Everything You Need To Know About Electronic Drum Kits

Looking into buying your first E-Kit? This video will answer all of your questions.
#electronicdrumset #electronicdrums

[@deswighton8011]

They're great until you want to move them - un-wiring and re-wiring takes as long as any gig. I notice the adverts for e-kits never show the mass of wires connecting to components to the brain!

[@ArcaneArrow]

That’s true about adverts for sure. I used approximately 125 Velcro ties to bundle all of my cabling to the rack and make it as clean as possible. If I was to play live I would just disconnect from the pads and cymbals, remove pads and cymbals, and the fold up the rack with all cabling still connected to the rack. It was an extremely time consuming thing to do at first but am very glad I took the time to do it.

[@jhr07]

I have an Alesis Nitro Max kit and when I move it, I just take the pedals off, loosen the braces and fold them in. I do not take off the pads or cymbals and it’s worked great for me so far. Now, if they would just make a light weight drum amp I’d be set! 😊 I also use EZ Drummer 3 through my MacBook to trigger MIDI. Sounds great!

[@ArcaneArrow]

That’s great!

[@sharkuel]

Usually takes the same time it takes to mic up an acoustic kit. That isn't a valid point. It's like saying that electric guitars are more cumbersome than acoustics because you have to connect them to amps and pedals. If the cables are labeled, you can rewire a kit in 10 minutes, it all comes to practice and knowing your kit.

[@Iamadrummer]

For the most part, I can leave over 90% of the wires and cables plugged in when moving or transporting my e-kit. The setup of my e-kit I can do in about 20 minutes. My acoustic kit takes a bit longer to set up, and if I have to mic the kit, the setup takes almost an hour, and then there is a sound check that has to dial in every microphone. With my e-kit sound check is very simple as the module is pretty dialed in, and I only have to play it briefly to make sure there is sound and loud enough.

[@eDrumsInANutshell]

Wohooo! Nice setup! Another underrated eDrum channel, like mine! 🙂 eDrums changed my life. Really! Being a hobby metal drummer, originally, I came to edrums at Xmas 2019. At first I didn't want to get an ekit for the kids, like my wife suggested. But then, ... I ordered a low priced MPS-850 and EZDrummer2 and baaaam! That was it, with ... for the kids! Man, I love, I ... really ... it's now like ... a religion. So, to earn a living I got a PhD in physics, and now it all comes together ... music and drums, electronics and computers... and tons of SD3 libraries and VSTs instruments and plug-ins and MIDI controllers. Damn, I know about mixolydian flat 6! As a drummer. :-)

[@ArcaneArrow]

Love your story brother! Keep your channel up too. Just subbed to it and want more.

[@sinbinn74]

I've been converted to e-drums. Bought mine in June 2020 and have replaced one pair of sticks. I have had to replace a few components, but it's also a cheaper kit so that's to be expected. I spent 3 years playing in a 2nd floor apartment. Never had one complaint. Great video! Nice Austin FC jacket as well!

[@ArcaneArrow]

Well that's great about not getting griped at from lower neighbors. Bummer to read you had to replace some pieces. Which kit was it? LISTOS!!!

[@eDrumsInANutshell]

I am still fine with my Fame/Alesis/Medeli like pads for toms and I am using Lemon cymbals all over. Man, size matters - 18" ride etc. looks awesome. I replaced the Thomann Millenium module by the Audiofront eDRUMin trigger2midi interfaces and do VST drumming. I am a Toontrack drum library guy ... and THAT was a huge step in terms of sound quality. Whooo ... And I state that no hobby or semi pro drummer have such an amazing sound. And I learned a lot about mixing. Damn. They got tons of mices there, near, far, ambience mics and ... amazing. And the great thing is, it doesn't matter if you use a $70 snare pad or a $500 Roland pad or with module, at least for the sound. Of course, like CK mentioned. In terms of feeling .. sure. Playing on an 8" snare pad is not ... great. But ... anyway. I feel like it makes you play more precisely with regard to were you hit the drums head. For me this is journey with some DIY stuff, to make things feeling better, without spending hundreds of $$$, like the HiHat 15" Lemon cymbal and DIY Hall sensor as hihat controller. A DIY drum-tec like snare to try the positional sensing, great stuff. The simple butt kicker on my chair... And the Roland to Yamaha re-wiring config I did on the Lemon cymbals to save some inputs in the eDRUMin modules. Oh, I am maundering here. But for me, now it is definitely a passion. Of course not only playing, obviously. If I had more space I would grab propably grab some drum-tec drum shells and ATV or Roland cymbals. As you said, better look and feel but still just a $0.20 piezio or two. So therefore I am totally satisfied with this setup. The endless possibilities. Do you use Ableton for backing tracks etc.? Awesome. Therefore a grabbed a low-priced sample pad. :-) I am too stingy to pay $600 just for a trigger signal. I don't need the sounds. Ha... I am so silly, that I tried to trigger some LED pars and LED stripes via DMX when hitting the pads. Totally useless... But ... looks so cool, going down the toms and the LEDs are following. I recently grabbed a used RME Babyface audio interface. That was another "milestone". Lower latency, great sound. Together with my - also used old - LakePeople headphone amp. Outstanding. I am using in ear monitoring, as I did on an acoustic kit. CK, you use these huge monitors no IEMs? OK guys, I will stop here. I think I have to do a rig rundown. Obviously, for me the sound was more important that shiny, fancy pads. Was it the right way... Yap. The transients are hitting through like ... like on a real set. Last year I grabbed the MixWave Tony Royster jr. pack. Also great stuff.

