Tag: e-drums

Gear, Performance, Recording, training

10 Things You Can Do with E-Drums That You Can’t with Acoustics

Electronic drums have evolved into powerful, flexible tools for drummers of all levels. While acoustic kits remain the benchmark for live performance and raw energy, e-drums open up an entirely different world of possibilities. Here are 10 things you can do with e-drums that you simply can’t do with an acoustic kit. Play silently (or almost) One of the biggest advantages of e-drums is volume control. You can practise with headphones at 2 a.m. without waking the neighbours or your family. While you’ll still hear stick noise on the pads, it’s a fraction of the volume of acoustic drums, making e-drums ideal for apartments and shared spaces. Change your kit sound instantly With acoustic drums, swapping sounds means swapping instruments […]

Gear, Performance

Why your first kit should be electronic

Electronic drums are a great option for beginner  drummers for several reasons. Electronic drums are easy to use and fun to play. Electronic drum sets come with many built-in features that allow new drummers to experiment with different sounds and rhythms. They also offer a wide range of drum sounds in one kit, making them more interesting to play and overcoming practice boredom. Electronic drums are quieter than acoustic drums, making them a great choice for people who live in apartments or have neighbours nearby. They are also kinder to family members who might not want to be subjected to the sound of drums pounding away. Electronic drums also have a smaller footprint than their acoustic counterparts because you don’t need full-sized shells […]

Gear

Alesis adds Nitro Max kit

Alesis has unveiled a new Nitro Max kit, an eight-piece kit featuring new mesh pads and BFD samples. The Nitro Max kit has a 10” dual-zone mesh snare drum, three 8” mesh toms and a kick drum tower. There are three 10” cymbals, a custom-designed Alesis hi-hat pedal and kick pedal, and a four-post aluminium rack. The kit is powered by a Nitro Max drum module, which has 440 drum and percussion sounds, 40 drum kits, and 60 built-in play-along tracks. This set-up also has Bluetooth to connect a smartphone or tablet for instant practice and accompaniment. Buyers additionally get three months of access to Drumeo, the world’s biggest online drum education platform, as well as one month of interactive […]

Gear, Performance

Michael C. Stone: How I Use E-drums

Michael C. Stone recently added an Efnote 5 kit to his arsenal. I work in and around Southern California as a performing/recording drummer with multiple acts, most notably Ron Blair of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers fame, the Chris Torres Band, Atomic Groove, and the Drabs. I’ve also performed and/or recorded with Earl Slick (David Bowie, John Lennon), Stevie Salas (George Clinton, Rod Stewart, Mick Jagger), Jim Keltner (Studio Legend), Steve Ferrone (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Average White Band), Luis Maldonado (Train, Foreigner), Hattie Webb (Leonard Cohen, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers) and many more. In 2017, I appeared on Carl King’s Grand Architects of the Universe, an album that features some of the most accomplished drummers in the […]

Performance

Roger Whitsett: How I use e-drums on stage

I’m the drummer for the Pizazz Band. We are a regional touring band. We play a variety of music. My band plays anywhere from 50 to 60 shows a year. We run a “quiet stage” with no amps, monitors, side fills or acoustic drums. We use a Behringer X-32 digital sound system for FOH and personal monitor mixes. Everyone has in-ear monitors and iPads to have their own personal monitor mix. In my band, I use a full electronic kit based on a Roland TD-50 module and low-volume acoustic hi-hats. This kit will be replaced with a Roland VAD 706 Gloss Cherry Finish Kit. I run seven direct outs to FOH. I run a left and right ¼” feed from […]

Gear

Efnote 7 revealed

Japan’s Efnote has released some information about its new flagship kit, the Efnote 7. The major difference from the Efnote 5 is the full-size pads and cymbals in the kit, which features a 20 x 15″ kick drum, 14 x 5.5″ snare drum, an 11 x 8″ hanging tom and a 15 x 15″ floor tom. Many will question the non-traditional tom sizes. The cymbals have also been supersized, with the inclusion of a 20″ ride cymbal, alongside the 14” two-piece hi-hat and 16” crash. The Efnote 7 module looks like a minor tweak of the Efnote 5 brain. Indeed, it weighs exactly the same and has the same dimensions, so the only differences are internal. On paper, the only […]

Industry

Sweetwater opens Mega Music Store

Sweetwater, a former winner of and regular finalist in the digitalDrummer e-drum retailer of the year award, has opened its new megastore in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The retail space spans over 44,000 square feet, and includes an extensive collection of e-drum equipment from manufacturers like Roland, Yamaha and Alesis. The display stock includes Roland’s flagship VAD706 kit – the only floor stock in the US – alongside a TD-27KV. There’s also a Strike Pro SE from Alesis, as well as the mid-range Command Mesh and DM10 Pro kits and a Yamaha DTX452K. “We are honoured to be able to present this experience to continue to enrich our music communities, both near and far,” says Chuck Surack, CEO and founder of […]

Gear

Travis Barker sells his e-kits

Fancy an e-drum kit previously owned by Travis Barker? Well, you’re probably too late. The blink-182 drummer put part of his drum collection up for sale on Reverb, including some of his e-kits. Barker is parting with more than 100 pieces of music gear through a dedicated shop on the online platform. Quick to go were the top listings including the $25,000 OCDP ‘Evel Knievel’ kit featured in the Adam’s Song music video. The inventory included six electronic drum kits, which Barker used on his first solo album, Give the Drummer Some. “I didn’t know how to program or sequence yet, so everything on that album was played with just a ton of loops on these electronic kits,” he says. […]