5 things I hate about my Ef Note drums

Soo… after a year of playing my ef note drums, here’s a two part video series, 5 things I love and 5 things I hate. Here’s part one, 5 things I hate about my ef note drums. I’ve also got previously recorded first impressions, a deeper dive and kit play through in addition to numerous covers with my ef note drums. As always, thanks for stopping by…

[@vampirelogic]

What I hate about my drums is that new drums come out and I want those . Can't wait to see the things you love.

[@SteveTheDrummer]

I hear ya. At some point you just have to bite the bullet and get what’s available at the the time. That being said, I’m not really in the market for any electronics now, I’ve turned my focus back towards acoustic drums. Thanks for stopping by 🥁🎶

[@samplautz5586]

What I hate most about the drums is that I don’t have them

[@SteveTheDrummer]

truthfully, I don't have them anymore either... traded them in... they were a great kit while I had them. Thanks for stopping by, have a great weekend

[@Pancawkes]

What I hate the most is that I don’t have any drums, or any real drums

[@SydneyDrums]

These are definitely things that the guys at EF note want to hear about so they can fix product faults & improve going forwards

[@SteveTheDrummer]

thanks for stopping by, hope you have a great week

[@ronthomas1024]

Got my 5 same time you did, fortunately I have not experienced any of these problems. More than 350 days of playing, recording for TV and Movies as well as 2 full CD's. The only thing I had go bad was the rubber protector for the smare rim cracking, and EF Note sent one overnight. I learned to slowly ruen in every week. The compression is not an issue as I send stems to my studio. Great vid, definitely everyone should know that these are an individuals problems and not an over all concern, as I have a group of 5 users without this problems also.

[@robertcolletti5951]

Thanks Steve. Roland it is. I greatly appreciate your non biased review. It gave me the nudge I needed to make the decision regarding my next purchase. Thanks again

[@SteveTheDrummer]

thanks for stopping by... In all fairness, I'm doing a 5 things I love and 5 things I hate about my Roland drums as well... though since I traded my Ef Notes to switch back to Roland I think it's pretty clear my overall opinion. Hope you have a great week

[@Flamadiddle2]

@@SteveTheDrummer would be curious which Roland kit you went back to? I'm debating between efnote and Roland VAD 504, but I plan to gig extensively with these drums so dependability is key.

[@SteveTheDrummer]

@@Flamadiddle2 I’m reluctant to give direct advice because I don’t want to lead anyone astray. I’d probably lean towards Roland for durability but the ef note pro certainly bares looking at

[@mfournier01]

Thanks for the info Steve! These are a few reasons I stuck with Roland and upgraded to the TD-50X along with the PD140DS and CY18DR. I love the playability and durability of the new gear. Roland still can’t figure out how to release polished ready to record kits so thank goodness for folks over at Vexpressions! Hope you are well my friend.

[@SteveTheDrummer]

Hey man, it’s great to hear from you and I’m still eagerly awaiting your next covers… So… I recently traded all my Ef Note gear back in and went with the Roland Td50kv2 drum set with the 50x module. Additionally I just added vexpressions armory to that module. Based on my health, my videos are pre recorded so expect material with armory probably in July. Additionally, I’m doing two videos, 5 things I love and 5 things I hate regarding my new Roland kit… turnabout is FairPlay… Regarding the ef note in particular, looking back, build quality was an issue. Their stuff hasn’t reached the maturity of the Roland gear which has had a several decade lead on them. Ultimately, additionally, their module was too limiting. It was great for 60s 70s rock and even grunge but not so great for 80s pop/rock… Too, with their module, I never really felt like I got it… I’m sure in more capable hands, better results were attainable… I just never got there… Again, thanks for stopping by, keepi rocking my friend

[@Garagedrummer]

Thanks for the great video, having never played an EFNOTE kit it’s awesome to hear a journeyman’s review of how it performs. I will admit the 5 has been on my radar. As a former ATV owner the sounds were just not “alive.” I fear efnote would be the same. I think where I missed up with my AD5 is I didn’t run it through a mixer. Which is what I do now with my Roland kit. Get a $100 compact mixer with some onboard effects and see if that helps blend the sounds better into songs. Either way love these vids. Love gear! All brands, types, you name it. Thanks again

[@SteveTheDrummer]

Thanks J D and that’s great advice… I love the sounds of the ef note over Roland but it is definitely missing that “alive” component you mentioned… thanks for stopping by 🥁🎶

[@gwobcke]

I have had similar hardware issues on my EFNote 5 kit. The lug movement I solved with Tama Lug Locks and I used a spot of bonding glue on the rim trigger rubber. The biggest issue for me though was the rim rubber splitting and the snare hoop actually bending. I ended up buying a new 12” die cast hoop and I considered replacing the rim rubber but I am fine with how it is now. I would not object if they removed the Stage 1 and Stage 2 ambience modes as I never use them - Hall 1, Room 1, Room 3 and Plate are all I need - to make room for a compressor. I also would like them to add the Element eKickBody and EL Clap Percussion sounds to all 5 modules (and the EL clap for the 7 modules) so we can get a more 80s vibe after paying a lot more for a kit that doesn’t look like pads. Thanks for making your video.

