bassartist Posted May 29, 2003 Share Posted May 29, 2003 We're planning on buying new drums for my church. As a sound engineer/bass player, what are your thoughts regarding the Roland V Drums vs acoustic drums? I really like the idea of having control over the sound volume at the mixing board as well as not having to mic all the drums and cymbals. I know that there are some"purists" out there that will probably slam the e-drums, but I have not had any experience with them and would appreciate some objective thoughts... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super 8 Posted May 29, 2003 Share Posted May 29, 2003 There is no question about it. Get the V-Drums. It will improve your sound dramatically. I have been using electronics at my church for years, and it sounds TONS better than with an acoustic kit. Acoustics are great WHEN: You can handle their volume You can keep the heads fresh and properly tuned. You can afford quality quipment -especaially cybals. You can mic them with decent mics and have someone at the board who knows how to handle them. You have the extra input channels on the board. Few churches are in any kind of sustained position to do justice to acoustics. V-Drums sound great, they are easy to use and maintain, and they give you complete control over their volume. One word of caution: The clamps on the V's are made of plastic and WILL break if over tightened. I don't know WHY they can't be made of a more durable material... But just to let you know, keep a few spare clamps on hand. They tend to break at poorly timed moments... Good luck! Super 8 Hear my stuff here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freelance Posted May 29, 2003 Share Posted May 29, 2003 I agree, electronic drums are a natural for worship services. The ability to control the drum volume is significant. The little blue haired ladies that sit up front can enjoy the service without holding their ears and casting looks of disgust at the band. I use to work in a music store which worked with several churches. We did a lot of work with accoustic kits surrounded with sound shields and accoustic tiles, etc. We also set up many churches with e-drums and after numerous encounters, I'm convinced e-drums are the way to go. Naturally you need a sound system that can handle the low end impact of the kick drum and a decent way for the drummer/band to monitor the drums. Another concern can be, many churches may have the main worship service band and the various youth bands, etc. I've seen alot of gear get trashed/stolen from churches. It seems painfully wrong - but it happens. The hardest part is convincing the paster or whoever makes the financial decisions that a $2,000 -$4,000 investment in electric drums/sound equipment is justified. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassartist Posted May 30, 2003 Author Share Posted May 30, 2003 Originally posted by bassartist: We're planning on buying new drums for my church. As a sound engineer/bass player, what are your thoughts regarding the Roland V Drums vs acoustic drums? I really like the idea of having control over the sound volume at the mixing board as well as not having to mic all the drums and cymbals. I know that there are some"purists" out there that will probably slam the e-drums, but I have not had any experience with them and would appreciate some objective thoughts...Thanks for that reply. Point well taken. Now if I can just convince the drummers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassartist Posted May 30, 2003 Author Share Posted May 30, 2003 Originally posted by freelance: I agree, electronic drums are a natural for worship services. The ability to control the drum volume is significant. The little blue haired ladies that sit up front can enjoy the service without holding their ears and casting looks of disgust at the band. I use to work in a music store which worked with several churches. We did a lot of work with accoustic kits surrounded with sound shields and accoustic tiles, etc. We also set up many churches with e-drums and after numerous encounters, I'm convinced e-drums are the way to go. Naturally you need a sound system that can handle the low end impact of the kick drum and a decent way for the drummer/band to monitor the drums. Another concern can be, many churches may have the main worship service band and the various youth bands, etc. I've seen alot of gear get trashed/stolen from churches. It seems painfully wrong - but it happens. The hardest part is convincing the paster or whoever makes the financial decisions that a $2,000 -$4,000 investment in electric drums/sound equipment is justified.Our sound system should more than handle the e-drums as we just recently upgraded it and added subs and alot more power. I'm considering adding a dedicated drum amp in addition to the headphones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassartist Posted May 30, 2003 Author Share Posted May 30, 2003 Originally posted by Super 8: There is no question about it. Get the V-Drums. It will improve your sound dramatically. I have been using electronics at my church for years, and it sounds TONS better than with an acoustic kit. Acoustics are great WHEN: You can handle their volume You can keep the heads fresh and properly tuned. You can afford quality quipment -especaially cybals. You can mic them with decent mics and have someone at the board who knows how to handle them. You have the extra input channels on the board. Few churches are in any kind of sustained position to do justice to acoustics. V-Drums sound great, they are easy to use and maintain, and they give you complete control over their volume. One word of caution: The clamps on the V's are made of plastic and WILL break if over tightened. I don't know WHY they can't be made of a more durable material... But just to let you know, keep a few spare clamps on hand. They tend to break at poorly timed moments... Good luck!Point well taken. Now if I can just convince the drummers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freelance Posted May 30, 2003 Share Posted May 30, 2003 If you add a dedicated drum amp (amp combo) use at a minimum a keyboard amp with a 15" speaker to handle the low end and a tweeter to give the cymbals some shimmer. Keybooard amps (or more specific speakers) are designed to cover a wide sonic range from high to low. Don't make the mistake of useing a guitar amp (no good for the lows) - or a bass amp no good for the highs. Roland makes a dedicated amp for the V-drums but in my opinion it's overpriced. A Peavey KB 300 or the Roland KC300 would work well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super 8 Posted May 30, 2003 Share Posted May 30, 2003 Actually, I'd be very cautious about monitoring, or you will end up with the same problem you have with acoustics -too much stage volume and a muddy sound. I prefer headphones or in-ear monitoring BY FAR. However our current Program Director won't allow them for reasons that have never made sense to me. In leu of that, I generally use either a Peavey wedge, or a Bose 402 Panaray, powered by a small amp. I keep the low end down to a minimum and rely mostly on the FOH subs for the low end I hear. I turn the high end way up so I can hear plenty of articulation and still be able to keep the speaker at as low a volume as possible. This is NOT an optimal arrangement for me, but it works quite well. My goal is not to be able to hear the drums sounding their best, but rather to hear everything I'm playing as well as possible. Super 8 Hear my stuff here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedly Nightshade Posted June 1, 2003 Share Posted June 1, 2003 electronic drums are only suitable for the worship of Mammon. A WOP BOP A LU BOP, A LOP BAM BOOM! "There is nothing I regret so much as my good behavior. What demon possessed me that I behaved so well?" -Henry David Thoreau Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super 8 Posted June 3, 2003 Share Posted June 3, 2003 Originally posted by Ted Nightshade: electronic drums are only suitable for the worship of Mammon.Interesting choice of terminology, Ted. Could you elaborate a bit on why you feel that way? Super 8 Hear my stuff here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 Originally posted by freelance: Don't make the mistake of useing a guitar amp (no good for the lows) - or a bass amp no good for the highs.Definitely don't use a guitar amp but there are loads of bass amps out there with tweeters which will do a fine job with V-drums. Alex Barefaced Ltd - ultra lightweight, high ouput, toneful bass cabs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llarion Posted June 27, 2003 Share Posted June 27, 2003 We use a V-club, amped with a Fender Bassman 60 in our Praise band, and it works great. Churches by and large are WAY too boomy for most acoustic kits, and a lot of congregations are sometimes put off by the pushy ambience. I'd definitely go with the V-drums. the other great advantage is to pack em up, you fold, lift, and go. Cheers! Phil "Llarion: The Jazzinator" Traynor www.llarion.com Smooth Jazz - QUESTION AUTHORITY. Go ahead, ask me anything. http://www.llarion.com/images/dichotomybanner.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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