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Choosing An Electronic Drumkit

Graham — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 13:48:52 +0000

I’ve been playing ddrum electronic kits since 1992. I still own a ddrum AT module, a ddrum4 module, a ddrum3 pad set and a ddrum4 cymbal and hi-hat pad set. I have also used a TD-20 with the full Roland pad setup quite regularly so I think I might be able to offer you some insight.

I will firstly give my opinion of some modules and then give a list of questions you need to make sure you answer or you will quite possibly not be happy with your purchase.

In my opinion, Roland gear is generally over-rated and I feel most people who recommend them are either new to electronics or have not used any other electronic gear for an extended period of time. With that said, with the exception of the hi-hats, the ddrum3 and ddrum4 modules are still better at reproducing accurate drum sounds than the TD-12 and TD-20. Roland really has the hi-hat down and it is one of the areas ddrum lacks, as it only has 4 possible hi-hat sounds – closed, open, half-open and foot-chick. The other areas ddrum could improve at the number of inputs, amount of memory and sample dump speed.

The Yamaha DTXTREME IIS is quite a good unit and I believe the Roland TD-20 is only slightly better than the Yamaha, but I would choose the Yamaha given the choice between the two.

I also have an older Alesis D4 and that module was good value for the price. I believe the DM5 is much better than the D4, but I have never had an opportunity to play a DM5. If budget is your primary concern, look at the cheaper Yamaha kits or even the TD-6 (ick, i know — contradiction). An Alesis DM5 would be a good choice for someone only wanting to trigger effects, kick and perhaps snare sounds.

–opinion over–

Ok, so when you are buying an e-kit you need to answer these questions:

Does the module have enough inputs for my pads/triggers? You will need a minimum of 10 inputs in my opinion – kick, snare, rim, 3 toms, 3 cymbals, hi-hat.
If I want to add pads/triggers in the future, does the unit have the capability?
Am I happy with the sound quality? (not the salesman)
Can I add in new sounds or my own custom samples? Can I save my own kit configurations? Is the interface easy to program?
Can I connect the module to a computer and does it come with computer editing software?
Can I hear the playback via headphones?
How many outputs does the unit have? Can I split the drums and cymbals to different output? Can I assign an output for the snare and kick, independent of the toms and cymbals?
How easy is it to set the pan? How easy is it to adjust the gain and threshold?
Does the module have on-board effects? Do I care if it doesn’t (such as you already own a decent effects unit)?
Does the module have a click track? Again, do I care if it doesn’t?
Does the module have the ability to accept a sound source input so I can play along to music tracks? Again, do I care if it doesn’t (such as you already have a mixer)?
When I strike one pad hard, does it trigger sounds from other pads?
When I strike two pads at the same time, can I hear both sounds being triggered? If you have a dual-zone pad, can you strike the rim and not hear the pad sound? And vice-versa?
When I strike a pad softly and build up to loud hits, how good are they dynamics represented?
When I play a press or buzz roll, does it sound like a snare drum or a ‘machine gun’? How easy is it to adjust the threshold or gains on the trigger inputs to reduce this?
If your concerned about the noise made when striking the pads, how loud is it when the pad is hit? Can I change the heads to mesh heads to further reduce the impact noise?
What is the quality of the hardware and pads/triggers? Are the pads single or dual-zoned? Are the cymbal pads choke-able? Do the pads offer position sensing depending on where the pad is hit?
And finally, does the kit fit into my budget? If not, if I really want this, how long will it take me to get this?

Regardless of which module and pads you choose, make sure you answer those questions honestly and you are happy with the answers. I hope this helps someone choosing their electronic drum setup.

New Snare Drum

Graham — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 12:10:17 +0000

Just a quick post. I just purchased a new snare drum and I am quite pleased with it. It’s a Pearl Black Nickel Brass Sensitone Classic II. The specs are as follows:

14″x5″, SensiTone Classic II
Beaded Brass shell, Black nickel finish
Die Cast “MasterCast” hoops
Tube Lugs
SR-017 strainer
Stainless Steel tension rods

This snare comes highly recommended and has been used by many drummers including Chad Smith from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The snare sound has been described as versatile, very crisp crack with minimal overtones, and it produces a nice mix of the bite of metal and the warmth and darkness of wood. It sounds like it is one of those must have snares and I am looking forward to many years of drumming with this one.

New Cymbal Setup

Graham — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 12:31:00 +0000

Well, the big day has arrived! Today I got 5 out of the 6 cymbals for my new setup. So, here is the list of new cymbals I now have:

Hi-Hats: 14″ A Zildjian New Beat Hi-Hats
Ride: 20″ A Zildjian Deep Ride
Crash 1: 18″ A Zildjian Medium-Thin
Crash 2: 19″ A Zildjian Medium-Thin
Small Crash/Splash: 12″ A Zildjian Splash

I still want to get one more crash cymbal and I am having trouble deciding between the 18″ K Zildjian Dark Crash Medium-Thin or the 19″ A Zildjian Medium Thin Crash.

So, what made choose these, even though I was pretty sure I wanted them anyway?

Well, I did what you might call a blindfold test. I had a staff member from the drum shop hit the cymbals for me without me knowing about brands or types or looking at the actual cymbals and I shortlisted cymbals I liked by listening about 10 feet away. Funny thing was, every one I liked was a Zildjian cymbal. This surprised me that I selected just one brand but I am very happy with these new cymbals and I can’t wait to have a go at them with the band.

Here is a picture of the new ride:

Tigris

Graham — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 03:01:39 +0000

Lamond aka Peter Spanos, member and Musical Director of Tigris, has been actively pursuing a solo career. His melodic rock songs are set to inspire and tempt listeners. I have personally been involved with Peter musically (playing drums) and helping out occassionally with PC music production. He is a very creative musician and a talented songwriter that I have enjoyed working with musically and we have become good friends over the years.

Peter is also available for your music production needs and for music tuition as a vocals and guitar teacher. Peter already has a number of students and enjoys giving back to them some of skills and knowledge he has obtained during his career.

If you are interested in finding out more about Tigris, please visit www.tigris.com.au

20 Minute Drum Practise Session – Part Two

Graham — Sat, 06 May 2006 13:05:02 +0000

Sometimes, when you only have 20 minutes spare to play drums and the last thing you want to do is practise rudiments, such as the ones I listed in Part One, you feel like playing along to some songs instead. I have specifically created a CD for my practise needs and the first six songs on the CD are songs that are challenging yet offer you fun when playing them. At the risk of getting flamed, here are those six songs:

Toto – Hold The Line – Drummer: Jeff Porcaro
Stone Temple Pilots – Plush – Drummer: Erik Kretz
Buckcherry – Next 2 You – Drummer: Xavier Muriel
The Best Thing – Boom Crash Opera – Drummer: Peter Maslen
Beyonce – Crazy In Love – Drummer: Gerald Heyward
Jamie Cullum – Singin’ In The Rain – Drummer: Sebastiaan de Krom

So you can see, they are a fairly varied bunch of songs covering a couple of popular music styles. I wonder what six songs everyone else practises to?