[@SteveTheDrummer]

yup both my rims (12 inch and 14 inch) are out of round. Interacting with different ef note users has made me realize that they use some cheaper hardware (lugs, rims, etc) and thus these problems exist... thanks for stopping by

[@heyantny3037]

I replaced my 12” snare with a 13” ATV snare. I MUCH prefer 13” to 12 or 14. But I mention this because the lugs loosen on that as well. The solution for me was to put three lug locks on the strategically important lugs. MY biggest complaint with efnote is in the engineering: you can’t play the cross stick and snare head at the same time. The same goes for the ride bow and edge. The edge sound chokes when you hit the bow. But overall, efnote is by far the best electronic drum kit that I have ever played! I play every day, and am SO satisfied with the feel and the sounds!!!

[@SteveTheDrummer]

that's great information... I appreciate your support.... I do perceive that the ATV snare is better made than the ef note one based on the fact that the cross stick sensor looks beefed and I think is made of wood vs plastic and rubber... Hope you have a great week...

[@Mustis91]

thank you! this helps so much more than all of these professional reviews of people who only played a drumset for a few days. sure they can tell you that it sounds great and feels great but how does the kit perform in the long run? how's the build quality? these are the important questions!

[@SteveTheDrummer]

I will say lots of people have played Ef Note for a good bit of time and had no issues whatsoever so I wouldn’t take my word as the gospel. Ultimately I switched back to Roland because I do believe they have a better overall build quality. Ultimately, each to their own…

[@bryandrums32]

Beautiful, just awesome 👏 I’ve never heard of that company

[@SteveTheDrummer]

Thanks Bryan

[@bryandrums32]

@@SteveTheDrummer my pleasure

[@bentol86]

Nice review Steve👍

[@SteveTheDrummer]

Thanks Ben, have a great weekend

[@technoalah]

Nice video. Do you still have these drums? Just debating if I should sell my Roland td17 and get this one? What do you think? Thank you,

[@danstephensen9032]

GREAT VIDEO/ Try Zip Tie for your side stick. Try Lug Locks for the tuning coming loose. EZ fixes When I had my TD 30 V Drums I usually ran a "live" hi-hat and sometimes snare.... depending on venue I made a lot of dough over my 10years on V-drums. (including European tours) Great for flying. Strictly Acoustic now. Running Vintage Rogers 1966.

[@SteveTheDrummer]

awesome man, thanks for stopping by... on the acoustic side, I'm a Ludwig man. again, I appreciate you stopping by...

[@danstephensen9032]

@@SteveTheDrummerlove your content. Blessings of Health and Peace to you and yours

[@stevechristopher4123]

Just got a 3x.. I love the onboard sounds but agree with the snare lugs. One thing I don’t like about the module touchscreen is it seems picky where you touch . Not sure if there is a setting for that. Otherwise so far the Efnote sounds great and feels great . Thanks for sharing

[@SteveTheDrummer]

Yea, it can be touchy… I do like the compactness of it. Thanks for stopping by

[@screaminglegs]

Have you run the screen calibration process yet? Page 26 in the manual.

[@stevechristopher4123]

@@screaminglegs the only thing I see is how to adjust the contrast but that’s all unless I’m missing something

[@listener84]

@@stevechristopher4123 go into settings and hit RESET. Then inside there’s a screen calibration. Works well

[@KatandDogs2]

a great informative video Steve ! very nice !! (I would definitely use a glue gun to glue on rim, and even fix the collet nuts and so on ☺)

[@SteveTheDrummer]

Thanks Paul, good advice. Hope you’re doing well

[@einarabelc5]

Thanks for the list. Basically they cheapened out in some parts to cut cost on expensive drums. Coming from Roland where everything is the opposite the contrast must've been stark. I appreciate the honest review as you're not going the typical KZbinr that wants to get paid way.

