrong patch, the drums can't always be heard on stage or off stage, etc. Yes, a lot of those reasons have to do with how the soundman sets up the sound. Regardless, most of the drummers would prefer to play on an acoustic kit.
For the first 4 years of my 30+ years playing I could only play my kit when I was at the practice spot, and I was only at the practice spot when the rest of the band was there and they never wanted to hear me try to figure it all out.
Silent strokes and gen16 or similar are my favourite home set up.
I stared on an ekit on November 2021. But last year, I really wanted to step it up, so I researched, studied, watched a lot of UA-cam videos and ended up buying a beautiful PDP Concept Maple, 3 piece rock config. And man are acoustic kits a whole different beast. Like you said: the power just can't be felt with ekits.
I mean, I'm sure ekits have a their place, hitting acoustic drums is unmatched.
I still have my original sky blue pearl Ludwig set from ‘68. Thinking about buying some Rolands.
I started on acoustic as a guitarist because 3 guitarists and no drmmer do not make a band. :)
Eventually life changed seeems I no longer played with the band. Still have 2 acoustic sets of shells and hardware but after 13 yrs of not playing I broke down and bought a Roland. My primary use it to keep practiced and use as a song writing/recording tool. It's just extremely practical in a typical household/neighborhood. When and if I want to really record I'll do it with friends on the acoustic. There's absolutely nothing like leaning into those heads when the time calls.
A good starter set acoustic set with Remo quiet strokes and Zildjian silent cymbals
That was an interesting video and good overview in my opinion! I was fortunate to get a Roland TM6 drum trigger module from a fellow drummer second hand. It also has a hi-hat input so I set it up as a mini E-Kit for quiet practicing and also use it to “Hybrid” my acoustic kit with the awesome sounds it brings. What a game changer by Roland in my opinion.
One huge advantage of the E-Kits and Hybrid Drum Kits is the vast soundscape that it opens up to an artist. The acoustic kit cannot do this.
I consider the E-Kit as “another item in my stick-bag” rather than something to replace or compete with an acoustic kit.
There is nothing that beats the feeling of playing an acoustic kit but in this era one simply has more colours to paint with.
It all depends on the artist behind the kit.
Excellent video
My drums are from the 80s and i need an upgrade do you have any recomendation for an rock and jazz drummer
I believe an acoustic kit is generally better but not always practical. I have an e kit in my basement. It's been a journey from an Alesis nitro mesh all the way up to my current and final Roland vad506 (my credit card says this is my last one for the foreseeable future). The biggest advantage I see is that I can play it at all hours of the day. I work from home and others are in the house, some mornings before work I go down and play for a few minutes up to a half hour. Same thing later at night say after 9 or 10. So overall, I actually play more because of this.
Also, drums are loud and I play a lot. So my ears ... I can always turn the volume down.
the e kits are not really silent. The kick transmit a big vibration on the floor that can be noticed long down the building if you live in a condo. And the hihat is also noisy. In my opition better with low volume cymbals and skins. Better also for the dynamic. Triggers help a little bit too much sometimes.
Actually a old drummer since 1962 starting out with Ludwig then a Sonor with zildjian cymbals then having to sell my house and move into a condo no less, I bought a Roland TD17KL yes completely different and yes , no brush sounds so I bought a picolo snare working with brushes only. Now I have listened to various drummer Buddy, Joe Moreelo, Dave Weckl, and programmed their sets to my channel with using studio ear phones . although great enjoyment and pretty damn close to aucostic but the bounce the reverb of E verus acoustic big difference.But if you have played mostly on real sets and switched to E due to nothing or just a pad. You have to enjoy what you have..I have played rock and mostly high tempo jazz. It will do cause it sure is nice to hear a real drum sound . As far a your interpretation of difference your on the money.
Also from my comment above,And at age 69 time is getting short so I feel E is better then nothing.
great video. I’m lucky to have both
Stephen knows what's up. Get home from work, cook dinner and maybe do some house chores... And then only is there time for practice, and then it's after 9pm. And then there's a noise ordinance that has to be followed. So the only time available is over a weekend. Struggles.
Iam home player for fun, so need e-drums to keep my family "safe" while I playing. Also have great teacher (visiting in his studio) and playing on jis "real" drums.
Pros:
- many sounds on edrums easy (iam beginner and don't know about tuning nothing)
- it's quiet, so practice anytime I want
- it's smaller, so more versatile, better can find position of snare, HH,...
- easy to record
Cons:
- acoustic drums are more value of feeling, how to hit, where to hit, how to play quiet, personally for me is harder to play on acoustic drums, I mean I can play 3-4 minutes, and my hands hurts, on edrums is more easy.
PS: I've got Roland TD17KVX with HH on real stand and pedal
E-drums are not quiet. They make less noice to some extend. But the kick is terrible. The difference is that the family does hear the ticking of sticks om the pads. It is not that the kit is less noisy, but it is a different sound, that still can be disturbing. I regularly get a "can you be less loud?" it sounds terrible. The toms are less noisy, but you should not underestimate the noise that still comes out of the kit.
