Electronic drum sets have changed the way drummers learn to play and practice - in many cases, owning an e-kit, regardless of your budget, can be the difference between becoming a drummer or not thanks to their noise-busting and space-saving abilities. They’ve come a long way, too. It wasn’t that long ago that electronic kits featured carpal tunnel-inducing, rock-hard playing surfaces with unrealistic pad shapes and form factors that felt about as realistic as hitting a tabletop. The sounds matched the playing experience, with early examples limited by technology to produce synthesised, drum machine-style sounds rather than acoustic drum recreation.
But, with incremental improvements happening every year, electronic drums have shifted focus since the ’80s from a near-novelty sound effect, to a much more authentic, acoustic drum kit substitute. Sampling and memory technology has become exponentially more efficient and effective. We now have tune-able playing surfaces which are not only round, but often similar (or at least approaching) that of our acoustic kits. Electronic drum manufacturers are now able to produce a cohesive solution to allow us to enjoy time at our kits without upsetting those around us, while also developing and applying traditional playing techniques. What was once alien and shunned by drum teachers and purists is now commonplace.