[@sweetdragon36067]

I played an acoustic kit for a very long time and always worried about disturbing neighbors or people in my own house. I finally purchased a TD-17KVX and was completely blown away by all the features. It actually made me a better drummer: you play longer at anytime of the day or night. The features are awesome with a built-in metronome and able to enter recorded music directly into the module to practice with it. Listen to the drum parts of a song and control the speed to dissect the drum part. It comes with 50 prerecorded drum kits to select to increase your playing enjoyment.

[@ArcaneArrow]

You get it! 🤙🤙

[@MannyTheDrummer88]

The way I solved the booming of my bass drum is that I just mounted an extra tom pad derectly to my rack. Instead of using the drum tour and it works so well that now the bass drum is the quietest thing on my entire kit. Thanks for the video, which is very informative cheers. 🤗🥁😉

[@ArcaneArrow]

That’s brilliant! Very clever idea. I suppose you could all all sorts of down hanging pads and pedals for lots of extra sounds. Thank you for sharing your wisdom!

[@joekt22]

Nicely done presentation man! I went with Roland TD-17KVX to be able to practice my drumming more frequently and I love it. I have a DW kit mic'd in a whisper room here also and a Yamaha acoustic kit where we jam live but always gravitate to the e kit. It's too easy and if I want loud I have a Roland KC 440 next to me that I just turn on and go. My favorite feature is the ability to play along with the actual studio song I want to cover or a backing track by simply bring it up on my phone and hitting play ... go, Easy as it gets! I route the module to my audio interface and into pro tools and voila!, I can listen to what I just played and review it in minutes. Great to lay down tracks for songs I am writing as well. All around as versatile as anything you could imagine. These e kits are a game changer for any drummer willing to shell out a couple grand. BTW, I purchased my kit three and a half yers go and have never had any issues. I did change sticks once, only because I changed the size of the sticks I use. Only thing I changed is to an upgraded mesh kick drum and ditched the pad module that came with the kit so it would stay in place and have been pleased with the change. CHEERS and Rock on!

[@ArcaneArrow]

Thanks for sharing. I love hosting ‘Drum Party’ evenings where all the guests take turns playing drums to their favorite songs. Bluetoothed into the PA system and the kit direct in, people just sit down, pick their song and have a go. I’ve had so many people sit at a drum set for the first time and they are so nervous. So I make sure the music is loud to help distract them then I stand in front of the kit and direct them with my arms until they start to find their groove. And by the end of the night they often refer to it as one of their favorite times with a group.

[@ArcherBrianJames]

Lots of really great info! Loved that

[@ArcaneArrow]

Thanks brother. Having friends with kids that want to play drums made this video pretty easy to make.

[@LeandroLAndrade]

As always… good quality content!

[@ArcaneArrow]

Thank you brother 🤙

[@napynap]

I remember the Alesis D5 drum module back in the ealy 90s, so they've been at it a long time!

[@ArcaneArrow]

Going strong 💪

[@jeppo1185]

What a great presentation of the ekit and all of it's benefits. Thanks👏

[@ArcaneArrow]

Thank you very much!! Glad you liked it.

[@philippefrater2000]

Got a TD20k for 21 years now. Still crazy as F! 🖖🏻🇫🇷😎🇫🇷😎🇫🇷🖖🏻

[@ArcaneArrow]

You know it!!

[@listener84]

Great vid!

