Anyone here know about electronic drums?

[Newc]

Newc obviously you're not a professional drummer.

Gee, what gave it away?
Never said I was.

If you're getting paid to play, the Alesis kit you mention is NOT the way to go.

Umm, I'm not. I'm at the "beginner" stage, so I only need the basic "action causes plausible simulated acoustic reaction" effect, but I want to use a bit more than a few cardboard boxes and some pot lids.

You are not going to get the subtle nuance of a real kit from a $700 toy.

And here we have but a sampling of the classic "acoustic vs electronic" argument:

News Flash:
Just like with a guitar, "subtle nuances" are discovered after years behind an acoustic kit. These do not appear on Day 1, nor Week 1, nor Month 1, unless you have an experienced player there with you to point them out, or you are of exceptional ability.

Ergo, the point is invalid here.

[rjohnstone]

Newc.. take a chill pill.
Only the first comment was directed at you. "obviously you're not a professional drummer." It was meant in jest, but obviously I missed the smiley.

The rest of my comments were directed to the OP.
He appears to have little experience with electronic kits.
I was unaware of his skill level, but given that he owns a real kit, I was trying to give some correlation as to what he could expect with an electronic kit.

While I'm not a "professional" drummer myself, I've been around them all my life and can play. So I feel I'm somewhat qualified to give an opinion on the topic.

Lighten up Francis

[TVTiZtiK]

I've only drumming for about a year so I'm not the best, but I can hold my own. I have a Roland TD-3. Works fine for me and does everything I need it to.

[Newc]

Lighten up Francis

"Nobody touches my stuff! Touch my stuff, and I'll kill ya"

[DRM]

All I can think about is Step Brothers.

"Where are you going?"
"I'm gonna put my nutsack on your drumset."

:ROTF:

[pro-fusion]

I've got the bargain-basement Roland HD-1 kit. Honestly, the compact setup (it fits in the corner of a room) is nice for preserving room space but sucks in terms of player ergonomics. For a beginner like me, the sounds are good enough, and I can always MIDI it into my better-sounding recording gear if I need to. Frankly, I need to spend about six months practicing my rudiments before I have any right to complain about anything on the HD-1. That said, the kick triggers on the HD-1 feel absolutely nothing like real kick drums, and I want to get a better setup (maybe a TD-3) in the near future.

I can see how the electronic kits would be a big adjustment for an experienced drummer, though. For home recording, they're aces.

[sevser]

Unless I missed it...This Alesis has real drum heads and chokable multi zone cymbals..

I've seen them under $800 new. The DM5 is popular choice for drummers who use triggers.
http://www.alesis.com/dm5prokitwsurgecymbals

[pro-fusion]

For a 'real' drummer, even multi-zone cymbals are going to be an unwelcome change, since they still lack the tremendous variety of sounds that can be had through different types of strikes and placements. For me, it's probably an advantage, since all I want is a nice consistent sound for recording--I'm not trying to be Billy Cobham.

[jdr94]

i had a dm5 and it was pretty good. i mean its an electronic set so.... Rolands are great but expensive. i think theres a dmpro kit for like $500 new. you could always make your own triggers(search DIY drum triggers) for a few bucks and make em as you need em. thats what i did, but i'm a guitar player who wanted to have a set up for puttin a quick back beat to a riff instead of trying to program drums cause its a hassle. i used practice pads,piezo elements, foam, and some pet screen mesh to make additional heads and practice cymbals with craft foam on top and piezo element to make extra cymbals. oh and you'll need output jacks too if you decide to do some DIY.