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What is a Hybrid Drum Set?
Practical Guide
What is a Hybrid Drum Set
A hybrid drum set is an acoustic drum kit that has electronic aspects to it. It could have pads that trigger electronic sounds, or it could have triggers that are attached to the drums that also trigger electronic sounds.
Hybrid drum sets are very commonly used in modern music, especially in pop gigs where the drummers need to recreate the sounds that are played on studio albums.
In Depth
Hybrid drum kits have always been around. They were especially popular in the 70s when electronic kits first came into the picture. However, modern music has seen the use of hybrid kits grow exponentially.
To make hybrid kits work, you need to have some sort of drum module and electronic drum pad that will trigger sounds. You can then plug pads or triggers into that module and place them around your drum kit.
A hybrid drum set will allow you to create sounds that you’d never be able to make with only an acoustic drum kit. So, having a hybrid kit makes you a more versatile drummer.
It’s also good to know how to use and make a hybrid kit, as you may get hired by an artist that requires electronics for their live gig.
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How do you install a hybrid drum kit?
To install a hybrid kit, you need to have a drum module or a sampling pad. You also need to have pads or triggers, and a set of cables to connect all the electronics together.
You can then place the drum brain next to your kit. When you plug the pads or triggers into it, you need to assign different sounds to them. Once you’ve done that, those sounds will play whenever you hit those pads or triggers.
You can easily use a drum module that comes with any electronic drum kit, or you can use a dedicated trigger module that was designed for hybrid kits. The Roland TM-2 is a good example.
Things to Consider
Sampling Pads vs Triggers vs Electronic Pads
When setting up a hybrid kit, you could easily just use a sampling pad to play electronic sounds. You don’t need to connect anything externally to it. This would be the easiest method, as everything is already built in, and you don’t need to set anything up.
Triggers need to be attached to the heads of your drums. When you use triggers, you’ll get the sounds of your drums mixed with whatever electronic sounds you assign to them. Triggers feel the most natural to play, as you’ll just be playing your kit the same way you would if it wasn’t a hybrid kit.
Electronic pads can be placed anywhere around your kit. These are great for assigning sounds like handclaps and other common electronic sounds that are needed in modern music. The downside of these pads is that they can only have single sounds.
Cost
Setting up a hybrid drum set will cost a fair bit of money if you don’t have anything to start with. You’ll need to buy a set of triggers if that’s the route you want to take, or you’ll need to buy a drum module and pads.
Some modules and pads are a lot cheaper than others, but remember that the cheap pads aren’t very responsive to dynamic playing. If you just want to play things like handclaps, that will be okay. If you want more expressiveness, then you should get higher-quality pads.
Higher-priced modules and sample pads also have more electronic sounds to work with.
Conclusion
In the modern drumming world, every drummer should have some idea of how hybrid drum kits work. This doesn’t mean that you have to use a hybrid kit. It’s just good to know in case you ever find yourself in a setting where you’re playing a hybrid kit.
Technology has expanded the sounds that we can play on the drums dramatically. An acoustic drum kit with triggers can be tweaked to sound completely different.
Next time you see a drummer using electronics, pay careful attention to what gear they’re using. You may just find ideas for your own eventual hybrid setup!