Yamaha DTX8K-X owner here, and I couldn't be happier with it. I couldn't have even thought about playing drums if it weren't for electronic drum sets. Lately, high-end kits have an incredible feeling and greatly expand the possibilities with VST software. They even facilitate the work of the sound engineer when playing live.

As for flexibility, a few years ago I was percussionist for a performance of Sound of Music. The orchestra leader was stunned when I turned up with every percussion instrument in the score mapped to my kit, including tubular bells and glockenspiel. For cover work, it is great to easily switch between jazz, rock and metal kits.

I have played guitar for over 4 decades. I can do things with my electric guitar that can't with my acoustic. That cannot be argued. I have played drums for 7 years now. I can do things with my e-kit that can't do with my acoustic kit. Stop being close minded about this. Look at the e-drum industry right now it is on fire. DW, Roland, Evans, EFnote, Alesis I can go on and on. Get behind a good e-kit you will like it. Not to mention your family will like you more.

Been an e-drummer for 20+ years. Started with a Roland TD-7 kit then moved up to a Roland TD-10 kit. Still use it to this day, although I've added an Alesis I/O to it via MIDI to almost double the size of the kit. Tried other modules over the years but nothing was as responsive as the Roland was with its internal sounds. Then when I built an updated computer in my studio, I purchased Superior Drummer 3.0 and that took things to a whole other level. There is zero discernable lag with Windows 10 (I had barely noticeable lag with Windows 7 on the same computer) and I am playing sampled recordings of real drums recorded in a professional studio. So they don't sound LIKE real drums, they are the sound OF real drums. I think a lot of drummer's hangups with ekits come from either (a) playing cheap ones that suck, or (b) not having played them at all and just making assumptions. Oh, and you forgot to mention a very big benefit of ekits - portability. Much lighter and can be transported in a smaller space. Anyway, I understand everyone has their own thoughts on it, but I encourage anyone who hasn't played a decent ekit to give it a try. You might be surprised.

Only problem I had with an e-kit was the lag between when I hit the head and when the sound arrived in my ears. This was probably 15 years ago. I hope it's gotten better.

I am a long time e-kit player, but purely out of necessity reasons (apartment building) and I only get to play my a-kit during band practice. What I love about my e-kit is the ease of recording drums for social media and changing sounds on the fly. What I despise are that I can’t use any dynamics (brush playing, hot-rods, mallets, different subtle snare/hh/ride changes) in my playing, which is a pain point for any advanced drummer.

I live in an appatrtment on 3rd floor and i really appreciate what brings me my e-drums.Adding a sono-carpet let me practice days and night without disturbing anyone.That's pretty cool

I switched to electronic drums years ago after I watched another drummer in the studio using one to produce MIDI info during a session which allowed for mistakes to be easily corrected and the producer to customize the sounds he wanted. When I got mine, I realized I could switch the drum set sounds to match EACH song (we were playing an eclectic mix from rock to jazz to country). My preference for playing live has been the Alternate Mode TrapKAT XL. It provides 24 triggers (plus bass drum and hi-hat inputs) with up to 16 sounds each in one portable unit. Plus, it is even quieter than a conventional E-kit with hard cymbal triggers.

You know, I never thought about it like acoustic piano vs a keyboard. That's really a great point.

I play an acoustic Birch Sonor/Paiste 2002 kit tuned the way I like it & I was let down with my Roland TD11 ekit sounds. 2 years ago I brought a 2Box Drumit module and have made multilayered samples of my Sonor kit with sticks & mallets (sampling brushes & rods soon). This is a game changer when practicing on the ekit now which sounds just like my acoustic kit. I know you need a module that can import multilayered samples like the Pearl Mimic pro, 2Box Drumit, Alesis Strike Pro SE or the new Yamaha modules. Some other drum sounds that are fun to play are free samples of Timpani & Japanese Taiko drums. I hope everyone is able to import & play they own multilayered drum sounds on every ekit in the future including mallets, rods & brushes.

