Drummers: There's nothing like the sound of loud drums but what is your opinion on electronic drums?

Question

Does anyone use them on stage? Also what about using a drum machine to record?

For Rock Music.

Answer 1

good question, you dont have to be a science expert to answer this like that synth guy says...Gesu!!!. electronic drums suck bad. they sounds terrible. nothing beats the sound of a real kit. that spacey sound of electronic drums is for star trek lasers.
drum machines are ok for demos if u are missing a drummer but keep those demos hidden from the public. drum machines in songs always sound the same to me. same beats and cymbals...endless

Answer 2

Well electronic drums were popular in the 70s, I enjoyed ELPs Carl Palmer's use of it in a very creative manner, but my fave drummer who incorporated electronic drums to his acoustic setup was Bill Bruford with King Crimson in the 80s, unfortunately he played Simmons company electronics, but the company stopped making them and went bankrupt then those were later made by Tama, but it wasn't the same because some parts could not be replaced, or found, because they were not made anymore, and nobody fixed them so that became a problem, drummers went back to their original setups and electronic drums lost their momentum..about using them on stage, Palmer, Bruford did in the past, nowadays I can think of Omar Hakim, he's very well known, he still plays them and promotes them, he played his Roland vdrum with Bowie, Sting and Bruce Springsteen etc, using a drum machine to record is very common since the day they became available, they are a great tool, very popular among Prog Rock acts mostly used as an extra, when looking for some kind of effect etc, Electronica, that includes a lot of genres .etc.. some just use them to practice, and put together drum patterns etc, but every drummer should own one, and non drummers cause they're fun to play with, save time and a lot of headaches as well...
Obviously nothing compares and will never replace the sound of a nice acoustic setup..electronic drums were not design to replace acoustic drums to begin with...DW drums rules ok Tama and Mapex I wont argue about it..like 'em all

Answer 3

There are some very good drum pads out there these days.

There are two things to consider--the pads, with affect how you play, and the brain, which dictates what kind of sounds you can get.

Drum machines have their place, but will never replace real drumming. As for live performance, it depends on your system and your needs. Mixing real and electronic drums is an option that you should consider.

Roland and Yamaha both do good electronic drums that are reasonably priced.

Answer 4

there are too many questions here to grasp what the overall question is. You don't tell us enough information in order to make an educated opinion about anything. Different drum sounds work better for different styles of music. Electronic sounding drums (percussion) work best where it doesn't matter if the percussion is natural - like dance, hip hop, electronica, industrial, pop, etc. But try mixing synthetic sounds into country / gospel / blues and see what weird looks you get back.

The simple answer - use whatever fits the music style you're working in.

Answer 5

I'm not a drummer but I think New Order had a drummer using a electronic drum set.

Answer 6

My Band rented a electronic drum set from our local music shop before we decided to buy a set.
We are so glad we did - the extortionate price (for renting as well as buying).
They are good but they just don't live up to the real drum set.
Maybe it is just me- being a musician i'm around them all the time - but we saved ourselves alot of money.
My advice, stick to real drums.