Sep 02 2010
Electric Drum Kits – What Makes Them A Better Alternative
Electric drum kits are a great alternative to traditional kits. They will usually be comprised of the same elements as the traditional kit, but will take up significantly less space. Rather than having wooden casings and cymbals, an electric kit will have an easy-to-assemble frame made of metal or plastic, extending to rubber and plastic heads that take the place of traditional drums and cymbals.
Off the bat, the tapping of wooden sticks on rubber and plastic isn’t nearly as obtrusive as the drumming of a garage band, but isn’t the point of electronic drum kits to sound like a real drum set anyway? The beauty of the electric kit is that you are able to use headphones or speakers to amplify the sounds you are making. This is especially helpful in an apartment situation, where close neighbors may be bothered by excessive noise, or in a family home, where a young drummer may not yet be very pleasant to listen to. Being able to control the noise level at which you drum has endless benefits.
One of the most exciting features of the electric kit is the drummer’s ability to change the sounds of the the drums. In a push of a button, the electric kit can go from sounding crisp and clean, to sounding like it is being played in an open hall with echoes. Any electric kit will have several choices programmed in, but more expensive kits will have a wider selections with some interesting sounds to choose from. Some will even have the choice of purchasing or downloading even more choices so that the drummer can truly find the perfect sound for their kit.
For the professional drummer, an electric kit can really be beneficial in a studio setting. While the typical set will have to have microphones in place to record the drum track, an electric kit can plug directly into a computer with the correct hardware.
Drummers will always enjoy pounding on a traditional kit, but the electric kit can be a very practical alternative.