[@SteveTheDrummer]

yea, definitely not in this for the money 💰. Over the years, I've had a few different kits and I just want to point out the pros and cons of each of them. There were things I really liked about the Ef Note kit but they are defiantly not build as well as Roland kits

[@2ndAveScents]

Ez drummer, Superior Drummer and Slate Drums with these hooked up over USB and recording in to any DAW and using a good low latency interface like my Babyface Pro FS sounds absolutely amazing. I recommend it, I’m currently running a 30ft usb to my computer from my Alesis kit and I’m looking to upgrade to an Efnote kit

[@SteveTheDrummer]

thanks for stopping by

[@metalvisionsongcontest7055]

Choking with my Efnote 3X only works when using the “lower choke threshold” and “single choke mode” in Superior Drummer 3 (they don’t exist in Superior Drummer 2, so I can no longer choke the cymbals there, which I could using my former Roland drumset). Even then, I can only choke cymbals that have the same type of cymbal on the bow and edge. If I put a splash or china on the edge of the crash, I can choke the crash sound on the bow, but not the splash or china on the edge. Have any of you had similar issues?

[@5strokeroll]

I changed the lugs to my quickactiondrumlugs, the T rods must be replaced also since are not 12-24 threads.

[@SteveTheDrummer]

good advice, thanks for stopping by man...

[@derekmaynard5619]

What the hell is a hihat cup zone? Been researching this for way to long. Several of the efnote modules do not support it but i dont lnow what it is lol. Thanks

[@Jeffmd2020]

I love that rush poster!! R.I.P Neil Peart!!

[@SteveTheDrummer]

thanks man... got lots of band posters up in my "music room"...

[@Jeffmd2020]

I want the efnote 707 2 up 2 down kit that comes with 56,000 symbols!! Just shy of $10,000 tho!! You’d think with a price tag like that you could get them in any color you want other then primer grey tho!! But it can be re wrapped so it’s definitely my dream kit!!

[@SteveTheDrummer]

I hear ya... we all have to have our dream kits but that sounds kind of busy to me... My acoustic drums are one up, one down which helps my A.D.D. focus a little better, thanks for stopping by...

[@morbidmanmusic]

Cymbals. Respect the craft by learning to spell what you play.

[@johndef5075]

Did you have lugs coming lose on other brands you have played? Just wondering. Beautiful set!

[@SteveTheDrummer]

yes and no... on acoustic drums I lugs detune... and you retune them. On my Roland gear... no not really. I also used ATV drums but not the snare so not a fair comparison. The detuning on the snare drum of the EF Note kit was extreme.

[@jasonwright4144]

Have you ever used them live? What type of channels do you get?

[@SteveTheDrummer]

I played out a lot with my ATV kit and Roland module a few years ago. Only played out once with an EF Note 5 kit. it sounded great but I had issues with the module... so long ago, can't really remember specifically what. I think I was also running backing tracks and a click and had a hard time putting it all together live. The Roland gear was far easier and more intuitive for me putting those elements together. Additionally, the more fragile components of the EF Note kit made playing out less desirable.

[@demonicsweaters]

informative!

[@SteveTheDrummer]

Thanks, have a great weekend

[@Drumsholic]

Lugs detune on edrums is a crazy thing but it fixed easy with a tunelock. The other issues you describe are crazy too for a kit in this price point and totally unacceptable but all companies have issues and if they want to keep a nice fame of their product must fix these issues at the future products for sure but and offers a totally workmanship support to the customer if something gets wrong also the compression on a module isn't something that most companies give in the modules cause all content if you go to gigs or record covers gets into software that has compression like Logic Pro to get better or a console in gig almost have some channel with compressor.

[@SteveTheDrummer]

I agree on some points. My overall take on the ef note drums is the technology is sound, the drums themselves are not.... regarding the compression... I record directly to my iPad from my module so I need a module that has all the effects built in... Ultimately I traded everything in and starting using Roland again. Thanks for stopping by. hope you have a great weekend

[@Drumsholic]

@@SteveTheDrummer The sound section my friend is a huge amount of informations that give us a satisfying feeling from a result produced from a machine mimic the natural content . I agree with the efnote's sound technology, they did very nice job on it and it's easy recogniseable but the feel of the kit i don't know man! Also to get this satisfying feeling straight from a module it's quite difficult without processing within a daw i use ezdrummer2 that has amazing sounds but i do too processing and mastering every time to get the result i want.

[@mattdrewdrums]

How much better is the 7 module than the 5, sound-wise? Also, aren't the hi-hats identical on both the 5 and 7?

[@SteveTheDrummer]

both the module and the hi hats are the same for the 5 and the 7... just a few different kits in each....