While being able to change full kits in a matter of seconds is a huge asset, I find that creating that "go-to" kit and using it as a template to create and save various snare options to be a big plus. How many videos have you seen with someone on a sweet acoustic kit surrounded by racks of snares? Great video Stephen...!

Hoorah Stephen! At last someone has concisely put forward what I have always preached. The E-Kit is another instrument in itself. As a bonus, the better kits can sound exactly like their acoustic brothers. As for recording, my son-in-law borrowed my TD20 years ago for a recording session, because he thought it sounded better than when the engineer set up his Tama kit. I started with mine when my daughter took away her acoustic kit, and my wife said ‘no more acoustic drums’. That is when I got my TD7. Have grown that kit to a TD30. For my needs, that is fine. The other thing that Acoustic drummers complain about for e-kits, is the sensitivity and dynamics. Spend time adjusting the parameters to suit your playing style. For instance, many complained the the bell on the hi-hat needed to be hit hard. On my TD-20, after tweaking, it was just as sensitive as the bell on acoustic kit that I had to play at some gigs where an acoustic kit was already provided.

One thing not mentioned that is super cool also, and supported by that ride, hihat and snare (maybe even toms), is that the pitch and timbre changes when hitting it closer to the center vs edge like the acoustic counterparts do. This applies to rim shots also and it adds a lot of immersion

Got an ekit for the summer and plan on enrolling in your drum school. Thanks for the video!

I joined an 80s covers band just before the pandemic and had to practice with my band in between lockdowns in my bedroom with my Roland TD-30. The band loved it so much, we took it on the road. I made a small compromise and play mic'ed acoustic cymbals. The advantages for us are... Complete sound control across the entire band, especially useful in very small venues. A heavily processed "recorded drum sound" rather than a raw acoustic sound that so often competes for 'space' in the room. So very little need to do additional work on the desk to shape the sound.

30 years ago it wasn't my electric guitar getting the cops called on me every weekend. It was my bro's kit. And I never wanted to spend the money on drums for myself until I could get one for $300 bucks and run midi into my computer. LOVE IT!

I like how you compared E-Kits and Acoustic kits to Electronic instruments and Acoustic instruments (Guitars, Bass, Piano, etc.). What I've always appreciated in E-Kits is the ability to control volume.....say in a Church setting. It's just another arrow in the quiver, as a musician, time and place for everything. Where I think E-kits/drums are really interesting, is in combination with acoustic drums....not an either/or proposition, but instead an AND solution.

I have a Roland TD-15 KV. Loving it without disturbing the neighbors. I still have a Ludwig acoustic kit.

I never had that problem (delay between hitting the drums and hearing the sound) and I have been playing electronic and acoustic kits since 1988

I'm glad I'm not the only one who humms when I play! Did know I did it until I got my first acoustic kit after getting an apartment and my girlfriend told me I was humming. I couldn't believe it. Great video and agree on a lot of points you brought up. Nothing replaces an acoustic kit but e-kits are really a lot of fun and ease of recording for demos and such is a beautiful thing.

I used to play an acoustic kit 30 years ago, gave it up when kiddos came along . So i picked up a used td. 6v , it was cool but had rubber pads, which kinda suck,but it was fun, then I saw a review for td 17 years later itsc an amazing kit,i love its perfect for what i need. Converted it to acoustic shells. Comparing e drums acoustic drums are like Comparing acoustic guitars to electric guitars, its a different instrument, with slightly different playing techniques, i would never go back to an acoustic kit, as you can make an e kit sound like literally anything you want. Great video thank you for what u bring to the drum community

I'm a total newb; just bought my first electric kit. Not top of the line, but for a beginner like me, it does the job. Enjoying your channel. I'm sure I'll pick up lots of great tips

I've used EKits for a long time, and they really are a great accommodation for more substantial and suitable playing in a variety of situations. It's been certainly helpful living in a house of 6 haha. Cheers as always.

