Electronic Drum Kit recommendations

good ol roland v drums http://www.dv247.com/drum...tronic-drum-kit--93710

As a BFD Eco & BFD2 user (and also currently a beta tester for BFD3) I can't recommend BFD2 highly enough.

So, when is 3 due out?   :P

As being said, budget is a major point. Being a drummer I would never (NEVER!!  ) use anything without mesh heads. I'm still happy with my TD-12 which is kind of the father of the TD-15KV. The TD-11KV looks interesting too and is a lot cheaper. You should definitely do a test and play them for a while. Find a music shop near you und spend some time there.


Best!
Wolfgang

I have used a Yamaha DTXpress IV for the last 4 years to record via MIDI using SSD and have live giged with it also.  I was not impressed with the mesh head Roland kits.  You could find a used one for $500 or so.

BretB


I have used a Yamaha DTXpress IV for the last 4 years to record via MIDI using SSD and have live giged with it also.  I was not impressed with the mesh head Roland kits.  You could find a used one for $500 or so.

And I have played two gigs with a DTXpress and couldn't get used to it  So there's no better way then testing them and get what you like most.

I would focus primarily on A) what you're comfortable playing (e.g. mesh heads and emulated rubber cymbals as opposed to pads) and B) how many variable articulations you have (e.g. rimshots, etc).  Since you're using BFD2, internal sound quality isn't as big an issue.

I have a Roland V Pro with a TD20 and I use it with BFD2.  It integrates nicely, the mesh heads and cymbals are quite nice (many drummers have played my kit and say it's the most natural feeling e-kit they've played).  I'd recommend it, but as others have said above - price point is a major consideration.

Bristol_Jonesey

twaddle


Ha ha, you don't catch me out that easily 


I'm sure you know the NDA I signed requires me to keep my trap shut which takes some doing.
I genuinely wish I could tell you but I have no idea myself. I'm hoping it'll be out there for xmas but hard to say.
It will be worth the wait though 


Steve

Hey Steve, presumably all the add-on kits & expansion packs will still work in the new version yes?

Hi Jonesy
No sure how much I'm allowed to say but all the fxpansion kits work fine but there are currently a few 3rd party ones "Ken Scotts and I think 
some old BFD1 kits that need some work around to get them working but I've no doubt they'll be working come the release date.


Steve

 I bought this in February http://usa.yamaha.com/pro...00/dtx530k/?mode=model I record the sounds from the module using right and left out, also record a simple midi track and keep it muted during playback in case I want to break it up later and use sounds from soft synths. So far I am very pleased with the sounds and mix coming straight from the module

My wife bought me the Yamaha DTX 400 kit for my 60th birthday. It is about as low a price as you'll get for a name brand kit @ $500 can. 

Absolutely perfect for a "none drummer" wishing to upgrade from pounding on a keyboard. It's very basic but easily upgraded to better components if you so desire. 
If you have the bucks go for the top of the line Roland kit ( $4,000+ ) as it is defiantly like playing the real thing. 

 I have dabbled in drumming and even played a few gigs in a country band a few years back. I own a real kit and have recorded it  on and off over the years. I use auto snap to correct my not so perfect timing. But often the sound is not what I wanted so end up performing replacement anyhow. We all know what a pain miking up a real kit is. 

So far the digital kit has saved me a lot of time. So easy to play the parts in real time which means less time editing. And even if it's just a matter of inputting the snare part, you get the dynamics and cool stuff not possible with your fingers on a keyboard. 

A few things I have learned. 

Latency- You are best off to play your parts while monitoring the Brain sounds. If you try triggering a soft synth there will be a few ms delay in reaction that might bother you. 

Not all Soft synth samples will respond to playing dynamics and nuances as well as the sounds in the brain do. I have taken to using a lot of the brain sounds in the mix as they are actually very good samples and they change up properly, like the ride as an example. The brain changes in and out of bell tone but most patches in Session drummer don't. You have to use the sfx samples to get some variations but even those are not as good as the brain.  

Of course you will record the kit as MIDI. You can print the audio output of the brain later after you do a little ( or  lot) of midi editing. 

Quantizing- Yes the kick drum defiantly, The hi hats, probably,, but the snare I separate out and will then do this manually. All those subtle flams and para diddles get trashed with quantizing. I even find the song might sound best with the snare a hair ahead of the beat.   

I've been beating the heck out of my Alesis DM6 Kit for a few years now.
Like you, my main purpose was to use it as a trigger for soft drums, so I wasn't concerned with spending a lot for built in sound. To that end it has served me well. It is natively mapped to GM, so it integrates well with Session Drummer and EZ Drummer variants. The high hat action takes some getting used to, but it's workable.
I like the look of the new DM7 (cymbal choke!).
A decent low-latency sound card is paramount when recording live soft synths, so hopefully you have that covered.
If you can afford the more expensive kits, I am sure they are worth the money, but you don't need to break the bank to get decent behavior.
This tune was recorded live (DM6 triggering Session Drummer2 and EZ Drummer) with minimal adjustments in PRV. No quantizing.
http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=11243952

I recommend the Roland SPD-30, or any of the older Roland Octapads.
easy to play/program and get the notes into the computer for editing.
also.... try to buy used or even better rent for a month "try before you buy"
Zap!

zapotec


I recommend the Roland SPD-30, or any of the older Roland Octapads.
easy to play/program and get the notes into the computer for editing.
also.... try to buy used or even better rent for a month "try before you buy"
Zap!

Thanks everyone - I ended up with the OctaPad - really like it.  At the moment I only have the pad - no kick, hat or snare external triggers, but even with just sticks I can get decent results quickly.  The other+ is that a lot of my work ends up on a looper - with this I can lock to the looper tempo and use it's own phrase recorder in sync.


I did get it to work with Sonar / SD3.  I noticed that the midi mappings are expecting th eexternal trippers.  Zapotec - do you make a map on the SOnar side, or adjust the Octapad mapping - I really like that I can use different midi channels - I have SSD drums and also the Zildjan / BFD Eco cymbals. 

Great bit of advice - I should also mention I work in a 10' x 10' room, so the space saving is great. 

Thanks again everyone

Grif

www.grifbamaisin.com

(3rd video down is a youtube playlist - about 140 videos out there if you want to see how I perform form that same room)