mikem
Wholenote
Musician soundman musician soundman
Posts: 230
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Post by mikem on Aug 16, 2020 15:51:18 GMT -5
My son (a drummer) has moved into an apartment to be close to his day gig (in Boston). His apartment does not have room for his kit plus his neighbors would complain so
I was thinking about getting him an electric kit.
I know z-e-r-o about electric kits.
What's a good (a relative term) one to look at?
Would I be best to look at a "practice kit" with drum pads, etc.?
I would like to get him something that he could use on a gig if he had to...
Your thoughts?
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cagey
Wholenote
My guitar doesn't have the same notes as yours
Posts: 110
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Post by cagey on Aug 16, 2020 18:02:38 GMT -5
that's kinda like asking "what guitar and amp should I buy?"
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Grizbear-NJ
Wholenote
"I'll do the BEATING around here"
Posts: 217
Age: 71
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Post by Grizbear-NJ on Aug 16, 2020 22:14:43 GMT -5
@ mikem: As a drummer, I fully understand where you are coming from; I just recently dumped my practice pads and got a set of Electronic drums for myself; (strictly for practice) after years of utilizing acoustic drums and practice pads. I both read, and play by ear; with the Electronic kit I can catch my mistakes faster then with just the practice pads.
First step, talk to your son to see what he wants, if he is an experienced drummer, he may already have thoughts on the matter. Work with him.
Your first hurdle is price range. (How much do you want to spend?) The answer to that question (your budget) will determine a number of things. Like brand new or used; the overall purpose; manufacturer; and as you mentioned, the "stage footprint" (area needed for set up). Find out exactly what is needed, and work backwards. One thing I did was to utilize my current drum hardware (throne, high-hat stand, bass drum pedals) with the E-Kit; I saved a lot of $$$ doing that, and I was immediately comfortable with the transition.
If your son intends to use them strictly for practice (in the apartment), he will have a lot of flexibility for that purpose. A set with headphones, as not to disturb the neighbors, will be a must. You will have to research which manufacturer's have a mixer/module with the desired features he requires. One problem encountered by everybody is the rapid advancement of technology; the day you purchase, it becomes outdated. The triggers on the "pads" become more sophisticated everyday
My own personal choice: I opted for Roland; the circle of musicians I deal with use a number of their different products; I liked their overall quality. I will tell you (from my experience) that in a live or studio setting, many of those same musicians (non-drummers) prefer the sound of an acoustic drum-set over an electronic set. (for a number of different reasons)(Go figure) That's a totally different discussion.
Check out the different websites for basic info for the purpose of comparison. There is a very wide range of products to explore before coming to a decision.
Good Luck
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GmanNJ
Wholenote
somewhere deep in the swamps of Joisey
Posts: 315
Formerly Known As: Your Friendly Neighborhood Gman
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Post by GmanNJ on Aug 17, 2020 6:58:00 GMT -5
My drummer buddy (who like many- collects kits) thought he would never go e-drum. But they are lighter and set up is easier than acoustics. the newer Rolands with the mesh head (not the solid rubber ones) have the touch of real heads according to him. He opted for the Roland partly because of the on board mixer. He can do a complete mix then send to the board with one feed. He also has a small amp and subwoofer so that the stage sound is familiar to him. Headphones are great for home practice as to not disturb. He can even feed in a CD mix to "play along"
He went used for cost savings and Roland allows you to upgrade parts as newer triggers come available.
Honestly I dont see why any drummer would not want smaller, lighter, easier to set up drums that sound great
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Davywhizz
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"Still Alive and Well"
Posts: 443
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Post by Davywhizz on Aug 17, 2020 12:00:31 GMT -5
Of our many drummers, only one arrived with an electronic kit (Roland). It was ideal for keeping the volume down for rehearsals and small gigs, also for hearing ourselves and each other live. But we all thought there was some energy missing from the on-stage sound. Some of our other drummers had e-kits for practice at home using headphones and thought they were great for that.
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GmanNJ
Wholenote
somewhere deep in the swamps of Joisey
Posts: 315
Formerly Known As: Your Friendly Neighborhood Gman
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Post by GmanNJ on Aug 18, 2020 10:41:57 GMT -5
Davywhizz- did your eKit drummer use on stage amplification? Only thru the monitors does not work. My drummer uses a dedicated amp with sub for the Roland kit he uses. It moves air and keeps the energy up. I know this is a new accessory that many do not have. We turned it off to see if we needed it and yes there is a palpable difference. With it we dont notice a stage difference. FOH sound is much better as we can dial in the entire kit easier not to mention a bit in the monitor rounds out the stage sound - like putting a little guitar in the monitors so those not near the amp can hear solos better
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Davywhizz
Wholenote
"Still Alive and Well"
Posts: 443
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Post by Davywhizz on Aug 18, 2020 11:41:27 GMT -5
No, he didn't. I think you're right: on-stage e-drums need their own amplification. We only heard the drums back through the monitors. Our guy wasn't with us long, we'd probably have got there with a bit more experimenting.
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Post by Laker on Aug 18, 2020 18:46:45 GMT -5
Back in the mid ‘80s my band was hired by a large music store to demo new equipment as a promotional stunt. We set up to play with our drummer playing this large, electronic drum kit and that proved to be very disorienting to our group. Gone was the aural excitement that an acoustic drum kit generates on stage leaving us to flounder around looking for that pocket we were used to playing in.
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Grizbear-NJ
Wholenote
"I'll do the BEATING around here"
Posts: 217
Age: 71
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Post by Grizbear-NJ on Aug 18, 2020 20:07:28 GMT -5
On stage amplification, in addition to the monitor (especially with E-Drums) is a must, regardless of the size of the venue. The "drum" monitor, is exactly that; a monitor for the drummer to hear what he is playing; not the rest of the band.
The most practical, and probably the best E-Drum amplification set-up, I ever experienced (saw) involved a small and independent PA system (twin, tilt back speakers) and a (single) drum monitor speaker. The sound man set up the dedicated E-Drum PA system, with each speaker on opposite sides of the stage (facing inwards) for the band; he had the drum monitor speaker on the left side of the drummer facing him, he then tied in the whole thing to his main mixing board.
I have to admit; when you start talking about "direct out" and "master out"; I have to go to my "corner" and watch the adults in the room "do magic". I know mechanical, not electrical. So what I am about to describe may not be "technically" correct.
With the E-drum Set; the drummer sets the volume and other effects of the individual pads/triggers with his mixer/module, depending on what "sound" he wants. The drum monitor speaker (which only he has access to), he would adjust as you would any amplifier. NOTE: Volume is usually set at 1/3 or 1/4 of the amps capability, to prevent hearing loss!
The sound-man would run one line, from the module, to the on stage dedicated drum-set PA system and "balance it". He would then run the second line to his mixing board, where he "master mixed" the whole band, into the primary sound system. That drum set-up eliminated numerous "drum-mics" mic stands/clamps. Most of the instrumental amplifiers had "direct out", which he handled the same way. It was up to the band to balance their sound on stage, the sound man did the rest.
There are pro's and con's to any set up, or system; there was no exception here. I'll reserve my opinions for a later date.
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