[@ArcaneArrow]

Thank you!!

[@dougcampbell3593]

Nice vid, man ... been playing Roland V-Drums for about 6 years ... love them! No problems what so ever and I know if I do, all I have to do is head over to Capital Music Center ... our local Roland guys are pretty cool and always happy to help. You might even know them as I see you're wearing an Austin FC jacket, ha! Nice 😎🤙

[@ArcaneArrow]

Listos! I actually just relocated from ATX to KC. But the music shops there are second to none. I do miss it, just having the convenience of popping into a music shop and getting what you need. A little more sparse here.

[@pedrolsantiagosr5092]

Great video TK, question, i play the 507 Roland kit and love it. I use a pair of 12" Mackey Thumps when playing live but im not super happy with the sound. I noticed you have a small mixer.-- I hear using a mixer dramatically improve live sound (small rm gigs). Can you offer any recommendations?

[@ArcaneArrow]

Absolutely. I use an 8 channel Harbinger pre amp (Guitar Center’s brand) and then two Electro-Voice ZLX 12BT floor monitors. First off, you’ll have more power and volume than you could imagine. And you’ll have basic EQ control through the pre amp as well as the monitors. You’ll be able to dial in the clarity and punch you desire no problem.

[@pour-g8677]

The most satisfying for me as an acoustic drummer is seeing my stick chip out.. maybe because i can see my progress as a beginner.. rubber pads ekit are really loud too.. so if you have acoustic i suggest swap the heads with mesh and get use to it.. but then it will still up to your preference.. if you have the money get the acoustic model ekit

[@ArcaneArrow]

I agree with you here. There is something satisfying about that shredding stick. And mesh heads are awesome for acoustic conversions for sound control and practice.

[@ninjabuck2576]

Got me a Roland TD 17 for Christmas 2022. It was my midlife crisis purchase (cheaper than a Ferrari!). Threw out the rack, put the cymbals on stands, put the pads on tom mounts, and got the vad 507 floor tom to make it look real. Im VERY pleased! I can see many good drummers moving in this direction, especially for recording and practice. I'll certainly buy another accoustic set one day, but ekits are the future.

[@ArcaneArrow]

Love this. EDrums are the future my man.

[@RazorHeadX2]

that with kick drum is so true.. i play in house basement and they can hear me playing in second flor...

[@ArcaneArrow]

Yup. Easier to handle than acoustic drums but can still be very noticeable.

[@ifix4u2]

Is there a way to use the 3rd party sounds via computer in a live gig, or is latency going to be an issue?

[@ArcaneArrow]

If you're running out of your laptop and don't have the sample size of the kit too high you'll be just fine. Obviously create a live scenario in your practice space first and see how it sounds and feels. If you're on a Mac you can use MainStage. I've used that before with a GGD kit and it worked great. There are some e-kits out there that allow you to onboard 3rd part samples but that's mostly drops and other single trigger effects. I'm currently researching if and how to import a GGD library into my Roland module. Since there are so many articulations I'm sure there's a very specific way it needs to be placed inside the module. TBD...

[@rhmartens]

Maybe I missed it, but which HH stand and Bass Pedal do you like with the TD-27KV2?

[@ArcaneArrow]

Didn't miss it as it wasn't mentioned. But I use a DW5000 Double Kick and a Premier HH stand (about 22 years old now). Anything DW is going to rock your socks, especially their 5,000 series. I've been meaning to upgrade my HH stand and when I do, I'll be going with a DW stand for sure.

[@riffism]

I’ve got a ddrum hybrid kit with an upgraded snare trigger (Jobeki dual zone trigger) with a Pearl Mimic Pro module. Sounds better than anything Roland makes and looks better too.

[@fabian515]

Roland got extremely quiet solutions for footmachines. No second floor problems.

[@ArcaneArrow]

That’s great. Are you talking about the noise eaters?

[@logic_rules]

How come the edge sensors of my Riland cymbals constantly get broken? I was thinking I hit the cymbals hard (I opened them to clean the rubber to get rid of choking initially and the hard plastic under the rubber was cracked) but recently my VH12 hi-hat went bad. It is a hihat for Pete's sake, how can I hit so hard that its edge sensor goes bad? Again I opened it and saw that the edge sensor split in the middle, the bottom part was still glued on the plastic while the gray wire part was split from it. Total 5 Roland cymbals went out like this. I disconnected the edge sensors so I just use them as single zone now.

