There have been some huge advances in electronic drums over the past 10 years, they've certainly come a long way since the infamous Roland TR-808 drum machine of the 80's.
You may be surprised to know that electronic drum have actually been around since the late 60's. While technologically kinda cool, these early e-drum kits didn't really offer a great experience for the listener or the player.
Thankfully, advances in technology mean that drummers and producers and engineers alike can now experiment with, and use electronic drums as a serious alternative to acoustic drums.
What's wrong with acoustic drums?
There's nothing wrong with acoustic drums, and electronic drums are never going to fully replace the traditional drum set. However, there are a ton of advantages especially for beginners, and home-studio owners with a small recording space.
XP105T-M 2 zone 10" rack tom mesh pads
Some benefits of electronic drums
Volume: The most obvious benefit for beginners (and parents of beginners) is volume control. It's no secret that acoustic drums, cymbals in particular, operate at a volume that is not particularly comfortable for most ears. The drums pads found on most electronic drum kits make very little noise by comparison, and the ability to use headphones makes it far easier to play drums at practically any time of day without upsetting your family, housemates or neighbours.
Practically unlimited sounds: While the on-board sounds may range from awful through to exceptional, depending on how much you pay for your drum kit, almost any electronic drum kit can be connected to a computer by USB or MIDI, and used to trigger a variety of sounds including virtual drum software like EZDrummer, Addictive Drums, Steven Slate Drums and many more. But it doesn't stop there, they can also be used to trigger almost any virtual instrument including orchestral strings, brass sections, and cinematic sound effects making them extremely versatile and a workhorse instrument for any producer or sound designer.
Yamaha DTXPRO Drum Module
Recording: Just as guitarist have begun using at virtual amplifiers and effects, so to are drummers and producers discovering the benefits of a variety of sounds without having to spend a small fortune on an arsenal of different drum kits, snares, cymbals and microphones.
To properly record an acoustic drum kit, you need a lot of space around and above the kit to keep that natural 'live' sound. Ideally you want enough room for the transient, the sound of the instrument, to dissipate and note come back off an adjacent surface as this can lead to phase issues and a 'muddy' sounding recording. Regardless of whether you're recording an electronic drum kit via the drum module line-outputs, USB or MIDI port, you no longer need to worry about the size of your studio, acoustic treatment, mic placement, phase issues or drum tuning. You simply have far more control over the sound, and in most cases this means less time is spent during setup and post production, and when you save time, you save money.
Do electronic drums really sound that good?
In my opinion, yes. But don't just take my word for it, the album “room for squares” by John Mayer uses an electronic drum kit. Radiohead have used e-drums extensively in their records. Phil Collins used electronic drums in two Genesis albums (Genesis and Invisible Touch), and the list goes on: Coldplay, Primus, Linkin Park, Rammstein, Devo, and even The Wiggles!
If you're still on the fence, here's the processed MIDI drums from 'I Need You' by Inner City Traders. Drummer Brian Hosking, played all three tracks for the EP on a 5 Piece Roland TD-9. The MIDI output from the kit was recorded and used to trigger EZDrummer.
In my next post I'll go through my process for recording my Yamaha DTX, and how I process the MIDI using Logic Pro's Kit Designer, EZDrummer or MODO Drums.