But I have learned alot over the past few weeks andE-drums have many benefits that all drummers from beginners to pro's can enjoy and appreciate.
So after 20 years, I am coming out of retirement. Maybe it's this site? Maybe it's Tash, maybe it's the KFS site, I dont know. Could be a mid life crisis...but I am going to start playing again and I am getting a new drum set just as soon as I can, and here's the best part....my wife seems to support me on this.
So the decision was what kind....acoustic or electronic?
It was decided very early on that e-drums would be the way to go.
I can take any piece of crap acoustic drum and make it playable and sound well. I know how to get the most out of them...but I cant do that with e-drums.
Point is...not all e-drums are the same.
Some kits are extremely expensive too. So....I have narrowed my choices after much thought and testing to the Roland HD1 and the Yamaha DTXplorer. These are the 2 companies entry level kits. And are very affordable.
I will post a review on each one shortly.
Here's the deal.
The absolute greatest benefit of owning ANY kind of E-Drum is this. Silence!!! Not for you or me, but for everyone else.
I dont care if you are the frickin greatest drummer in the world and your rythms are sweeter than honey.....someone is going to get a headache. Might me your neighbor, your dog, your spouse, kids...someone will have to reach for the tylenol!
So unless you live on a farm, by yourself, 1/2 mile away from your nearest neighbor, e-drums offer a HUGE benefit over acoustics.
Ok....other advantages.....
You dont have to tune them if you dont want to. the controller or "brains" of an e-kit will come with a variety of kits already programmed in..and tuning to a different sound of drum is as simple as pressing a button.
Recording and mixing.....well..you cant connect an A-kit to your computer. You can mike up an a-kit and run it thru a soundboard, but then the sound man will ALWAYS.....get ticked if you play too loud. Trust me on this one.
That can't happen with an e-kit....they just mix right in like an electric guitar.
Disadvantages....with some e-kits expandability is an issue. You might have to get a new "brain" to expand the kit...depending on what you have started with. I will go into more detail on this when I post my review on 2 kits I like.
But lets not diss acoustics entirely. Afterall they are my babies.
I will always prefer an acoustic kit over an ekit....however....from a perspective of practicing..and recording...you just can't beat an e-kit. No pun intended.
Gigging.....if you find yourself in a band....then where e-kits really shine are as an addon to an acoustic kit. The pads on an e-kit can be used as triggers (supplemental sounds.) You can gig with the just about any e-kit without any acoustics...however the monitor you have for gigging will need to be strong enough to support the sound system. And then there is personal preference. I would prefer an a-kit for gigging with e-pads for triggers.
Ok that's the deal.
I would recommend E-drums for all. I can not endorse one retailer over another so pm me if you are interested in knowing where the best deals are, at least that I have found.
Now what does this 'gonna start playing again' business mean, exactly? I admit to feeling some excitement over this. ^_^
