Basic electronic drum set made by Pintech.

An electronic drum is a percussion instrument in which the sound is generated by an electronic waveform generator or sampler instead of by acoustic vibration. Image File history File links Visulite. ... Image File history File links Visulite. ... “Percussion” redirects here. ...

How electronic drums work

Roland TD-20 Drum brain

When an electronic drum pad is struck, a voltage change is triggered in the embedded piezoelectric transducer (piezo) or force sensitive resistor (FSR). The resultant signals are transmitted to an electronic "drum brain" via TS or TRS cables, and are translated into digital waveforms, which produce the desired percussion sound assigned to that particular trigger pad. Most newer drum modules have trigger inputs for 2 or more cymbals, a kick, 3-4 toms, a dual-zone snare, (head and rim) and a hi-hat. The hi-hat has a foot controller which produces open and closed sounds with some models offering variations in-between. By having the ability to assign different sounds to any given pad, the electronic drummer has nearly unlimited potential for configuring many different sounding drum kits from one set of electronic drums. Additionally, electronic drummers can sample non-percussive sounds and use them as drum sounds, as is the case with most industrial music. Many see this as a great advantage over acoustic drums, as one can have a jazz, rock or ballad drumset by merely changing the kit selector switch on the module. Image File history File links Td20. ... Image File history File links Td20. ... Roland TD-20 Percussion Sound Module, a drum brain A drum brain is the device in an electronic drum kit that serves as the central processing unit and sound module. ... Potential difference is a quantity in physics related to the amount of energy that would be required to move an object from one place to another against various types of force. ... Piezoelectricity is the ability of some materials (notably crystals and certain ceramics) to generate an electric potential[1] in response to applied mechanical stress. ... Resistor symbols (non-European) Resistor symbols (Europe, IEC) Axial-lead resistors on tape. ... Roland TD-20 Percussion Sound Module, a drum brain A drum brain is the device in an electronic drum kit that serves as the central processing unit and sound module. ... Waveform quite literally means the shape and form of a signal, such as a wave moving across the surface of water, or the vibration of a plucked string. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For the Japanese rock band, see Cymbals (band). ... A bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. ... A tom-tom (not to be confused with a tamtam) is a cylindrical drum with no snare. ... The snare drum or side drum is a tubular drum made of wood or metal with skins, or heads, stretched over the top and bottom openings, and with a set of snares (cords) stretched across the bottom head. ... The hi-hat stand has changed little since its invention. ... A drum kit (or drum set or trap set) is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments arranged for convenience playing by a single drummer. ... This article is about reusing existing sound recordings in creating new works. ... It has been suggested that Chicago Industrial be merged into this article or section. ... For other uses, see Jazz (disambiguation). ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... Illustration by Arthur Rackham of the ballad The Twa Corbies A ballad is a story, usually a narrative or poem, in a song. ...

Early electronic drums

Early Simmons SDS 5 Electronic Drums, ca. 1979.

From an interview with Graeme Edge of The Moody Blues: Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (3456x2304, 3338 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (3456x2304, 3338 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Simmons (electronic drum company). ... The Moody Blues are a British rock band originally from Birmingham, England. ...

Question- "One of the strangest pieces was 'Procession' (Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, 1971) which featured the pioneering work of Graeme Edge's electronic drum kit. How did that come about?"

Graeme- "...I'd got in touch with the professor of electronics at Sussex University, Brian Groves. We worked up an electronic drum kit, a marvelous idea. I had the control panel in front of me, it's old hat now but we were the first to do it. There were pieces of rubber with silver paper on the back with a silver coil that moved up and down inside a magnet that produced a signal, so it was touch sensitive. I had 5 snares across the top and then ten tom-toms and then a whole octave of bass drums underneath my feet and then four lots of 16 sequencers, two on each side. There was a gap--to play a space--a tambourine, ebony stick, snare and three tom-toms. This was pre-chip days, back then you did it all with transistors. So it had something like 500 transistors. The electronic drums inside looked something like spaghetti. When it worked it was superb, but it was before its day, because it was so sensitive..."

