Got an Odery Cafékit which I converted from ac to e with Jobeky internal triggers, TD-17 module and Roland cymbals. It´s a great set up and I play it everyday but I love my acoustic kit and I will forever!
Old Roland TD-6V here, took me 2,5 years to get an acoustic kit and i think it was a great start as i could practice at home and not bother my family so much. The biggest minus of the electronic kit i guess is that it's hard to learn the dynamics
I bought myself an E drum kit in April of this year at aged 68, something I always wanted to do.I‘ve worked all my professional life with live music and with Lockdown it seemed like a good idea to challenge myself. Learning a lot from you guys and loving every minute of it. I still have to be comfortable with all the Module functions, but I‘m getting there.Facinating learning the Rudiments, and realizing the improvement.Why E drums? Simply because of my living circumstances.
Timothy Stokes I'm almost 50 and post colon cancer so wanna do something after recovery. Thought I too old and embarrassed to be crap. After your text maybe I'll ask for a present 😂😂👍 greetings from Ireland 🇮🇪👌
@@shiftylad9938 Hi Wayne, all power to your elbow or should I say hands. „It‘s never too late“ and I must say a lot of things I started late eg Snowboarding at 42 Yacht Sailing at 50. But I‘m now a qualified Highseas Skipper. Thanks to Corona in dry Dock. I‘ve always tried not to place limitations on achievement so Drumming is a huge learning goal. But what the hell, lets see how far we can get down the path of success. Enjoyment comes first and sometimes a little frustration rises, but as always „Keep calm and Carry on. Greetings from Germany. PS beat the beast of Cancer .
I’ve given up on so many instruments in my youth and thinking back on it I was always pretty ahead of the curve. I’m studying on drum sets now as a 27 year old adult who want learn.
This is awesome. I’m 41 and just got an e pad. I do kind of know how to drum since 14. I might get the e drums later. In the meanwhile I am enjoying them so much.
As someone who goes between electric and acoustic, I highly recommend spacing your edrums to mimic your acoustic kit. This way way your reach and flow doesn't have to change from one kit to the other.
I have two electronic kits, one is a converted acoustic and then a smaller one at home. I ended up spacing out my home ekit and I think the smaller pads help with hitting dead center on my acoustic.
Sorry, wish I had a suggestion for amp. I’ve played mine through just about every version of the BOSE QC headphone series...they sound INCREDIBLE. On the rare occasion that they leave the studio, I let the sound guy worry about the mix while I monitor through my BOSE QC’s.
I’ve been playing electronic drums on stage since I got a Simmons kit in the early 90s. My number one tip: avoid thinking an electronic kit is a “substitution” for an acoustic kit. It’s a different instrument, in the same way than an electric guitar is different form an acoustic guitar. Learn your kit. Learn how it feels, how it responds, in what situations it is best suited for the job, and how to use additional electronics with it (mixers, etc.) to get the best sound, just as a guitar player learns what combination of amps and pedals make the best combination. This instrument is just as valid and useful as an acoustic kit. It’s just different.
A store employee literally tried to talk me out of buying a Simmons E kit. I only asked the price and said they weren't worth it. I wasn't going to buy anything it though, I had already committed to the Alesis kit.
The main reason I prefer acoustic kits to electronic: With acoustics, even the cheapest sets are usually workable for simple gig. With electronics, a lot of money would have to be spent to get one that I would feel comfortable doing a gig on.
This. The passable e-kits are always close to $1000, while a cheap kit can be made to sound decent by swapping and tunning the heads. However, ekits give you free cymbals, while decent cymbals deserve their own budget.
@@user29a Especially playing live at a gig with any level of size or prestige. You're going to be mic'ing the drumkit. Especially for guys like me who do our own PA and run our own sound for every gig. Yes, E Drums can get spendy but when you consider you need at LEAST $100 per piece of kit you're going to mic, you're going to be at $600 before you even get mics and cords for any overheads or cymbals at all, not to mention the price of cymbals themselves. Plus, cheap cymbals will NEVER sound good. You can get away with a crap drumkit if you have enough gaff tape, a drum key, and some time, but no amount of technique will make a crap cymbal sound good.
I've been playing the Roland TD30 for about 4 years. I've used this gigging, church worship services and let me say this; incredible piece of hardware that creates a new level of versatility for any level of player. It is especially handy when wanting to combine with an acoustic kit for added cabilities, effects, and sound enhancements Great video Drumeo! So glad you and the team finally covering electronic
Around a year ago, I added a TD-50 to my collection so that I could play weddings more comfortably. It quickly became my drum set of choice. Sound quality, feel, and reaction time are great. My Soundman loves them as well. The only important tip I would add- be mindful of your in-ear monitors. Now that every drum and cymbal is a direct feed into my ears, it is easier to damage yourself without realizing it. I love that snappy snare sound, but find myself turning things down as the gig progresses to minimize ear ring at the end of the show.
@LCort101 dont know what desk your sound guy is using but have a look at the behringer X32. You can get your own personal mix setup, and using the TD50s 10 outputs can set levels individually across a good range of pads. This is a different mix to what goes to main stereo and can bring in other band members. You can set the mix yourself with a remote ipad linked over wifi or a PC and behringer sell a remote P16 remote personal monitor. I'm still learning on a TD-12 and once my playing improves enough to justify will upgrade the module specifically to be able to do that. Already have the X32 for studio work where I can do as many takes as I need ;)
If you are hearing ringing them it is already too late as the damage is done. The ringing is a reminder that you are now on your way to hearing loss. How do i know this? Because i have tinitus. Enjoy the ringing. Its the last sound you hear before it is all gone.
Below are my tips... I play exclusively electronic - I live in a Brooklyn apartment. I bought a roland td-25k kit so that I can still practice dynamics (as much as possible on an electric). I should note that the sound when I play is of course much quieter than an acoustic but it still makes a significant sound (someone in the next room can not understand speech on the TV unless I close the door). Given this, I can not agree more with the first tip given in the video - get a nice pair of inserts, ideally ones that reduce outside sound by as much as possible so you can filter out your smacks against the mesh heads and rubber cymbals from your 'playing sounds'. I personally went all-out and had custom Westone monitors made. I am very happy I did this because these reduce outside sound by 40db. If I am playing at low volume, I can still hear my smacks while playing, so I usually wear home depot builders hearing protection on top (another -40db). At this point I can not hear any outside sounds at all, and this way I simulate as much as possible playing on an acoustic kit. One other thing I should note is that if I play for a while and then take my headsets off and just practice and listen raw on the kit, I can detect that I was playing with a slight delay (I would say < 10ms response) from the point of hit to sound in my ear. This isn't an issue while playing my kit, but I can tell it would be an additional factor to dial in if I were to switch to acoustic.
I have a TD-17 (first kit) and I love it. I'm 63 and I've used Drumeo to learn how to play for the past 4 years. I can read now and I'm continually getting much better than on day one. This was a great video for perspective and thanks for giving the e-drums attention like this because I don't see myself ever owning an acoustic kit (although I'd like to play one for comparison). I know my TD-17 very well but will upgrade in the future. The Drumeo learning program is second to none and I share this with everyone I know interested in learning how to play. Thanks!
Interesting. Both for me. I play my 1986 13-piece acoustic Ludwig at band practice; at home, I play the electronic Alesis Nitro Mesh kit to learn songs, arrangements, & techniques. I like it, 'cause I hook an MP3 player into the module, & I have tracks with only the bass & guitar playing our originals, where I can play to them, learn arrangements. And I can practice on a whim -- a few minutes here, a few minutes there -- getting much accomplished. (plus it's physical therapy for my motor neuron disability).
Hi, first of all sorry for my not so perfect english, I'm Italian.. Anyway, I'm playing an e-drums Roland TD11K (mash snare, rubber toms) since 5/6 years now. Most bad thing for me is the hi hat.. without the real dynamic of opening and closing it and the feeling with the pedal, completely different. Mainly for this reason I'm seriously evaluating to buy and higher level e-drum kit or, better an acoustic one. I'd prefer to play acoustic also to be more concentrated on playing instead of being distracted to play with the module, set the sounds etc. etc. I think the acoustic or an high level electronic kit are really better than the low-intermediate ones because changing the set up it's easier. Set up my kit for a left handed (my daughter) it was a very boring and long job. Frankly speaking, despite what I was thinking, it is not really quiet and silent.. Anyway, it is good for practicing and playing, even if when you play the acoustic you find many difference Unfortunately right now I cannot move for an acoustic due space, noise problems etc. so I think that I'll try to buy a more advanced edrum but for the moment I'm looking to buy better headphones and a monitor to play and ear the drum without headphones. Would anyone please be so kind to give me some suggestions for both? For the monitor my main scare is to buy something that will be.enough powerful to be able to not ear the noise produced by the sticks hitting the toms and cymbals.. Thank you all in advance. Stay safe at home. Greetings from Italy
Get the VH-10 hi-hat pad if your module supports it. Mounts on a real stand, moves up and down, and has 1000x better rebound. My ability to play faster went up the instant I plugged mine in. The Gibralter hi-hat stand is also a really nice inexpensive stand.
NiCoLoCor I own both a Roland TD17KVX and a Yamaha acoustic set. They do play differently - especially the cymbals which frankly I find can be a bit frustrating at times. That said the Roland kit is great, and using the hi-hat on a Roland ‘noise eater’ stand gives a very similar feel to an acoustic hihat. One of the big advantages of the Roland, aside from being quiet when you need it, is the ability to customize the tone and loudness of each cymbal and drumhead to suit your personal preference. It is well worth the time spent to learn how to get the most from the TD17 module. I would also recommend a Roland PM100 monitor for when you do want sound. Pay attention to the height - it is heavy on bass and light on cymbals if you place it on the ground. I like it much better keeping it elevated on a chair. Enjoy! Ciao
I'm living in an apartment building and have a full size electronic drumkit that I brought all the way from China. I had mulitiple complains from my neighbors about the noise the drums were making. I tried to play quietly but the neighbors were still complaining. So I've built the drum riser made of mdf boards and tennis balls (there are tonns of videos on RUclips how to make it) and I've never had complaints since. Hopefullysomeone will use this tip as well, it really worked for me. Thanks, everyone.
I got a Simmons Titan 50 last summer. Switched the ride and 2nd crash after watching you acoustic drum set up video. I also got nylon tip sticks based on this and it sounds great
Edit) this comment was like years ago and you should know that this is just an opinion. Don't take my comment too seriously and I recommend reading the replied comments below too To add some of my tips: 1.If you have an edrum that has all mesh heads, tune them(it'll be just adjusting the bolts actually) to the similar rebound that you would get from an acoustic kit. +Edit) what I think I should have written here was to not tune the mesh heads crazy tight, because acoustic heads tend to have less rebound, but not too loose to make the triggering awful 2. If your edrum has a hihat pad and controller pedal separately (usually seen in lower priced kits) make sure to locate you hat controller right beneath the hihat pad, otherwise it'll feel ackward when you're switching between acoustic and electronic. Edit) acoustic hats are usually 14"+ and electric ones tend to be much smaller, so you might want to pull the electric hat a little closer to the throne to make it feel a bit more natural 3.Atv(which is an edrum company along with roland) tries to imitate the acoustics, having real-like sounds with big shells on their flagship(roland recently came up with a kit with big shells too) but gives you smaller range to adjust the sounds of the drums. You can't tune them, the ambience is fixed, however roland drums give you a wide range of selection even on cheaper models. However they do not have real-like sounds which atv drums have.(not a huge difference but still) So learning about what each of the manufactures are focusing on is also pretty helpful when choosing what to buy. 4.if you have a laptop, you can buy a drum vst,(superior drummer3 is great) connect your drum module, and have that super realistic sounds from the vst program. Edit) this might embody latency and dynamic issues, testing with free softwares and sufficient consideration before buying the actual thing is recommended (My english may be awful, it's not my mother tongue :(
Your tip #1 is not a good idea. Mesh heads need to be tight as heck for proper performance. Having them so loose as to mimic acoustic rebound will not just limit the dynamic range of your kit, but will almost certainly lead to cones that wear out very prematurely. When in doubt, tighten them even more. They should make a high-pitched "ping" sound like a tightly-strung tennis racket. Like a C note two or three octaves above middle C on a piano
I'm looking at doing tip 4 but I have a question regarding the latency. How noticeable is it compared to just plugging into the headphone output on the drum module? I know this will depend on what software/hardware you have but in your experience? Thanks in advance
Thank you Drumeo for the great tips! Below are some of my tips. My church has a Roland VAD306 (TD-17 module). I use nylon tip sticks and I have a felt beater that I wrapped in it duct tape and they work great. I have recently spaced the toms further apart to better match my acoustic kit. This gives me better fluidity. I picked 4-6 kits that sound good with the church piano and acoustic guitar. Then I went in an adjusted the pad EQ, muffling and tuning to make it sound more acoustic. One thing I've noticed I really needed to tune down tom 1 on some kits in order to get it to bark the way I wanted it. On one of my kits, I changed the floor tom (tom 3) from maple to beech or birch for a warmer/fatter sound. Since the church I play at is more conservative it is best that I don't overplay and sink in the pocket as best as possible.
