Need some advice on E-drum OR acoustic

[Scudman]

Hi one and all,

I am new in this forum and I am thinking whether I can seek some help in here.

I am currently looking at purchasing a drumset for my own usage. I deal a lot in computer music production but at the same time think that rocking in a rock band (live sound) is still the best.

I also do my own audio production at home, thus looking into an E-drumset so as to be able to do sampling and recording for my tracks.

HOWEVER, I do think that unless I go for Roland V-drums, there is no way I can get the same feel as an acoustic set. The trade off is such that if AI get an acoustic drumset, I can only have one set of sound and one set ONLY. Also, if I am going to do recording, I would need to pay more to get a whole set of mics. I can't play an acoustic drumset too loud too because I stay in HDB and always reach home pretty late after work. These are not an issue if I go for an E-drumset.

The cons of E-drumset are the lost of the REAL feel of drumming and the ability to learn more about what cymbals to buy (collect), which snare to use etc etc etc. In other words, the real knowledge of drumming. Additionally, I will have to purchase an amp if I want to jam it out without headphones.

Therefore, one and all, I am caught in a dilemma. Please advice... Thanks in advance.

 

[mel80]

Hey Scudman. Welcome to SOFT!

It's a dilemma indeed. Many drummers who stay in a HDB flat will attest to that too.

Most drummers will tell you that nothing beats playing and recording with an acoustic set. But we have to weigh the pros and cons here, and which would be more in favor of your needs.

Acoustic set Pros:
The sound of an acoustic set can vary, depending on how you tune, EQ and mix it. So you're not necessarily stuck with just one sound.

The recording will sound the most natural, as you will get the natural sustains and resonance of real drum skins and cymbals.

If different drummers are recording, they can vary the setup according to their own needs and preferences.


Acoustic set Cons:
Noise will definitely be a problem. As you will be doing recording, there is no way you can muffle your kit to reduce the noise levels, and still a good sound from the kit. Hence, you need to do treatment to your recording room. Which means, more $$$.

As you will be doing recording, you will find problems of the drums sound bouncing off the walls in your room if your room is not acoustically treated.

More maintenance needed and you will need to buy mics, cymbals, stands etc for the kit.


E-drums Pros:
Noise level control.

Choice of different sound patches.

No need for drum microphones for recording.


E-drums Cons:
Good E-drums that uses mesh/drum skins can easily cost you 4 to 6k. Roland V Drums is one. Check out Hart Dynamics as well. Yamaha has one that uses drum skin too.

The feel for E-drums will definitely feel less natural than an acoustic. The mesh heads/drum skin E-drums come close though.

The sound from E-drums will not sound as natural as compared to an acoustic set. However, the Roland module's sound patches sound very close to an acoustic set. There are also sound patches floating around the net. I've heard some of them and they sound amazingly close to acoustic recordings.


Verdict
So it really depends on what favors your needs and situations. The ideal situation is definitely to have a sound treated room with an acoustic drumset. But if noise levels is a concern for you and you can't splurge on soundproofing your room, then I would say, E-drums is the way to go.

 

[Scudman]

Hi Mel80, thanks for your reply.

Ya I totally understand what you say and more importantly the last part of your reply. But like I said, this is gonna be a dilemma UNTIL I decided to buy either set. I might be shifting into a landed property in the near future. Maybe I might just end up with both sets in the future.

Thus, as of now, I will just start with a simple (relatively cheaper) E-drums. Been looking at Roland V-drums too, but ya, too ex mate. I was thinking whether I should get either the Alesis DM Pro (Because of the improved sounds, responsiveness, and meshheads) or the Medeli 606 v2 from Hong Kong (Because of the chokeable cymbal pads) for now.

What do you think?

 

[Scudman]

Oh another question. Where can I find the Hart Dynamic Prodigy drum kit to try it out in Singapore? They are meshheads right?

Also, if I get the Hart Dynamic Prodigy drum kit, can I add on, let's say more mesh heads from Roland and maybe the hi-hats from Roland too? In other words add on better "pads" from other brands?

 

[mel80]

I think Alesis is relatively cheaper as compared to Roland V Drums. I think (not 100% sure though) you can get an Alesis kit and use a Roland module. Roland E-drums module is one of the best around. I don't know anything about Medeli E-drums though.

As for mixing and matching different pads and modules, it shouldn't be a problem as long as the module supports the capabilities of the pads. For example, if the pads are dual zone, then the module has to be able to support that. That's only to my little understanding, as I have not personally mixed around with different brands. Maybe some guys here with more knowledge can shed some light on this.