E kits are appropriate for many situations and great to have but never replace acoustic kits. I use both for different jobs. The only thing I am not on board with is dropping 3k or more on an e kit that will be outdated in 7-10 yrs and still have certain flaws. At least if I drop that dough on an acoustic kit, I know it’s a forever kit.

Really great video, Stephen! It makes me want to start trying to learn the drums again. I have a Roland TD-12 kit and enjoyed practicing on it even when I had an acoustic kit and didn’t really have to worry about the noise factor.

Great video man! I'm 14 and I've got a TD17 for practice in my room and a Mapex Armory double bass kit in our soundproof garage! It's so cool to practice with the eKit. It's less loud and you've got a great sound in your ears so it feels real! 🤘

I loved this vid. I’ve got a TD-17 ekit and I can’t get enough of it. However, with certain situations you must assault the senses with a good acoustic set.

E-kits have gotten way better than even 10 years ago. I use one with one of my bands and everybody in the band loves it. One advantage is level control in the studio and live. On my A-kit I can get nuances that I can't on an E-kit, but I imagine if I could afford a top of the line kit, I imagine it could get more of those acoustic nuances. There is an electronic group from Germany that at times will use both with a drummer on each. Some pro drummers like Pat Mastellotto use a hybrid kit. Each type of kit has a place depending on place and genre. Also, you can usually get a brush kit setup on an e-kit. While not exact, it works alright. The tech is advancing by leaps and bounds, so e-kits are getting closer in quality sound with every iteration of equipment, software, sampling and peograming. One last advantage- they are light weight and easier to move if need be. I have played one rock gig with my e-kit and nobody in the band seemed to notice the difference.

Recording side note: You can literally save right off the module. You don't even need that one cable, if just getting it recorded is all you want. Thanks for giving us E-Drummers some love.

Thanks for the positive energy and perspective

There's only one thing and that's volume control.. that's debatable. Real drums all day. E kits good for rehearsal. Still feel and sound clinical.

While the modules usually are plug and play some like Roland also have aiso drivers available which i definitely recommend downloading and installing as this improves latency by quite a bit

I have two acoustic kits and one e-kit. I’ve been playing drums for over 50 years. The E- kit is a Roland TD11KV. The toms and kick sounds are killer. The snare sounds are pretty good too. The cymbal sounds basically suck! They are quieter and don’t hold the same acoustic sound properties of the real ones. I mostly play the ekit now as I live in a condo. It took me a long to get used to the difference in setup between the two types. Hitting a tom that is 8” wide vs one that is 16” is way different. Between the kits, my fav are the acoustic. There’s nothing like laying into a snare with a big fat rim shot and they don’t vibrate as much on heavy fast sticking patterns. Pros and cons to each type but that’s my take folks. Cheers!

Just curious Steven, how much does that kit cost as you have it for this video, speakers, cables and all? I would guess around $3,000.00 plus?

Great Video I used to be a marching snare drummer in Drum + Bugle Corps in the 1980's, and never took my older brother's advice to ask my Mom for an accoustic drum set. Now I am 61 years old and just started researching this E-Kit stuff a week ago. I am wondering if there is a Drum Module that I can buy for $500 or less and then add whatever make / model drums + cymbals + Tom's that I wish? I do not want an E-Drum set that comes with a "Rack" necessarily? I would prefer a set that comes with stands like an accoustic set?

Great video

Electric drum set with silent cymbals? So you can get still get similar cymbal feel

I've had a Roland V10 kit since 2000. I've played live with it and recorded in a studio with it. i used acoustic cymbals of course live. but the quality of the sounds and variety? please. plug it in and the drums for the gig are pro sounding and mixed. done.

Its somewhat like comparing an acoustic concert guitar to an e-guitar. And really whats the problem, use what you enjoy and thats that. It reminds me of the early discussions with digital modelling guitar amps. The killer argument for me is i can play it at home night and day. And i dont go deaf.

