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It's Electric: Digital Drum Kits Change How You Learn and Play
by Adam Dolge
If you’ve ever lived in a city or an area with close neighbors, you know how frustrating it can be to find the right moment to pound on your drum kit. If you play too late, or too early, you may get a knock on your door or a bang on the ceiling from an irritated neighbor. For this reason, many drummers turn to electronic sets, which are nearly silent when played through headphones. There are other advantages to electronic kits, but the ability to essentially mute the set is often the biggest draw.
Electronic drums are meant to emulate and mimic acoustic drum sets. Think of them as the difference between an electronic keyboard and a piano. With electronic drums, striking the rubber or mesh drum pads with a normal drum stick triggers electric sensors that transmit a signal to the sound engine, which is then translated into digital waveforms. The sound engine or “drum brain” is the processing center of an electronic drum kit.
Electronic drum sets often include at least two cymbal pads, three to four tom pads, a dual snare (head and rim) pad, a pedal for the kick drum, and a hi-hat pedal to trigger the difference between a closed and opened hi-hat.
"For the first time player, I think they’re great because you can get in more practice time,” explains Mike Snyder, an independent percussionist and drum clinician from Portland, Oregon. “Put on a set of headphones and nobody hears you bashing away, yet you are hearing great sounding drums for whatever style you are playing.”
Snyder is the author of All About Electronic Percussion (Hal Leonard Corporation, 2006) and views electronic drums
as using technology to your advantage. He says, “Electronic drums give drummers what electronic keyboard players
have had for many years.”
In recent years electronic drums have made great advancements and are able to produce more authentic sounds
through digital technology. The latest models have dynamic impact detection, which senses the exact area of the
drum or cymbal that is struck, providing nuances similar to those of an acoustic set. The sets also have multiple outputs to connect to a soundboard, allowing for independent mixing without microphones.
Snyder says that electronic drums are perfect for home recording, quiet practice, and playing small clubs and
churches. “Drummers can play hard without overpowering the audience,” he adds.
If it’s your first time playing an electronic kit, it may take some getting used to. "The most difficult thing is that the
sound doesn’t come from the drum,” he explains. “It comes from a monitor or headphones. That’s the hardest
adjustment.”
When shopping for an electronic drum set, be sure to demo several models and brands as each will have a different
feel. You can expect to pay anywhere from several hundred dollars to several thousand dollars, and prices for quality
electronic drum kits are beginning to decrease. Snyder says there are kits selling for less than $1,000 that are perfect for drummers new to electronic kits.
"I say sit down and listen first, play the snare drum, listen to see if the sound changes from soft to loud like an acoustic snare drum would,” Snyder recommends. “Ultimately that’s what you want.”
Roland TD-20S
Roland’s V-Drum is the company’s signature electronic drum series. The TD-20S is the high-end model, used professionally by popular bands and serious drummers. It’s one of the most advanced electronic drum sets, with some 560 drum sounds, quick response time for rolls and rim shots, and editing tools to create your own drum sound. The V-Hi-Hats have realistic feeling top and bottom cymbals, and feature advanced technology to replicate the subtle differences a traditional hi-hat can produce.
MSRP: $6,999
www.V-Drums.com
Yamaha DTXTREME III
One of the best features of Yamaha’s DTXTREME III is the built-in programmable metronome. The Groove Check feature shows you if you are playing ahead of, on, or behind the click of the metronome. Additionally, Rhythm Gate mutes any hits that are not in time. The kit also features built-in songs to practice along with, ranging from pop, punk, rock, blues, Latin, and jazz. You can change tempos, mute tracks, and you can record your drum track to play back.
MSRP: $4,199
www.dtxperience.com
Alesis USB Pro Drum Kit
The Alesis USB Pro Drum Kit combines popular Alesis trigger-to-MIDI interface with tunable, mylar drum heads, and the natural feel of brass-alloy SURGE cymbals to create an acoustic-feel. Perfect for the studio, home, or gig, the set includes sound-generation software BFD Lite, allowing for multiple drum-sound sets, adjustable articulation, velocity layers, and microphone positions at the drummers’ fingertips. Designed to take advantage of the power of a computer for sound generation, it uses a Mac or PC as the sound module.
MSRP: $799
www.alesis.com/usbprodrumkit
Some advantages of electronic drum kits:
? Ability to play many kinds of sounds, not just different percussion, but various other instruments and sound effects.
? Ease in altering pitch and adding effects like reverb.
? Can switch the sound of the kit during a gig.
? Quieter than acoustic kits and you can plug in headphones for virtual silence.
? Some have separate volume control for each drum.
? Less hardware means theya are more portable and there are less nuts and bolts to break or lose.
? Can usually record directly into a computer for easy home recording.
? Advanced kits can hook up to an MP3 player or use CDs for enhanced practice sessions.
? Some have teaching/learning capabilities.
Looking for more articles on drums? |
| Covered Book Resources |
| Add Personality to Percussion |
| EXPERT ADVICE: SETTING UP YOUR MIKES |
| The Beat Man |
| The Rhythm of the Night |
