# Anybody use electronic drums live? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 5, 2010, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-use-electronic-drums-live/549345 "2010-08-05T22:43:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-use-electronic-drums-live/549345/1 "2010-08-05T22:43:47Z")
I guess nobody likes their sound because I have never seen anyone use them live. Does anyone use them in the studio? Somebody must buy them since they are on the market and have been for a while now. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-use-electronic-drums-live/549345/2 "2010-08-05T22:56:45Z")
DEVO Prodigy Underworld Crystal Method Propellorheads Missing Persons Hang on, I just realized I’m going to have to type in way to many artists, and thats just from my own collection. Generally, if you stray outside the genre of rock and roll, you’ll find electronic drums in use. A lot of metal bands are now using them for certain sounds, particularly that awesome deep BOOOOOM that is cropping up in more and more deathcore. Pop music is almost exclusively electronic drums, so that’s what on the recording behind Britney or Justin or Christina or whoever is the pop diva of the year. Lots of artists use them live, just not the ones you go see, apparently. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-use-electronic-drums-live/549345/3 "2010-08-05T23:11:31Z")
To clarify, I don’t mean a drum machine where it’s all based on software or hardware. I know that is popular in the studio. I own a drum machine myself. I am asking about people who play electronic drums with drum sticks instead of acoustic drums. I could be wrong but I think when you go see someone like Britney Spears live they do have a real drummer there, not just a drum machine. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-use-electronic-drums-live/549345/4 "2010-08-05T23:20:26Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > To clarify, I don’t mean a drum machine where it’s all based on software or hardware. I know that is popular in the studio. I own a drum machine myself. > > I am asking about people who play electronic drums with drum sticks instead of acoustic drums. > > I could be wrong but I think when you go see someone like Britney Spears live they do have a real drummer there, not just a drum machine. Nope, there’s no band. It’s all on tape. And yeah, the bands I listed all perform (or have performed) live with electronic drum kits. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-use-electronic-drums-live/549345/5 "2010-08-05T23:20:38Z")
Actually, you wind up hearing a lot more electronic drums than you see. In the years since the peak popularity of electronic drums manufacturers have figured out how to accurately “trigger” sampled drum sounds from acoustic drums. So the drummer plays a real cool looking set that feels good, but the sound from the microphones around it are not being fed into the sound system. Instead, each drum strike causes a drum sample to be played. This was recorded in a studio with new heads on the best example of that particular kit available. The advantage is that they can utterly change the drum sound from song to song. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-use-electronic-drums-live/549345/6 "2010-08-05T23:23:17Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > Actually, you wind up hearing a lot more electronic drums than you see. > > In the years since the peak popularity of electronic drums manufacturers have figured out how to accurately “trigger” sampled drum sounds from acoustic drums. So the drummer plays a real cool looking set that feels good, but the sound from the microphones around it are not being fed into the sound system. Instead, each drum strike causes a drum sample to be played. This was recorded in a studio with new heads on the best example of that particular kit available. > > The advantage is that they can utterly change the drum sound from song to song. This is the trick that metalcore bands have begun to latch onto, and it’s a huge sweeping change to the dynamics and voices normally utilized in that genre, but I have also seen a handful of bands that bring either a whole or part of a kit with them, as the drummer actually does smack that one for certain songs. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-use-electronic-drums-live/549345/7 "2010-08-05T23:28:01Z")
Not all pop people use tapes live. For example: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZujJhTkFHE&feature=related](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZujJhTkFHE&feature=related) [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXw-HxhZxKc) I remember when Aguilera was here the local music critic raved about her band. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-use-electronic-drums-live/549345/8 "2010-08-05T23:33:32Z")
I’ve seen it a lot in electronic bands - [Example.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbX8R9njMgc)[Another one.](http://tele-club.ru/videoalbum/827/view?page) ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-use-electronic-drums-live/549345/9 "2010-08-05T23:36:56Z")
Maybe I should have said that it’s not common in “standard” rock to use electronic drums in concert. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-use-electronic-drums-live/549345/10 "2010-08-05T23:40:28Z")
Rick Allen really has no other choice but to use electronic drums. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Woodhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@Miss\_Woodhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Woodhouse)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-use-electronic-drums-live/549345/11 "2010-08-05T23:47:11Z")
The drummer in my husband’s garage band uses an electric drum kit for their live shows (and in studio.) Although not a pro now, he’s played pro in the past. He likes the versatility of the sound and the compact size makes it easier to schlep to the gig. I couldn’t possibly tell you if the sound is all that different from a traditional kit because I don’t have the ear for it. My husband is the musician; I’m just a fan of his, not of music in general. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-use-electronic-drums-live/549345/12 "2010-08-05T23:50:03Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Maybe I should have said that it’s not common in “standard” rock to use electronic drums in concert. It’s also not common for kayakers to have a parachute. So? Did you really start this thread to make the observation that bands in music genres that don’t use electronic drums don’t usually play live with electronic drums? ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-use-electronic-drums-live/549345/13 "2010-08-06T00:01:51Z")
No, just started it because I literally have never seen it (that I can recall) and was curious if my view was common. Seems my view is greatly influenced by the type of music I watch/listen to. I do see metal bands but I guess I have not seen enough of them live or on video.