Electronic or Acoustic Drums?

There was a time many years ago when electronic drums were something of a novelty.. great for adding a bit of visual effect on Top of the Pops, but definitely sounding nothing like a real drum set. I remember all too well the rise of the Simmons electronic drums in the 1980s, with their distinctive hexagon shaped pads, and how excited we used to be when the latest model came out with loads of extra knobs, buttons, and flashing lights.... but looking back they never sounded like acoustic drums, and certainly didnt play like them..... you could play 20 fast notes on the snare pad and only a dozen would be picked up..... and you could forget about dynamics and nuances....these things were all or nothing! In short, they were a bit of a gimmick, but the seed had been sowed....

Fast forward a few decades, and electronic drums are now a mainstream instrument, used by serious drummers both live and in the studio. Technology has caught up with the playing demands of drummers, and todays electronic drum kits are responsive, sound great, and are cheaper than they have ever been. Now featuring digital samples of real drum and percussion instruments, these digital drum sets put a huge collection of sounds at the drummers fingertips (or should that be stick tips!).....want to sound like a rock kit with deep toms and big cymbals?...easy..... how about an open, jazz kit sound?....no problem...... maybe looking for some high pitched drum n bass sounds?... its all in there! 

For this reason, electronic drums are now widely used, and especially so in homes, practice rooms, and tuition studios. Simply plug in a set of headphones and play to your hearts content.....you get to hear all those great digital drum sounds, and your housemates hear nothing! Certainly for home use, the electronic drum kit has become king. They are responsive enough now to pick up all the notes that you play, and will even reproduce drum rolls etc smoothly and evenly. As an added bonus, not only are they quieter than their acoustic counterparts, but they often have a host of useful features for practicing built-in.... click tracks so you can check your timing with the on board metronome, play along backing tracks to jam along to, and often the facility to hook up to a laptop and use tuition software (or programs such as Rolands Friends jam). So, they are the perfect kit for anyone taking drum lessons and wanting to play at home.

But what about acoustic drums? Well they will certainly be around for years and years to come, and definitely have their uses. Firstly, for drummers who want to take a kit along to a band practice or just jam with friends in a garage, an acoustic kit is self contained and wont require a large external amplifier in order to be heard over the bass and guitars etc. . Secondly, as far as responsiveness goes, nothing beats a real drum. And thirdly...... appearance. To many people, seeing an electronic drum set on stage just doesnt look right......maybe you just cant beat the look of all those drums, surrounded by chromed hardware and shiny cymbals!

So, there are pros and cons for both electronic and acoustic drumkits...Over the next few weeks im aiming to produce some videos demonstrating the features of various electroninc kits and showing you what exactly you are getting for your money. Meanwhile, if you have any questions regarding any of this, or are looking for product recommendations, please feel free to get in touch and drop me an email at [email protected]