Category: Industry

Industry, retail

Trump tariffs will hurt e-drummers

US consumers face increased prices for e-drums, especially entry-level instruments, as President Donald Trump’s recent tariff moves take effect. Chinese imports were already taxed, and the new measures bring the impost to 20% of the value of the imported items. Experts like the US National Retail Federation point out that tariffs are a tax on imported goods and are paid for by the importer. “Retailers are forced to choose between raising their prices or relying on already slim profit margins to absorb the increased cost of inventory,” according to the trade group. And the latest tariffs may not be the last, as a trade war has been unleashed, with China quickly announcing plans to levy 15% retaliatory tariffs on some […]

Industry, Performance

E-drum superstars on show

Four digitalDrummer Hall of Famers, three E-drummers of the Year, and the godfather of electronic percussion in Germany. Those luminaries are among the artists in the debut digitalDrummer E-drum Labs at the first Europe Drum Show which will open its doors at Neue Messe Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance in Germany on March 29th. After a successful first run at the UK Drum Show in Liverpool last year, the E-drum Labs will return for two days in Germany, bringing together some of the world’s top e-drummers and the latest electronic percussion gear. One of the most popular performers at the Liverpool show, three-time digitalDrummer E-drummer of the Year and Hall of Fame inductee Michael Schack returns to the show with his […]

Gear, Industry

Linn not impressed with knock-off

Drum synth pioneer Roger Linn is less than happy with a knock-off of his 30-year-old and long-defunct LinnDrum by Germany’s Behringer. Behringer released its LmDrum last December, touting it as “a drum machine that can recreate the classic sound of the 80s …  (with) an authentic 8/12-bit sampling sound engine that captures the essence of a hundred legendary 80’s drum sounds including those designed by Roger Linn such as the LM1, LM2, LM9000 and more”. In a statement on his website, Linn says he was given a sample last year, but that the Behringer CEO did not have his permission to copy either the visual design or sounds of the LinnDrum. He notes that Behringer approached him in 2020 to […]

Gear, Industry

Bigger, better Music China

Asia’s biggest music industry event, Music China, continues to grow, with the latest edition attracting 119,083 visitors from 105 countries – in addition to over 1,800 exhibitors. Organisers stress the strong showing by digital technologies, including e-drums which were on show at more than a dozen booths. Medeli returned to the show with its flagship MZ928 that won Best Recommended Product at Music China last year. The company unveiled its new MZ923, a more affordable version of the MZ928 with the same performance and sound quality, but in a more compact design with an attractive woodgrain shell appearance. The new MZ729 also made an appearance. Donner, meanwhile, showed off its Donner Beat series electronic drums powered by a 7” smart […]

Gear, Industry, Performance

E-drum Labs line-up finalised

The full artist line-up for the inaugural digitalDrummer E-drum Experience Labs at the UK Drum Show in September has been released. The demonstrations begin on Saturday morning (September 28) with talented musician, educator and social media influencer Emma Taylor, who recently teamed up with EfNote. She will present a session titled ‘Bridging the Gap Between Acoustic and Electric’. Mitch Deighton, the UK’s leading air-drummer, will be up next, demonstrating his skills with cutting-edge technology developed in Liverpool. His fun session will feature Aerodrums 2, the latest air drumming instrument. Visitors will get their first glimpse of the world’s latest e-drum offering from one of the oldest instrument companies when Mike Weber shows off the Zildjian ALCHEM-E kits. Weber is the […]

Industry, retail

drum-tec marks milestones with event

Alexander Roglin reports on drum-tec’s second ‘drum-tec days’ event. Germany’s drum-tec recently celebrated its 20th anniversary with a weekend of performances, clinics and product demonstrations. “In the beginning, I just wanted to have my own drum store,” drum-tec founder Konrad Müller-Bremeyer said at the opening of the event in Fischbeck, near Hannover in Germany. “Now, 20 years later, we have come a long way together, and much more than just a drum store has seen the light of day since then.“ Under the new motto LIFE IS DRUMS, the drum-tec CEO shared his vision for the fusion and future of electronic and acoustic drums to offer visitors the best of both worlds. “Drums are not just an instrument, they are […]

Industry, Performance, Uncategorized

digitalDrummer at UK Drum Show

digitalDrummer will be collaborating with the UK Drum Show 2024, with the first showcase of electronic percussion at a major music event. Show organiser Neil Golding says: “We are super excited to welcome a brand new feature and experience to The UK Drum Show. At the event at ACC Liverpool on 28 and 29 September, digitalDrummer will introduce the world’s first E-Drum Experience Lab.” The Experience Lab will include a series of presentations, workshops and masterclasses over both days. Hosted by digitalDrummer founder and editor Allan Leibowitz, this exclusive presentation stream will feature e-drum experts who will share their insight, skills and talents in carefully curated sessions aimed at drummers of all levels, as well as drum retailers and software […]

Gear, Industry

No NAMM for me

As the bump-out continues in Anaheim, I have some regrets about not attending the once-mighty NAMM – the event where I met many of the industry luminaries and got to see products before they hit the market. But with big names like Roland, DW, Pearl, Alesis and ATV not on the floor, I was not alone in staying away this year. I have seen many social media posts lamenting the absences, most seeming to indicate that the annual Anaheim gathering may have run its course. The decline of the trade show comes as no surprise. As a journalist who has reported on various industrial sectors and the meetings industry, I have seen this happen in many markets. Dominant industry shows […]

Gear, Industry

Chinese industry on show

Almost a quarter of a million visitors flocked to Asia’s biggest music show, Music China, held in October in Shanghai. According to organisers, the show drew 122,000 visitors, equalling its all-time visitor record reached in 2019. The event attracted more than 1,800 exhibitors, including some of Asia’s biggest percussion brands. Medeli gave its first public demonstration of the new MZ928 drum kit, its first full-sized kit released under its own branding. HXW Technology Co had a range of e-drum products on show including the flagship acoustic-style Avatar A81. Spokesperson Lucy She says the professional e-drum A21 and A31, the high-speed e-drum A51 and SD201-3SH, and the popular SD61-6, SD61-5 and SD51-2 lines were also on show. “We also took the MIDI pad EMP16, the sampler pad PD705, the percussion pad PD405 and the DM50 and DM30 drum amplifiers,” she adds. […]

Gear, Industry, Performance, Review

November digitalDrummer is now live

The November 2023 edition of digitalDrummer, the last of the year, is now live. This edition is jam-packed with gear news and reviews including: The first review of Medeli’s debut kit under its own name A thorough examination of the Simmons Titan 50 kit An exploration of BFD’s new free VST New products covered in this magazine range from a new Millenium configuration to two upgrades from Alternate Mode and Yamaha’s finger-drumming debut offerings. On the people side, we interview REO Speedwagon’s Bryan Hitt, find out about a drumming world record (achieved with e-drums) and discover how Vinnie Corbo is pushing the boundaries of the traditional drum circleby adding trigger pads and software. As the end of the year approaches, […]