This question goes out to owners of electronic drum kits.

I love playing my V-Drums at home as a glorified set of practice pads. And whether they know it or not, my neighbors appreciate my V-Drums as well, since I can practice at any time of the day wearing headphones and barely produce any noise.

However, I still use an acoustic kit onstage. I find that my acoustic kit is easier to set up and break down, and that I can play it more dynamically just by employing sticking techniques. I also like how a well miked kit sounds like it’s coming from all directions, including right under my hands.

Do you use your electronic kit onstage for gigs, or do you use it at home as a practice kit?

Hi to all! Being that I own a ‘row home’, I bought my V-Drums Kit for practice in my home studio-to save me the expense & travel of renting a drum room elsewhere in Allentown, PA. In the 5 years that I’ve had the V-Drums Kit, I havn’t had a single complaint from any neighboor(s)! I use headphones (Vic Firth SIH-1’s), but I do own a drum amplifier (Roland PM-30), for the times that I want to hear myself w/out phones covering my ears & to play along to CDs, MP3s, portable CD players, & iPods (that way I can hear the music & my V-Drums)!
My acoustic kits are for playing out, although my DW remains set-up at all times here in my home studio. Being that it’s semi-soundproofed (& that my home is @ the end of the row), when I have students over, they use the acoustic kit & I sit accross on the Roland.
My V-Drums are soley for practice/teaching @ the home studio. I have yet to play out w/ them, & really don’t have a burning desire to either! But I do love them & would suggest to any drummer that can afford to…get a set of V-Drums, no matter how many acoustic kits you may have. I have a relativley simple model (the TD-4 KX) & I love the sounds that it affords me! & yes, there are times that I really love letting loose on them, just as much as my acoustic drums—sometimes more!!!
Thanks for the Thread, Andy! & a good question it IS! Take care for now! Brian Jezuit

I don’t own any, but I’ve played them a lot.

We rehearse at my guitar player’s house & he has them set up.  Makes it easier than humping gear around.  We’ve also recorded demos with them.  Super easy to plug into the computer.  Doesn’t help with volume once the bass & guitars crank it up.

I’ve also played them in different churches.  Again, easier than humping gear, plus I don’t have to hide inside a plexiglass cage.

As far as mobility, I’ve seen them folded up & packing into a truck in as little time as it takes to get the bags or cases out of the back room.

I use pads and the mod from my Yamaha DTX kit live.
Typically I’ll have one or two pads to the left of my Hi Hats and run all kinds of samples with them.
I love using Electronic drums in a live setting, they blend so well in the mix and really add something that’s out of the norm.

Hey Nick, do you use in ear monitors so you can hear the samples, or just run them though a floor wedge?  Are you using a click with the samples?