Relatively new user here (3 months and counting - Alesis Sample pad pro). My take on E- percussion is very different. I have always considered it to be a percussive way of triggering sounds that are considered to be rythmically biased. This means that bass tones, tuned percussion (including piano tones - as it's still a percussive instrument) are all on the menu. Added to the fact you can set up a pad to loop a sound, and have variations of that loop on other pads all set in one group so they will 'stop' each other this adds some exciting and dynamic way of doing things that would usually be done in a visually understated way, either with a button press or with computer based sequencers... Don't get me wrong - I'm not making the wheel in a new way here (listen to Grandmaster flash - White Lines the outro especially), but it is definitely a very different way of sample triggering
I play electronic only both in rehearsal and live. For people who are only playing electronic drums, I would recommend that they take the time to set up their kit to suit them best remembering that there's less real estate used by each component so there's more flexibility. For example, instead of playing traditionally crossed on the hi hat (as a righty) I have my hi hat setup where I can play more open handed which frees up access to other components and allows for smoother playing overall whilst making long sets and shows much more comfortable to play.
Tip1: I have found that gaming headphones are a solid choice as drumming headphones. I use AstrosA10s and they work really well. Just watch where the cord is so you don't break it. Tip2: Sticks do make a difference in sound. Lighter sticks make the sound lighter and heavier sticks don't. My fam didn't like it when I played because the sticks I was using made the set sound super loud. Switched to a lighter pair and now they don't care if I play or not because they can't hear me across the house anymore. That's all I have for right now.
Have to disagree about the gaming headphones. You are paying extra for the gaming aesthetic and the microphone that you could be spending on better sound quality. If you're on a budget, I highly recommend Beyerdynamic DT770 (32 or 80 Ohm versions). They are possibly the most common pair of studio headphones in the industry and have excellent low end reproduction.
I have both acoustic and electronic. I rarely play my acoustic anymore. I play my electronic kit (Alesis Command X). The versatility is insane. It directed me to play other styles because of the programming. Having 600 plus sounds - it's endless on what I can do. The the adjustments, tweaking, enhancing, and sensitivity was all within reach on the module. And way easier on the ears!
RE : Learning the module. First thing I did was learn everything the kit could do and dialled in my own personal User kit. Because the kit only has two cymbals - I assigned a crash to my Left Tom Rim... A Cymbal Bell to my Right Tom Rim and a ride cymbal to my floor tom Rim... It's great...Plus you can *pan* every drum so not every thing is in the middle and you get more separation and can hear the drums better over the music.
I have a tama acoustic kit converted to a hybrid kit. Mesh heads roland td50 module and external triggers. Mesh heads are fully adjustable tension wise. Great dynamics. Realistic rebound. Real kit ergonomics. I find setting the volume to match an acoustic kit with microphones and then adjusting playing to match works a treat.
Hi Jared. My new Tourtech TT22M is my 4th ever kit because I live in a block of flats. It's mesh heads and velocity sensitive and the heads are "tightenable" to get the feel you want. Because i've experience on acoustic kits - i still practice like its an acoustic kit with the dynamics etc. It gets *pretty* close ! Also it has an actual bass drum - which is a huge plus.
I got a Roland TD-25kv. Added another cymbal, replaced both 8" toms with 10" toms. Smaller ones I kept missing doing fills. I use felt drum beaters, mainly to reduce noise, but on the drum pad I added a double pedal Remo Falam Slam patch to protect the mesh. Still using the original mesh head on the bass drum.
08:06 I have a way better solution for dynamics control : if you wanna learn to hit cymbals (including hihat) softer and shells harder on an ACOUSTIC kit, then on your ELECTRONIC kit crank the volume of the cymbals and lower the volume of the shells, which will force you to exagerate softening your hits on cymbals and playing harder on shells. Taking one earbud of is definitely not a good solution, considering how awful electronic drums sound acoustically in the room (not to mention the fact that you're loosing the isolation of the IEMs from the room, and don't hear what's in your IEM much anymore). In other words : set up your electronic kit so that it doesn't flatter your playing, but so that it makes you PRACTICE and improve (and sound better on an acoustic kit) instead.
@@looksirdroids9134 Depends what your goal is : playing an electronic kit for what it is, or practicing to play better on acoustic drums. My goal is the second one, so i play my e-kit accordingly.
I'm happy that you are starting to show the drumming world the advantages of owning an electric set. I've been using e-kits since the late 90s and they are excellent for practice, learning, and live gigs. It's true that there is a stigma about electric drums being a "toy" kit, but anyone that has bought a decent kit knows that's not true. Roland has a teaching software called the DT-1 V-Drums Tutor which is excellent for both beginners and advanced. Also, The V-Drums Tutor makes it fun to learn. Some TIPS: if you want to make the e-kit your practice kit and your acoustic kit for live gigs I would highly recommend using all mesh heads, try to get the heads as close to real size has possible, position the middle of the heads the same distance apart as you would the acoustic set. I realize that the high-end Rolands are expensive and not everyone can buy them. However, there are many web sites that can teach you how to make your own e-Kit, with real-drum shells and mesh heads. Probably not as hard as you think and there are web sites that can sell parts for DIY e-kits (triggers, hardware, etc.)
On sticks: I've been playing on a Roland e-kit for the past five years or so. The extra bounce and vibration through the sticks were killing my wrists. Particularly from the heavier cymbal pads. I switched over to Ahead sticks which inherently reduce vibration and, in my opinion, are significantly more comfortable to play with.
I have a Simmons SD1500. (It's an SD1000 with an extra tom and crash cymbal). My tips in no particular order: 1) Add a second kick pedal- I've added a second kick drum pad unit with a second kick drum pedal. I simply use a quarter inch cable splitter and a quarter inch guitar cable to plug in the new kick. Both signals run into the same kick input cable via the splitter and it works great. 2) Customize and take advantage of the sounds. (I only use the preset kits as starting points to customize). Two advantages electronic kits have over acoustic kits are low stage volume and the ability to have many different kit sounds at your fingertips. Customize, save and use different kit sounds for different styles and even different songs throughout the night. Think about the best kit sound for the song- slow, rock, jazz etc. 3) Save the custom kits in the computer in the same song order as the set list so it's easy to jump to the next tune during the gig. 4) Type up and print out your custom kit list so you have it handy. 5) If you're gigging with the kit, it's worth investing in a spare 2 zone cymbal pad to keep with you. (about $99 to 350). If for some reason a cymbal pad craps out on you, it makes it a long night. You'll be glad you have a spare.
Yes I just bought mine to get back into drumming after leaving it behind while going to college for 4 years. Now that I’m out of college , got a job and have some stability. I can focus on drumming again. Thank you for this video!
Wow great video! I recently purchased an Alesis Nitro mesh kit for practicing because I have a small apartment. And I got to say during this time of shelter in place I've been practicing on this thing a couple hours a day and it is so much fun! I don't think it will ever replace an acoustic kit but there are things that you can do with electronics that you cannot do with acoustics. Anyway thanks for the video!
I have both an acoustic and electronic kit and will say that your observations are spot on. The bounce, the tones, and the overall feel is entirely different as you go from one to the other. BEST ADVICE I can offer is to get an electronic kit that has a REAL HIGH HAT (though still rubberized). Yes this will cost a bit more, but will be worth it I think. The single pad hi hat is the WORST feature on an electric kit.
I have the Roland TD15K, beautiful kit with great dynamics. I have turned the drums with snare buzz and less dampening to give it more of an acoustic tone. I've also set it up in a more spread out style to make the size difference an easier transition. Great video btw
My tip for anyone who has played/does play/is planning on playing acoustic kits and is using an ekit for quieter practicing: ditch the stock rack. There are plenty of ways to "convert" an ekit setup to be almost identical to an acoustic setup. The biggest challenge is the hi/mid tom since you don't have a kick to mount them to, but there are all types of different individual stands that allow you more freedom of arrangement. It does increase the cost, but i think it's worth it for anyone who wants the acoustic kit feel. Also, try to get the same cymbal sway. I have a Yamaha ekit, and the cymbals actually have a little hole that a pin on the stand goes into, and it allows the rubber cymbals to actually sway/bounce like metal cymbals. I'm not sure if all brands have that, but it's my favorite part of the ekit i have.
I bought a Simmons dual pad set up in 1986 and have used electronics to augment, not replace, my acoustic drums ever since. Luckily I’ve always lived in a house and/or had a recording/rehearsal studio available to me. So volume and neighbors have never been a factor. I currently use a Roland SPD-X pad on my left, an auxiliary pad by my floor tom and I trigger the kick and snare. I mix those in with the miked up acoustics. I feel this hybrid kit gives me the best of both worlds. I’ve even broken snare and kick heads mid song and didn’t miss a beat because the trigger would still fire even on a split head. I also have a kick tower and a hi hat pedal that I can add to the SPD and use aux. pad for snare. This creates an all electronic (jungle like) kit I’ve used in certain situations. For me electronic kick and toms are adequate but I miss the dynamic ranges of real cymbals and an acoustic snare drum.
@@jadonchacon4914 i play electric on my church and it is ok but when i played on my friends acoustic kit at another church it felt like another thing it was just masive and very nice sounding kit
I have a tama acoustic kit with real feel mesh heads and surface mounted triggers. No issue with dynamics or rebound. As the kit is a fully acoustic kit the distances are identical. Only issue is rubber Cymbals which are harder to play than acoustic ones which makes life easier when going back to an acoustic kit. Having saud that there are after market metal cymbals with triggers for e drum use.
I play acoustic live, but at home for practice I have electric drums. With electric drums you can’t hit them hard. I know it’s easy to do once you’re fully warmed up. You also need a really good technique. As a matter of fact, I didn’t have proper technique until I started edrums. Playing edrums a lot can and will give you tendenitis if your grip and technique isn’t on point. Another great thing, after you’ve practiced all week on edrums, the acoustic drums feel absolutely out of this world amazing. Hope this helps somebody.
Guys here the trick is simple: unfortunately with e-drum, the more you spend, the better feeling/sound you receive from the instrument. Another thing: don't believe they're so silent!!! I had a lot of troubles with my neighbours about that...the kick pedal makes a lot of noise; for solution i advice to mount the drum on a rubber base, that helps a lot. Here's a video i made with my Yamaha dtx750 (a really good instrument): ruclips.net/video/fFSJKomcdMw/видео.html
I bought an Alesis Surge kit in 2020 and it's my home studio kit. At gigs and band practice I'm on two different acoustic kits. This video and the Comments are a big help to me.
