Why dont pro drummers use electronic drum sets?

Question

Why dont pro drummers use electronic drum sets?

Answer 1

define pro drummer.

A touring band for example, has to worry about wear and tear. Not to mention, accustic drums sound better. It feels more natural. Not to mention, electronic kits have been known to mis-fire.

For Studio work...well. I suppose you could, it's up to personal preference. I prefer to work with Accoustic drums because you can manipulate them better.

Answer 2

Why dont pro guitarist use electronic guitars!?!?!   oh wait.

ha its probably because they just like the feel of a real drum set better. I think they're louder and look better personally.

Answer 3

Hey Jrock

Electronic drums are often used as practice pads with headphones. They are not as noisy and secondly, they offer the correct rebound of the drumstick versus the real thing.

Secondly, electronic drums are often used in studio. The effect that you can get such as phasing and flanging, cannot be produced with real drums.

Answer 4

Back in the 80's when they first came out.... a few drummers did use them.  One big benefit of an electronic drum kit is you dont have to mic anything.  Left and Right out from the module is all thats required!  Another benefit from electronic drums... you can really crank those things... in a lot of instances louder than an acoustic kit... no mics on them... therefore dont have to worry about any feedback.

   One big drawback to using only an electronic kit though... plain and simple... it just isnt a standard acoustic kit... and while the sound can be close to one.. its not.   Also.. the feel and "snapback" from the pad isnt the same, and ive read of instances where drummers who use electronic kits  exclusively start to develop wrist problems due to the surface being much harder than a drum head.

     One drummer comes to mind though that does incorporate electronic drums around his acoustic kit.  Neil Peart from Rush.  His kit is also set up to  trigger various midi functions, and also has eliminated the need for him to tour with massive amounts of various bells, chimes, gongs, and other percussion instruments.

Answer 5

alot of big bands do use them in the studio, examples being van halen, black sabbath, def leppard (duh), iron maiden.  The thing is, they attach triggers to acoustic drums that trigger electronic drum samples.  They like the consistency they get from samples.  an example of the most signifcant artist who doesn't use electric drums is travis barker, who didn't use electric drum samples until he started doing hip hop music, which he decided he enjoyed doing and started using them for plus 44, but he uses that whole trigger thing too.  he didnt use them in the old days though.

Answer 6

so when they are performing people in the audience can hear them as well!

Answer 7

Some of them do, but musicians tend to be a bit on the "conservative" side when it comes to traditional and untraditional instruments. A great quality "traditional" drum set has a specific quality of sound to it. Electronic drums offer a different way to do the same thing, but they still do not sound the same. Some drummers will combine both in their kits. Cymbals are very difficult to reproduce will electronically, so that might be why some still choose to use the non-electronic kind.