It’s entirely possible, but you may want to ask yourself why you want to play a gig with electronic drums. I used to play in a band in which I used electronic drums exclusively and it worked ok, but the reason that I did it was for space concerns. We had to fit several musicians on a very small stage, so I had to take up as little space as I possibly could. For this band, I used a DrumKAT (www.alternatemode.com) which is a ten pad controller and small enough to fit on a snare drum stand.
As the above poster stated, you will need to have some type of decent amplification. I used a Behringer keyboard amp and I also ran through the PA. Whoever the sound man is has to know his way around a soundboard in order to EQ it just right.
Personally, I always prefer acoustics to electronics…but if space is an issue or you have logistical problems (i.e. microphone issues, stage volume, etc.) then electronics are certainly a viable option.
One further opinion I have (take it or leave it…) is that you shouldn’t buy a drumset from a company that is trying to replace acoustics! Electronics will never sound or feel as real as acoustic drums. Period. The route that I went was to find an electronic drumset that could act as an alternative to acoustic while offering something a little extra. What something extra…? I dunno. It depends on want you’re interested in. As I stated before, I went with a DrumKAT from Alternate Mode. Check out for some demos of their stuff. There are also some drummers that have been doing some cool things with the Yamaha DTX drums. The DTX series also has the added benefit of looking and feeling more like an acoustic drumset…of course the will also take up the same amount of space. Search Youtube for “Akira Jimbo” to see what the DTX drums are capable of.
In my personal opinion, I like an electronic drumset to play at gigs rather than an acoustic for multiple reasons. One, an electronic drumset is a lot easier to carry and transport around than an acoustic set. Some electronic drumsets will fold up too for easy storage. Also, If your band plays different styles of music, an electronic drumset can be tuned to another drumset to sound more like a funk type set or a rock type etc. with a push of a button, whereas an acoustic set would have to be tuned manually with a drum key and would take a long time.
Sure, if you have a good PA
It’s entirely possible, but you may want to ask yourself why you want to play a gig with electronic drums. I used to play in a band in which I used electronic drums exclusively and it worked ok, but the reason that I did it was for space concerns. We had to fit several musicians on a very small stage, so I had to take up as little space as I possibly could. For this band, I used a DrumKAT (www.alternatemode.com) which is a ten pad controller and small enough to fit on a snare drum stand.
As the above poster stated, you will need to have some type of decent amplification. I used a Behringer keyboard amp and I also ran through the PA. Whoever the sound man is has to know his way around a soundboard in order to EQ it just right.
Personally, I always prefer acoustics to electronics…but if space is an issue or you have logistical problems (i.e. microphone issues, stage volume, etc.) then electronics are certainly a viable option.
One further opinion I have (take it or leave it…) is that you shouldn’t buy a drumset from a company that is trying to replace acoustics! Electronics will never sound or feel as real as acoustic drums. Period. The route that I went was to find an electronic drumset that could act as an alternative to acoustic while offering something a little extra. What something extra…? I dunno. It depends on want you’re interested in. As I stated before, I went with a DrumKAT from Alternate Mode. Check out for some demos of their stuff. There are also some drummers that have been doing some cool things with the Yamaha DTX drums. The DTX series also has the added benefit of looking and feeling more like an acoustic drumset…of course the will also take up the same amount of space. Search Youtube for “Akira Jimbo” to see what the DTX drums are capable of.
Good luck, and happy drumming!
In my personal opinion, I like an electronic drumset to play at gigs rather than an acoustic for multiple reasons. One, an electronic drumset is a lot easier to carry and transport around than an acoustic set. Some electronic drumsets will fold up too for easy storage. Also, If your band plays different styles of music, an electronic drumset can be tuned to another drumset to sound more like a funk type set or a rock type etc. with a push of a button, whereas an acoustic set would have to be tuned manually with a drum key and would take a long time.