Pros and Cons of Acoustic Kits

Advantages of Acoustic Kits:

• Helps in learning proper technique: Acoustic drums demand the mastery of technique to produce the best sound, offering an authentic drumming experience.
• Wide dynamic range: They provide a wide dynamic range that doesn’t require an amplifier to be appreciated.
• Nicer feel and appearance: An electronic kit will never beat the look of an acoustic kit. You’ll almost always feel and look cooler behind a real drum kit.
• Better sound quality and harmonics: The natural resonance and harmonics of acoustic drums are hard to beat. They simply sound better most of the time.

Disadvantages of Acoustic Kits:

• Loud and noisy: This is the main reason drummers will opt for an electronic kit. If you’ve never played drums before, trust me, they’re even louder than you imagine. And, if your neighbors complain, that may discourage your practice.
• Requires tuning and maintenance: To get the best sound from your kit, you’ll have to ensure it’s well-tuned, which can be quite the undertaking for a beginner. Additionally, you’ll have to replace your drum heads and cymbals from time to time as they accrue wear and tear.
• Heavy and difficult to move: Acoustic kits can be cumbersome and are difficult to transport. Not to mention, more prone to damage.
• Requires specialty mics for recording: To record with an acoustic kit, you usually need to invest in multiple microphones and potentially preamps to achieve a good sound.
• Limited ability to edit tracks: Once you’ve recorded, editing the individual drum sounds can be challenging. You can’t manipulate them like electronic kits.
• Limited to the sounds of one kit: You’re stuck with the sound your acoustic drum set produces, without the ability to change drum voices as with electronic kits. Got a bad sounding kit? Oh well, you’ll have to buy a better one.

Pros and Cons of Electronic Kits

Advantages of Electronic Kits:

• Portability and ease of movement: They are generally more compact, lightweight, and easier to transport. Once setup, they usually take up less room than an acoustic kit.
• Quiet for practice in small spaces: With volume control and headphone options, electronic drums are friendly to the hostile. You can play at 3am and not worry about disturbing anyone.
• Easy to record with USB output: Direct recording to computer software simplifies the recording process. Once sounds are recorded digitally, they can be edited and manipulated.
• Versatile sounds and timbres: You can switch between different drum sounds and styles easily. With a USB MIDI connection, and the right software, you can have a $200 electronic kit sounding like a $5,000 acoustic drum kit (though nothing beats the real thing).
• More price options: You can buy an electronic drum kit new for as low as $200. It probably won’t be a very good one, but you can usually get a lot more value out of a cheap electronic kit than a cheap acoustic kit. This is especially true if you choose to connect it to your computer and use additional software to improve your sound.

Disadvantages of Electronic Kits:

• May affect technique due to bounce: The rebound on electronic drum pads may not perfectly mimic that of acoustic drums, potentially affecting technique.
• Technical issues can disrupt playing: While they’re usually pretty simple, they can be susceptible to technical issues and potential learning-curves. If you’re not technically-inclined, you may need your great-grandkids to show you the ropes. This can be especially true if you choose to use additional software to enhance your sound.
• Some genres may not sound authentic: Certain music styles may not be as convincing on electronic drums. You might sound great on Hip-hop, Dance, or Pop track, but not so good on a Rock, Metal, or Country track. The latter usually don’t mesh well with electronic sounds.
• Not as cool: Yeah, they just don’t look as cool if that sort of thing matters to you. They’re fun as hell, but it’s hard to feel like a legit drummer behind an electronic kit.

Practical Considerations, Feel & Recording With Different Drum Kits

Electronic drums shine in terms of practicality and portability, with easy volume control making them ideal for apartment dwellers or shared spaces. In comparison, real drum kits usually sound and feel better out-of-the-box, but can’t compete with the versatility and sound control offered by electronic sets.

The feel of playing on electronic drum mesh heads differs significantly from hitting acoustic drumheads. However, quality electronic drums allow for adjustable sensitivity to help mimic an acoustic feel as closely as possible. Despite this, there’s still a noticeable difference in rebound and resonance between the two.

Recording is streamlined with electronic kits, thanks to USB/MIDI output, simplifying the recording process. Acoustic drum recording requires a more complex setup, with multiple microphones and possibly a mixer. However, electronic kits offer significant post-recording editing advantages, allowing for detailed sound manipulation.

Tuning acoustic drums is an essential skill for achieving the desired sound, whereas electronic drums offer a wide range of presets and samples for different tones, even though they’re limited by their pre-recorded samples.

Hybrid Kits: Bridging the Gap Between Acoustic and Electronic

Still can’t decide? Consider a hybrid kit. Hybrid kits aim to offer the best of both worlds, combining the feel and resonance of acoustic drums with the versatility and control of electronic components, representing a compromise for those undecided. Though, as a downside, they’re usually more expensive.