You still need to take precautions and can’t place them anywhere. If they are placed on a cement basement or garage floor they are MUCH less noisy than a tradition kit for people in the house. My son practices at 2am in the basement while the rest of us are sleeping.
It's about pushing air.
I play the new Roland VAD 706 and added two more cymbals. Wouldn’t trade it in for acoustic.
An E kit is absolutely better because it allows you to actually play with music. It is almost impossible to create a setup where your A drums will fit into a mix. E drums are designed to do exactly that. I never like the small E pads so I simply converted an A kit and the exact spacing and set up are the same as my A kit, which has been gathering dust.
The E kit is also much better for rehearsal spaces because everyone is trying to keep up with the volume of the drums. The vocals cant keep up because of feedback so you have a bad mix.. They also eliminate the hearing damage issues.
ekits are nice in a lot of ways but still love the feel and sound of an acoustic
A lot of the cons can be mitigated by money. Roland's Digital Hihat, Ride and Snare have come a long way and you can actually play the snare with brushes, it is just that no one has put the effort into to make a preset for them. There is one big but - but this is actually caused by false user treatment: you have to adjust the sensitivity carefully, your range is restricted from 1 to 128 and if it is set too high, you get those often cited 'machine gun' toms, because it always triggers the '128 hit'.
So, if you are young and a beginner, you have to make compromises. On the other hand, if you are an old fart and you suddenly decide to learn the drums because you always wanted to ... the money you have worked for made can buy pretty good stuff. And if you are like me and your training sessions usually start at 10 pm because you are a night owl ... doesn't matter. And of course I pick the drum sound matching to the song. Some might be a bit tricky like the snare on Metallica's "Nothing else matters" which is very loose and effectively crosstalks with everything else, but I think you can even program that into the kit with subinstruments.
And I would very much recommend to put two extra trigger bars on your kit (you can split one input with an Y-cable) for percussion. A lot of the recordings use extra percussion - for example said 'Nothing else matters' a tambourine - and why not play it? Or a bell tree - or whatever you need for the next song.
You are 100% correct. But still...personally i reallt don't like e-drum, i believe deep inside i will still wish to have and able to play real drum and cymbals even i already have e kit. So i choose to spend $ to build a quiet room.
actually you can use brushes on high end roland kits
Well, according to some UA-camr it is not "acoustic vs electric", it is "acoustic vs real". But who cares what some UA-camr says, eh?
One point is undeniable, practicing on an e-kit is not very good preparation for playing acoustic.
One big pro for electric is that you can practice always. You can pre-program kits for particular songs when you acoustic kit always sounds the same. If you want the sound of a set of African drums on your toms, no problem. Want your toms really dry in one song, with a lot of reverb in the next, no problem.
I wish you overcome your personal bias in this area.
Leaning towards electric
Have had real drums
I’m 70 and just want the headphone sound or thru my huge stereo system ( with 2 concert size folded horn subs)
With my guitars and Yamaha p125 then I’m set .
What’s out there under $1,000.00 -- just for home
My wife and kids like that I play an e-kit :)
If there is no electric it just an expensive conversation piece. I’ve been out of electricity plenty of times and playing the acoustic kit was one outlet I still had 😊. That is the main reason I steer clear of E kits.
And what did the bassists, guitarists and keyboard do, when the power was out?
My E kit is nice.. but it's just not nearly as good as my acoustic kit! They're next to each other.. it's fun to practice on but that's really all it's great for IMO! It's just not practical for gigs!! Too much you can't do!! Ridiculous amount of fidgeting and editing kits for different songs... Can't beat my 7 piece Ludwig with dual 24" bass drums and 16 & 18" floor toms and 5 cymbals! I play my electronic kit through a Gemini speaker system. Or the PA system if I'm jammin' with the band..
Has anyone in here experimented with mic'ing silent stroke heads and low volume cymbals to reduce stage volume? Don't suggest a drum cage. I ain't playing in no cage.
I have recorded my drums with soundoffs. Adjust the gain structure and have at it. I ended up with a massive, dry sound.
e.Kit or acoustic, their is no battle, these are different instrument with different approach. Its like acoustic guitar vs electric guitar. Il love to play on my e-Kit and I love playing on acoustic as well.
I think that for samll medium gig e-Kit is better because control of the volume and the mix is very easy, Acoustic you need minimum of 8 Mics and th emix ing is not easy. for big event with strong soundman acoustic is I agree better
E kits are nowhere as silemt as you mention. There is still a sound that's emitted from the sticks hitting the pads on a e-kit, as any apartment dweller could attest. Noise complaints a plenty.
By this theory, a programmable machine is better than a real drummer. Wont complain, always in time, doesn't ask for help to move the kit.
REAL DRUMS! REAL DRUMMERS!!!
Nothing worthwhile is easy.
That’s a very close minded attitude
@@ASBOmarc you sound like a bass player...
Nah nothing like acoustic kits
20th Like
E-drums are shit, and will mess up your feel and stick control.
I practice on a pad and a bass pedal pad, love it can play way longer and my girlfriend doesn’t want to kill me!
you read my mind with this one lol! got my email noti and was literally like how he knows? 🫣