FAO any drummers

[hammerman]

I'm thinking of getting a small, 5 piece drum kit for myself to re live a dream and for my 10 year old daughter to learn on.

However, i get on very well with my neighbours and don't want a drumming ASBO over my head.

So ive seen these silent "pads" you put over the drums and cymbals to keep the noise down.....are they any good ?

Many thanks

[WaldoMcFroog]

Why not buy a set of Roland V-Drums or equivalent, then you can play them through headphones, or adjust the volume to a suitable level. They're also great if you want to record stuff, or jam, cause your band no longer has to complete with the noisy b*gg*r in the corner and so your ears are less fatigued.

[andy-hughes]

Rolands are OK, but if you are learning from scratch, you are best with an acoustic kit so you can get the full feel of playing kit drums - their resonance is different than pads.

It's a bit like driving a manual and an automatic - learn a manual, drive both, learn an automatic, stuck with that.

[WaldoMcFroog]

Disagree, Andy.

To keep with the metaphor, it's certainly the difference between the car you're used to driving, and the one you've never been in before, but there's no difference in how you actually drive the thing, it just handles slightly differently. You can easily adjust given a couple of days.

[rock-n-roll-]

Hey hammerman, me and my mate used to have jamming sessions at his house & we sometimes had to use the silence pads because the noise drove his brother crazy. We used them whenever he was in and I found that they were really good :)

[andy-hughes]

Fair point Waldo.


My observation is based on interviews with pro. drummers who use Rolands for practise in hotels and so on, but given the choice, always prefer an acoustic kit for the responses and feel it gives.

I realise that some peoples' choices are governed by circomstances - but I simply pass on what I have been told many times.

[hammerman]

Thanks guys...it's down to costs really.....i can pick up an ok set of drums for less than �100 whereas an electronic set is around �250.

Don't want to push it too far with the mrs as she's only just let me have the acoustic set.

[saxy_jag]

Mesh heads. Apparently they're really effective.

Go here: http://www.mikedolbear.com/ (which, I'm told, is a brilliant site with loads of pros on board), log in to the forums and ask away. I know some of these people, personally as well as online. They're a really nice, helpful, friendly bunch and will give you all the info you need.

[spudqueen]

We have an electronic drum set and it is great. We live in a terraced house, so I'm sure our neighbours are glad we didn't buy an acoustic set! Mr Spudqueen and the two teenage Spud boys play on them and they all enjoy playing them. Yes, maybe they are slightly different than an acoustic set, but at least this way I keep my sanity!