Acoustic drums vs electronic drums (for practice)

Sheylara

Sheylara

New member
Hi guys! I'm thinking of getting electronic drums to practise on, for two reasons:

1. Can lower volume (so won't disturb my family).
2. Takes up slightly less space. Can dismantle and hide in corner more effectively when needed?

I haven't actually tried playing on electronic drums before so I don't know how it feels like.

So I'm hoping you guys can share with me the pros and cons of practising on electronic drums. Will it affect my style of playing? Is it advisable to practise on that? Etc.

Thanks!
 
Um, that doesn't really answer my question. :P

I'm not afraid of disturbing neighbours or police. I'm afraid of disturbing my grandma, who's very weak and frail and probably won't appreciate the noise.
 
I have a super old from dinosaur age DTX e-drums at home. I will have to say, e-drums are great for daily practise purposes. But playing on e-drums too much has its drawbacks. Most e-drums have rubber pads (or some, mesh heads) which have a different feel from acoustic drums. So you might develop a tendency to whack too hard when you go back to acoustic drums. Plus you can't get to practise on your tone and dynamics on e-drums.

So you can get e-drums, but you will need to still get to play on acoustic drums regularly as well. Probably at least once a week on an acoustic drumkit in the studio would be a good balance.
 
Thanks, mel. That's really useful. I've been reading up a bit on the net too. Seems like I'm veering more towards not getting e-drums. I really much prefer the sound on an acoustic anyway.

Just means I have spend more time and money travelling to practise in the studio. Which is why the dilemma.
 
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You can practise your rudiments and such on practise pads at home, so it makes your practises at the studio more effective. At least you won't end up paying to use the studio each time feeling like "eh? what did I actually improve/work on today ah?" lol.
 
i've been using a yamaha dtxpress e-drum kit for about 2 years, and loving every minute of it. here are some more pros and cons i've come to love and hate.

Pros:
- Practising rudiments is fine since there is some amount of dynamics available. Accents are accented, grace notes are soft.
- build-in metronome for practise.
- expandable provided the module can take more inputs.
- can be plugged in to the computer and played along to an mp3. volume control of the drumset vs the music can be controlled so one doesn drown out the other.

Cons:
- neighbours downstairs can still complain bcos of vibrations, especially from pedals.
- usually comes with only one crash cymbal. the other cymbal is crash ride. it just doesn feel sufficient for me.
- hihats are a problem. unless its a higher end set, the hihats are usually detached from the hi-hat pedal.

this probably sounds like common knowledge to the oldbirds of e-drums. hope it helped.
 
Thanks, hellven. Now you make me more torn. Haha. The pros sounds good. :P The cons don't. Duh. O_o

mel80: When you say practise pads, do you mean those that are just a single piece of rubber thingy to hit on?
 
hey sheylara, i really dont think you should get either. If your still at beginner or even intermediate level, a physical drumset in ur house isnt necessary at all. Either air-drums or practise pads are the way to go! or phone books.. I myself lived on air drums for 4 years. :-D
 
haha... yeah you might have a point. but i love playing drums even if i'm a beginner and just would love to own a set because it's fun :P
 
I agree with tim098.....

Infact all you need is just a pad with a snare stand....then buy Hansen Futz for the feet cause with that you don't need no pedal....one for HH and the other for kick....with that you can do tons of groove and rudiment....

But of course nothing beat the feeling of having a complete drumset at home......I would not go for e drums...cause the feel is quite different....but of course different brands the feel varies, so you may like to try out first..brands like Roland, Yamaha, Alesis, Pintech etc...before u decide how you personally feel about it before committing...it is best to know how u personally feel about it....cause down here...all will give u different answer....

If noise is a problem for real drums...just stuff it full or almost full...80 to 90% of the sound will be cut...use hot rods instead of sticks...at least u are still practising on real heads..then for cymbals...hit it with the tip of the sticks instead of the edge..cut noise too...

If size is a problem, try out the Ludwig junior kit at drum resources, cause my friend just bought one...small but real good...

Hope that helps..hehe
 
By the way..here is a pic of what i use to practise on at night....like what i mention..a drum pad(mounted on snare stand)with another smaller pad on top to simulate toms or hats...and a pedal for kick... with this..you can practise tons of stuff
DSC00227.jpg
 
lester:
Hmmm.. that is a very nifty DIY idea for quiet practise. I'm sure many of us have our own ways for quiet practises.

I used to just practise on one pad and kinda like 'imagine' my hands moving about or simulate the motions on air. These days, I do it on a Pearl mini multi-way piccolo snare. It is sufficient for some regular practises at home. I go to the studio to jam with my band at least once a week. So that helps balance things out for not having an acoustic drumset at home.
 
Sheylara, if that's the case, then the DW (White -Pads) at Alfe Room should be Ideal isn't it?.... It's a DW, It's Compact and it's so reasonably Price.

PS: - Hellven are you Louis ?

Eric
 
Eric: Which is Alfe's room? I've only been in Room 4 (for practice) and Alvin's room for lessons. Don't think I've seen the DW, whatever it is, heh.
 
Music Lab use to have this DW Practice Kit at Alfe Room (the room before Alvin's Room) - - I dunno it's call Room what? ..... check with Alvin, it's the most beautiful Compact Practice Kit I've ever seen and...it's a DW Brand. I might get one of these too you know.
 
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