What kind of drum set are you playing and is that a good drum set for a blind person to learn how to play please reply back

Recently moved to a place I can't play my acoustic set and I've tried E kits and I refuse to buy an E kit for many reasons. I'm here hoping you'll change my mind - boy have you got your work cut out for you!

Excellent video! But" Ain't nothin like the real thang" period !

I have been saying this for the past 10 years electric and acoustic piano electric and acoustic guitar electric and acoustic drums.. they all have their place and Purpose

I wish I got an e kit instead of acoustic. It doesn’t have a crash cymbal included and because of how loud it is, it doesn’t give me the motivation to play since it will annoy people. My dad told me to get an acoustic instead because it was the real but I did want an electronic originally.

There is no way I could learn and play drums without an E-kit. Acoustic kits are just way too loud. It would like having to practice your guitar on a Marshall stack at 11. If I was a gigging pro I would probably own an acoustic kit. I have an E-kit in my jam room for myself and friends and it is the perfect solution. Great sound at reasonable volumes.

Thanks for posting this! Finally! Someone else who realizes that the eDrums are just another percussion instrument for drummers to use to make music! Overall, I'm truly surprised by the ultra-conservative and even stuck in traditional thinking of (too) many drummers. Who knew!? That hardly fits the stereotypical myths about 'free range' drummers. d'oh. Also, not mentioned here is how, when we STOP expecting dDrums to ONLY be imitations of acoustic kits, they can be a dozen other things. For example - More Portable. I currently use Roland's SPD-30 'Octapad.' With pedals and a single stand this kit easily fits into two small bags, sets up/tears down in 5 minutes, and fits onto the tiniest stage spaces. It contains all the excellence of Roland drum voices and sound-editing tools plus it has a three channel sequencer if I want to create phrases or do real-time looping. And those top-of-the line TDK27s and 50s knock my socks of for the nuances they can capture in our playing. Want one!! ;-)

I can think of 2: Volume control Unlimited* kit variation

Although all these points are certainly valid and things that I do appreciate when it comes to E-kits, to me there is nothing an E-kit can do to give me the same feel I get on my acoustic drums. I’ve owned an Alesia Strike Pro, which was a pretty impressive kit to me, as well as played on Roland’s high end E-kits for multiple church gigs and things like that, and it just doesn’t come close to the feel I get playing real drums.

I recently bought an acoustic kit to learn on and I'm loving it. However, I should buy a ekit also before my neighbors hate me. Any good suggestions?

Great content. If it wasn’t for my electronic kit I wouldn’t be playing and practicing today. And You aren’t as self conscious when you can practice in silence.

hey man it's quite alogtime now i haven't see you you final have your mohawk at the end ;p cheers pal

As someone who has owned and play the ols Simmons kits, the world has opened up. I bought a eFnote 3x last January as a splurge as I got a decent bonus. I have and old Yamaha DTXtreeme IIS kit downstairs that my son used to play. I gave my son the eFnote kit for his birthday as he moved to an apartment to go to work and it's far more quiet than the Yam. I'm trying to get something out of the old girl. The main thing that annoys me with e drum mfrs is, they limit the pad inputs. For me this is a pita. Yes I know you can assign multiple voices to various parts of the kit but just give us enough jacks to be able to run an 8 piece kit without resorting to splitters and such. EFnote have sort of done that with their new pro range but it's at an eye watering price. I know a bloke in Romania who make custom trigger inputs. He can build you a box with 24 inputs if you want. The problem is, you can't hook them up to a drum module without a load of deep diving to separate channels. This coming Jan, I'll buy another eFnote 3x but I'll still be limited to the inputs and proprietary cable unless I contact my mate in Romania I bought a high end but cheap mac pro. I'll just run everything to the mac and use AD or some other programme.

