The Benefits of Electronic Drums

Electronic drums have been around since the 80s, but have just recently started becoming more popular. Earlier versions of electronic drums were difficult to use and didn’t function like traditional drum sets, but as technology improves in general so does the technology in electronic drums. When it comes to electronic drums there are a lot of benefits, and we’d like to take the time to highlight some of the things that might make them attractive to a new musician.

Limits Noise

As a new drummer, you might be worried about annoying your neighbors, especially if you live in a condo or apartment with shared walls. With an electronic drum kit you won’t have to worry since they can be played as quietly or as loudly as you’d like. The sound can even be monitored with headphones, meaning you can practice in the middle of the night without disrupting the rest of your family. For recording enthusiasts, electronic drums make it easy to create professional sounding tracks without the need for microphones and preamps.

Practice Wherever You Want

Going on vacation? Do you spend weekdays with your mom and weekends with your dad? Regardless of the circumstances, traveling with a drum kit is next to impossible (unless you’re in a band and playing a bunch of shows–then it’s a necessity.) But trust us, you don’t want to be lugging a drum kit back and forth very frequently. With an electronic drum kit you can conveniently store and travel with your drum set using a couple cases and soft bags. If you think you’ll be traveling often, an electronic drum kit may be the better choice for you.

Versatile in Nature

An electronic drum kit gives you the freedom to change the sound of your drums with the touch of a button. Just imagine: you can change the sound of your drums to mimic a studio-quality acoustic kit, a huge arena rock kit, a funky hip-hop kit, or just about any sound you can imagine in a few seconds. With hundreds of sound effects at your fingertips, you can do more with an electronic drum kit when it comes to sound than you’d be able to do with an acoustic one. Plus, you won’t need mics to capture your drums’ sound, meaning you won’t have to worry about sound bleed while playing live or recording.

Built for Small Spaces

Let’s face it: most people don’t have an extra room (or even just extra room) in their home that they can dedicate to keeping their drum set in. Since the sounds are electronically generated, electronic drum sets don’t need to be as physically large as acoustic drum sets, which rely on their size to produce sound. For this reason, they’re a great choice if you don’t have tons of space in your home to dedicate to musical instruments. This, combined with its portability, mean electronic drum kits tend to have a smaller footprint than their acoustic counterparts.

Makes Recording Easy

Although the features vary from kit to kit, most electronic drum sets include some kind of built-in recording options. With conventional drums, you’ll discover that recording sounds can be a bit of a hassle–you might need to soundproof the room and you’ll definitely need the right microphones and some high-quality recording equipment. With an electronic set, you’ll need none of the above to record sounds. You can even join the drum set without delay to your PC or sound mixer, and the sounds will transmit right away.

Built-In Tools

From metronomes to a built-in jack for connecting to an MP3 or CD player so you can jam along to your favorite songs, most modern-day electronic drum sets have a variety of accessories and tools built-in, all of which are designed to make you a better drummer. Depending on the drum set you purchase, it might even have virtual coaches and other training tools built-in that will challenge you with exercises and drills and provide feedback on your performance in real-time. It’s like having a drum teacher right there in the room with you, encouraging you to become a better percussionist.

Rubber vs. Mesh Heads

When purchasing electronic drum kits, you’ll need to take into account the kind of drum pads you’ll be using. The pads are usually made using mesh or runner, and here are some quick benefits of each:

Rubber Pads- Rubber pads have rebound and closely resemble traditional practice pads. They also offer more consistency, and are usually used in more affordable drum sets. Here are a few more advantages of using rubber pads:

• Economical
• Greater Consistency
• Compact
• Improved Design

Mesh Heads- The firm woven surface of mesh heads make them about as responsive as an acoustic drum head. Drummers can even use a drum key to tune to a preferred tension. Though they offer an improved performance, they tend to be more expensive than rubber heads. Here are somo more benefits of mesh heads:

• Tunable
• More Sensitive
• More Realistic

Buy Electronic Drums at Music & Arts

Whether you’re in the market for a brand new electronic drum kit or an acoustic one, Music & Arts has you covered. With over 160 stores throughout the country and over 13,000 products on your site (including lots of drum kits and tons of drum accessories), we have the gear and the knowledge you need to become the best drummer you can be.

If you want to learn how to play the drums but haven’t enrolled in lessons yet, check out our Lesson Studio. It’s the premier private music lesson facility in the country, and we’ll customize your lesson plan to fit your age, level, and preferred genre of music. For more information, contact us today.

While you’re at it, check out How to Buy an Electronic Drum Set so you’ll be prepared before you browse online or step foot in one of our stores. Happy shopping!