Drum sizes too small

[snick59]

I've been playing drums for over 30 yrs I just started getting interested in e drums but I just can't get used to the small drum sizes. I sat behind a td-12 the other day and the 8" toms seemed like toys.For that kind of money you should at least get the same sizes as the td-10 or the td-20.Is it something you get used to? It seems like you have to be pinpoint accurate not to hit the rims. The new td-9 everybody seems to be raving about is the same thing,it looks nice in the picture but its basicly a td-12 with a cheaper module and a cheaper kick pad (that makes too much noise anyway).To me playing has a lot to do with how I'm feeing I just didn't get a real good feeling sitting behind these little drums.It seems like Roland should make their starter kit the td-20 and work up from there.

[ige87]

So, a starter kit at £4000? Ouch! You'd probably find you would adjust. I don't have that much of a problem with the 8 inch pads but I'm used to jumping around different kits with different sizes all the time. You can always space them further apart to replicate an A kit a bit more, and as long as they are not at radical angles, the rims should be pretty easy to avoid.

[vdrummer20]

My two cents ... All of my pads are 8" for the toms , and my snare is a 10" (I think, PD8X is 10 right?) anyway, when I first started playing them I felt they were small, but I either improved my accuracy, got used to them, or both. It feels very natural to me. Same with the hi-hat. I have an FD-8/CY6 setup and some times I swear I can feel the two cymbals against my sticks. More so now on the TD12 then the TD6. The HH on the TD12 is worlds better then the 6.

[ghostman]

All of my pads are 8" pads. It allows me to get more pads in a tighter space, and increases my accuracy. I love the fact that I can get the sound of an 18" floor tom out of an 8" pad. It's just a shift in thinking. A bass pad needs to be big enough for a pedal, or two if you want to use a double bass pedal - not 24". So, your forage into edrums will expand your mind, especially, if you don't lock on to absolutely requiring perfect acoustic sounds. I like odd sounds like pipes being hit with hammers, and stuff that you can never get on an acoustic set. So, forge ahead, and look at some of the advantages the edrums can offer. And have fun. If you don't like playing 'em, don't play 'em.

my $.02. Will get you nothing anywhere else. Except a cup of coffee at my house.

[Boingo]

Can't help but smile on this post. I always said there was no way I would own anything less than the TD-10 or TD-20 VPro kits because I couldn't stand drums any smaller than 10" and 12" (and I wasn't wild about 10").

So what do I buy? A "real drum"/e-kit . And lo and behold, I have an assortment of "real drum" sizes including 8" and 10" "real drums".

Of course the comparison is not exactly apples and apples since all my drums are not small. But I did have to get used to the 8". It's just funny that I didn't consider the fact that many of those "real drum" kits include smaller sizes.

I know where you are coming from about the overall look, feel and aesthetics, (which is why I went the way I did) but with a little time and practice, you will get used to them. And you probably will improve your accuracy.

I do find that when the volume is cranked or you are under the headphones, regardless of kit size, those studio quality sounds can bring on that "good feeling" you refer to.

In time, if you are still not happy, what choice do you have other than buying a larger kit?

[snick59]

What exactly are those real drums are they quiet when you play?I'm looking at the Rolands because their quiet. I just don't know about the small drums...but it sounds like from the few replies I've read to my post You get used to them so we'll see. Thanks for the reply

[RolandDrummer]

It took me a while to get used to the smaller heads too. I kept hitting the rims. With the smaller heads, you can't play by "feel" like on an acoustic set. Watch where your hitting...follow you hands with your eyes, and accuracy will improve. The closer setup and tighter tom heads allow for some fast fills that just can't be done as easy on an acoustic set.

[SuperPuss]

All of my pads are 8" pads. It allows me to get more pads in a tighter space, and increases my accuracy. I love the fact that I can get the sound of an 18" floor tom out of an 8" pad. It's just a shift in thinking. A bass pad needs to be big enough for a pedal, or two if you want to use a double bass pedal - not 24". So, your forage into edrums will expand your mind, especially, if you don't lock on to absolutely requiring perfect acoustic sounds. I like odd sounds like pipes being hit with hammers, and stuff that you can never get on an acoustic set. So, forge ahead, and look at some of the advantages the edrums can offer. And have fun. If you don't like playing 'em, don't play 'em.

my $.02. Will get you nothing anywhere else. Except a cup of coffee at my house.

That pretty much sums up my thoughts on V Drums too

[Boingo]

What exactly are those real drums are they quiet when you play?I'm looking at the Rolands because their quiet. I just don't know about the small drums...but it sounds like from the few replies I've read to my post You get used to them so we'll see. Thanks for the reply

If you are referring to my kit, it was one of Jman's earlier conversion kits where he converted acoustics to E's. They have Roland mesh heads so they are just as quiet as any Roland mesh head drum. My point was that even if you played an acoustic kit, many of them have heads just as big as the ekits. In my case I have an 8, 10, 12 and 2 ea 14" drums. Compare to my TD-10 V-Pro with 2 ea 10" and 3 ea 12". I got a larger snare but traded down to a smaller tom. Getting used to hitting an 8" tom was no big deal for me.

Perhaps you need to take some time before you take the plunge, keep going to the store and sitting behind a v-kit and see how you feel. On A's, shell depth adds to the illusion and maybe that's the rub for you. There are some folks who never accepted the overall kit size reduction. If you feel you are one of them, look at an acoustic conversion. For me, the cost wasn't much different than buying a standard Roland TD-20 kit. And the neat thing is I can convert them back to A's in about an hour or so.

If it's just the head size that bothers you, I have to believe 98% or more of folks get used to it. But for me, I couldn't pass us the opportunity to have an A kit with E sounds.

[cjamesdrum]

If you're interested in buying your first e kit and want the larger sizes, than I recommend looking on ebay. I bought a TD10 V-Pro off ebay for about $1200.00 and I'm very happy with it. Eventually I will upgrade the module to the TD20... but for now I have no complaints. I use my e kit live six nights a week with an R&B/Hip-Hop band and it has been great. You can check out for yourself how well my "used" TD10 sounds at... http://www.myspace.com/cjamesdrum

[pasta]

Get a Hart. My GigaPro has 10" pad and an 8" kick. I love them.

[Colquhoun]

Honestly, on acoustic kits, the only reason the shells are larger than 8" is because they need to be, for the sound. Even on an acoustic kit, if you have been playing for a while, you'll notice that the marks on the heads are mostly within a 6" or smaller circle. I think with vdrums, it is just a matter of getting used to it.

[stickinthemud]

The sweet spot

Honestly, on acoustic kits, the only reason the shells are larger than 8" is because they need to be, for the sound. Even on an acoustic kit, if you have been playing for a while, you'll notice that the marks on the heads are mostly within a 6" or smaller circle. I think with vdrums, it is just a matter of getting used to it.

That's my thinking. The sweet spot on an a-drum is slightly smaller than the diameter of an 8" pad, so it all works out. I concur with earlier comments about the smaller pads making it easier to get around the kit.

[Swaledale]

Space is also an issue for many people... although I prefer 10" or 12" pads, I wouldn't be able to fit them all in to the space I have available, so I have a mixture of 8, 10 and 12' pads.

[havyck]

Try hitting the pads on the SPDS, those things are TINY. The top triggers are nothing like cymbals but we make due for the gains these "toys" give us in the studio.