EZI music used to bring in Hart Dynamics E-drums.
http://www.ezimusic.com
I just checked, but I don't see Hart Dynamics products in the site anymore. Only Pintech E-drums are listed now. Maybe you can email to clarify? Pintech seems pretty decent though. Comes with Roland module too.

Good luck with setting up your home studio dude. Setting up drum recording in a home studio is always a bitch! lol. Do share with us (pics would be awesome!) the progress of your home studio building along the way yeah? I think it will be very interesting for everyone.

 

[Scudman]

I am sorry but I forgot to share my budget when I posted my dilemma. I have about a budget of below 1.5K. I know that's pretty tight for a good kit but I don't mind 2nd hand which is still in good condition.

I just checked out the Pintech kit with TD-3 module. a good $2.7K bro! Out of budget. Not forgetting I still need to fork out another $500 + for the amplifier. Maybe I should just go backto acoustic kit, cheaper but need to put up with neighbours... Hahahah!

 

[mel80]

Look out for the classifieds here and on luthermusic then. Some folks are selling off their e-drums at around your budget. Good luck!

 

[hongliang]

Hello.. actually you might wanna look at software drum modules like bfd or drumkit from hell superior and then get a relatively cheap electronic set for midi triggering purposes to trigger drum sounds from the software module.... its cheaper than getting a roland td 12/20 set and you get to really control your drum mix to a very big extent, like applying a single effect to a single component in the drum set such as distortion on snare and so forth... the software is pretty realistic in the sense that it supports mic placements and bleeding and such.. since you are into tracking drums, this in my opinion would be a good choice
These softwares do not come cheap, but they are still cheaper than getting a roland flagship model for great drum tracks.
do check it out:
for bdf 2 , http://www.fxpansion.com/
for Drumkit From Hell superior , http://www.toontrack.com/dfh_superior.asp

 

[Scudman]

YA! Why didn't I think of that?! Thanks! But now the issue is not about having more than enough sound packs or good quality sounds. The issue is more about which E-drums to get. I was looking at Alesis DM5 pro. Anyone has any experience with it?

If I am gonna use this method, I will definitely have to sacrifice on the goodness of having a great kit, as I will need to shift some budget into the sofeware module...

Anyone knows where and how much I can get BFD 2 in Singapore?

 

[Logan]

This is just to aid those few people who decide to go the electronic way and need a really good amplifier.

Most of the time, I see people and the stores using keyboard amps to hear their e-drumkits. Examples include the Peavey KB5, Roland KC550, etc. These reliable amps costs nearly $1k and above. There is a cheaper alternative - the Hartke 4-channel amp that costs about $700 (I think).

Now, in my humble opinion, I think that it is not really worth spending your cash on these amplifiers as the sound that is re-produced, while good, is not as realistic. This is especially the case when playing heavy drums or the bass drums.

I have a SPD-20 for my band and for which I tried hunting down a amp that pleased me. I found non. Eventually, I got a Whaferdale Titan ACTIVE 12 speaker. I think that for the price (about $600?) that I paid for this speaker, the sound that is produced is quite a good bonus. Eventually, I started to route my keyboards into this speaker as well, and now my Peavey amp is idling!

Thus, to end off, you may want to look at affordable active loud-speakers to sound-up your e-kit instead of using the traditional amps. Of course, the choice is eventally up to you, but do look around before splashing the cash.

 

[alvinthedrummer]

I think your main concern is you want a wide variety of sound and yet still get real acoustic drum feel (maybe to practice on etc??)...then your best ideal setup would be:-

1) A good entry kit (such as a pearl forum or export etc)

2) Get some DDrum or pintech acoustic drum triggers (Roland makes really good ones too but ex...)

3) Get a midi module (such as the Alesis Trigger I/O)

4) Get BFD or Drums from hell

This way, you can play a normal drumkit to your hearts content and at the same time, trigger any sound you want from your computer for either performing or recording purposes.

Or, you can record the drums the normal way...with mics etc and use a drum replacing software such as the Drumagog to replace all the recorded drum sound with any sound from BFD etc...

Good Luck!

 

[Jugman]

hey didn't you wanted to get an Yamaha electric guitar too?

hehe well, i'd greatly suggest an acoustic drum kit. but you really gotta invest on sound-proofing the room and cymbals. cymbals don't come cheap but you get more 'colurful' sounds with a wider variety of cymbals.

as for electric drum, itsexpensive but you don't need to sound-proof your room.

so, question, do you normally play drums at gigs? i mean, do you perfrom regularly on the drums? if so, i'd encourage getting the acoustic. if you do more on recording, then to save money, the electric is a wiser choice. but at the end of the day, it's your kit. you choose which one you want.