The biggest advantage of drumming on an electronic drum kit is that it does not cause any noise pollution and you can work on your grooves without disturbing others. But is an electronic drum kit completely silent? No, not completely. The tapping of the wooden sticks on the pads can definitely be heard, sometimes even at the neighbors or a floor below.
Adoro comes with an innovative solution to drum even more quietly: the Adoro SSE Silent E-Sticks , which are designed in such a way that electronic drumming becomes much quieter. In this review I investigate these sticks and share my honest opinion about how quiet these sticks really are.
Also read: 14 Essentials for Your Electronic Drum Kit
In this review
Adoro SSE Silent E-Sticks
Summary
The Adoro SSE Silent E-Sticks are comfortable sticks that certainly provide less noise pollution for an electronic drum kit. Especially on rubber cymbals and pads, these sticks are considerably quieter. Of course, the sticks still produce some noise while playing, but it is certainly less loud. That is why the sticks are mainly suitable for drummers who are satisfied with every decibel of noise reduction, for example drummers who live in an apartment or want to practice in the evening. For every other drummer, the Adoro SSE Silent E-Sticks are a nice extra, but not a must have.
Pros and cons of Adoro SSE Silent E-Sticks
Pros
- Comfortable grip
- Handy for the late hours
- Perfect for apartment-dwelling drummers
- Good value for money
Cons
- The sticks are light in weight, which makes certain drum patterns more difficult to play
- The sticks still produce sound, but less than regular wooden sticks
First of all, the sticks look quite professional and have the right length and diameter. The sticks feel comfortable . This is mainly due to the blue grip that ensures that the stick stays firmly in your hand while playing.
While playing, the hard hits feel quite realistic. However, the hits that require more nuance are less effective with these sticks because of the light weight of the sticks.
The sound produced when you hit the drum pad with the stick can be described as a “light” tap with a higher pitch.
Because the sticks are light in weight, it takes some getting used to and some patterns, such as double stroke (RRLL), are a bit more difficult to play.
What are Adoro SSE Silent E-Sticks?
The Adoro SSE Silent E-Sticks are designed to counteract noise pollution from an electronic drum kit. The lightweight sticks are made of flexible plastic , which can bend quite a bit compared to a wooden drum stick. This means that the blow is absorbed more evenly, which in turn produces less noise.
The grip of the stick is made of foam-like rubber, similar to the grip of a tennis racket. Each type of Adoro stick has a different color (acoustic drum sticks are also available).
The tip (point) of the stick is made of a similar plastic material that feels flexible.
The stick weighs approximately 26 grams, which is just over half of an average Vic Firth drumstick (50 grams).
Differences between Adoro SSE Silent E-Sticks and regular sticks
I tested the difference by playing the same drum patterns with the same force using two different sticks. First with the Vic Firth 5A (regular wooden drumsticks) and then with the silent Adoro drumsticks. The difference was definitely audible; the silent sticks produce considerably less sound and give a tap with a “lighter” sound. The wooden drumsticks are heavier and therefore much more audible.
Sound test
To find out how soundproof the Adoro sticks really are, I measured the volume of the silent sticks and of regular sticks (Vic Firth 5A Classic Hickory) with a decibel meter. I performed the test on the Alesis Nitro Mesh Kit.
| Vic Firth 5A | Adoro Silent E-Sticks | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cymbals | 60dB | 54dB | -10% |
| Snare pad | 65dB | 60dB | -7,6% |
| All parts | 68dB | 61dB | -10,3% |
| Average | 64.3 | 58.3 | -9,3% |
From the above results you can see that the silent sticks were almost 10% quieter in my sound test than the regular Vic Firth sticks. The least difference in volume was noticeable on the snare pad (mesh).
The biggest difference is noticeable on a rubber surface, like in this case the cymbals on the Alesis Nitro Mesh Kit. Drum sets with rubber pads, like the Millenium HD-120 , Yamaha DD-75 or the Millenium MPS-150 , are where the biggest gains can be made.
Conclusion
Now that I have tried the Adoro SSE Silent E-Sticks for quite some time, it is time to share my conclusion. As I described, the sticks have a comfortable grip and the playing feel is good, even though you have to get used to it. In addition, the sticks are made of sturdy material.
For me, the drumsticks meet my expectations in terms of volume reduction: the sticks are indeed quieter, but not as quiet as claimed. Also, the sticks will have the most effect on electronic drum sets with full rubber pads.
For the price (around 20 euros) these sticks are a nice extra. Any kind of sound dampening you can use to limit the volume of your electronic drum kit is a bonus, so in my opinion the Adoro SSE Silent E-Sticks are definitely worth it if you live in an apartment or like to drum in the evenings.
