Electronic Drums

[Si600]

Does anyone perform regularly with a drummer using an electronic kit?

What are your thoughts on the sound or visual impact of not having a traditional kit on stage with you?

[barneyg42]

Played in a country band with a leccy drummer and as long as the monitoring was sorted it was fine. He had a PA system behind him and a very expensive extensive kit, sounded the bollox!
Cut to an audition a few years ago, guy contacts us to try out and on the day informs me he has an electric kit but says he has a big sound system to go with it. He turns up in a Corsa with what appears to be a Playstation kit and what I think was a Behringer 60watt combo, what we could hear was good drumming but he had no chance, you couldn't even change the individual drums to sound different, just 5-6 preset kits from rock to Eastenders!! He realised the shortcomings and we all parted as friends, turns out he sold his acoustic kit as he and his girl had just moved into a small flat with their newborn. Shame, he seemed a good drummer!

[Marvin]

A couple of drummers i've played with have used them at practices. Can't say i've been mad impressed. Seems to me you have pay good money for anything half decent.

I much prefer an acoustic kit in terms of sound and looks

[franzbassist]

I played in a really good function band where the drummer used one of the top end Roland kits. It sounded [i]fantastic[/i], had a huge array of sounds, and was easy to set up/pack down. The only thing I would say is they need a really decent PA to sound their best, and unless everyone's using IEMs, a quality amp behind it as well, for the band to get a good thump for the kick and snare.

[Guest bassman7755]

[quote name='Si600' timestamp='1382782788' post='2256471']
Does anyone perform regularly with a drummer using an electronic kit?

What are your thoughts on the sound or visual impact of not having a traditional kit on stage with you?
[/quote]

Have played in a couple of such bands, a classic rock and a blues band. In the case of the former it worked brilliantly, we could get the thunderous sound of a miced up kit in a big venue but in small venues at any volume level we required. In the blue band it sounded at least as good as a traditional kit and again with the volume control advantages. We did have credibility problems with some of the hard core blues audiences though.

In general I love playing bands with electronic kits, the improvement in overall band sound quality from not having to wind the levels of everything else to match an acoustic kit is honestly a revelation IMO.

Worth noting that assumes top end gear is being used (as was the case in both).

Edited October 26, 2013 by bassman7755

[haruki]

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1382790845' post='2256587']

In general I love playing bands with electronic kits, the improvement in overall band sound quality from not having to wind the levels of everything else to match an acoustic kit is honestly a revelation IMO.

[/quote]

I'd agree with that. I play in a soul funk band where drummer uses a high end roland kit and gets a great range of sounds (flicks to congas on a verse of move on up).
Best is that we have much better control on volume

[Dad3353]

Good gear + good drummer = result. I've seen many a band, in many formations; most especially function bands, where the variety of sounds can complement each and every style played.
Visually..? I'd have thought this notion died a death about the same time as electric basses took over from stand-up dbs..? If that's a problem for some, they must be very few nowadays, I'd have thought..?
As an extreme example, I saw an excellent duo where the drumkit came out of a sewing machine case. It was tiny, but sounded tops. Quality is the key, though.
Just my tuppence-worth; hope this helps.

[DarkHeart]

Our drummer uses a Roland electronic kit and it sounds good and packs away to next to nothing in no time, he has used it in the studio a few times as well as its just so easy to set up and get a good sound from. We had criticism after our first gig from the landlord who complained about the visual aspect of it but who goes to watch a drummer? we all know the women go to watch the bassist

[Fat Rich]

The best and most expensive vdrum kit won't work through an under powered PA, you need lots of watts to recreate the earsplitting crack of a real snare.

[Si600]

[quote name='Fat Rich' timestamp='1382802304' post='2256740']
The best and most expensive vdrum kit won't work through an under powered PA, you need lots of watts to recreate the earsplitting crack of a real snare.
[/quote]

Do you? I hadn't thought of that aspect to it. So basically we're looking at a quality kit plus a quality PA to get the best out of it?

[xgsjx]

My last band, the drummer had a great acoustic kit. He then got a Yamaha DTX kit & put it through the PA (which was only @ £1k). Sounded excellent at gigs & we could control the volume which was brilliant for practicing at home on a week night.

I tried to talk my current drummer into getting one, but he spoke with a few other drummers that haven't played lekky kits & he ended up going for a Mapex set of pots n pans that he can't control the volume of. Gonna try & get him on the brushes/hotrods.

[Dad3353]

[quote name='Fat Rich' timestamp='1382802304' post='2256740']...watts to recreate the earsplitting crack of a real snare.[/quote]

One should be careful what one wishes for..!

[Spike Vincent]

[quote name='Si600' timestamp='1382802495' post='2256744']
Do you? I hadn't thought of that aspect to it. So basically we're looking at a quality kit plus a quality PA to get the best out of it?
[/quote]

Yes, in just the same way as you need decent bass amps, decent guitar amps and a decent vocal PA. Drum kits,acoustic or electronic, cover the whole audio spectrum and will need a sound system capable of reproducing it.

[Bloc Riff Nut]

Our current drummer uses an electric kit and I think it sounds great. I dont think it looks very rock n roll but the pros outweigh the cons hands down. Lighter, smaller, easier/faster to set up,easier to transport, more variety in sound, dont detune(lots of drummers dont pay enough attention to tuning) but most of all, you can vary the volume. We played in a hotel foyer last week and having the kit volume reduced helped lots.

