I have long been of the opinion that the default electronic drum kits in almost every module ever made completely suck! I am talking about the stock kits that come packaged with your drum module. I have never been truly impressed with the kit choices on any module, but have been shocked by the terrible sounds on some…
Before I get really started with my rant, I must say right from the start that this is an opinion piece. It is my opinion. Yours might differ! That’s fine. Diversity makes the world go round, right? Feel free to start your own website and tell the world what you think. I did! Now, let the rant begin in earnest! (Seriously, take this post lightheartedly. It’s true from my perspective, but not meant to be hurtful… If you have trouble ripping bandages off, better not read the rest or you might cry. Lol.)
Now, I must admit to having limited experience with some modules. I only tried the 2Box modules on a few occasions, but did not find them to be anything special in terms of the stock kits. I also have no experience with the much heralded Pearl Mimic Pro, so this one might change my POV. I will reserve judgment until I can get hold of one!
However, I have played every single Roland module ever made and virtually every Yamaha. Although I do not buy or sell sub-par brands, I have tried their kits on occasion and none of these brands have ever impressed me.
Yamaha has some decent sounds, but the modules tend to make them sound very robotic and unnatural. It’s like the sounds are not glued together well when played as a kit. To me, they sound more like a drum machine than a drum kit. They sound very disjointed as a whole. The newer DTX-Pro modules seem better, but many of the kits are still complete garbage to my ears…Gimmicky and unplayable.
EF Note has a few OK kits, but their sounds are horrible for playing hard rock and metal. These are the types of music I like to play, so this company has alienated me (and many of my customers) 100% with their choice of samples and kits. I put ATV in the same category, with kits and drum sounds that are unbearably dry and boring for anyone who wants to play aggressive music. If you like softer sounds, then these kits might be perfect for you!
Roland impressed me most with its TD-25 and TD-17 modules. These have a handful of kits that are indeed playable right out of the box. However, many awful sound concoctions here also… My biggest disappointment was my beloved TD-30 module, which really suffered from complete crap programming of the stock kits. I can not stand to play even a single one when I get hold of this module in my shop.
Why are all these default kits such crap? I wish I had the answer! These companies spend huge amounts of time and money in R&D for these products, including the cheap, terrible kits found from sub-par manufacturers. However, when it comes to putting together kits that are actually playable, most companies fall flat.
I am not surprised that there are now many companies and individuals making custom kits for edrums. Electronic drums are more popular than ever before and are selling like hotcakes. Someone has to help users to get their kits to sound great, since the companies making edrums are not doing a stellar job!
The reason I got into making custom kits was because I simply could not find ANY default module kits that I could actually use to play metal or hard rock. None had the punch, energy, aggressiveness, rawness or sonic violence that I needed in my sound. They all sounded like C-3PO from Star Wars playing drums… Now there’s a visual that will give you a chuckle! People at my store loved my kits and convinced me to start selling them. This was how my brand Thunder Custom Kits was born! I was merely trying to fill a void in the genre for MY OWN USE; not trying to make it a business venture!
How can default electronic drum kits be improved? Well, for starters, the modules need better processors. The modules need better samples that behave more naturally, especially when played in sequence, like one would do when actually drumming… Modules also need development teams that have more actual playing experience in different genres of music. This way, you would not have brands that completely neglect players in certain genres, the way EF Note and ATV have aliened so many potential customers.
Finally, in high-end modules, at the very least, companies MUST stop creating kits full of stupid noises and impractical sounds. Sure, these are fun to play ONCE, but then they have ZERO appeal. I have polled drummers on many, many, many occasions about what they want from an electronic drum module and the answer is always crystal clear:
We want acoustic sounding kits that actually sound real. The modules are fully capable of doing this job. They just need a bit of help from the development team. I hope the future will improve this situation. I am now the owner of a Roland TD-50X module and although I find the machine to be a complete powerhouse in terms of ability, the stock kits still leave me flat. The very first thing I did when I got the module was replace EVERY stock kit with my own creation, which eventually became the Thunder Custom Kits TD-50X Edition. I play on this kit every day and love it to death! I did the same with my TD-27 and TD-17 modules…
If any edrum manufacturer wants my input, feel free to reach out. I would love to contribute!! Not only do I run Bangkok Drum Shop and Thunder Custom Kits, I also have 3 university degrees (BA Advertising, MS in Management and Executive MBA), 2 of which are from a great school in New York City. I understand business. I do not, however, understand why the default kits on even an $8000 drum set still make me want to unplug the module and throw it in the toilet…
At the end of the day, manufacturers should thank people who complain and DO SOMETHING about it, like me. (Lol). We are proving that these modules are indeed awesome and fully capable of delivering what is promised, despite not coming that way from the factory. I look forward to the day when I can open a box and basically have quality samples like on a VST, but with all the ability to shape them as desired. (Remember that even VST quality samples can be very unappealing in other ways, like when you want a really raw sound!)
I admit it… I want it all! Is that too much to ask??? Perhaps. Time will reveal the answer, but I AM hopeful. I will NOT be sharing this post to my usual social drum groups, since it will hurt too many sensitive feelings. Feel free to share it on my behalf! ⚡🥁🖤