Many drummers claim that early electronic drums gave only an approximation of the sound of acoustic drums, as there were often technical issues with triggering, as well as musical issues such as decreased range of dynamic and tonal subtlety. Consequently, the pioneering electronic drumsets such as the early Pollard Syndrum, Simmons and Yamaha models, were often used for certain types of rock, disco and techno genres in which the drums were usually expected to play a specific pattern or beat repeatedly with no variation in timbre. These were little more than manual sequencers, except for the Pollard Syndrum which was the first pro recording studio quality electronic drum. It had timbre, reliable triggering and full dynamic audio range beyond the human ear. The Pollard Syndrum is still highly sought after by pro drummers and musicians for recording. The Pollard Syndrum was the first electronic drum. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Simmons (electronic drum company). ... Rock is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars, and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles, however saxophones have been omitted from newer subgenres of rock music since the 90s. ... This article is about the music genre. ... For the comic book character previously known as Techno, see Fixer (comics). ... A Boss DR-202 Drum Machine A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums and/or other percussion instruments. ...

It should be noted that there are inexpensive low-end drums and modules currently in production whose quality is just marginally better than some of their pioneering counterparts. For the most part, these new electronic drums are targeted toward the hobbyist or novice drummer.

Recent innovations

Roland V-Pro Series TD-20S V-Drum Kit

Newer drum kits have addressed many of the shortcomings of early electronic drums. While each of these manufacturers have entry-level units, the professional kits are geared toward creating a sound and playing experience which is nearly indistinguishable from a quality acoustic kit. Examples include the Yamaha DTXtreme IIS, the DDrum4SE and Roland's TD-12 and TD-20 V-Drums, having 2006 MSRPs ranging between $2,195.00 and $6,699.00. [1] Typically, these high-end kits are equipped with: Image File history File links Td20kit. ... Image File history File links Td20kit. ... Roland V-Pro Series TD-20S V-Drum Kit V-Drum is a trademarked umbrella term for a variety of electronic drums, drum brain modules, and related electronic percussion products. ... Roland V-Pro Series TD-20S V-Drum Kit V-Drum is a trademarked umbrella term for a variety of electronic drums, drum brain modules, and related electronic percussion products. ... The (manufacturers) suggested retail price (MSRP or SRP), list price or recommended retail price (RRP) (originally, Monroney suggested retail price) of a product is the price the manufacturer recommends that the retailer sell it for. ...

• High quality digital samples- These modules offer 24 bit samples of actual percussion sounds with hundreds of samples from which to choose.

• Positional sensing and dynamic impact detection- The module can detect which area of the drum head is impacted, and provide a sample representative of that strike on an acoustic head. Additionally, the volume and timbre of the strike is dependent on the strength of the impact.

• Multiple triggers- Snares and Toms have impact zones for both the head and the rim, allowing for rim and cross shots as well as shell tapping. Cymbals can accommodate zones for edge, bow and bell strikes.

• Realistic Hi-Hats- These are mounted on standard stands, and allow for actual open and closed foot playing. An electronic module within the unit detects the movement and provides variations of open, partially open, and closed samples as played, with different sounds assigned to a foot close, and a quick close-open.

• Multiple outputs- These modules have multiple 'outs' to the sound board such that each percussion group (ie. Toms, Cymbals, etc) can be independently mixed (like the multiple miking of an acoustic kit). Additionally, these groups have independent volume faders on the module to fine tune volume settings for each group.

• Expansion slots/MIDI connections- for upgrading samples and software as they are improved through continuing R&D efforts.

Though these innovations may help attract serious drummers, many purists feel that electronic drum kits will never offer the same nuances and playability of an acoustic set. BBC Local Radio Mark III radio mixing desk In professional audio, a mixing console, digital mixing console, mixing desk (Brit. ... In audio engineering, a fade is a gradual increase or decrease in the volume of a source, such as when a song is gradually reduced to silence at its end (fade-out), or gradually increases from silence at the beginning (fade-in). ... Musical Instrument Digital Interface, or MIDI, is a system designed to transmit information between electronic musical instruments. ... The phrase research and development (also R and D or, more often, R&D), according to the Organization of Economic Coopeation and Development, refers to creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use...

Electronic drumming communities

The following are links to community sites: forums, mailing lists, etc... related to electronic drumming:

• V-Drums.com : Unofficial Roland V-Drum site.
• DrumLinks.com: Numerous links to electronic drums-related sites.
• EDrum For Free : DIY electronic drums.
• eDrum - Trigger MIDI Converter : Create an Trigger to MIDI Controller yourself.
• MegaDrum - Atmega based Trigger MIDI Converter : Another DIY Trigger to MIDI Controller.
• Drum Triggers DIY : Create an electronic drum kit yourself.
• BeaTniK DIY : Convert acoustic drums to electronic drums.
• Introduction to Electronic Drums at Sweetwater.com
• [2] : Forum discussing all electronic drums.
• [3] : Can I turn my acoustic kit into an electronic kit?.