[@ArtesiaProNorthAmerica]

There are some larger sample sizes on the 7 line. A bit more processing on two of the kits, and some more robust kits. As well, there are 20 preset kits on the EFD7 vs 17 preset kits on the EFD5

[@davidcastro3897]

Do you know if roland pads are compatible with ef note modules? I own a td 17kvx and would like to sell the module and buy an efnote module

[@SteveTheDrummer]

I honestly don’t know. I used an atv cymbal briefly with a ef note module and it worked… I know ef note high hats only work with Ef note modules…

[@davidcastro3897]

@@SteveTheDrummer thanks Steve

[@koyaanisqatsi78]

I"d put something sticky under that rim thingy and some loctite on the tuning thread.

[@agusg.t.8950]

I have Efnote 5 and yes, they need to blend better with music, a Compressor is a complete needed thing.

[@SteveTheDrummer]

man... figuring out their module iOS not as straight forward as it should be... when recording that is... thanks for stopping by

[@JesusLordOfLords455]

Wouldn't you say an ad5 with adrums is better all round?

[@SteveTheDrummer]

Tough one to answer. I played atv drums for a few years (probably about 3) but I never used the atv module. I do believe the ef note hi hats trigger better than atv even though it is a similar design. I think some atv components may be slightly more robust… They’re similar but I can’t speak to the atv module,trigger response and sound quality. I perceive from stuff I’ve seen and read that atv sounded great but like ef note lacked on board effects to help give their drums presence in the mix. If anything, I think ef note gives you more editing options… just no compression. Thanks for stopping by…

[@JesusLordOfLords455]

​@@SteveTheDrummer yea I find a little reverb goes a long way on cubase

[@gabe9671]

You can get tunerfish Lug Locks that will keep your lugs from detuning ever again.

[@SteveTheDrummer]

true, I appreciate your feedback

[@submoto]

sounds to me like most could be fixed with a drop or two of super glue or loctite. Or am I wrong?

[@SteveTheDrummer]

True… ultimately I traded this gear back in and went back to Roland… not just for the reasons mentioned here but for a myriad of reasons. I do believe ef note gear is good stuff but it just didn’t suit my needs. Thanks for stopping by…

[@submoto]

@@SteveTheDrummer I am about to dish out three grand for a 5. Should I be looking for something other than the Efnote then? ..since you changed your kit?

[@SteveTheDrummer]

I think it is totally a personal choice and I try to avoid giving direct advice. I don’t want to point anyone in the wrong direction. That being said, Ef Note has great samples and great trigger response. Some of their gear, snare drums in particular are not super robust…

[@chicobellini6297]

I hate the 2 cable snakes on my efnote 3

[@sticksbass]

glue and locktight?

[@SteveTheDrummer]

Yea, you could go that route… honestly I think the snare drum in particular is pretty cheaply made. The triggering is very reliable and consistent but the drum itself was not good

[@sticksbass]

@@SteveTheDrummer prob silicon caulk would hold the rubber; just tape it down while it dries.

[@shane4796]

🤔 I think you’ve tipped me towards the vad504. I don’t think Roland can be beaten for durability.

[@SteveTheDrummer]

new products have been introduced since that may be better but for my money, Roland was always the most durable

[@juleswinnfield3958]

The price tag is always what I hate most😂….😔

[@SteveTheDrummer]

totally agree, who are we kidding, all these things are freaking expensive... thanks for stopping by

[@drs-Rigo-Reus]

Belabberde hardware, nasty!

[@SteveTheDrummer]

thanks for stopping by

[@einarabelc5]

Dude needs some serious shoulder stretch

[@SteveTheDrummer]

lol... true

[@user-ch4uu4qn4s]

Why would you trade in your Roland? They are the flagship of electronic drums.

[@SteveTheDrummer]

Honestly, I switched back to Roland, then switched back to acoustic drums

[@user-ch4uu4qn4s]

@@SteveTheDrummer I’m interested in the new zildjian electronic drums. They can convert to acoustic too

[@biekanez1]

The quality of the EF note drums looks not very good to me Steve. I donever have issues with my Drum tec drums and Roland stuff. Greetings from the Netherlands to you and your family my dear friend 😎👍✌️

[@SteveTheDrummer]

Hey Rom, hope all is well. Yea, actually, I love the kit… just wanted to point out the bad in addition to the good, have a great week

[@Hazeblade-pp9lz]

It's not workmanship, it's called quality control. Quite sure e .f knows the issues

[@bpooboi]

Naw man. These are perfectly reasonable gripes. You pay this much money for something. You expect certain things to NOT happen. And if it's for something that is structural, then you have every right to complain. They should fix this for you without contest

[@SteveTheDrummer]

well... honestly, I just traded the gear in for something else... thanks for stopping by