I started on rockband drums (lol) and rebound was the biggest issue I had transferring to acoustic drums. All my technique was based on getting a ton of rebound so I had to completely relearn everything.
Number one advise I would emphase on getting a drum mat, just like an acoustic kit. Second point, if you are considering buying a e-drum kit to play in an appartement, this is NOT silent, hitting on the cymbals is kind of loud. My neighbours filed a complained and they actually recorded me through the walls, I could recognize the part of the song I was playing ! The kick can be loud too, but you can attenuate it by using isolation pads or isolation pad (they are multiple options to make it silent. Silent beaters are not going to make a bit difference. For your reference, my kit is an Alesis Turbo Mesh.
Nice to see a video about electronic drums! I've been playing the Roland TD20sx for 10 years. This set has the mesh heads which allows me to loosen the tension on the floor toms so that they are closer to how real toms feel. You need to be careful not to loosen them too much, especially if you're a heavy-duty hitter as you could possibly damage the the sensor according to the manual: "Head tension that is too loose may not only cause incorrect operation, but may even damage the sensor." These sets are expensive, but no more than some of the high-end acoustic sets. I like the fact that you can 'chain' a series of drum sets for specific song list. I use this set to practice the PAS rudiment list with the drum set turned off as, I've found it to be much easier on the ears and allows me to judge my playing and stroke technique better. I do not view the Roland as a replacement for my wonderful Gretsch acoustic set, but more as another tool in my percussion arsenal.
Couple things...take advantage of the metronome in your module. Also think about getting drum software, for much better sample quality and multitrack recording with any ekit.
I've owned Roland V drums since the first TD-10 kit in 1997, mostly for practice when I couldn't play the acoustics. In fact I still have the same Roland V session kit, they are quite durable. Do yourself a favor if you want E drums and get a set with mesh heads on all the drums including the kick, not just the snare. The difference in feel over the rubber pads is like night and day. I'd buy a used quality set if need be (preferably Roland) with a quality electric hihat...The cheap E-hihats are miserable to play. Jared is spot on about switching back and forth from acoustics, your dynamics will definitely be off on acoustics if you don't. Our church switched to V drums for a few years, and when we finally went back to a acoustics, I had trouble with getting enough volume. It took a while to readjust. They are a great tool for practice, my son learned on them while his sister studied in the next room and he is now an amazing drummer.
There are two important settings on the module. The sensitivity and threshold settings. If these settings are properly adjusted, you will have no difficulty in switching to an acoustic kit. Study the module, adjust every setting and achieve the feel, sounds, etc., similar with an acoustic kit. Half of drumming experience is in the mind, half is physical.
This is good. About time that, somebody explains the differences between an acoustic vs electronic drums. The first thing I notice, being an acoustic player for years, was the rebound on edrums. I can do stuff on an edrum that will take some time doing on an acoustic. Thanks for coming out to explain those differences. Edrums are cool and practical for situations where you can't use acoustic drums. I just purchased a Roland and having fun and a workout at the same time....Thanks.
I picked up a used TD-20 a few years ago for about the same price as a new lower end model. I love it. I can play all I want with minimal disruption to the rest of the family. I can plug in my phone and mix in anything I want to play along to. I have enough range within the module to add interesting effects to the rim triggers like jam blocks, cowbells, additional cymbals etc without having to shell out more money for new components. It will never full replace an acoustic kit in a lot of ways but there is also enough range in there to keep it interesting and fun that it doesn't really bother me.
You can use a felt beater on the mesh head if you put a drum patch on the mesh head. Thats what I did and the felt is quieter and the mesh head does not get damaged . I have had that patch on for two years now and it is still in great shape. I have a Roland TD17-KVX. A good practice kit.
Im an acoustic player for more than 30 years, but i decide to convert my acoustic kit for practice purpose, with mesh head and some trigger with extra e pad for cymbale, it was realy confortable to play and not so expensive to have a Roland TM 6 pro or other cheaper sound module that work with trigger, when i need to play acoustic i just change the Skin on purpose and i can add some extra sample to my acoustic sound.
Buying a settings pack from Vex or drum tech until you learn how to master using your roland drum module is good tip. These have all of the hard work done for you. They do all of the necessary shaping of EQ, tuning, effects, ambience, pan to make amazing sounding kits for you. I bought the Vex kits for my TD-11 and TD-10 modules and they sound fantastic!!!! They will also give you ideas on how to do your own shaping of sounds in the module, once you look at the settings and see how they were able to make the kits sound so good. I can't wait to upgrade to a TD-17/TD-27 so I can add and layer my own external samples. Right now I have to use my Alesis strike multipad for sample import and layer with midi out. It's very complicated and took hours of tinkering to get set up.
Last year i was given a fully functional TD-3 Roland E kit. All that was missing was the power supply. I am slowly teaching myself to play, this year my 10yr old daughter is learning drums and things she has learnt on drums had been a great benefit-
best tip I've got for those of you worried about rebound with and electric kit... Get a kit with mesh heads that have tuning lugs and tune them right down so you get less rebound. makes it harder to get rebound and can make your practice more challenging and help you develop!
I started playing electronic drums in 2017 and switched to electronic almost exclusively and building my own kits in 2018. The sound is way more controllable in smaller gigs like cafe's and bars and much more versatile.
For a long time i was thinking e-drums won't never take the place of my acustin kit on the stage... then in 2017 i played in a band wich was mixing theatre and music. Song texts were way more important than what i was usual to, so i gave a roland kit a chanche... I go back to my acoustic kit only for open air stages now on bigger events... The sound is quite ok, it's a good music instrument, not a toy or a practice device. And now i'm the first to finsh the stage setup and the first to pack his stuff on the truck cause my roland kit is not disassembled for moving in and out of the stage and it fits on my car by closing the lateral racks on the front part... This is absolutely amazing!
I use the Alesis Nitro Mesh kit, no expansions yet but I’m planning on adding some other stuff like a bigger kick and snare, and probably a better module too as it’s fairly simple. TIP: Don’t be afraid to mod your kit. It’s fairly easy and sweet water has a lot to offer in this department if you know were to look. Plus there’s tons of articles and videos about how to do this, and it’s way cheaper than buying the the super expensive kits like the Alesis Strike Pro SE and some of the bigger Roland kit. That might be common knowledge, I’m just trying offer what I know. Hope it helps!
3 years late on your comment I have the nitro and I was wondering what you did to mod the kit? I do need a bigger snare and I bought a Yamaha electronic bass drum for it so I can use the double bass but was interested in what you did to mod the kit. Thanks
I have a Roland TD 17 KVX and a couple of acoustic kits. I previously used the Rolands for silent practice but suddenly had to teach lessons on line. A great video from Drumeo would be how to set up your e-drums to play live in in videoconferencing formats (ie Zoom , Skype, etc) for on line lessons. There is some info out there but they are often both confusing and involve a whole lot of gear one (read expensive).
First time drummer at 52. I play guitar. First kit i got was a cheap used KAT 100. Did not want to spend huge amounts of money on something i might not continue. I played with it. I liked drumming. The kit was not responsive enough and was missing notes so i decided to get a better kit. Got an alesis command mesh kit for a good price. The kit was in pretty good shape and apart from the dust, it was nearly new. Was going to buy a new nitro mesh kit till i saw the command going for nearly the same price. E drums. Because of the reduced volume as i live in an apartment complex. Less space used up. Even though Ekits are more expensive i had to buy an ekit for the above mentioned reasons. Where i live i can get a full used acoustic kit for half of what i paid. Since i am just starting out, a practice acoustic did not need to be top notch as i cant even tell the difference yet.
I have a Yamaha PHX kit, a DW Collectors SSC and three Roland kits and a Yamaha 502 kit. I use a Roland TD25 module with my PHX kit for hybrid percussion elements. Your video here is spot on . . . I make sure to keep playing both acoustic and electric because of the different sizes, spacing and rebounding. I also use nylon tips on my e-kits and wood tips on the acoustic. You're also dead on with the point of "getting to know your module" . . . the Rolands (TD-15s) have amazing customization capabilities, the TD-25, not so much. The Yamaha 502 with touch app also has amazing capabilities . . . different, but still amazing. Take time to READ THE MANUALS on these things . . . velocity settings, sensitivity settings, pad type, etc. all help. I found the "stock" settings and kits to be horrendous . . . but taking a bit from different kits to making a user kit and tweaking each voice can be VERY rewarding. Tuning the acoustic kits however, requires practice and learning to listen to harmonics (like guitar tuning) . . . An e-kit is the perfect compliment to your acoustic kits for fun as well . . . it's awesome to be able to go downstairs in the studio . . . play away in the early or late hours and not disturb anyone else in the house. I do agree with Vahlir in that this was more suited towards, "e-drums and acoustic drums play differently" than it was edrum tips. So here are some of my e-drum tips: 1) E-drum racks usually suck and are a pain in the but to transport and set up for a gig . . . I use Yamaha Crosstown hardware now on individual stands . . . much lighter, easier and adaptable to uneven stages. 2) E-kick drums will "fly away" far more easily than acoustic ones . . . make sure to bring some "gear ties" with you whether using stands or a rack. 3) Always have a spare set of cables with you at a gig (Rolands use a harness - Yamahas are individual cords) For gigging, the Yamaha approach is WAY better. 4) Mix and match your toms . . . some synth rack toms and some synth floor toms may be from a different series, but sound great together . . . acoustic drum makers have picked up on this awhile ago with specialized shell construction kits. 5) Use rounded edge sticks as much as you can with e-kits, sharp tip sticks are not good for mesh or silicone pads. 6) Sensitivity settings on the hi hat should be carefully set, a lot of us (me for example) use constant ghost notes on the high hat as part of our play . . . acoustic hi-hats sound great with this, e-high hats can false trigger (Yamaha for sure) and it can drive you crazy. 7) E-drums STILL make tapping noises and if you have a vocal mic (like I do) they can pick up the sound, so be sure to use a really tight mic or headset mic if you are a singer as well as a drummer. 8) Spend the money and get the BETTER PADS!! . . . Sorry, but the cheap rubber pads are a LOT less fun to play and can hurt after awhile. Have fun y'all!!
If you are buying an e-drums kit, pay the extra and get it with sensors on the cymbals (to hand stop them as you would on accoustics), dual zone (for different sounds depending where you hit), and force sensitivy (to still control how loud they sound depending on how hard you hit).
If you are using felt beaters for your mesh bass drum, you can also use a patch. You don't necessarily have to replace them with plastic or wood beaters. Using felt beaters with a patch for 9 months now and still in perfect shape.
My tips for e-drums (Roland TD12, adapt to other brands): Set the trigger parameters so that when you hit it hard, the signal reaches the peak. Not so that the signal is in the maximum level when you hit casually. Then, think of how the particular drum or cymbal you want to emulate acts when it is hit, does it sound loud with a weaker hit (china cymbals) or not. Then adjust the curve accordingly so the pad acts like the drum/cymbal on an acoustic kit. With a proper placement of pads and mesh-heads you can make your kit quite close to an acoustic kit and maybe even get Stevie Wonder confused 😃! Tip2: the Mesh-heads are small and I agree with the others saying you must "tune" those heads quite tight to protect the cones and triggers. That causes the head to give too much rebound and it takes away the feel of an acoustic drum. Try using practice sticks that has 2mm thick rubber coating on the ends and the tip. It did not reduce the knocking sound, but it makes the heads feel more loose and that way more like properly tuned acoustic heads. Tip3: set up the volumes of each drum from the mixer in the brain unit. Try to be realistic. Tip4: there is a software available, that you can use to access TD20 options with a TD12 brain unit. Plastic beater and so on.. Tip4: Use closed headphones! That way you get more immersive experience with the drums.
