Electric VS Acoustic Drums

Drums can be a very polarizing topic especially when it comes to electric VS acoustic drums. 
Ask the average drummer and they will tell you that acoustic drums are the only way to go because of feel and playability.  The average sound guy will advocate for electric drums because of constancy and controllability. the average pastor will attempt a compromise by looking into at least a drum shield if not a full enclosure. While they all have very valid points, theres not a single right solution for every occasion.
My goal in this post is not to try and answer the question “should we get electric or acoustic drums?”. Instead, I want to point out some of the main things that should be considered when you’re facing this decision so you can be confident you’ve weighed the options well and anticipated some of the challenges to get the best results for your organization. 

Electric Drums

Electric drums have come a long way over the years. Manufacturers have focused both on getting more realistic sounds and a closer to realistic feel. On the sound quality side, also known as samples, I’m looking for a kit that can confuse me. I know that sounds odd, but what I mean by that is when I watch someone play it, I want the samples to be so real that I think “it looks like an electric kit, but it sounds like real drums.” I’ve had this happen over video a few times in some of the newer review videos, especially in the newer kits from Yamaha. This is because the samples are made to sound like the real instrument, in a real space. For the longest time I always thought samples sounded to processed and as a result not natural to the instrument. Mixing one was like trying to make another engineers drum decisions fit into my mix. 

Another piece to look out is connectivity into the the sound board. Many of the higher end kits have options to send individual drums to separate channels on the house mixer. This gives the engineer more control over the balance of the kit in the mix and in the room. While it’s not quite the same as getting control of each individual microphone, it does allow you to control the “group” of channels that make up that sample. The lower end kits often only have a stereo out so you’ll have to set levels in the module itself. 

Many kit also allow the user to manipulate and dial each sound into their liking. In my experience, prior knowledge about what drums and cymbals create what types of sounds help to get the sounds you want faster. 

On the feel side, manufactures have moved from rubber pads to a material stretched over a shell much like an acoustic drum. What many people don’t realize is some of these are actually designed for you to set tension on them just like you would an acoustic drum. While changing the tension won’t effect the tuning, it will make the drum feel more realistic. Cymbals on the other hand is where it often falls apart. I’ve not played many truly electric cymbals that don’t feel like hitting frisbees. That being said, there are some manufactures that have begun producing some low volume cymbals that have a pickup mounted to the stand which is designed to be plugged straight into the mixer and amplify the sound being acoustically created. . I’ve never tried it but it could be an interesting experiment to try and wire these up to trigger the sound in the electric kit “brain” (control module). 

While electric drum technology has come a long way, it still doesn’t perfectly replicate all the nuances of an acoustic drum set, but just like an electric keyboard, they never have to be tuned and maintenance on them is minimal. They also give the sound engineer the most control over drum volume. That being said, there are other ways of getting drum volume to an appropriate level for the room, but we’ll get into those in a later section. 

Acoustic Drums

Good acoustic drums represent the sounds that we are know and love. The feel is perfect, they respond uniquely to each room and the tone can be infinitely manipulated by varying combinations of sizes, head types, dampeners, and cymbals. It makes sense that drum purists would gravitate toward an acoustic set, because when everything is right, there’s nothing quite like the real deal. 

So besides the volume concern, what could the issues be?  

As I hinted at previously, acoustic drums take a lot more specialty knowledge and skills to keep sounding at their best. Heads have to be tuned and changed regularly, there is a vast number of cymbal options and tones (and prices to match) plus in most scenarios, they also need to be captured through microphones in order to balance and mix them well. When all of the right pieces at all of these points don’t fall into place, the tone can be less than desirable. 

One important note to make on cymbals. this can make or break not only tonality but volume concerns as well. Good cymbals are very musical as to where low end cymbals can be very obnoxious and almost painful to listen to. 

Drum Shields 

As I’ve said previously, volume is one of the primary reasons that electric kits are considered. When that’s the case most organizations are also looking into full drum enclosures as a compromise. I’ve heard many people say they’re the perfect solution because the drummer can continue to play their acoustic drums as loud as they want, and the sound guy gets control over the overall volume. 

BUT……..

There is a pretty significant downside. Earlier I mentioned that one of the best parts of acoustic drums is how they resonate within a real space. A drum room is not a natural sounding space. Because they are so small and oddly shaped with oddly reflecting surfaces , they tend to choke out the natural tonality of drums. Drums take on a very un-natural sound that I like to compare to what I imagine the inside of a balloon sounds like. 

In addition they can get rather hot and they make lighting the drummer on a stage more difficult. 

Volume Concerns 

So the question becomes: what options exist that allow the use of an acoustic instrument where the volume can be kept at an appropriate level?

Well, there are a few good options. 

First, and possibly an unpopular option, is that professional drummers are able to “mix” the kit by the way they play to balance out all the individual pieces and play to the room. This is much easer said than done. But it is a skill that all drummers should be striving to learn on their journey. 

Second, is depending on the room and the desired sound, there are alternative percussion choices that can keep solid time. Some examples are: travel kits, Cajon Kits, and/or using a different striking tool like brushes. The bundled sticks are an ok way to cut down on volume, but Ive not personally seen where the tonality they create is really a desired sound. 

Thirdly, is maybe you should consider an electric kit as I mentioned above. 

No matter what you choose, this is a decision that should be weighed as a group so that everyone has a chance to be heard and all the factors weighed. It’s something that requires a unique solution for every organization. 

Other Considerations:

Acoustic drums require a certain level of force to get the best tonality out of them. Hitting them too lightly can cause them to sound thin and weak. On the flip side hitting them too hard can cause damage and choke out the tonality as well. It’s important that your drummer begin to work on these skills no matter what kind of instrument they’re playing. 

If you’d like to discuss how to design a plan to get the most out of your drums, Send me a message, I’d love to discuss it with you.