A hybrid kit, which uses acoustic drums and Roland electronic gear to create an acoustic-electronic drums setup, could be the easiest and most reliable way to bring an extra dimension to your drumming. Not only does a hybrid setup minimize microphone requirements, it also improves sound quality. Hybrid drumming can also offer you adventurous new sounds and exciting creative possibilities. Hybrid drumming is a broad subject, but fundamentally there are three ways that you can use the available technology to improve your kit sound.

BASICS
HOW TO GET STARTED WITH HYBRID DRUMMING

First, you should consider what job you want a hybrid drum setup to do: enhance your acoustic sound, layer electronic sounds on your acoustic sound or just add some more pads to play additional sounds—or maybe it’s a mix of all three. To get started you’ll need a sound module (that hosts the sound) and a way of playing or ‘triggering’ the sound from the module, typically a drum pad or an additional surface that you can strike.

WHAT’S A DRUM SOUND MODULE?

The sound module—sometimes referred to as a ‘brain’—contains the sounds you want to play. All have drum sounds you can use from the box, but many allow you to import your own sounds (called ‘samples’). You connect trigger pads to a module to play the sound, but some even have built-in pads to play sounds (so they are module and trigger in one unit).

WHAT’S A DRUM TRIGGER?

A drum trigger is just a way of playing the sound from a drum module. This can be a Roland drum pad, it could be a kick trigger pedal, or it could be an acoustic drum trigger which attaches to the hoop of your acoustic drums and plays a sound when you hit the acoustic drum head.

HOW DO I MOUNT HYBRID GEAR ON MY ACOUSTIC KIT?

Just like extra cymbal arms and percussion, you can mount drum pads on your acoustic kit using standard tom arms and L-rods. Some—like trigger pedals—can be floor mounted, while modules can be mounted from clamps attached to cymbals or hi-hat stands, or simply mounted on its own stand.

APPLICATIONS
WHAT CAN YOU ACHIEVE USING HYBRID DRUMS?

As well as being creative, hybrid drums is all about solving the problems that the typical drummer faces whenever they play a gig. Read on and find out how hybrid can make you sound better, and make your life easier.

REINFORCE YOUR ACOUSTIC DRUM SOUND AT THE GIG

Your acoustic sound is king—as drummers, we place a lot of emphasis on creating the best, and the correct sound, for the gig. By taking elements of an acoustic sound, such as the low-end of a kick drum or the overtone of a snare drum, they can be triggered in sync with the acoustic hits, resulting in a bigger drum sound that’s full of definition. It’s a perfect solution for gigs where drum mics can’t be placed on the kit, and further enhances the kit sound when it is mic’d

YOU’RE IN A COVERS BAND, NEED LOADS OF SOUNDS

Your acoustic sound can be strong, but the core drum sound remains the same throughout the gig. Certain sounds, or styles of music, need particular sounds. When you’re in a covers band and moving through songs and styles during the set, the kit sound can change too simply by layering different drum sounds on top of the acoustic sound. A fat 808 kick, a hand clap on the snare, or even samples of your drums as you recorded them in the studio, it’s all possible with a module and triggers.

USING INSTRUMENTS THAT YOU CAN’T BRING TO THE GIG

Every now and then a song needs a sound that you might not have in your acoustic arsenal. It might be something simple such as a cowbell or clave, a second snare or china cymbal, or perhaps something electronic like an 808 kick drum or a vocal sample. A single electronic pad and module could solve all your problems—opening up a world of sonic possibilities to make you a versatile and indispensable drummer.

IMPROVED PRODUCTION VALUES FOR THE ENTIRE SHOW/BAND

Drumming today is more than just keeping time—modern drummers are often required to perform multiple roles in the band, such as starting and stopping playback or triggering song parts. A Roland hybrid setup can allow the band to perform live with sounds recorded in the studio, playback vocals parts, instrument parts such as strings or keys, trigger special sounds or samples and more—lifting the production and performance of the entire band in the process.

APPLICATIONS
USING HYBRID WITHIN DIFFERENT GENRES OF MUSIC

Roland Hybrid Drums are part of mainstream modern drumming. The benefits of hybrid drums extend across all music genres—you’ll be surprised how much your standard rock or metal kit can be improved by introducing some easy-to-use hybrid components.