Alesis Sent a pair of wooden tip drumsticks with my brand new nitro max kit. I totally agree with you and I’m happy I found this video. Thank you so much for making it.
I'm one of the guys using an electronic kit just for practicing as i live in an apartment, so both space and sound volume is an issue. I only play acoustic kits live and on band practice. My tip is combining low volume cymbals with the electronic kit for a more realistic feel. I play a lot of different styles, but one of my main ones is jazz, and no matter how good the electronic kits get, I just don't feel the electronic cymbals get the subtle nuances or feel like proper cymbals. My solution: removed the electronic ride and hi-hats, bought the Zildjian L80 ride and hihats. Suddenly it feels a lot more like an acoustic kit, and you can work on all the nuances of the ride and hihat :-)
I have an Alesis Kit. For the same reasons as the Nylon tip, I use maple wood on my kit. Maple doesn’t chip it only dents, so there’s no possible way you can cut the mesh or anything. I also prefer maple because it is lighter weight, and using a heavy stick on an electric kit will definitely wear it down much faster.
I use a Roland kit with EZDrummer to do all of my recording gigs now. I was very skeptical at first about the sound and feel. But Once I get used to them, I realized it was more about the person driving the car instead of the car.
I have been playing drums for roughly two years almost exclusively on a Yamaha DTX-502. My kit came with an upgraded "foam" snare pad and rubber pads for everything else. I am a complete musical beginner having never played any instrument before. I take lessons at my local drum shop (yes, lucky enough to have one of the few left) and get to play on a "real" kit roughly once a week unless I "rent" a practice room. It was quickly obvious that the foam pads had way better "feel" so I upgraded everything. The mesh kit has some of the "give" that you'd expect from an acoustic. Thank you for treating these kits as serious instruments and highlighting some of what is possible. Best advice in the video was use of "nylon tipped" sticks. They are a MUST! I'd go even further in saying never cross-use your sticks. I have sticks for acoustic, practice pads and for electronic. Saving $10 bucks on sticks isn't worth damaging a pad. My kit came with a felt kick beater, they should know better. Even after a few months my rubber kick pad was showing wear. When I replaced the pad with a mesh one I knew the beater needed to change as well. My local drum shop set me up and suggested hard plastic. It has discolored the impact area but wear is minimal. In translating the "feel" from electronic to acoustic hasn't turned out to be as big an issue for me and I have been complimented on my feel and consistency on acoustic. I suspect this is in part due to the small surface area of the pads. Probably true of practice pads as well, encourages accurate strikes. The built in metronome and other tutorial functions do help with accuracy including the "gate" function which only produces sound when you're in the time window of the click track. I like that it tracks the accuracy of all the pad strikes. It's a great practice tool for the beginner. As good as the snare and tom pads seem to be, the cymbals are the most difficult to deal with in lessons and otherwise. It just doesn't translate well for me and my biggest struggle is consistency here and being able to find the "feel" and nuance here. I'd love to see a video discussing electronic hat, crash and rides. Thx for the video .. long time lurker :D
1 tip that I would recommend is make the rims of the toms silent as they still make the same sound as the head on an electronic kit. The reason I do this is because when I switch to acoustic I kept hitting the rims expecting it to make the same sound as the head but it obviously didn't.
Only on your e-kit. Most Roland kits with dual trigger heads have the classic tom metal rim sound (if you have not mapped it to something else like a cowbell)
Personal tip if you aren’t a fan of the Tom sounds on your e kit: If you can detune the Tom virtually then find a dry or thud like tom and detune it and then make the toms slightly less sensetive. It helps more with the shotgun effect (robotic or artificial sound) and can help with dynamics sounding better with a more, “realistic” variation of sound. This tip also kinda works with the snare but in my personal findings de tuning doesn’t help and some snare sounds will vary in being better and or even worse.
Roland td17 kvx all the way. Customizing kits from all the Drumeo percussionists has been a blast. Electronic is a whole different monster. It is an instrument all drummers need to experience and expand.
Love electronic drums...such time savers...neighborhood friendly... tuning generally never needed...awesome to record with...tweak able on the fly...plug into a PA in seconds....a palate of different kits at your fingertips... easy to setup and load in the car...skin changes almost never...can play at 3.00am in the morning...can be packed in a corner...different drum modules and pads can be changed in minutes...instead of spending time setting up you can be chilling with a drink....they are the new reality and constantly improving the technology... I LOVE ACOUSTIC ALSO but they have many restrictions in populated areas especially at night..😍 YAMAHA DTXtreme with full hi-hat and 12" snare....tunable adjusters on toms.. triple zone cymbal's..
Playing with dynamics -- with acoustic drums, especially when recording, you almost always need more snare and bass drum, and less cymbals. So if you plan to play out on acoustic drums (or record with them), I'd HIGHLY recommend actually making your cymbals louder on your eKit, so that you learn to hit the bass/snare/toms harder than your cymbals -- giving you, the sound guy, and your audience a better experience overall.
In the past, I played an old school Simmons SDS 9. On gigs, I used acoustic cymbals and achieved a pretty decent balance in a live situation. Micing the high-hat was tricky because the mic picked up some pad noise. For me, playing drums is kick, sd and hi-hat with everything else being gravy if you catch my meaning. So, live, the Simmons was fairly easy to control in monitors and mains and at the time (90’s) that was really helpful on gigs.
Only play electronic drums, use a Roland TD12 and 2Box Drumit5 have a Tama SilverStar with mesh heads and 2box Triggers for stage gigs, I use a felt disc on both 2box kick and Tama., to gig with you need good amps/pa , Still got perfect hearing at 62. Thankyou E kits lol
To be able to control the levels of all individual pads is really a problem for learning dynamics. You can use it to your advantage, though. I always turn the kick and snare lower and the cymbals and hi-hat up. If you can make it sound good that way you will sound really good on an acoustic kit.
Been playing a cheap Alesis Nitro Mesh kit for a year. I ended up adding L-80 hi-hat and ride cause I couldn't get over the feel and response of the pads. Worked out great and I used the pads as extra crash sounds. I mic the hat and ride and run the kit trough a small mixer so I can play with headphones. I had to play with micing of the L-80 hat and ride cause they sound weird, but its dialed now and feels better to me.
2:21 He is using the shure se215s, They are amazing IEM (In-ear monitor), Well worth the price also you can use them as hearing protection on a acoustic kit as well
I used to have both an electric and acoustic kit, but it got to the point where the acoustic drums were just gathering dust. From being able to play whenever I want (usually at night), to ease of recording, to inexpensively / instantly swapping different cymbals and drums, etc...the electric kit is, for me, superior. That said, I will definitely give the edge to acoustic kits when it comes to how they look, and also how they feel when you're really hammering on them. They move differently (in a good way), beneath the weight of your strikes.
I love my Roland V-Pro drum set more than I love my DW acoustic set. Where I usually had trouble tuning my acoustic heads, or concerned about sound in general, I don't have the same issue with Electronic. The key is to get to know the Module as you mentioned. You can get any kind of response or sound you want.
I just switched to electric drums after playing acoustic for 21 years. All mesh heads is recommended over rubber heads. The cymbals are the hardest to adjust to. Setting it up like my acoustic set made it easy to make the switch.
Learning to play on the acoustic set first helped me transition to the electronic. I feel there’s some things you just need to learn and master on the acoustic before the electronic.
i would like to see a video on how to setup an electronic drum kit so that it mirrors an acoustic as much as possible so that the transition between the two are always aligned as possible so we are not out of sort when playing acoustic off and on. i am on drumeo 7 day trial and found your tutorial on setting up a drum kit and using that right now - but still wouldnt mind knowing the best dynamics to adjust compensate and prepare for eg trigger settings etc ... btw your tutorials are awesome! thanks so much!!! :)
I have a Roland TD9 with custom built snare and stand tom, the rest ist original, plus i added one cymbal pad. I use Pioneer SE-CH9T. They are great for the money.
Ive played both electric and acoustic drums, each has their pros and con. I prefer the acoustic ( given a choice) but the 2 things that bother me about the electronic ones is the snare drums are too small and the cymbal triggers are crap. Ive owned both Yamaha and Rolands and both have had cymbals crap out. Its good to see that manufacturers making larger snares now. I loved my Pearl acoustics with Zidjan cymbals but condo living made me sell them. I agree with most comments on this video.
Do you have an electronic kit? Comment with your set-up ⬇️
2 week old drummer here, Alesis Chrimson II kit, Pearl Kick pedal
Got an Odery Cafékit which I converted from ac to e with Jobeky internal triggers, TD-17 module and Roland cymbals. It´s a great set up and I play it everyday but I love my acoustic kit and I will forever!
Yes!! I Play a Yamaha electronic drums💪
Old Roland TD-6V here, took me 2,5 years to get an acoustic kit and i think it was a great start as i could practice at home and not bother my family so much. The biggest minus of the electronic kit i guess is that it's hard to learn the dynamics
I use a roland td 1kv i call her EVE. I am really happy with the kit. Connect it to a daw and it turns into a beast
I bought myself an E drum kit in April of this year at aged 68, something I always wanted to do.I‘ve worked all my professional life with live music and with Lockdown it seemed like a good idea to challenge myself. Learning a lot from you guys and loving every minute of it. I still have to be comfortable with all the Module functions, but I‘m getting there.Facinating learning the Rudiments, and realizing the improvement.Why E drums? Simply because of my living circumstances.
Timothy Stokes I'm almost 50 and post colon cancer so wanna do something after recovery. Thought I too old and embarrassed to be crap. After your text maybe I'll ask for a present 😂😂👍 greetings from Ireland 🇮🇪👌
@@shiftylad9938 Hi Wayne, all power to your elbow or should I say hands. „It‘s never too late“ and I must say a lot of things I started late eg Snowboarding at 42 Yacht Sailing at 50. But I‘m now a qualified Highseas Skipper. Thanks to Corona in dry Dock. I‘ve always tried not to place limitations on achievement so Drumming is a huge learning goal. But what the hell, lets see how far we can get down the path of success. Enjoyment comes first and sometimes a little frustration rises, but as always „Keep calm and Carry on. Greetings from Germany. PS beat the beast of Cancer .
I’ve given up on so many instruments in my youth and thinking back on it I was always pretty ahead of the curve. I’m studying on drum sets now as a 27 year old adult who want learn.
Hi Tim. Im nearly 72 and just bought Alesis Command Mesh set. Complete novice but loving it and enjoying Drumeo
This is awesome. I’m 41 and just got an e pad. I do kind of know how to drum since 14. I might get the e drums later. In the meanwhile I am enjoying them so much.
I appreciate you guys not demoing this with a TD-50 kit. Im tired to seeing how much money I dont have. lol
Tyler Merwin lol he has a TD-17 drum module hooked up to what looks like the TD-1 pads and cymbals
@@finnleithomczyk5292 its the td17 kl
@@finnleithomczyk5292 and the td1 pads are cymbals are cy5 not cy8
@@maziu27 I don't think so, maybe TD-15 the snare is not 12"
Hahaha
As someone who goes between electric and acoustic, I highly recommend spacing your edrums to mimic your acoustic kit. This way way your reach and flow doesn't have to change from one kit to the other.
I converted an A kit so everything matches perfectly. But, I rarely ...like never, bring out the A kit anymore.
I have two electronic kits, one is a converted acoustic and then a smaller one at home. I ended up spacing out my home ekit and I think the smaller pads help with hitting dead center on my acoustic.
but why wouldn't someone do it?
