Future of Electric Drums

Drums of the future will enable the drummer to be the producer, remixer, beat maker, and artist of his or her work. The future drums are the result of hybridizing classic drum machines with actual acoustic or real drums. This will result in a range of new sounds that are not commonly used in our present days. The future drum will contain a variety of unique one-shot samples and numerous loops. This will enable the drummer to combine a large range of sounds. Hence, the drummer will be his or her own DJ, which reflects the unique style of every drummer.

Electric vs Acoustic

The Electric drums take up less space. The band using electric drums can practice by headphones instead of revealing their show earlier during practice. In addition, electric drums require no tuning, which is not present in acoustic drums. However, the drawback remains the absence of real sound compared to that of acoustic drums. On the other hand, Acoustic drums look better on stage, hence attracting the audience watching a concert. In addition acoustic drums do not face an electricity shortage problem during performances that might ruin the show. Last but not least, acoustic drums can be repositioned in various ways according to the type of performance using them; unlike electric drums that require the presence of the complete set to function.

Disadvantages

The use of electronic drums has many disadvantages:

Electric drums do not sound as real as acoustic drums. The lack of actual metal cymbals for example is a major drawback.

The use of electric drums requires maintenance, which is expensive. Small parts and pieces broken in such drums have to be replaced by expensive equipment.

Some electric drums have limiting positioning options: they cannot be placed in any open area due to sound projection issues.

They require electric cords and thus cannot be placed in open areas that lack electric connectivity.

Advantages

The use of electronic drums has many advantages:

Quick access to a variety of sounds: this includes orchestral, acoustic, percussion, rock, techno, and hip hop sounds that can be used immediately and simultaneously by the drummer.

Volume can be controlled easily and thus can be played on small stages, at home, or at   churches.

Built in recordings are important to save and replay performed pieces and thus a memory of that music is saved and can be published later on.

The presence of MDI allows the electronic drums to be connected to various computer software, external sound modules, and other musical instruments.

History of Electronic Drums

In 1971, Graeme Edge created the first electronic drum. This drum was used and played on the Moody Blues song Procession. The first electronic drums were unleashed to the market in the 1976 produced by Pollard industries and were known as the Syndrum. After it came the SDS 1 drums produced by the company Simmons. The SDS 1 drum set had adjustable knobs to fix the sound levels. In the 1980s, electronic drums became popular in Pop and Dance music. However, this dissipated in the 1990s. In 1997, Roland released the first V-Drum kit, which is similar to the drum sets we know off today.