Manufacturers of electronic drums and drum triggers

Listed below are some of the companies that produce electronic drum modules, trigger pads, and acoustic triggers A Sound module is an electronic musical instrument without a human-playable interface such as a keyboard, for example. ...

• Alesis
• Alternate Mode
• Boom Theory
• Dauz
• Ddrum
• Drumbalaya!
• Drum Tech
• Hart Dynamics
• Mandala Drums
• Pacific Digital Corporation
• Pintech
• RET Percussion
• Roland Corporation
• Sherpa
• Simmons (went out of business in 1993)
• Smartrigger
• Staff Drum
• XM company
• Yamaha Corporation

Roland Corporation ) TYO: 7944 is a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment and software. ... This article lacks information on the importance of the subject matter. ... Yamaha redirects here. ...

Famous drummers that use electronic drums, or have used them in the past

• Danny Carey (Tool) - several Mandala and Simmons drums
• Bill Bruford in (King Crimson) and (ABWH)
• Igor Cavalera (Sepultura)
• Sean Reinert (Cynic)
• Travis Barker on new Plus 44 album
• Hal Blaine session drummer Pollard Syndrum
• Phil Collins (Genesis) - Simmons kit on Invisible Touch album
• Nick Mason (Pink Floyd)
• Wolfgang Flur, {Karl Bartos} {Kraftwerk} world's first manual electronic drum kit, 1973.
• Neil Peart (Rush)
• Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater - triggered kick, snare, and toms used on Images and Words)
• Christoph Schneider (Rammstein) - Hybryd Drum set During Herzeleid and Sehnsucht era
• Stuart Elliott (musician) (The Alan Parsons Project) - Simmons kit
• Akira Jimbo
• Mickey Dolenz: During the Monkees' mid 90s reunion tour
• Joseph San Mateo: (Kairos) (although he still prefers analog drums saying that it has something to do with the feel...)
• Rick Allen (Def Leppard) - used a custom-designed Simmons kit in order to continue playing after losing his left arm in a car accident. Currently uses Hart Dynamics toms.
• Stephen Morris (New Order & Joy Division)
• Bill Rieflin (Ministry , Revolting Cocks , KMFDM & R.E.M)
• Alex Van Halen Prominently used on the 1984-For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge albums and tours (and can be seen in music and live videos during that era, Alex has since gone back to acoustic drums.
• Keith Moon (The Who) Pollard Syndrum
• Alan Myers (DEVO) - Synare drum pads
• Tony Verderosa (incorporating electronic and acoustic drums with looping and sampling to create a one man band) [4]
• Alan Wilder (Depeche Mode)
• Colm O'Ciosoig (My Bloody Valentine) on the Loveless album.