I figured i was going to see thsi comment. It makes sense to have them set as similar as possible.
Second that, the transition will be much smoother that way.
I've been a drummer since I was 3...I'm 52 now. Been playing electronics for over 25 years. I'm on my third kit and I LOVE THEM!!!!
I am pretty sure “Holding out for a hero” played a role.
Sorry, wish I had a suggestion for amp. I’ve played mine through just about every version of the BOSE QC headphone series...they sound INCREDIBLE. On the rare occasion that they leave the studio, I let the sound guy worry about the mix while I monitor through my BOSE QC’s.
I’ve been playing electronic drums on stage since I got a Simmons kit in the early 90s. My number one tip: avoid thinking an electronic kit is a “substitution” for an acoustic kit. It’s a different instrument, in the same way than an electric guitar is different form an acoustic guitar. Learn your kit. Learn how it feels, how it responds, in what situations it is best suited for the job, and how to use additional electronics with it (mixers, etc.) to get the best sound, just as a guitar player learns what combination of amps and pedals make the best combination. This instrument is just as valid and useful as an acoustic kit. It’s just different.
Play the Pearl Mimic Pro. Unbelievable
So you play weddings ha?
@@SevanStick Mostly large (expensive) private functions, corporate gigs, etc.
@@wipeoutking same, I still have my hexagonal simmons from the mid 80s
A store employee literally tried to talk me out of buying a Simmons E kit. I only asked the price and said they weren't worth it. I wasn't going to buy anything it though, I had already committed to the Alesis kit.
The main reason I prefer acoustic kits to electronic:
With acoustics, even the cheapest sets are usually workable for simple gig.
With electronics, a lot of money would have to be spent to get one that I would feel comfortable doing a gig on.
This. The passable e-kits are always close to $1000, while a cheap kit can be made to sound decent by swapping and tunning the heads.
However, ekits give you free cymbals, while decent cymbals deserve their own budget.
Agreed, my ekit is decent but I’ve spend well over $1500 on my kit, meanwhile I bought a used $400 Yamaha and it sounds way better than my Roland kit
Yeah but try to cheaply record that acoustic kit. no microphones is a big deal.
@@user29a Especially playing live at a gig with any level of size or prestige. You're going to be mic'ing the drumkit. Especially for guys like me who do our own PA and run our own sound for every gig. Yes, E Drums can get spendy but when you consider you need at LEAST $100 per piece of kit you're going to mic, you're going to be at $600 before you even get mics and cords for any overheads or cymbals at all, not to mention the price of cymbals themselves. Plus, cheap cymbals will NEVER sound good. You can get away with a crap drumkit if you have enough gaff tape, a drum key, and some time, but no amount of technique will make a crap cymbal sound good.
@@djjazzyjeff1232 yeah i'm more of a techno guy trying to capture drummer feel/playing than sound of kit.
I've been playing the Roland TD30 for about 4 years. I've used this gigging, church worship services and let me say this; incredible piece of hardware that creates a new level of versatility for any level of player.
It is especially handy when wanting to combine with an acoustic kit for added cabilities, effects, and sound enhancements
Great video Drumeo!
So glad you and the team finally covering electronic
Around a year ago, I added a TD-50 to my collection so that I could play weddings more comfortably. It quickly became my drum set of choice. Sound quality, feel, and reaction time are great. My Soundman loves them as well. The only important tip I would add- be mindful of your in-ear monitors. Now that every drum and cymbal is a direct feed into my ears, it is easier to damage yourself without realizing it. I love that snappy snare sound, but find myself turning things down as the gig progresses to minimize ear ring at the end of the show.
@LCort101 dont know what desk your sound guy is using but have a look at the behringer X32. You can get your own personal mix setup, and using the TD50s 10 outputs can set levels individually across a good range of pads. This is a different mix to what goes to main stereo and can bring in other band members. You can set the mix yourself with a remote ipad linked over wifi or a PC and behringer sell a remote P16 remote personal monitor. I'm still learning on a TD-12 and once my playing improves enough to justify will upgrade the module specifically to be able to do that. Already have the X32 for studio work where I can do as many takes as I need ;)
If you are hearing ringing them it is already too late as the damage is done. The ringing is a reminder that you are now on your way to hearing loss. How do i know this? Because i have tinitus. Enjoy the ringing. Its the last sound you hear before it is all gone.
@@suminshizzles6951you’re probably fun at parties
Below are my tips... I play exclusively electronic - I live in a Brooklyn apartment.
I bought a roland td-25k kit so that I can still practice dynamics (as much as possible on an electric). I should note that the sound when I play is of course much quieter than an acoustic but it still makes a significant sound (someone in the next room can not understand speech on the TV unless I close the door). Given this, I can not agree more with the first tip given in the video - get a nice pair of inserts, ideally ones that reduce outside sound by as much as possible so you can filter out your smacks against the mesh heads and rubber cymbals from your 'playing sounds'.
I personally went all-out and had custom Westone monitors made. I am very happy I did this because these reduce outside sound by 40db. If I am playing at low volume, I can still hear my smacks while playing, so I usually wear home depot builders hearing protection on top (another -40db). At this point I can not hear any outside sounds at all, and this way I simulate as much as possible playing on an acoustic kit.
One other thing I should note is that if I play for a while and then take my headsets off and just practice and listen raw on the kit, I can detect that I was playing with a slight delay (I would say < 10ms response) from the point of hit to sound in my ear. This isn't an issue while playing my kit, but I can tell it would be an additional factor to dial in if I were to switch to acoustic.
I have a TD-17 (first kit) and I love it. I'm 63 and I've used Drumeo to learn how to play for the past 4 years. I can read now and I'm continually getting much better than on day one. This was a great video for perspective and thanks for giving the e-drums attention like this because I don't see myself ever owning an acoustic kit (although I'd like to play one for comparison). I know my TD-17 very well but will upgrade in the future. The Drumeo learning program is second to none and I share this with everyone I know interested in learning how to play. Thanks!
Interesting. Both for me. I play my 1986 13-piece acoustic Ludwig at band practice; at home, I play the electronic Alesis Nitro Mesh kit to learn songs, arrangements, & techniques. I like it, 'cause I hook an MP3 player into the module, & I have tracks with only the bass & guitar playing our originals, where I can play to them, learn arrangements. And I can practice on a whim -- a few minutes here, a few minutes there -- getting much accomplished. (plus it's physical therapy for my motor neuron disability).
Hi, first of all sorry for my not so perfect english, I'm Italian.. Anyway, I'm playing an e-drums Roland TD11K (mash snare, rubber toms) since 5/6 years now. Most bad thing for me is the hi hat.. without the real dynamic of opening and closing it and the feeling with the pedal, completely different. Mainly for this reason I'm seriously evaluating to buy and higher level e-drum kit or, better an acoustic one. I'd prefer to play acoustic also to be more concentrated on playing instead of being distracted to play with the module, set the sounds etc. etc. I think the acoustic or an high level electronic kit are really better than the low-intermediate ones because changing the set up it's easier. Set up my kit for a left handed (my daughter) it was a very boring and long job.
Frankly speaking, despite what I was thinking, it is not really quiet and silent.. Anyway, it is good for practicing and playing, even if when you play the acoustic you find many difference
Unfortunately right now I cannot move for an acoustic due space, noise problems etc. so I think that I'll try to buy a more advanced edrum but for the moment I'm looking to buy better headphones and a monitor to play and ear the drum without headphones. Would anyone please be so kind to give me some suggestions for both?
For the monitor my main scare is to buy something that will be.enough powerful to be able to not ear the noise produced by the sticks hitting the toms and cymbals..
Thank you all in advance. Stay safe at home. Greetings from Italy
NiCoLoCor stay safe too!
Get the VH-10 hi-hat pad if your module supports it. Mounts on a real stand, moves up and down, and has 1000x better rebound. My ability to play faster went up the instant I plugged mine in. The Gibralter hi-hat stand is also a really nice inexpensive stand.
NiCoLoCor I own both a Roland TD17KVX and a Yamaha acoustic set. They do play differently - especially the cymbals which frankly I find can be a bit frustrating at times. That said the Roland kit is great, and using the hi-hat on a Roland ‘noise eater’ stand gives a very similar feel to an acoustic hihat. One of the big advantages of the Roland, aside from being quiet when you need it, is the ability to customize the tone and loudness of each cymbal and drumhead to suit your personal preference. It is well worth the time spent to learn how to get the most from the TD17 module. I would also recommend a Roland PM100 monitor for when you do want sound. Pay attention to the height - it is heavy on bass and light on cymbals if you place it on the ground. I like it much better keeping it elevated on a chair. Enjoy! Ciao
I'm living in an apartment building and have a full size electronic drumkit that I brought all the way from China. I had mulitiple complains from my neighbors about the noise the drums were making. I tried to play quietly but the neighbors were still complaining. So I've built the drum riser made of mdf boards and tennis balls (there are tonns of videos on RUclips how to make it) and I've never had complaints since. Hopefullysomeone will use this tip as well, it really worked for me. Thanks, everyone.
Get some light weight sticks too. That will keep the banging volume down for the neighbours. You could even use timbale sticks at night.
I got a Simmons Titan 50 last summer. Switched the ride and 2nd crash after watching you acoustic drum set up video. I also got nylon tip sticks based on this and it sounds great
Edit) this comment was like years ago and you should know that this is just an opinion. Don't take my comment too seriously and I recommend reading the replied comments below too
To add some of my tips:
1.If you have an edrum that has all mesh heads, tune them(it'll be just adjusting the bolts actually) to the similar rebound that you would get from an acoustic kit.
+Edit) what I think I should have written here was to not tune the mesh heads crazy tight, because acoustic heads tend to have less rebound, but not too loose to make the triggering awful
2. If your edrum has a hihat pad and controller pedal separately (usually seen in lower priced kits) make sure to locate you hat controller right beneath the hihat pad, otherwise it'll feel ackward when you're switching between acoustic and electronic.
Edit) acoustic hats are usually 14"+ and electric ones tend to be much smaller, so you might want to pull the electric hat a little closer to the throne to make it feel a bit more natural
3.Atv(which is an edrum company along with roland) tries to imitate the acoustics, having real-like sounds with big shells on their flagship(roland recently came up with a kit with big shells too) but gives you smaller range to adjust the sounds of the drums. You can't tune them, the ambience is fixed, however roland drums give you a wide range of selection even on cheaper models. However they do not have real-like sounds which atv drums have.(not a huge difference but still) So learning about what each of the manufactures are focusing on is also pretty helpful when choosing what to buy.
4.if you have a laptop, you can buy a drum vst,(superior drummer3 is great) connect your drum module, and have that super realistic sounds from the vst program.
Edit) this might embody latency and dynamic issues, testing with free softwares and sufficient consideration before buying the actual thing is recommended
(My english may be awful, it's not my mother tongue :(
Your tip #1 is not a good idea. Mesh heads need to be tight as heck for proper performance. Having them so loose as to mimic acoustic rebound will not just limit the dynamic range of your kit, but will almost certainly lead to cones that wear out very prematurely. When in doubt, tighten them even more. They should make a high-pitched "ping" sound like a tightly-strung tennis racket. Like a C note two or three octaves above middle C on a piano
And perhaps the most important tip of all:
DO NOT get an electronic kit that doesn't have a proper kick pedal!
Your English is really great! Much better than most RUclips comments I read
@@SightReadDrums At least some lower-end e-drum kits come with cruddy single pedals and many will want to replace it with decent double pedals anyway
I'm looking at doing tip 4 but I have a question regarding the latency. How noticeable is it compared to just plugging into the headphone output on the drum module? I know this will depend on what software/hardware you have but in your experience? Thanks in advance
Thank you Drumeo for the great tips! Below are some of my tips.
