There is something about the beat and the feel of playing the drums. Even little kids love banging away at a pot with the kitchen spoon. It probably has something to do with a primal instinct. The drums is one of the most interesting part of the music history. Drums and drum sets form quite a variety and is almost an integral part of many different cultures. Rhythm and beat are all parts of our pre wiring.



There are probably lots of you that would love to have drums, or even learned, but then had to stop due to the noise level of an acoustic set. There is however, a solution. That solution lies in electronics. The whole synthesizer thing was popular in the 80's and has sort of died out, but the technology in the electronic set can be leveraged to still allow you to have a set and have a great time playing, either professionally, or recreationally.

Consider electronic drums to allow you to get going with playing and keeping everyone around you sane.

Electronic drums are kind of percussion instruments where the sound is produced by an electronic waveform generator or sampler instead of by acoustic vibration. When an electronic drum pad is hit, a change in voltage is activated in the embedded piezoelectric transducer (piezo) or force sensitive resistor (FSR).

The signals emitted are then transmitted to an electronic drum brain via TS or TRS cables, which are then decoded into digital waveforms. The result is the production of the preferred percussion sound assigned to that particular trigger pad.

These pads are all pressure sensitive, so the pad and trigger can recreate volume based on the hit on the set. When you hit the pad harder, it creates a louder sound.

Popular and new drum modules have triggered inputs for a kick, 3 to 4 toms, 2 or more cymbals, hi-hat, and a dual-zone snare (head and rim). The hi-hat has a foot controller which creates open and closed sounds; there are some models which also offer variations in-between. Many of the earlier sets, and beginner sets were made with rubber pads, but with technology, you can also find mesh head kits that closely resemble the feel of a natural head. Cymbal pads used to come in with only rubber, but now you can find electronic cymbals that closely resemble the feel and play of the real thing. The more natural the feel of the kit, the more expensive it typically is.

All electronic kits are controlled by a module. The module is basically the brain for the set, and all the pads and triggers connect to the module. The module is also what is connected to the sound system.

The modern drum modules are bundled with amazing features and the power to create unlimited drum kits. Acoustic drum kits build their sound through physical divisions of the drums, such as the shell, head and trapped air pressure within the drums. Modules come in many different memory capacities, and offer different features. They come very basic, and scale up to models that have hundreds of programmed kit sounds. They can also record your playing, and load different tracks. The module comes loaded with beats, and metronome.

In comparison to many other musical instruments, the electronic drums are next to silent. The inbuilt electrical sensors pick up the energy produced by the stick-movement and convey it to the drum module for processing. If you do have a rubber kit, you will experience some reverb sound.

There are four electronic drum companies that control the market today. Each offers a range of models and prices to suit the choice and taste of the amateurists to the experienced professionals. Roland, Pintech, Yamaha and Hart Dynamics are the four in the business, which covers 80 percent of the market. You can also work with some companies to build custom sets. In general, if you are looking for something to practice, the entry level models from the companies listed can be found prices between $800-$900. More advanced sets start at $1000, and can go upwards to $3000 or more depending on add ons and module.

A majority of professional players still perfer the acoustic drum set over the electronic set due to feel, and true sound, but an electronic set is an excellent piece to add on if you need a way to practice in small quarters, or you are playing in a very small venue where the acoustic set would be much too loud.