Acoustic Drum Kit
Pros
The daddy of percussion instruments. The acoustic drum kit has been around as long as contemporary music itself.
Acoustics are great for practising because you’ll feel prepared when you play one in a live situation. Making the jump from electronic to acoustic in this setting isn’t ideal, but if you practice on an acoustic at home, you’ll feel at home on stage too.
Nothing beats the sound of an acoustic kit, especially as a rock musician. It powerful, punchy tone is great for a number of styles and there’s plenty of room to customise as you add to your setup.
The drums themselves react dynamically when hit. The immediate impact is responsive – they bring out a primal feeling when you’re playing.
Even better is the availability of mesh heads, which lets you create a hybrid kit. Place these over the top of the drums to kill the volume and connect with a digital module to alter the sound.
Cons
Where the electronic drums prevail, the acoustic kit faulters. They’re loud, heavy, cumbersome and take up a lot of space. Not ideal when limited to a small area or if you move them around regularly. And not great for the neighbours either, unless you have a dedicated rehearsal venue.
They don’t have much of a flexible sound, as far as electronic tone goes. There’s less experimentation, and if you do want to expand, they take up even more space and cost a lot more to boot.
Recording is just as difficult. You’ll need multiple microphones and an audio interface, which isn’t a problem with the electronic kit.
Conclusion
If you’re a true purist, the acoustic drum kit is the best way forward. It prepares you for a live setting and if you don’t mind the noise, size and cost of expansion you’ll be extremely happy.
Electronic drums are perfect as a secondary kit for experienced musicians or a first for beginners. They offer all the extras you can’t get on an acoustic with a slight trade-off in sound quality.
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