My church has a Roland VAD306 (TD-17 module). I use nylon tip sticks and I have a felt beater that I wrapped in it duct tape and they work great. I have recently spaced the toms further apart to better match my acoustic kit. This gives me better fluidity. I picked 4-6 kits that sound good with the church piano and acoustic guitar. Then I went in an adjusted the pad EQ, muffling and tuning to make it sound more acoustic. One thing I've noticed I really needed to tune down tom 1 on some kits in order to get it to bark the way I wanted it. On one of my kits, I changed the floor tom (tom 3) from maple to beech or birch for a warmer/fatter sound. Since the church I play at is more conservative it is best that I don't overplay and sink in the pocket as best as possible.
Says specifically in the Roland TD-50 instructions NOT to use the felt side
Relatively new user here (3 months and counting - Alesis Sample pad pro). My take on E- percussion is very different.
I have always considered it to be a percussive way of triggering sounds that are considered to be rythmically biased.
This means that bass tones, tuned percussion (including piano tones - as it's still a percussive instrument) are all on the menu.
Added to the fact you can set up a pad to loop a sound, and have variations of that loop on other pads all set in one group so they will 'stop' each other this adds some exciting and dynamic way of doing things that would usually be done in a visually understated way, either with a button press or with computer based sequencers...
Don't get me wrong - I'm not making the wheel in a new way here (listen to Grandmaster flash - White Lines the outro especially), but it is definitely a very different way of sample triggering
I play electronic only both in rehearsal and live.
For people who are only playing electronic drums, I would recommend that they take the time to set up their kit to suit them best remembering that there's less real estate used by each component so there's more flexibility.
For example, instead of playing traditionally crossed on the hi hat (as a righty) I have my hi hat setup where I can play more open handed which frees up access to other components and allows for smoother playing overall whilst making long sets and shows much more comfortable to play.
What a great idea.
Tip1: I have found that gaming headphones are a solid choice as drumming headphones. I use AstrosA10s and they work really well. Just watch where the cord is so you don't break it.
Tip2: Sticks do make a difference in sound.
Lighter sticks make the sound lighter and heavier sticks don't. My fam didn't like it when I played because the sticks I was using made the set sound super loud. Switched to a lighter pair and now they don't care if I play or not because they can't hear me across the house anymore.
That's all I have for right now.
Thanks a lot!!
Have to disagree about the gaming headphones. You are paying extra for the gaming aesthetic and the microphone that you could be spending on better sound quality. If you're on a budget, I highly recommend Beyerdynamic DT770 (32 or 80 Ohm versions). They are possibly the most common pair of studio headphones in the industry and have excellent low end reproduction.
I have both acoustic and electronic. I rarely play my acoustic anymore. I play my electronic kit (Alesis Command X). The versatility is insane. It directed me to play other styles because of the programming. Having 600 plus sounds - it's endless on what I can do. The the adjustments, tweaking, enhancing, and sensitivity was all within reach on the module. And way easier on the ears!
RE : Learning the module. First thing I did was learn everything the kit could do and dialled in my own personal User kit. Because the kit only has two cymbals - I assigned a crash to my Left Tom Rim... A Cymbal Bell to my Right Tom Rim and a ride cymbal to my floor tom Rim... It's great...Plus you can *pan* every drum so not every thing is in the middle and you get more separation and can hear the drums better over the music.
Kotow Boy oh shit, the pan option... never thought about that... u just opened a world to me xD
@@FreemitiveD What e-kit you got ? I've got the Tourtech TT22M :-)
I have a tama acoustic kit converted to a hybrid kit.
Mesh heads roland td50 module and external triggers.
Mesh heads are fully adjustable tension wise.
Great dynamics.
Realistic rebound.
Real kit ergonomics.
I find setting the volume to match an acoustic kit with microphones and then adjusting playing to match works a treat.
Hi Jared. My new Tourtech TT22M is my 4th ever kit because I live in a block of flats. It's mesh heads and velocity sensitive and the heads are "tightenable" to get the feel you want. Because i've experience on acoustic kits - i still practice like its an acoustic kit with the dynamics etc. It gets *pretty* close ! Also it has an actual bass drum - which is a huge plus.
How was it 3 years on?
I got a Roland TD-25kv. Added another cymbal, replaced both 8" toms with 10" toms. Smaller ones I kept missing doing fills. I use felt drum beaters, mainly to reduce noise, but on the drum pad I added a double pedal Remo Falam Slam patch to protect the mesh. Still using the original mesh head on the bass drum.
08:06 I have a way better solution for dynamics control :
if you wanna learn to hit cymbals (including hihat) softer and shells harder on an ACOUSTIC kit, then on your ELECTRONIC kit crank the volume of the cymbals and lower the volume of the shells, which will force you to exagerate softening your hits on cymbals and playing harder on shells.
Taking one earbud of is definitely not a good solution, considering how awful electronic drums sound acoustically in the room (not to mention the fact that you're loosing the isolation of the IEMs from the room, and don't hear what's in your IEM much anymore).
In other words : set up your electronic kit so that it doesn't flatter your playing, but so that it makes you PRACTICE and improve (and sound better on an acoustic kit) instead.
Or just, you know, play an electric kit for what it is and stop trying to compare between electric and acoustic.
@@looksirdroids9134 Depends what your goal is : playing an electronic kit for what it is, or practicing to play better on acoustic drums. My goal is the second one, so i play my e-kit accordingly.
@@looksirdroids9134 Will you adopted the Electric, or stick with the Acoustic? The choice is yours.
I'm happy that you are starting to show the drumming world the advantages of owning an electric set. I've been using e-kits since the late 90s and they are excellent for practice, learning, and live gigs. It's true that there is a stigma about electric drums being a "toy" kit, but anyone that has bought a decent kit knows that's not true. Roland has a teaching software called the DT-1 V-Drums Tutor which is excellent for both beginners and advanced. Also, The V-Drums Tutor makes it fun to learn. Some TIPS: if you want to make the e-kit your practice kit and your acoustic kit for live gigs I would highly recommend using all mesh heads, try to get the heads as close to real size has possible, position the middle of the heads the same distance apart as you would the acoustic set.
I realize that the high-end Rolands are expensive and not everyone can buy them. However, there are many web sites that can teach you how to make your own e-Kit, with real-drum shells and mesh heads. Probably not as hard as you think and there are web sites that can sell parts for DIY e-kits (triggers, hardware, etc.)
My aunt is giving me her electronic drum kit tomorrow and I'm super excited! The tips in the video and comment section are definitely helpful.
On sticks: I've been playing on a Roland e-kit for the past five years or so. The extra bounce and vibration through the sticks were killing my wrists. Particularly from the heavier cymbal pads. I switched over to Ahead sticks which inherently reduce vibration and, in my opinion, are significantly more comfortable to play with.
Which Ahead sticks did you choose to relieve the vibration shock for arms and wrists?
Ahead 7a's are great for this. Hope that helps you? Even better are the Matt sprung signature Ahead 7a's good luck!
I have a Simmons SD1500. (It's an SD1000 with an extra tom and crash cymbal). My tips in no particular order: 1) Add a second kick pedal- I've added a second kick drum pad unit with a second kick drum pedal. I simply use a quarter inch cable splitter and a quarter inch guitar cable to plug in the new kick. Both signals run into the same kick input cable via the splitter and it works great. 2) Customize and take advantage of the sounds. (I only use the preset kits as starting points to customize). Two advantages electronic kits have over acoustic kits are low stage volume and the ability to have many different kit sounds at your fingertips. Customize, save and use different kit sounds for different styles and even different songs throughout the night. Think about the best kit sound for the song- slow, rock, jazz etc. 3) Save the custom kits in the computer in the same song order as the set list so it's easy to jump to the next tune during the gig. 4) Type up and print out your custom kit list so you have it handy. 5) If you're gigging with the kit, it's worth investing in a spare 2 zone cymbal pad to keep with you. (about $99 to 350). If for some reason a cymbal pad craps out on you, it makes it a long night. You'll be glad you have a spare.
Wow, I actually just ordered an electronic drumset this morning.
Awesome! Enjoy 🙂
@@DrumeoOfficial Thank you! I'm a complete beginner and I'll check out Drumeo Edge. Excited to start this journey.
Le Guitariste Autodidacte - MattyPS nice what did you get?
Quelle synchro parfaite ! Quel kit electronique ?
@@thewomanwithnohead Oooh some baguette here ! I think il can pas comprendre though
Yes I just bought mine to get back into drumming after leaving it behind while going to college for 4 years. Now that I’m out of college , got a job and have some stability. I can focus on drumming again. Thank you for this video!
Wow great video! I recently purchased an Alesis Nitro mesh kit for practicing because I have a small apartment. And I got to say during this time of shelter in place I've been practicing on this thing a couple hours a day and it is so much fun! I don't think it will ever replace an acoustic kit but there are things that you can do with electronics that you cannot do with acoustics. Anyway thanks for the video!
I have both an acoustic and electronic kit and will say that your observations are spot on. The bounce, the tones, and the overall feel is entirely different as you go from one to the other. BEST ADVICE I can offer is to get an electronic kit that has a REAL HIGH HAT (though still rubberized). Yes this will cost a bit more, but will be worth it I think. The single pad hi hat is the WORST feature on an electric kit.
I have the Roland TD15K, beautiful kit with great dynamics. I have turned the drums with snare buzz and less dampening to give it more of an acoustic tone. I've also set it up in a more spread out style to make the size difference an easier transition. Great video btw
My tip for anyone who has played/does play/is planning on playing acoustic kits and is using an ekit for quieter practicing: ditch the stock rack. There are plenty of ways to "convert" an ekit setup to be almost identical to an acoustic setup. The biggest challenge is the hi/mid tom since you don't have a kick to mount them to, but there are all types of different individual stands that allow you more freedom of arrangement. It does increase the cost, but i think it's worth it for anyone who wants the acoustic kit feel. Also, try to get the same cymbal sway. I have a Yamaha ekit, and the cymbals actually have a little hole that a pin on the stand goes into, and it allows the rubber cymbals to actually sway/bounce like metal cymbals. I'm not sure if all brands have that, but it's my favorite part of the ekit i have.
I bought a Simmons dual pad set up in 1986 and have used electronics to augment, not replace, my acoustic drums ever since. Luckily I’ve always lived in a house and/or had a recording/rehearsal studio available to me. So volume and neighbors have never been a factor. I currently use a Roland SPD-X pad on my left, an auxiliary pad by my floor tom and I trigger the kick and snare. I mix those in with the miked up acoustics. I feel this hybrid kit gives me the best of both worlds. I’ve even broken snare and kick heads mid song and didn’t miss a beat because the trigger would still fire even on a split head.
I also have a kick tower and a hi hat pedal that I can add to the SPD and use aux. pad for snare. This creates an all electronic (jungle like) kit I’ve used in certain situations. For me electronic kick and toms are adequate but I miss the dynamic ranges of real cymbals and an acoustic snare drum.
The best tip it will be: get an acoustic kit or a e-kit with a good dynamic range
Apollo Creed proper trigger settings can help with dynamics on an e-kit, might not be exactly like an acoustic but some modules can get pretty close
@@jadonchacon4914 yes, but if i had an acoustic kit wouldn't think much in what to choose between them :)))
Apollo Creed true, I have both an acoustic and electric and while the electric can be fun, I’ll take acoustic any day
@@jadonchacon4914 i play electric on my church and it is ok but when i played on my friends acoustic kit at another church it felt like another thing it was just masive and very nice sounding kit
I have a tama acoustic kit with real feel mesh heads and surface mounted triggers.