Hi Stephen, I'm really glad you are enjoying your Roland Vdrums. Which kit did you prefer - Alesis or Roland? And yes, same rules for guitar. Just as idiomatic. Same layout but very different approach and tonalities depending on format.

I have said this in multiple places, I have never not been flamed for it.

Do you think these electronic sets are practical for jamming with a metal band with bass and guitars?

Awesome video

Thi most adequate opinion l've ever heard! 👍

Can u teach us how to play Johnny be good👍 would greatly appreciate it😁

The e-kit camera audio was just as loud as the full audio...

I’ve had an electronic kit for years. I don’t really feel like playing it anymore. It feels like hitting pads rather than playing drums to me.

For me the two reasons edrums are better is that I can actually play them at home. If I had an acoustic set I would have to go out and find a place to practice, which means less practicing. Second reason is the sounds. My Roland kit has 80 different kits so I can switch from rock to metal to EDM to 60's in just a couple of seconds.

Im about to watch this but before i do one benefit ive noticed is that without the resonance from the drum it is sometimes easier to hear if you are bang on the beat timing wise on an e kit. Personally i really dont enjoy playing them, but you cant hide behind a nice full sound that you have on a real kit either, everything sounds smaller so you have to focus on the playing and timing. Quite a different approach

Electronic drums have come a long way for sure. Some of the new kits sound amazing! Great video.

i see it as electric is good for at home practice or studio then acoustic kit is good for live performance

You don't buy a $200 e kit and do the same thing as a $200 acoustic kit. People are like me and looking back at $1000 e kits from 20 years ago and cheap $300 e kits from 5 years ago and the problem is that it's something you have to go all or nothing into. The chep e kits don't have dynamics or do custom samples on board. Also the interface is so horrible on portable equipment. Older recorders by roland are tricky to figure out. Cheap is the only option for a lot of curious folks and there is a learning barrier.

Way better for live gigs

damn i wanna save for an electric kit now

3500 still unattainable for most beginner or even intermediate players. Great for a professional or advanced student though. I'm not sure any of the entry level items are up to the same snuff.

I love acoustical

As a builder of fine acoustic guitars, I have to say I’m a bit afraid of the day when someone figures out how to make an electronic one.

electric emulate acoustic and acoustic emulate electric (Triggers)

Still, how many live bands use ekits vs. acoustic?

I disagree, acuastic kits are eternal ☝

What’s a good amp for an E-kit?

They are better!

If it wasn't for edrums I couldn't play at all at home

I think the electronics sets don't sound as the acoustic. E seems dull to my hearing.Again th esets are not colorful living me with little choice

What I like about them is that you can turn down the drummer 😂

They Never are👍

Toy drums....

I can't disagree more. Having authentic sounds vs. a fake unrealistic tone whether from snare, toms, kick, and especially the cymbals and hi-hats, simply no comparison. I missed the emotional expression coming from each artist

Electronic doesn’t have the same feel or sound period!

My electric set is best for church services. Acoustic for everything else.

Woow, Stephen those video always trigger me. Short story: hoppy metal drummer acoustic kit. YAMAHA Stage Custom. UFIP cymbals. Ok. Never thought of using ekits, they suck. Now, inexpensive pimped Millenium MPS-850, LEMON cymbals, replaced the module by Audiofront eDRUMin10 devices. DIY drum-tec style snare. And through the possibility to switch from a death metal kit to a bone dry Gospel kit came to other styles. Chromatic percussion instrument. I am using the Toontrack stuff and I am addicted to their beautiful crafted sound libraries. I dare to say, no, noooo Semi-Pro drummer will get so professional sounds. Lately I grabbed the GGD Benny Greb Signature Kit. Awesome! And I got a Taiko library. It's so much fun to try different ideas. You the get the settings right to have the largest dynamic range and trigger response and then... for the most styles... you're fine. You guys should check the Luke Oswald online sessions on is channel @DrumangleOfficial .