.jpeg)
Drummer Bianca Richardson—whose credits include H.E.R., Marcus Miller, Willow Smith, Diana Gordon and others—explores the Simmons Titan 90 electronic drum kit, testing its playability, built-in sounds and customization options. Richardson—whose gig with Smith was locked in after the artist’s team saw her playing hybrid electronic and acoustic kits on Instagram—also explains how the Titan 90 fits into her creative workflow.
Natural Feel
One of the first things Richardson noticed about the Titan 90 was how natural the kit felt.
"I love the mesh heads," she says. "They feel responsive and realistic."
The Titan 90’s snare, cymbals and hi-hats also feature multiple playing zones that allow drummers to trigger different sounds.
“The snare drum is awesome,” says Richardson. “It has different sounds going from the rim to the middle of the snare. On the cymbals, I can crash, I can play on the bell or edge and I can choke them, as well. The zones on the hi-hat let me use the bell, the rim or the top of the hat. It’s really cool.”
Customizing Sounds
The modules of electronic drum kits let drummers personalize their drum sounds. Richardson plays the Titan 90’s onboard samples, as well as using the Simmons Drum App to load her own custom samples she designs with Ableton software.
"I record myself playing on my acoustic kit and then use multiple plug-ins to get a certain sound I'm looking for," she explains. “I'm a really big fan of ’80s and ’90s music, so I love adding really big reverbs—especially gated reverbs—to my drum samples.
Shop Now: Simmons Titan 90 Electronic Drum Kit
Practice Tools
A Simmons Titan 90 feature that stood out for Richardson was Practice Mode—which offers exercises designed to improve timing and consistency. Practice Mode also scores the accuracy of a player’s tempos, providing feedback that identifies areas for improvement.
“My favorite setting alternates between four measures with accompaniment and four measures of silence,” says Richardson. “That method forces drummers to maintain steady time without relying on the track as a tempo aid. It really helps me develop my time.”
Strange Sounds Can Inspire New Ideas
During her time working with the Simmons Titan 90, one of Richardson's favorite discoveries were the unconventional sounds and zone assignments of some preset kits.
"They inspired me to play differently," she says. “For example, some kits had toms that produced horn sounds and other things. So, where I would normally play a tom fill, I had to think, ‘How can I creatively use these sounds as I'm playing this groove?’ As they weren’t traditional tom sounds, I had to rethink my approach, which lead to breaking certain habits I had, as well as finding new musical ideas.”
Go Electronic
One of our knowledgeable Guitar Center Gear Advisors can really break down all of the advantages of the Simmons Titan 90 electronic drum kit for you. Even better, visit your local Guitar Center store to play a Titan 90 for yourself (check our website or call the store to confirm availability at a specific location). If you have any questions, one of our associates will be happy to help.