No issue with dynamics or rebound.
As the kit is a fully acoustic kit the distances are identical.
Only issue is rubber Cymbals which are harder to play than acoustic ones which makes life easier when going back to an acoustic kit.
Having saud that there are after market metal cymbals with triggers for e drum use.
I play acoustic live, but at home for practice I have electric drums. With electric drums you can’t hit them hard. I know it’s easy to do once you’re fully warmed up. You also need a really good technique. As a matter of fact, I didn’t have proper technique until I started edrums. Playing edrums a lot can and will give you tendenitis if your grip and technique isn’t on point. Another great thing, after you’ve practiced all week on edrums, the acoustic drums feel absolutely out of this world amazing. Hope this helps somebody.
Guys here the trick is simple: unfortunately with e-drum, the more you spend, the better feeling/sound you receive from the instrument. Another thing: don't believe they're so silent!!! I had a lot of troubles with my neighbours about that...the kick pedal makes a lot of noise; for solution i advice to mount the drum on a rubber base, that helps a lot.
Here's a video i made with my Yamaha dtx750 (a really good instrument): ruclips.net/video/fFSJKomcdMw/видео.html
Thanks for sharing. 🙂
I used acoustic foam under my kick pedals. Really helped.
4 months now into drumming on a low end Expanded Kit and Loving it....play on! Love the advise from Drumeo....and the encouragement in the comments!
I bought an Alesis Surge kit in 2020 and it's my home studio kit. At gigs and band practice I'm on two different acoustic kits. This video and the Comments are a big help to me.
This was more of a "Things to beware of when you go back to an acoustic set" video than edrum tips.
coz he's mainly a traditional drummer and doesn't play a lot of e-drums, however check 65 drums if you want specific e-drum tips...
totally agree.
the best tip is to google tips in your own.
Very true. I think he should have had another drummer there who is mainly an electronic drummer so they could each give their own perspectives
Especially after saying “we should treat this as its own instrument” at the start of the video. Lol. 😟
I started on rockband drums (lol) and rebound was the biggest issue I had transferring to acoustic drums. All my technique was based on getting a ton of rebound so I had to completely relearn everything.
You are sounding great, man
Number one advise I would emphase on getting a drum mat, just like an acoustic kit.
Second point, if you are considering buying a e-drum kit to play in an appartement, this is NOT silent, hitting on the cymbals is kind of loud.
My neighbours filed a complained and they actually recorded me through the walls, I could recognize the part of the song I was playing !
The kick can be loud too, but you can attenuate it by using isolation pads or isolation pad (they are multiple options to make it silent. Silent beaters are not going to make a bit difference.
For your reference, my kit is an Alesis Turbo Mesh.
Nice to see a video about electronic drums! I've been playing the Roland TD20sx for 10 years. This set has the mesh heads which allows me to loosen the tension on the floor toms so that they are closer to how real toms feel. You need to be careful not to loosen them too much, especially if you're a heavy-duty hitter as you could possibly damage the the sensor according to the manual: "Head tension that is too loose may not only cause incorrect operation, but may even damage the sensor." These sets are expensive, but no more than some of the high-end acoustic sets. I like the fact that you can 'chain' a series of drum sets for specific song list. I use this set to practice the PAS rudiment list with the drum set turned off as, I've found it to be much easier on the ears and allows me to judge my playing and stroke technique better. I do not view the Roland as a replacement for my wonderful Gretsch acoustic set, but more as another tool in my percussion arsenal.
Couple things...take advantage of the metronome in your module. Also think about getting drum software, for much better sample quality and multitrack recording with any ekit.
I'm gonna plug mine into my computer and record the midi. Then move some hits to different samples, like two different sounding crashes
I've owned Roland V drums since the first TD-10 kit in 1997, mostly for practice when I couldn't play the acoustics. In fact I still have the same Roland V session kit, they are quite durable. Do yourself a favor if you want E drums and get a set with mesh heads on all the drums including the kick, not just the snare. The difference in feel over the rubber pads is like night and day. I'd buy a used quality set if need be (preferably Roland) with a quality electric hihat...The cheap E-hihats are miserable to play. Jared is spot on about switching back and forth from acoustics, your dynamics will definitely be off on acoustics if you don't. Our church switched to V drums for a few years, and when we finally went back to a acoustics, I had trouble with getting enough volume. It took a while to readjust. They are a great tool for practice, my son learned on them while his sister studied in the next room and he is now an amazing drummer.
Always play with the trigger/module settings. Each time I find a setting I love, I tweak a bit and find one even better. All about experimenting.
There are two important settings on the module. The sensitivity and threshold settings. If these settings are properly adjusted, you will have no difficulty in switching to an acoustic kit. Study the module, adjust every setting and achieve the feel, sounds, etc., similar with an acoustic kit. Half of drumming experience is in the mind, half is physical.
This is good. About time that, somebody explains the differences between an acoustic vs electronic drums. The first thing I notice, being an acoustic player for years, was the rebound on edrums. I can do stuff on an edrum that will take some time doing on an acoustic. Thanks for coming out to explain those differences. Edrums are cool and practical for situations where you can't use acoustic drums. I just purchased a Roland and having fun and a workout at the same time....Thanks.
Finallyyyyyy yessssssss thank you
You are very welcome. 😉
I picked up a used TD-20 a few years ago for about the same price as a new lower end model. I love it. I can play all I want with minimal disruption to the rest of the family. I can plug in my phone and mix in anything I want to play along to. I have enough range within the module to add interesting effects to the rim triggers like jam blocks, cowbells, additional cymbals etc without having to shell out more money for new components. It will never full replace an acoustic kit in a lot of ways but there is also enough range in there to keep it interesting and fun that it doesn't really bother me.
You can use a felt beater on the mesh head if you put a drum patch on the mesh head. Thats what I did and the felt is quieter and the mesh head does not get damaged . I have had that patch on for two years now and it is still in great shape. I have a Roland TD17-KVX. A good practice kit.
Im an acoustic player for more than 30 years, but i decide to convert my acoustic kit for practice purpose, with mesh head and some trigger with extra e pad for cymbale, it was realy confortable to play and not so expensive to have a Roland TM 6 pro or other cheaper sound module that work with trigger, when i need to play acoustic i just change the Skin on purpose and i can add some extra sample to my acoustic sound.
Buying a settings pack from Vex or drum tech until you learn how to master using your roland drum module is good tip. These have all of the hard work done for you. They do all of the necessary shaping of EQ, tuning, effects, ambience, pan to make amazing sounding kits for you. I bought the Vex kits for my TD-11 and TD-10 modules and they sound fantastic!!!! They will also give you ideas on how to do your own shaping of sounds in the module, once you look at the settings and see how they were able to make the kits sound so good. I can't wait to upgrade to a TD-17/TD-27 so I can add and layer my own external samples. Right now I have to use my Alesis strike multipad for sample import and layer with midi out. It's very complicated and took hours of tinkering to get set up.
Last year i was given a fully functional TD-3 Roland E kit. All that was missing was the power supply. I am slowly teaching myself to play, this year my 10yr old daughter is learning drums and things she has learnt on drums had been a great benefit-
best tip I've got for those of you worried about rebound with and electric kit...
Get a kit with mesh heads that have tuning lugs and tune them right down so you get less rebound. makes it harder to get rebound and can make your practice more challenging and help you develop!
I started playing electronic drums in 2017 and switched to electronic almost exclusively and building my own kits in 2018. The sound is way more controllable in smaller gigs like cafe's and bars and much more versatile.
For a long time i was thinking e-drums won't never take the place of my acustin kit on the stage... then in 2017 i played in a band wich was mixing theatre and music. Song texts were way more important than what i was usual to, so i gave a roland kit a chanche... I go back to my acoustic kit only for open air stages now on bigger events...
The sound is quite ok, it's a good music instrument, not a toy or a practice device. And now i'm the first to finsh the stage setup and the first to pack his stuff on the truck cause my roland kit is not disassembled for moving in and out of the stage and it fits on my car by closing the lateral racks on the front part... This is absolutely amazing!
change the sound of closing your hi hat to a bass so you have a diy twin pedal (sort of)
Wigle Wurm i like how your brain works
@wigle wurm tought the same, but didnt work well
I use the Alesis Nitro Mesh kit, no expansions yet but I’m planning on adding some other stuff like a bigger kick and snare, and probably a better module too as it’s fairly simple.
TIP: Don’t be afraid to mod your kit. It’s fairly easy and sweet water has a lot to offer in this department if you know were to look. Plus there’s tons of articles and videos about how to do this, and it’s way cheaper than buying the the super expensive kits like the Alesis Strike Pro SE and some of the bigger Roland kit.
That might be common knowledge, I’m just trying offer what I know. Hope it helps!
3 years late on your comment I have the nitro and I was wondering what you did to mod the kit?
I do need a bigger snare and I bought a Yamaha electronic bass drum for it so I can use the double bass but was interested in what you did to mod the kit.
Thanks
I put a Falam Slam pad on my bass drum mesh heads. It doesn't affect the triggering in the least and protects the mesh!!
I have a Roland TD 17 KVX and a couple of acoustic kits. I previously used the Rolands for silent practice but suddenly had to teach lessons on line. A great video from Drumeo would be how to set up your e-drums to play live in in videoconferencing formats (ie Zoom , Skype, etc) for on line lessons. There is some info out there but they are often both confusing and involve a whole lot of gear one (read expensive).
First time drummer at 52. I play guitar. First kit i got was a cheap used KAT 100. Did not want to spend huge amounts of money on something i might not continue. I played with it. I liked drumming. The kit was not responsive enough and was missing notes so i decided to get a better kit. Got an alesis command mesh kit for a good price. The kit was in pretty good shape and apart from the dust, it was nearly new. Was going to buy a new nitro mesh kit till i saw the command going for nearly the same price.
E drums. Because of the reduced volume as i live in an apartment complex. Less space used up. Even though Ekits are more expensive i had to buy an ekit for the above mentioned reasons. Where i live i can get a full used acoustic kit for half of what i paid. Since i am just starting out, a practice acoustic did not need to be top notch as i cant even tell the difference yet.
Roland TD-15 kit with Pearl Eliminator double pedal, 1 additional tom and 2 additional cymbals, V-expressions add-on kits. Nylon tips.
I have a Yamaha PHX kit, a DW Collectors SSC and three Roland kits and a Yamaha 502 kit. I use a Roland TD25 module with my PHX kit for hybrid percussion elements. Your video here is spot on . . . I make sure to keep playing both acoustic and electric because of the different sizes, spacing and rebounding. I also use nylon tips on my e-kits and wood tips on the acoustic. You're also dead on with the point of "getting to know your module" . . . the Rolands (TD-15s) have amazing customization capabilities, the TD-25, not so much. The Yamaha 502 with touch app also has amazing capabilities . . . different, but still amazing. Take time to READ THE MANUALS on these things . . . velocity settings, sensitivity settings, pad type, etc. all help. I found the "stock" settings and kits to be horrendous . . . but taking a bit from different kits to making a user kit and tweaking each voice can be VERY rewarding. Tuning the acoustic kits however, requires practice and learning to listen to harmonics (like guitar tuning) . . . An e-kit is the perfect compliment to your acoustic kits for fun as well . . . it's awesome to be able to go downstairs in the studio . . . play away in the early or late hours and not disturb anyone else in the house. I do agree with Vahlir in that this was more suited towards, "e-drums and acoustic drums play differently" than it was edrum tips. So here are some of my e-drum tips: 1) E-drum racks usually suck and are a pain in the but to transport and set up for a gig . . . I use Yamaha Crosstown hardware now on individual stands . . . much lighter, easier and adaptable to uneven stages. 2) E-kick drums will "fly away" far more easily than acoustic ones . . . make sure to bring some "gear ties" with you whether using stands or a rack. 3) Always have a spare set of cables with you at a gig (Rolands use a harness - Yamahas are individual cords) For gigging, the Yamaha approach is WAY better. 4) Mix and match your toms . . . some synth rack toms and some synth floor toms may be from a different series, but sound great together . . . acoustic drum makers have picked up on this awhile ago with specialized shell construction kits. 5) Use rounded edge sticks as much as you can with e-kits, sharp tip sticks are not good for mesh or silicone pads. 6) Sensitivity settings on the hi hat should be carefully set, a lot of us (me for example) use constant ghost notes on the high hat as part of our play . . . acoustic hi-hats sound great with this, e-high hats can false trigger (Yamaha for sure) and it can drive you crazy. 7) E-drums STILL make tapping noises and if you have a vocal mic (like I do) they can pick up the sound, so be sure to use a really tight mic or headset mic if you are a singer as well as a drummer. 8) Spend the money and get the BETTER PADS!! . . . Sorry, but the cheap rubber pads are a LOT less fun to play and can hurt after awhile. Have fun y'all!!
