Electronic drums were 27 decibels quieter on average than acoustic drums in our church auditorium. The acoustic kit averaged around 80 dB, while the electronic kit averaged 53 dB before either kit was reinforced through the sound system.
The peak levels showed an even larger difference. The acoustic drums peaked at 86 dB, while the electronic drums peaked at only 57 dB, a reduction of 29 dB.
Those numbers were significant, but the biggest improvement was not simply having quieter drums. Replacing our acoustic kit with a Roland VAD 516 electronic drum kit gave us much more control over the entire church sound mix.
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Before replacing our acoustic drums, we wanted to measure the real difference inside our own church. We were not interested in theoretical numbers or claims from a manufacturer. We wanted to know what would actually happen during normal use in our room.
We tested both drum kits with a sound level meter, measuring the volume at the front and back of the auditorium. The microphones remained in the same positions for both tests, and the same drummer played each kit at a similar intensity.
This was not a controlled laboratory experiment. The results in another church will vary based on the drummer, room size, acoustic treatment, drum kit, PA system, and many other factors. Still, the test provides a useful real-world comparison of acoustic and electronic drums in a working church environment.
Acoustic Drums
Average - 80dB
Peak - 86dB
Electronic Drums
Average - 53dB
Peak - 57dB
Because the decibel scale is logarithmic, a 27 dB reduction is much more substantial than the numbers may initially suggest. In the room, the change was immediately obvious.
Acoustic drums begin producing sound in the room before the sound engineer adds anything through the PA system. In our church, the cymbals were already too loud without any amplification.
That meant we could not mix the drums independently from the rest of the band. Instead, we had to build the entire worship mix around the volume already coming from the stage.
If the cymbals were loud, the vocals, guitars, keyboards, and other instruments had to compete with them. Turning down the drum channels did not solve the problem because much of the drum volume was reaching the congregation directly from the stage.
This is one reason acoustic drums can be especially challenging in small and midsize church auditoriums. Even a good drummer may struggle to play with enough energy for the music without overwhelming the room.
Electronic drums do not automatically create a better worship mix. What they provide is control.
With our electronic kit, we can decide how loud the drums should be in the room. We are no longer forced to build the rest of the mix around uncontrolled cymbal volume coming from the stage.
That control improved several parts of the drum sound:
The drums did not disappear. They became easier to shape around the needs of the room and the congregation.
Electronic drums are only quieter if you mix them that way.
A church can replace its acoustic drum set, turn the electronic kit up until it is just as loud, and completely miss the point of the upgrade. The goal is not to discover how much drum volume the PA can produce.
The goal is to create the energy the music needs without making the entire room compete with excessive stage volume. Electronic drums make that possible because almost everything the congregation hears comes through the sound system at a level chosen by the sound engineer.
Electronic drums are not automatically the right choice for every church. A skilled drummer playing a well-tuned acoustic kit in an appropriately sized and treated room can sound excellent.
The choice depends on the specific problem your church is trying to solve. If cymbal volume is overpowering the vocals, the sound team cannot reduce the drums enough, or the entire mix is being built around stage volume, electronic drums may provide a major improvement.
Before switching, consider:
Our church moved through several stages before making the final switch. We began with completely unshielded acoustic drums, added a partial drum shield, and eventually replaced the acoustic kit with electronic drums.
That progression helped us understand that the problem was not simply the drum kit itself. It was the amount of uncontrolled sound entering the room and limiting what the sound team could do with the mix.
Electronic drums can be especially helpful in small churches because the congregation is often physically closer to the stage. In a smaller room, direct sound from acoustic cymbals and drums can quickly overpower the PA.
An electronic kit allows the sound engineer to keep the drums energetic while preserving vocal clarity and a comfortable overall volume. However, the result still depends on having a PA system and monitoring setup capable of reproducing the drum sounds well.
Electronic drums cannot compensate for an underpowered sound system, poor speakers, or weak monitoring. They give the sound team more control, but the rest of the system still needs to support the mix.
In our church test, the electronic drums were 27 dB quieter on average and 29 dB quieter at their peak. The acoustic kit averaged 80 dB and peaked at 86 dB, while the electronic kit averaged 53 dB and peaked at 57 dB before reinforcement through the PA.
No. The physical pads and cymbals still make some noise when struck, and monitors may add sound onstage. However, they dramatically reduce the uncontrolled acoustic drum volume entering the room.
Acoustic cymbals can project a large amount of high-frequency sound directly into the auditorium. If they are already too loud before being added to the PA, the sound engineer cannot reduce their volume from the console.
They can. Electronic drums allow the sound engineer to control the kick, snare, toms, and cymbals through the sound system instead of building the mix around the natural volume of an acoustic kit.
No. The best choice depends on the drummer, room, acoustic treatment, PA system, monitoring, and desired worship sound. Electronic drums are most useful when uncontrolled drum volume is preventing the sound team from creating a clear, balanced mix.
In our church, replacing acoustic drums with electronic drums reduced the unamplified average level from 80 dB to 53 dB. More importantly, it gave us control over a part of the mix that had previously controlled everything else.
We can now create the energy of a full drum kit without forcing the vocals and the rest of the band to compete with excessive stage volume. That is the real advantage of electronic drums in church: not merely quieter drums, but drums that can finally serve the mix.
If your church is considering the switch, download our Electronic Drum Comparison Cheat Sheet to compare your options. You can also watch our full journey from unshielded acoustic drums to a partial shield and finally electronic drums to decide which solution makes the most sense for your room.