[@ArcaneArrow]

Hmm that’s really interesting. I’ve never taken the rubber off and looked at the inside. I’m curious if I’ve cracked the interior plastic as well. Everything is still working well for me though. Maybe change up your attack angle

[@logic_rules]

@@ArcaneArrow What I learned from KZbin that the rubber releases small dust particles inside as you hit it. These dust collect over time and prevent the edge sensor to tricker incorrectly. So you open the rubber and clean that black dust. And there are a lot inside. But sometimes that is not enough to fix. One CY-14 the hard plastic underneath was broken in the middle where I always hit like a half a centimeter and that crack made the edge sensor over that section broke. By the way, my previous hihat VH11 edge sensor had gone bad also. I opened cleaner but it did not fully recover. So I disconnected the sensor to use it as one zone xhat on my right side. Then a few months later I reconnected and it was working OK. I bought a VH13 in place of it. And it went bad after 14 months of use. Now I'm thinking I cannot be hitting a hihat that hard.

[@logic_rules]

@@ArcaneArrow never considered the attack angle myself. What angle do you suggest? My cymbals are a little inclined towards me but mostly I hit the edge of the cymbals. Hihats are flat of course. By the way, I play rock, heavy metal. So sometimes I beat up the kit.

[@ArcaneArrow]

Understood. If you paused the video on a shot of the kit you’ll see that I like playing by cymbals pretty flat as well. The ride is the one that has the most angle to it. But I do certainly hit the daylights out of them like you. I wonder if you just unluckily have had lemons for cymbals (not the brand 😉) and that somewhere in removing the rubber and placing it back has caused the sensors to malfunction. I wish you best of luck with future drumming sessions and no faulty sensors. I certainly have no expertise in this field and would suggest sending Roland as much info as you can with text, photo and video and they would likely be able to give you much better guidance.

[@user-bg3cb3sf5n]

I purchased an Alesis Max set a few months ago. Found the kick pedal was sorta loud, so I purchased a Yamaha silent kick pedal. Problem solved.

[@lobbyrobby]

I bought my very first drum set several months ago. A Tama imperialstar. Imo a great kit for a beginner. I can't compare it to anything as I have nothing to compare it to but the throne sucked and I felt the kick pedal was the cheapest one you could find. Anyway, I'm banging away learning how to play drums and I quickly realized how damn loud drums are. I often like to practice late at night so that isn't going to work. Then about 1 month later I bought a Roland td-17kvx2. I set it up and absolutely hated it. It felt so weird. I kept after it and started to like it more and more. Then about 1 month after playing just the ekit I went back to the acoustic and absolutely hated that haha. I upgraded my kick pedal to a Tama speed cobra 910 and bought a Ahead spinal G throne. That throne is so damn comfy compared to the one that came with my acoustic kit. Then I bought a Tama 310 hi-hat stand. Why? I don't know lol. Anyway I barely touch the acoustic kit anymore. I much prefer the ekit.

[@ArcaneArrow]

It’s a funny dance if you have the ability to go back and forth between electric and acoustic. Great story!

[@erangoldstar81]

E-Drum Noise Isolation Platform (that works) - Tutorial: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rXLbqamfhbxqeMU

[@ArcaneArrow]

Great!! Thank you for sharing. That’s awesome.

[@andyg901]

I myself got Roland Noise Eaters, will see if neighbour from downstairs will pay me a visit. Luckily, I live in old style building with thick walls and ceilings.

[@ArcaneArrow]

Love that. Old buildings are what I have in mind for the ideal upper floor situation. Do you feel they do the job just based off of what you feel and hear? I was about to commit to those before we moved (while on the 2nd floor) but never made the purchase. Seems lots of people like them.

[@andyg901]

@@ArcaneArrow well, I tried today, bit for a little time, and noone came to complain. I just got it after seing reviews saying that it is effective. I might as well, also buy some additional rubber mat though.

[@ArcaneArrow]

Dang. Sorry to hear that. Someone did just comment that they used an extra Tom pad, mounted it upside down from their rack and use that for their kick. I think that’s a great idea and maybe worth a shot.

[@andyg901]

I mean, all is good. I just think about another level of isolation :)

[@ArcaneArrow]

🤙

[@dmgsoultogetherness6667]

THE ROOT....also...what tracksuit are you wearing..

[@ArcaneArrow]

What's THE ROOT? And that's for the MLS club in Austin, TX known as Austin FC.

[@waltonbrown]

Whats the difference between e-kits and acoustic? Well theres probably a reason why Gadd, Rich, Copeland, Bonham, Weckle, Colaiuta, Cobham, etc chose acoustic.

