Acoustic vs. Electric Drums?
 

I was wondering who uses an electric kit and if they like it better than an acoustic. I have a 6 peice (Acoustic) Pearl Export Right now and I dont know if I even want to start thinking about getting a electric. Are they any lighter, I know most are smaller, but does it really make a difference when you are going to play and need to take it somewhere? Also, what kind of Amps/Mikes are used for it?

Acoustic wins every time unless you go with the top of the line Roland drums

Do not go with the cheap electronics because that takes away all feeling of playing a set. They sure do have some nice effects though.

Being able to get any size or sound drum/cymbal and recording is so easy.

a friend of mine has both kinds of kits. they each offer their own respective benefits and drawbacks. he used to run a hybrid kit with electronic toms to accentuate his acoustic ones.

no electric kit will ever sound quite as bombastic as a real deal acoustic kit, but an acoustic kit is bulky and a hassle to move, on top of having to maintain your skins and cymbals.

electronic kits are significantly smaller, lighter, easier to move, and can be damn near silent in comparison (which makes it possible to use them in an apartment).

the way electronic kits work is that all the pads are connected to a main 'brain' synthesizer unit that generates sounds once the triggers in the pads are activated. depending on the quality of the brain unit you'll be able to process and tweak the individual drum sounds to better emulate the real thing, or go the complete opposite direction and create some sort of whacked out percussive cacophony. it's also easier to add live effects like flange and echo into the line with an e-kit.

you also don't have to use mics but you would definitely need some sort of PA or at the very least a robust keyboard amp to project the sound of the electronic kit. or you can just run the brain out into a good pair of headphones and not get evicted for playing the drums in an apartment.

Thanks and also, how do they set up? Is it with hardware, or does it just all fold together?

Don't forget you'll need a good monitor setup if you're playing in any kind of band, or they won't be able to hear you, for that matter, if you don't like playing with headphones on, you'll need a monitor system for yourself.

For me, (Many years playing experience), you'll NEVER get better than a "Real" drumkit!

What he means is you will basically need a **** load of money. :drummer:

yeah, thats what i figured. I like acoustic everything better anyway. So I guess just **** the electric ones.

hi,

Advantages of electronic drums:

You can play them without disturbing your neighbors as much.
You can learn to play drums, and no one will hear you if you suck.
They are compact and fit in a small room.
Electronic drums can generate all sorts of weird sounds.
You can easily practice playing with a CD by plugging the player into the sound module, and not have to worry that the drum sound will overwhelm the music.
You don't have to tune them.
Electronic drums are much easier to record. Just plug them into your mixing board, and don't worry about having to carefully arrange multiple microphones.

Disadvantages of electronic drums:

Electronic drums don't have the volume range of acoustic drums.
They don't have expressive range of acoustic drums either, especially with the hi-hat and other cymbals.
Brushes are not as effective on electronic drums, particularly with rubber pads.
They do not look as good as acoustic drums, unless you play on a high end electronic kit that includes large mesh type drum pads.
If you perform on stage, you are at the mercy of the stage monitor speakers to hear yourself play.
They are more expensive.
Electronic drums are much more of a hustle to assemble and take apart than a standard acoustic kit because they have many more parts and wires.

no acoutic all the way unless you got money to make the electric sound good
you can always try hybrids those are ok

the electric sounds soo "fake" sometiems soo unless you wanna play techno lol then yea

You have not used the upper end Roland Vpro sets then. Not only do they sound very realistic but make recording easy for even the dumbest of people.

Also in addition to sounding great, they allow touch sensitivity, use of brushes, and selecting cymbal size and sound.

edit: Another thing that they are great with, is changing tone of drums, and giving any number of any drum. For example for many beats 2 different snares are used, which are easily programmed onto a nice set.

Ok. Thanks for the info. ( But you can always tell me more)

All things considered, an acoustic kit is less hassle to deal with, (Especially in small venues when you don't need a mic on every drum, or sometimes no mics at all), more practical from a maintenance point of view, (If the "brain" of an electronic kit breaks down, and it WILL, you're done for, where replacing a single head or cymbal is a much cheaper proposition.), and better for he other musicians you're playing with.
Those folks who say it's easier to set up an electronic kit sound wise usually don't have much practical experience with mic'ing "real" drums.
To me there's absolutely no substitute for doing what a drum does, same as a bass cab, IT MOVES AIR!
Anyone who's played for even a short time will understand what i mean.

lectric kits are cool for practicing quietly but when it comes to kicking out the jams acoustic kits are the only way to go