If you are buying an e-drums kit, pay the extra and get it with sensors on the cymbals (to hand stop them as you would on accoustics), dual zone (for different sounds depending where you hit), and force sensitivy (to still control how loud they sound depending on how hard you hit).
If you are using felt beaters for your mesh bass drum, you can also use a patch. You don't necessarily have to replace them with plastic or wood beaters. Using felt beaters with a patch for 9 months now and still in perfect shape.
My tips for e-drums (Roland TD12, adapt to other brands): Set the trigger parameters so that when you hit it hard, the signal reaches the peak. Not so that the signal is in the maximum level when you hit casually. Then, think of how the particular drum or cymbal you want to emulate acts when it is hit, does it sound loud with a weaker hit (china cymbals) or not. Then adjust the curve accordingly so the pad acts like the drum/cymbal on an acoustic kit.
With a proper placement of pads and mesh-heads you can make your kit quite close to an acoustic kit and maybe even get Stevie Wonder confused 😃!
Tip2: the Mesh-heads are small and I agree with the others saying you must "tune" those heads quite tight to protect the cones and triggers. That causes the head to give too much rebound and it takes away the feel of an acoustic drum. Try using practice sticks that has 2mm thick rubber coating on the ends and the tip. It did not reduce the knocking sound, but it makes the heads feel more loose and that way more like properly tuned acoustic heads.
Tip3: set up the volumes of each drum from the mixer in the brain unit. Try to be realistic.
Tip4: there is a software available, that you can use to access TD20 options with a TD12 brain unit. Plastic beater and so on..
Tip4: Use closed headphones! That way you get more immersive experience with the drums.
Alesis Sent a pair of wooden tip drumsticks with my brand new nitro max kit. I totally agree with you and I’m happy I found this video. Thank you so much for making it.
I'm one of the guys using an electronic kit just for practicing as i live in an apartment, so both space and sound volume is an issue. I only play acoustic kits live and on band practice.
My tip is combining low volume cymbals with the electronic kit for a more realistic feel. I play a lot of different styles, but one of my main ones is jazz, and no matter how good the electronic kits get, I just don't feel the electronic cymbals get the subtle nuances or feel like proper cymbals. My solution: removed the electronic ride and hi-hats, bought the Zildjian L80 ride and hihats. Suddenly it feels a lot more like an acoustic kit, and you can work on all the nuances of the ride and hihat :-)
dont eat the drums. you cant play the drums if you eat them
well there goes my plans
#1 tip right here
You just saved my life man
I have an Alesis Kit. For the same reasons as the Nylon tip, I use maple wood on my kit. Maple doesn’t chip it only dents, so there’s no possible way you can cut the mesh or anything. I also prefer maple because it is lighter weight, and using a heavy stick on an electric kit will definitely wear it down much faster.
I use a Roland kit with EZDrummer to do all of my recording gigs now. I was very skeptical at first about the sound and feel. But Once I get used to them, I realized it was more about the person driving the car instead of the car.
I have been playing drums for roughly two years almost exclusively on a Yamaha DTX-502. My kit came with an upgraded "foam" snare pad and rubber pads for everything else. I am a complete musical beginner having never played any instrument before. I take lessons at my local drum shop (yes, lucky enough to have one of the few left) and get to play on a "real" kit roughly once a week unless I "rent" a practice room. It was quickly obvious that the foam pads had way better "feel" so I upgraded everything. The mesh kit has some of the "give" that you'd expect from an acoustic.
Thank you for treating these kits as serious instruments and highlighting some of what is possible.
Best advice in the video was use of "nylon tipped" sticks. They are a MUST! I'd go even further in saying never cross-use your sticks. I have sticks for acoustic, practice pads and for electronic. Saving $10 bucks on sticks isn't worth damaging a pad.
My kit came with a felt kick beater, they should know better. Even after a few months my rubber kick pad was showing wear. When I replaced the pad with a mesh one I knew the beater needed to change as well. My local drum shop set me up and suggested hard plastic. It has discolored the impact area but wear is minimal.
In translating the "feel" from electronic to acoustic hasn't turned out to be as big an issue for me and I have been complimented on my feel and consistency on acoustic. I suspect this is in part due to the small surface area of the pads. Probably true of practice pads as well, encourages accurate strikes. The built in metronome and other tutorial functions do help with accuracy including the "gate" function which only produces sound when you're in the time window of the click track. I like that it tracks the accuracy of all the pad strikes. It's a great practice tool for the beginner.
As good as the snare and tom pads seem to be, the cymbals are the most difficult to deal with in lessons and otherwise. It just doesn't translate well for me and my biggest struggle is consistency here and being able to find the "feel" and nuance here. I'd love to see a video discussing electronic hat, crash and rides.
Thx for the video .. long time lurker :D
I just got a great deal on a basic Alesis Turbo kit today. I’m a guitarist but I’ve always wanted one. It’s fun af
You can drop a circular adhesive spot where your beater hits the kick head. I use a felt beater with that setup because it’s quieter than plastic.
1 tip that I would recommend is make the rims of the toms silent as they still make the same sound as the head on an electronic kit. The reason I do this is because when I switch to acoustic I kept hitting the rims expecting it to make the same sound as the head but it obviously didn't.
Only on your e-kit. Most Roland kits with dual trigger heads have the classic tom metal rim sound (if you have not mapped it to something else like a cowbell)
Personal tip if you aren’t a fan of the Tom sounds on your e kit: If you can detune the Tom virtually then find a dry or thud like tom and detune it and then make the toms slightly less sensetive. It helps more with the shotgun effect (robotic or artificial sound) and can help with dynamics sounding better with a more, “realistic” variation of sound. This tip also kinda works with the snare but in my personal findings de tuning doesn’t help and some snare sounds will vary in being better and or even worse.
Roland td17 kvx all the way. Customizing kits from all the Drumeo percussionists has been a blast. Electronic is a whole different monster. It is an instrument all drummers need to experience and expand.
And get some Electronic drummers up there Drumeo. Flip the script
Love electronic drums...such time savers...neighborhood friendly... tuning generally never needed...awesome to record with...tweak able on the fly...plug into a PA in seconds....a palate of different kits at your fingertips... easy to setup and load in the car...skin changes almost never...can play at 3.00am in the morning...can be packed in a corner...different drum modules and pads can be changed in minutes...instead of spending time setting up you can be chilling with a drink....they are the new reality and constantly improving the technology... I LOVE ACOUSTIC ALSO but they have many restrictions in populated areas especially at night..😍 YAMAHA DTXtreme with full hi-hat and 12" snare....tunable adjusters on toms.. triple zone cymbal's..
Just got my first EDK...Alesis Command X. It's awesome for my hip hop band. Thanks for the nylon tip suggestion.
Playing with dynamics -- with acoustic drums, especially when recording, you almost always need more snare and bass drum, and less cymbals. So if you plan to play out on acoustic drums (or record with them), I'd HIGHLY recommend actually making your cymbals louder on your eKit, so that you learn to hit the bass/snare/toms harder than your cymbals -- giving you, the sound guy, and your audience a better experience overall.
In the past, I played an old school Simmons SDS 9. On gigs, I used acoustic cymbals and achieved a pretty decent balance in a live situation. Micing the high-hat was tricky because the mic picked up some pad noise. For me, playing drums is kick, sd and hi-hat with everything else being gravy if you catch my meaning. So, live, the Simmons was fairly easy to control in monitors and mains and at the time (90’s) that was really helpful on gigs.
Only play electronic drums, use a Roland TD12 and 2Box Drumit5 have a Tama SilverStar with mesh heads and 2box Triggers for stage gigs, I use a felt disc on both 2box kick and Tama., to gig with you need good amps/pa , Still got perfect hearing at 62. Thankyou E kits lol
To be able to control the levels of all individual pads is really a problem for learning dynamics. You can use it to your advantage, though. I always turn the kick and snare lower and the cymbals and hi-hat up. If you can make it sound good that way you will sound really good on an acoustic kit.
Been playing a cheap Alesis Nitro Mesh kit for a year. I ended up adding L-80 hi-hat and ride cause I couldn't get over the feel and response of the pads. Worked out great and I used the pads as extra crash sounds. I mic the hat and ride and run the kit trough a small mixer so I can play with headphones. I had to play with micing of the L-80 hat and ride cause they sound weird, but its dialed now and feels better to me.
You can use bass drum patches on your ekit too. Mesh or rubber. Then you can use whatever beater you like.
2:21 He is using the shure se215s, They are amazing IEM (In-ear monitor), Well worth the price also you can use them as hearing protection on a acoustic kit as well
So enjoyed the video and all the tips here. No room for the full kit and missing being able to play.
I used to have both an electric and acoustic kit, but it got to the point where the acoustic drums were just gathering dust. From being able to play whenever I want (usually at night), to ease of recording, to inexpensively / instantly swapping different cymbals and drums, etc...the electric kit is, for me, superior. That said, I will definitely give the edge to acoustic kits when it comes to how they look, and also how they feel when you're really hammering on them. They move differently (in a good way), beneath the weight of your strikes.
I love my Roland V-Pro drum set more than I love my DW acoustic set. Where I usually had trouble tuning my acoustic heads, or concerned about sound in general, I don't have the same issue with Electronic. The key is to get to know the Module as you mentioned. You can get any kind of response or sound you want.
I just switched to electric drums after playing acoustic for 21 years. All mesh heads is recommended over rubber heads. The cymbals are the hardest to adjust to. Setting it up like my acoustic set made it easy to make the switch.
Learning to play on the acoustic set first helped me transition to the electronic. I feel there’s some things you just need to learn and master on the acoustic before the electronic.
i would like to see a video on how to setup an electronic drum kit so that it mirrors an acoustic as much as possible so that the transition between the two are always aligned as possible so we are not out of sort when playing acoustic off and on. i am on drumeo 7 day trial and found your tutorial on setting up a drum kit and using that right now - but still wouldnt mind knowing the best dynamics to adjust compensate and prepare for eg trigger settings etc ... btw your tutorials are awesome! thanks so much!!! :)
I have a Roland TD9 with custom built snare and stand tom, the rest ist original, plus i added one cymbal pad.
I use Pioneer SE-CH9T. They are great for the money.
Ive played both electric and acoustic drums, each has their pros and con. I prefer the acoustic ( given a choice) but the 2 things that bother me about the electronic ones is the snare drums are too small and the cymbal triggers are crap. Ive owned both Yamaha and Rolands and both have had cymbals crap out. Its good to see that manufacturers making larger snares now. I loved my Pearl acoustics with Zidjan cymbals but condo living made me sell them. I agree with most comments on this video.