[@ArcaneArrow]

I like the way you think sir.

[@MuffFlux]

Can you smash the shit out of them like acoustic kits? For some reason, I feel like I see a lot less of electric players going BEAST mode on them. I don't know if it is because they are more fragile, don't require smashing to get volume, or just looks goofy going hard on a tiny electric kit compared to a beefy acoustic rig. Also! How is the difference with the cymbals? Do you noticeably have to change technique going from rubber to metal cymbals?

[@ArcaneArrow]

Great questions. You can absolutely turn on beast mode. If you want, you can verify that with some of my drum performances on this channel. Maybe take a look at ‘Out Of The Black’ drum cover. I definitely wasn’t taking it easy on the kit. Just like an acoustic, you can achieve dynamics from soft to loud. E-kits are a little more challenging to properly get neuance with, but it is possible. And for looking goofy… that is all in the perspective of the viewer and the confidence of the player. I don’t feel any lack of confidence playing and filming my ekit opposed to an acoustic. Plus I don’t have to set up and run a mic/level check every time I want to record. When it comes to cymbals, I felt it was a very smooth transition from metal, except for the hihats. For your crashes and rides you’ll be limited to ‘zones’ and those are the only areas you can trigger a sound unlike a traditional cymbal you can get sound anywhere. The hihats though will give you the most grief. They can feel clunky and mis-triggered when playing. There are high end ekit hats that get you much closer to acoustic hats, but not 100%. I think we’ll be closer in the next couple years as the cymbals pads get thinner and more responsive though.

[@RockyTop85]

My Yamaha DTX900k is over 10 years old

[@ArcaneArrow]

Still rockin’ solid?

[@Altuz]

Is there an e-kit hi-hat that doesn't suck? I say this with love as a frustrated former e-kit owner.

[@ArcaneArrow]

The Roland VH-14D is pretty much the cream of the crop. I'm not certain if they could be compatible with other brands (probably not). But they offer an actual top & bottom pad that really give about 85% believability it's actual hats. Plus they have multiple strike zones and pressure marks that allow you to map multiple hat sounds to them. That's best done through 3rd party plugins like GetGoodDrums or EZdrummer.

[@Altuz]

@@ArcaneArrow Thank you for the response! I'll have to give the VH-14D a spin sometime if I can find one at Guitar Center or Sam Ash that isn't beaten up too bad lol.

[@ArcaneArrow]

Haha, good luck. If it’s used… probably has a few scars.

[@Ludo_A]

@@ArcaneArrow YEP, that's the one. I have it on my VAD507 and (if well calibrated) I love it (I use EZDrummer3 and Superior Drummer3).

[@ArcaneArrow]

You loving your VAD kit?

[@williamsoltes1658]

Two other advantages to an E kit. When talking about expense, it's also important to add in the price of microphones to an acoustic kit. These can add up quickly. As you mentioned, electronic drums just need two cables to go to the recording engineer. Second, if you tour:- Acoustic drums need to be positions just right, angled just right, microphones positioned and angled just right, cables run from the microphones, things getting bumped and moved, etc, etc,etc... I'm not a drummer, I'm an engineer. As such, I have watched countless electronic drummers set up and tear down their equipment in half the time of their acoustic counterparts. During soundchecks, I have to spend an additional half hour with drummers balancing their mics, eliminating feedback and crosstalk, and and using up 8 to 10 of my channels trying to make them sound as good as I can. As you pointed out, you "electronic" drummer guys send me the highest quality drum sounds, recorded in highest end recording studios under optimal conditions, into just one or two channels of my mixing board. On behalf of all of us audio crews and stagehands out here, THANK YOU E-drummers!

[@ArcaneArrow]

Dude, very well said. Thank you for commenting this.

[@kvalsoniclab9152]

why the annoying background muzak? Just why?

[@ArcaneArrow]

If the BG music is your biggest critique of the video I’ll consider that a W.

[@brent3760]

Acoustic kits 100% Ekits have ZERO soul ZERO

[@ArcaneArrow]

I appreciate your passion but, I have to strongly disagree. As long as the module has a good amount of dynamic/velocity range any decent drummer can make an e-kit emote. I wouldn’t use the word soul for a kit description, that’s more about the player behind the kit. A kit can have a vibe, richness, dryness, attitude, class, tone, power…. Soul is best left to describe whomever is sitting at the throne (respectfully, in my opinion).