Daniel Edwin Danny Carey (born May 10, 1961 in Lawrence, Kansas, U.S.A.) is the drummer for the progressive rock band Tool. ... Tool is an American rock band, formed during 1990 in Los Angeles, California, that consists of drummer Danny Carey, bassist Justin Chancellor, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. ... Bill Bruford on the cover of his album, Feels Good to Me William Scott Bruford (born May 17, 1949 in Sevenoaks, Kent, England), better known as Bill Bruford, is an influential British drummer known for his forceful, highly precise, polyrhythmic style. ... King Crimson are a musical group founded by guitarist Robert Fripp and drummer Michael Giles in 1969. ... Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe (sometimes referred to by the acronym ABWH) was a permutation of the progressive rock band Yes. ... Igor Cavalera (born Igor Graziano Cavalera on September 4, 1970) was born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil and was the drummer and founding member of the Brazilian Thrash metal/Death metal band Sepultura. ... Sepultura is a Brazilian thrash metal band, formed in 1984. ... Sean Reinert is the former drummer of Cynic. ... This article is about the ancient Greek school of philosophy. ... Travis Landon Barker (born November 14, 1975) is an American drummer, who achieved most of his fame by drumming for the band, blink-182. ... +44 is a synth-based rock band from former blink-182 members Mark Hoppus (bass and vocals) and Travis Barker (drums and keyboards). ... Hal Blaine (b. ... The Pollard Syndrum was the first electronic drum. ... For other uses, see Phil Collins (disambiguation). ... Genesis are an English rock band formed in 1967. ... Invisible Touch is an album by Genesis, released in 1986. ... Nicholas Berkeley Nick Mason (born January 27, 1944 in Birmingham, England) is the drummer for Pink Floyd. ... Pink Floyd are an English rock band that initially earned recognition for their psychedelic rock music, and, as they evolved, for their avant-garde progressive rock music. ... Wolfgang Flür (born 17 July 1947) is a German musician, best known as a member of Kraftwerk, the electro-pop group, from 1973 to 1987, playing electronic drums. ... Karl Bartos was born on May 13, 1952 in Berchtesgaden, Germany. ... Kraftwerk (pronounced [], German for power station) is a German musical group from Düsseldorf that has made key contributions to the development of improvisational rock and electronic music, most notably within the latter categorys sub-genres which later became known as synthpop, electro, techno, house and IDM. Early musical... Neil Ellwood Peart (IPA: ) OC, (born September 12, 1952 in Hamilton, Ontario) is a Canadian musician and author. ... Rush is a Canadian rock band comprising bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart. ... Michael Stephen Mike Portnoy (born April 20, 1967) is an American drummer primarily known for his work with the progressive metal band Dream Theater. ... Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band comprised of James LaBrie, John Petrucci, Jordan Rudess, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy. ... Images and Words is the second album by progressive metal band Dream Theater. ... Christoph Doom Schneider (b. ... For other uses, see Ramstein. ... This article is about the collective named The Alan Parsons Project. ... Akira Jimbo, also seen as Akira Jinbo , born February 27, 1959 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese freelance jazz fusion drummer who is famous for his drumming independence and fusion of electronic drum technology and acoustic drums. ... George Michael Dolenz (born March 8, 1945), better known as Micky Dolenz, is an American actor, musician, and director. ... The Monkees were a pop-rock quartet created and based in Los Angeles in 1965 for an NBC American television series of the same name. ... Kairos Kairos () is an ancient Greek word meaning the right or opportune moment . The ancient Greeks had two words for time, chronos and kairos. ... Richard John Cyril Allen (born November 1, 1963, Dronfield, Derbyshire, England) is the drummer for the British rock band Def Leppard. ... Def Leppard are an English hard rock band from Sheffield who formed in 1977 as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. ... Stephen Morris on the cover of Low-Life This article is about the musician Stephen Morris. ... New Order are an English rock group formed in 1980 from the remaining members of Joy Division—Bernard Sumner (vocals, guitars, synthesizers), Peter Hook (bass, electronic drums), and Stephen Morris (drums, synthesizers). ... Joy Division were an English rock band that formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. ... William (Bill) Rieflin is a contemporary musician that has worked with Ministry, KMFDM, Pigface, R.E.M. and many others, often in the capacity of a drummer. ... Ministry is an American industrial metal band founded by front-man by Al Jourgensen in 1981. ... Revolting Cocks (often abbreviated Revco) were a musical side-project for Alain Jourgensen (Ministry) and Luc Van Acker. ... KMFDM is an industrial rock band and the brainchild of founding member Sascha Konietzko. ... R.E.M. is an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia in 1980 by Bill Berry (drums), Peter Buck (guitar), Mike Mills (bass guitar), and Michael Stipe (vocals). ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Keith John Moon (August 23, 1946 – September 7, 1978) was the drummer of the rock group The Who. ... The Who are an English rock band that first formed in 1964, and grew to be considered one of the greatest[1] and most influential[2] bands in the world. ... The Pollard Syndrum was the first electronic drum. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... Devo (pronounced DEE-vo or dee-VO, often spelled DEVO or DEV-O) is an American New Wave group formed in Akron, Ohio in 1972. ... The Synare was a series of electronic drums made by Star Instruments. ... Alan Charles Wilder (born 1 June 1959 in Hammersmith, West London, England) is an electronic musician, composer, arranger and record producer. ... Depeche Mode are an influential electronic band, who formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex, England. ... Colm OCiosoig (born October 31, 1964 in Dublin, Ireland) was the drummer and founding member (along with Kevin Shields) of seminal Irish Shoegazing group My Bloody Valentine. ... My Bloody Valentine were an Irish-British shoegazing band best known for their creative use of guitar distortion, tremolo, and digital reverb. ... Loveless is an album by the Irish band My Bloody Valentine, released on November 4, 1991 (see 1991 in music) on Creation Records in the UK and on November 5 on Sire Records in the U.S. It is widely considered to be My Bloody Valentines magnum opus. ...

See also

• Zendrum