[Grassie]

Our drummer has an electronic kit, he said the only thing he doesn't like about it is it looks so sparse, so he sticks his acoustic kick drum in front of the kick pad; looks quite nifty actually. Sound wise, well, I prefer an acoustic kit, but it's not up to me is it? Jon (our drummer) doesn't tell me which bass to use, and why would he? Besides, he is the Isle of Wight's answer to Rick Allen - he can trigger the snare with his foot pedal that would normally be used for the hi-hat, and if that makes his life easier then more power to him. Best drummer I've ever played with.

[joeystrange]

I played with a drummer for a while that had a high-end Roland kit but instead of the usual pads he used an acoustic kit fitted with mesh heads and DW triggers.
Looked great and sounded great, as long as there was a decent PA, though I'd still prefer an acoustic kit. It's odd to hear the drums coming from a monitor in front of you.

Edited October 26, 2013 by joeystrange

[molan]

Our drummer uses a high end Roland kit and it sounds good through the PA.

I do miss the crack of a snare firing up into my right ear at times though

[mike257]

[quote name='Si600' timestamp='1382802495' post='2256744']
Do you? I hadn't thought of that aspect to it. So basically we're looking at a quality kit plus a quality PA to get the best out of it?
[/quote]

And monitors for the whole band. Absolutely cannot scrimp on your monitoring as you will be stuffed if you can't hear him!

[essexbasscat]

Our band got more than a few bookings due to observations that;

- the electronic drums allowed us to play as quiet as needed on the day
- the vocal harmonies were easy to hear over the drums

Such an advantage. Oh, by the way, my tinnitus is quite ok without a snare waking it up again

[Fat Rich]

[quote name='Si600' timestamp='1382802495' post='2256744']
Do you? I hadn't thought of that aspect to it. So basically we're looking at a quality kit plus a quality PA to get the best out of it?
[/quote]

A cheap kit through a great PA will probably work better than a top of the range TD-30 through an underpowered PA. But a quality kit will feel fetter to play, have better dynamics and have more sounds and settings to play with.

[quote name='Bloc Riff Nut' timestamp='1382809062' post='2256860']
Our current drummer uses an electric kit and I think it sounds great. I dont think it looks very rock n roll but the pros outweigh the cons hands down. Lighter, smaller, easier/faster to set up,easier to transport, more variety in sound, dont detune(lots of drummers dont pay enough attention to tuning) but most of all, you can vary the volume. We played in a hotel foyer last week and having the kit volume reduced helped lots.
[/quote]

There are people like Jobeky and Diamond who make cool looking electronic triggers that look like real drums. Often cheaper than Roland or Yammy ones too:

[url="http://www.jobekydrums.co.uk/"]http://www.jobekydrums.co.uk/[/url]

[url="http://www.diamondelectronicdrums.com/"]http://www.diamondelectronicdrums.com/[/url]

[thebrig]

How much do you have to pay for a half decent kit, as my drummer mate has just bought a Yamaha electric kit for just under £2,000, would that do a good job?

Edited October 27, 2013 by thebrig

[shizznit]

The drummer I worked with in Canada recently used a Roland electronic kit. The visual impact wasn't the same as it looked really untidy. Looks like a toy. However, the stage volume was so much easier to manage. Our monitor mix took very little time to sort out.

With an acoustic kit I only take the kick, snare and hats (maybe ride too). To have the entire kit through the monitors sounds awful. But, with an electronic kit you can have everything in the monitor and sounds good off the bat.

[stingrayPete1977]

I play with a drummer that uses a Jo Becky kit which looks like a normal kit but you can control the volume for smaller venues, once you factor in the cost of the kit plus the top end processor and a good pa I'm not so keen, as a bass player I don't really enjoy trying to lock in to the sound coming from the foh either.

[thebrig]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1382885979' post='2257544']
I play with a drummer that uses a Jo Becky kit which looks like a normal kit but you can control the volume for smaller venues, once you factor in the cost of the kit plus the top end processor and a good pa I'm not so keen, as a bass player I don't really enjoy trying to lock in to the sound coming from the foh either.
[/quote]This is all new to me, but wouldn't the drummer have a monitor next to the kit, so that the band can hear the drums from behind them?
Please excuse me if that's a daft question!

[BigRedX]

IME getting the best out of an electronic kit depends as much on the drummer setting up the pad sensitivity and sounds to match their playing style. Often different sounds need their own individual tweak. I've found a kit and sounds that respond sympathetically to the drummers playing always sound more realistic even if the sounds themselves aren't necessarily technically the best quality or have the most multi-samples.

There is still a tendency for audiences to listen with their eyes rather than their ears when it comes to electronic drums. In a previous band we went through several changes of drummer including a period where we just used sequencer triggered samples and loops. The drum sounds used in all these incarnations were supplied by a rack full of samplers and synthesisers, and only the means by which they were triggered changed. Without fail audiences would always think that the drummer who used what looked like a normal acoustic kit (which was completely damped and fitted with triggers) sounded better than the drummer who used a set of Roland pads and both were better sounding than the sequencer, even though the drum sounds themselves were absolutely identical and the only difference was the method of triggering.

We had a producer who had seen us play several times and had offered to do a more "commercial" mix of one of our recordings who was most surprised to find that when I gave him the Logic project of the song that all the drum parts except from the hi-hat were MIDI sequences triggering samples and not an actual recording of an acoustic drum kit, which he hadn't spotted either from the live performances or from our original mix of the song recording.