Beginner advise on e-drumset

[VeeSpade]

Hi all,

I just joined the forum, but not a drummer yet
I am about to start playing the drums, and I wanted some advice on purchasing an electronic drum set. I don't know many things, including technical terminology, so please bear with me.

Things I know I want:

Of course I'd like to have ten million sounds I can play with, but I would choose quality over quantity any day. I would like to have an as-much-as-possible natural feeling/response (the more it simulates the behavior of an acoustic, the better). I am aiming on buying a good, cheap set, that I will gradually upgrade moving forward, but could still keep up if I want to play with some friends (without sounding awful).

I have played a little on acoustic sets, I have 0 experience with e-drums, so any advice is appreciated.

I will probably buy a new set, as I had no luck looking through the classifieds here. I have found a few sets around my price range, and researching I found they sound very satisfying, what do you guys think?

- Millenium mps-500 - 429 euros

- Alesis DM7X session kit - 398 euros

- Yamaha DTX430K Compact - 398 euros

I am willing to spend 500 euros absolute max, and only in case I find something that's really worth it.

Thank you in advance!

Sorry VeeSpade, but direct links to retailers are not allowed according to our Forum Rules. I have given you the pictures and pricing instead. You are welcome to copy the specifications of the kits and post them here if you want that information posted, as well. - PB

[dt344]

Hello VeeSpade, and welcome to DrumChat!

I think that in general, the consensus is that the smartest purchase for someone learning to play is a used acoustic drumset.

There are many reasons for this, but here are two really good ones:

1. Good quality drums that are used can often be found for cheaper than a brand new intro-level kit.
2. Learning on an electronic set can (but not always) cause some issues in the technique that you learn because the pads don't feel exactly like drums and you don't get the same dynamic response.

So, my best advice to you would be to go to garage sales or used instrument stores or look online and get a good quality set of used acoustic drums. Once you polish them up and put new heads on them, they'll look like new and you will have gotten a lot more for your money.

That being said, if you decide you want to get an electronic kit I would recommend the Millenium mps-500 that you mentioned, for two reasons - one, it has at least one mesh head (on the snare) instead of the rubber pads, so at least the snare will feel relatively close to a real drum, and second it has the stand-up bass drum pad, meaning you can upgrade the bass drum pedal and potentially develop some actual kick drum technique if you learn on it.

That's my 2 cents at least!

[HolyChina]

Go caustic unless your living conditions don't allow the room/ noise. Even if you are really interested in electric sounds you could buy either drum triggers or i think some companies i think pearl make head conversions so you have electric on a acoustic set

[8beat]

You might look at some compact electronic drum kits. They are like practice pads but have the sounds of about 50 drum kits. Handy for practicing rudiments, grooves and fills. Portable enough to take over to someone's house for jam sessions. Volume control so you don't disturb people. Might sound good plugged into a PA. New they might cost about 100 Euro.

[Bish]

VeeSpade,

Welcome to Drum Chat. To answer your question, indirectly, You are going to get many different opinions so here's mine.

Feel, for a beginner isn't going to mean anything until you develop your technique and rhythm. Tons of drummers over the years used a tiny practice pad to learn on. The electric drum (rubber faced) is a practice pad and sensor to give you some sound effects. I think other than the acoustic clatter that you emit they are just fine for you. If you need total quiet then you want to consider a mesh type of design.

The drum module is the key to any electric kit. The better the sounds and the more there are is a nice bonus but you want to have as many inputs as you can as well as a dynamic hi-hat which means it has the variable sounds that a real hi-hat gives off depending on the pressure you put on it while in play.

Keep in mind with most items of this nature, you will still need to purchase a "bass drum" pedal, throne, sticks and headphones. Same is true of acoustic kits but these are other expenses you will have to deal with.

Last but certainly not least, gather as much information as you can including everyone's opinion but the buyer has to be the one who tests them out before the purchase. No matter what we say, you will make the final decision in your purchase.

