As a beginner, investing in the best electronic drum set is paramount if you want rewarding long-term results. Drum sets are either acoustic or electronic. Determining which one to buy as a beginner can be quite challenging.
Each of these types has its pros and cons. However, for a long time, electronic drum sets have been the go-to kits for beginners of all ages.
Below are key reasons why electronic kits are preferable for beginners over their acoustic counterparts.
Compact Size
An electronic drum set is smaller and more compact. This feature makes it ideal if you have limited space in your house, but you still want to get the opportunity of playing drums.
Most of these kits come with collapsible stands. Consequently, they are easy to fold and store away after use.
In addition to its compact size, most electronic drum sets are lightweight. This feature comes as a great plus, especially for those drummers who might want to move around with their drum set.
As such, you can carry them around with much ease, and practice/ perform from anywhere you wish.
Thanks to their compact nature, many drummers prefer them to their acoustic counterparts.
Reduced Noise
Though electronic kits are not entirely silent, they are quieter than acoustic drum sets. This feature is an incredible advantage, especially if you live in an apartment.
When you can plug in your headphones, it’s only you who can hear the drum sounds. The people around you can only hear light stick-tapping.
An electronic drum set is great for practice in an apartment or a shared accommodation, thanks to this feature. You can practice anytime and for as long as you want without pissing off the people you live with or neighbors.
A beginner needs to have many practice sessions at home. An electronic drum set will offer them that opportunity, even if you want to practice in the middle of the night.
However, when shopping for an electronic drum set, quality, pricing, and brand are vital considerations. The best electronic drum set comes with mesh heads or silicone heads for effective noise reduction.
Sound Varieties
An electronic drum set features a drum module that contains a wide variety of digital drum sounds. This feature is incredibly helpful to a beginner. They allow you to have a taste of the numerous sounds that drummers use in playing drums.
Besides the normal hi-hat, cymbal, tom, snare, and bass sounds, the kit features hundreds of more play-along kits.
They include whistles, bells, congos, and tambourines, among others. Amazingly, the sounds can be interchanged and customized to suit a variety of musical styles.
The wide array of sounds encourages a beginner drummer to experiment and be creative. As such, learning becomes easy and fast.
An electronic drum kit also allows a beginner to record his or her sounds as they play. Apart from motivating a beginner, this feature makes the learning process enjoyable and effective.
Learning Tools
The most fantastic learning tool that comes along with an electronic drum set is the built-in metronome. A metronome is a vital tool for beginners who want to improve their timing. Using this tool, you will learn to play drums at the proper beats per minute (bpm). It also allows you to monitor your progress. Consequently, you advance from being a beginner to a professional drummer within a short time.
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Another key feature is the training mode. This beginner feature allows you to play along with the drum track and tells you if you are playing correctly or not.
Most electronic drum kits come with preset drum lessons. They include step-by-step guidelines on how to set up your kit, hold drumsticks, and use the built-in training features. You can also get warm-up exercises and endurance tests.
Beginner drummers can use this feature to teach themselves how to play drums in the comfort of their houses.
Connectivity
An ideal electronic drum set comes with USB/ MIDI connectivity ports. The USB ports allow you to plug in an audio jack from your computer or phone into the kit. As such, you can access your music library and play along with your favorite songs.
The MIDI ports allow you to access/ download music software from the internet. You can also upload MIDI versions of songs to the kit’s brain and transfer your recordings.
These features help to enhance your creativity and perfect your craft. Moreover, they also help to make your drumming experience more enjoyable and memorable.
Tuning
The drum pads of an electric drum kit do not produce sound by themselves. When you strike them, they relay signals to the drum’s brain. Then, the brain translates those signals and triggers the specific pre-existing sounds.
Therefore, an electronic drum set does not require tuning because the sounds are already pre-existing. This feature makes the drum perfect for beginners because they don’t have to bother about tuning the pads to get a perfect drum sound.
Limitations of an electronic drum set
Despite all the benefits we have discussed above, an electronic set has several limitations.
Firstly, most beginner kits have limited features. They usually come with very few presets, and you may not have full control over your drum samples.
Secondly, due to the fast digital advancement, electronic drum sets change very quickly. An electronic kit that is relevant today will have devalued in the next few years. As such, you are forced to keep updating your drum set to remain relevant.
Thirdly, electronic drums do not always produce the real feel of acoustic drums. An acoustic kit offers you different sounds at the center of the head or the edge.
However, this is not the case with an electronic drum set. The rimshots on the snare are not as good as those of an acoustic drum.
Whereas most electronic sets have two or three zones, an acoustic drum features several zones for varied nuances.
Despite the few cons, an electric set has far more advantages over an acoustic drum set.
Conclusion
Investing in the best electronic drum set is invaluable for a beginner. An electronic set offers you numerous benefits that you can find in an acoustic kit.