Analog Missionary, based in Alabama, record and perform an acoustic—“world music” style that is a mix of ambient and acoustic but also with something of an edge. Part of that edginess comes from the work of their drummer M.

Recently his hybrid acoustic/electronic drum kit was featured in a column in DRUM! Magazine.

"They remarked on the setup based on some of our live videos and a press kit we sent,”" says M. "Was nice exposure for the band and the hybrid drum kit. I've noticed all the major drum magazines running features lately on incorporating E's . . ."

M talked about his take on electronic drums with Gearwire.

Patrick Ogle: There are a lot of knocks on electronic drums--are any of them valid?

Not once you've delved into (E-drums) deeply, and at the highest level of the technology. "They don't feel the same as acoustics?" So? Does an electric guitar feel exactly like an acoustic one? "They're fake?" No, they're producing real sounds, when you physically strike them. Really. They look 'funny'? We recommend listening with one's ears, not one's eyes. Are there some limitations in the technology? Sure. But E-drums do have their applications, and can be easily incorporated into a touring kit.

How do you deal with any problems problem?

I've weeded through all the gear I could get my hands on to see what would fit best for what we're doing in AM. I tried E-cymbals for a while, but eventually phased them out in favor of acoustic ones. I've found pads, triggers, and modules that did everything we need them to, and these have been incorporated into our live touring arsenal. Those that didn't live up to the rigors of the road or the demands of technique have been discarded or piled up in my studio, at least.

How do you choose one electronic drum over the other from a "hardware" standpoint? What do you look for?

Module: flexibility and quality of tones; expandability; ease of use; 'tweakability:' standard/preprogrammed sounds/settings are almost always in need of a lot of personalizing, that's a MUST! Drum pad/acoustic trigger: durability; accurate 'triggering'- should translate the nuances of your playing style across the dynamics spectrum. Still, that selection process can be a tricky one. You can't quite explore/test everything you need to at the factory or on a showroom floor. You have to live and tour with it to really get to know it. I've gone through tons of gear, experimenting till I could find what works best for us.

Give some of the plusses and minuses of using electronic drums over their non electronic brethren?

Our use of E-drum elements has given us access to a wider sonic palette, percussion-wise. Sampler and trigger-to-MIDI/e-drum setups let me as the drummer perform some of the musical/melodic parts as well as percussion. I can play keys and bass parts from my pads, and have access to a much larger selection of percussive instrument sounds than I could conveniently make a part of my physical acoustic kit.

Tell me how you balance out the pluses and minuses of both?

To me, the hybrid kit approach is the best of both worlds. A core acoustic kit with acoustic cymbals provides the feel and tones a drummer expects, and this can be embellished with the musical choices that the electronic elements make possible. This kind of setup is becoming much more common amongst touring bands lately; the possibilities are almost endless.

More with other members of Analog Missionary soon