With technology today I think all kits in the same price range will be fairly equal. Your biggest challenge could be to learn to use the sound module effectively. The better ones also give you the ability to isolate and sensitize each pad separately. That's important so you don't get double triggering or cross triggering.

One other thought, as you research what is best for you to buy, be sure to ask what other users did NOT like about theirs.

Enjoy the shopping.

[jgziegler]

Hi,

While it is true you'll probably be able to get better value from a used acoustic, don't let people scare you off of e-drums.

I got the Yamaha dtx 500 for slightly over your budget (about 600euro), and it's worth every penny. The sound quality is really good, and I defy anyone to tell me they can hear the difference when there's a guitar, bass and vocals going as well. There is definitely less dynamic range with the e-kit, but that shouldn't hurt your technique if you practice intelligently. I've expanded mine over time, as you can see in my pics, still with the same module (less possible with the 400 module).

I have some experience with the Alesis, my drum teacher has it. His reaction to playing on my set was anger, he wished he'd spent the extra 150 euro to get mine. The biggest differences are in sound quality, the wiring, ease of use, and most important rhythm gate, a function which tells you how accurately you are playing, which is most important for drummers. Another benefit of this function is that for me anyway, it makes the boring aspects of practicing rudiments and patterns fun because I have a challenge aspect as well as a way of measuring my progress (two important keys for learning anything!).

So don't get the Alesis, and my price range was basically yours, and after a lot of online reading, I spent a bit more. It's worth it. good luck!

[l_e_i_g_h]

You can have both if you're open.

By switching over your normal heads with mesh, and putting triggers on the mesh heads you can still have a number of options (re: electronic sounds).

Some options for an acoustic kit:
1.) Pearl Rhythm Traveler

Here's a recording:



Pros: Already has Mesh Heads

2.) Questlove's Ludwig Breakbeats




And you can attach triggers like these[/URL] and purchase a brain (for the sounds) like the Roland TD-8.




As Bish mentioned it is a good idea to shell out a bit more for the module (your sound source). The other option is to go for a software solution (like superior drummer) once you've acquired a drum module that has MIDI.

Here's a video demo:



* Jump to 2:40 to get to the point when the Superior Drummer sounds are being tested

I guess the downside of going that option is you'll go over budget. Though you can go acoustic then later purchase (once your budget has increased) the items needed to convert it to an e-kit.


Based on your choices, I'd encourage you to go for the Alesis DM7X session kit.

Though maybe you might consider adding a bit to get a Yamaha DTX 500 like jgziegler.

With that said, I agree with DT's advice about quality drums bought second hand at a good price. How about asking your local drum shop if they have any second hand items for sale? (if you're not comfortable going directly to a private seller)

Also DT mentioned going acoustic rather than electric. I too like this option because it is a good way to go because you get to experience "sound as created". Though the risk is you might become gear obsessed as you improve in your playing (wanting to purchase more cymbals and snares to compliment your sound).

Now...noise may be another issue as HC pointed out. I myself like my set-up (acoustic turned e-kit) because I can record anytime I want.

[rallydrummer]

i know not everyone will agree with me, but some might...

when i play an entry level e-kit like the ones posted, i feel like i'm playing rock band. it doesn't even feel like drumming to me. maybe its because i've played acoustic for a long time, but i just can't do it. it doesn't feel natural at all and is not nearly sensitive enough for me. this is even more obvious to me with the e-cymbals and hats.

the only e-kit i've ever played that i honestly thought i could use to replace an acoustic kit was the Roland td-30. unfortunately it costs as much as i paid for my car...

