Electronic Drum Kits

[BigMike]

So I'm just starting to learn drums. I have a little bit of experience playing, but not enough to officially call myself a drummer.
I was looking into investing into an electronic drum kit, seeing as it best fits what I want (quiet, versatile). I was looking into getting a Roland TD-3SW, which I've seen from $700 on eBay to $1200 new.
http://www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails.aspx?ObjectId=803
Any suggestions on kits I should check out?
Even tips on starting to learn would be appreciated.

[Greger]

I cant really tell you much about the product you're after, but I heard a friend of mine telling me this when I was thinking about starting drumming;
When you are practicing something, do whatever you're doing.
Whenever you do something wrong along the road, start over.
If you fail 3 times, just quit with whatever excercise you were doing, and wait until tomorrow / do some other practice.

I dont know for sure how well it works or for what reason, but he said something about that the muscle memory wont memorize it, and therefore you'll be able to progress without any improper techniques.

[BigMike]

Thank you for the advice.

[Riddlebox]

Is this more of a hobby, or do you want to play in a band? If you want to play with other musicians, get a real set, but if you just to mess around by yourself, with lots of different sounds and what not, go ahead and get an electric.

I used to own one, and I really didn't like it though. it just felt really fake.

[BigMike]

I'm going for both. My main goal is to learn how to play without disturbing everyone else in the house though. I've played an electric set and I don't really mind the feeling. Did you play a Roland? I've only heard good things about their sets. I've also looked at some drum sticks specially made for electronic kits that could help.

[Kenneh]

My main goal is to learn how to play without disturbing everyone else in the house though.

You're taking away half the fun of learning an instrument.

[exetra]

Spend a little extra money and get a TD-6 or better. The TD-3 module is very basic and has pretty sub-standard sounds for the most part and if you want to you can mess around with the sounds a bit more on the higher TD modules than with the TD-3.

I've fooled around with the TD-12 and even through a keyboard amp most of the kits sound pretty damn good. Having mesh pads for the toms and bass drum is nice as well, it feels much much better to play on them (the mesh heads are made by Remo). I've read that the TD-20 module is incredibly comprehensive, sounds like you could spend hours tweaking your drum sounds alone. But yeah, if you're really commited and you really want a V-Drum kit go for the TD-6 at least.

If you're interested, Yamaha make a cheaper kit called PDX Explorer I think, which is very good for practice and learning thanks to its little training excercise things built into it. One cool feature is this thing that mutes any of your hits that aren't in time to the tempo you set, which really does help you to improve your timing.

[ElPresidenteMike]

Most drum purists will tell you to get an actual set of drums and just get some pads for it.

But hey, electric sets can be fucking fun and can be more practical. I say go for it.

[BigMike]

I've taken everyone's advice.
I borrowed my friend's Black Pearl set while I save up for a TD-6.
I'll get some practice in with the accustic set for a couple weeks until I can find the electric one for under $1,000 on eBay. I'm so anxious to get it though.

[Kris]

I've played the TD-3SW and the kit is very limited. It's affordable and comfortable, but it's not very versatile. If you get it i'd suggest investing in a module that's TD-6 or higher. It'll be great for a learning set to get you started.

[theblueneutrino]

Definitely save up for an electric drum kit. Program it to go "ba-doom crash" at the touch of a button for when ever anyone tells a really unfunny joke/some one gets owned. We did it to my flat mate's TD-6; it never gets old.

[stfu]

The electronic kit is a great way to start practicing.
I'm personally not a big fan of them. I used pads when I started of on a real kit.

But yeah, one of the advantages is that you won't annoy anyone with loud noises.
Though as someone said, that's half the fun, hehe.