[MikeRoyale]

I am a new drummer also - about 11 months of experience. I started out on a cheapie electronic kit, Simmons SD7-PK I believe, that was a few years old. I paid $200 for it from a guy on Craigslist. The best thing about being a newbie is you don't know what sucks yet! I loved my cheap Simmons kit - it sounded like drums to me and if nothing else it got me playing and taking lessons. Whether you start out on acoustic or electric just start! I would encourage you strongly to look for a used kit and try not to spend anymore than $500 or so - if you can find a deal like mine take it. By spending less money you can effectively dip your toe in the water so to speak and if you don't like it you won't be out of pocket for a lot of money - and new ekits cost a lot of money. Good luck and welcome to the forum!

Mike

[hippychip]

i know not everyone will agree with me, but some might...

when i play an entry level e-kit like the ones posted, i feel like i'm playing rock band. it doesn't even feel like drumming to me. maybe its because i've played acoustic for a long time, but i just can't do it. it doesn't feel natural at all and is not nearly sensitive enough for me. this is even more obvious to me with the e-cymbals and hats.

the only e-kit i've ever played that i honestly thought i could use to replace an acoustic kit was the Roland td-30. unfortunately it costs as much as i paid for my car...

I tried a set of those, and if you close your eyes they almost feel like real drums, but for 7500 bucks (plus kick pedal, hi-hat stand, throne, and amp) I think I'll pass! Anything I tried that was under 3 grand was like a kid's toy to me---acoustic or nothing for me

[rallydrummer]

I tried a set of those, and if you close your eyes they almost feel like real drums, but for 7500 bucks (plus kick pedal, hi-hat stand, throne, and amp) I think I'll pass! Anything I tried that was under 3 grand was like a kid's toy to me---acoustic or nothing for me

exactly how i feel about it. unless of course i come across a bunch of money lol even then the only electronic kit i buy would have to be a flagship model, and even then i would still probably play my acoustics more

[Warren Wright]

Hi,

While it is true you'll probably be able to get better value from a used acoustic, don't let people scare you off of e-drums.

I got the Yamaha dtx 500 for slightly over your budget (about 600euro), and it's worth every penny. The sound quality is really good, and I defy anyone to tell me they can hear the difference when there's a guitar, bass and vocals going as well. There is definitely less dynamic range with the e-kit, but that shouldn't hurt your technique if you practice intelligently. I've expanded mine over time, as you can see in my pics, still with the same module (less possible with the 400 module).

I have some experience with the Alesis, my drum teacher has it. His reaction to playing on my set was anger, he wished he'd spent the extra 150 euro to get mine. The biggest differences are in sound quality, the wiring, ease of use, and most important rhythm gate, a function which tells you how accurately you are playing, which is most important for drummers. Another benefit of this function is that for me anyway, it makes the boring aspects of practicing rudiments and patterns fun because I have a challenge aspect as well as a way of measuring my progress (two important keys for learning anything!).

So don't get the Alesis, and my price range was basically yours, and after a lot of online reading, I spent a bit more. It's worth it. good luck!

I too have the Yamaha DTX-500K E-kit - I did pick up the 3-zone ride cymbal and accompanying clamp/stand for it and used a 1/4 Male to 2 1/4 female plugs to give me 2 crash cymbals instead of just one although both have the same tone and volume but one is on the left side and the other one is on the right side. I play out with this kit several times a month on paying gigs and run it thru the board - sounds just like a mic'd up "acoustic kit" .
Yamaha or Roland would my two choices for either brand new or used E-Kits~!

[VeeSpade]

Hey guys I've yet to get a drumset, so i have spent a lot of time researching, and I think I'll try to go with an acoustic converted to electronic. I really liked the Mark Drum kit, but I don't think I want something so closed, and the fact that I can't find sufficient information on many subjects, seems a bit sketchy, to me...

Since I want my kit to be as close as possible to an acoustic, I think the conversion option is boss, and hey, I still have an actual drumset :D If anyone can help with the hardware on this, I'd really appreciate it I basically need to know how I should go about making the conversion as best as possible, in terms of electronics. I want the kit to react and sound as close to an acoustic as possible. My budget would go as high as $1800 for the whole kit, minus an amp.

Again, much appreciate the responses :D