The truth about Aerodrums: how it works, how our videos are made, and what makes it different

Drummers who use Aerodrums give us amazing feedback. We really love hearing not only about the practical uses of Aerodrums (silent, portable, neighbour-friendly), but the stuff that really matters to drummers: responsiveness, expression, dynamics… and fun. 

But for those who are yet to discover Aerodrums, and may have only seen videos online, there can be cynicism. We get it – our instrument can at first look like a bit of a novelty. It looks too good to be true. And let’s face it, in an age of AI, it can be difficult to understand what is real and what is manipulated on the internet. 

So let’s answer some of the questions people often have about Aerodrums when they first stumble across our website or social media and think: “What’s going on here?” Here is the truth about Aerodrums.

Are Aerodrums videos real, or are they AI-generated?

They’re real. Aerodrums videos show real people playing Aerodrums in real time. We know it looks quirky, but what you’re seeing is genuine.

The movements of the drummer’s sticks and foot pedals are captured by the Aerodrums system and used to trigger the corresponding drum sounds. No Aerodrums videos are generated or enhanced with AI, and the audio isn’t subsequently generated to make it appear as though somebody is playing.

We wrote a post about the technology used to make Aerodrums work in more detail. We use unique, patented technology via camera-based motion tracking. Read the tech lowdown here.

We know that sometimes the playing is so good it’s almost hard to believe (like this clip of Arno Haselsteiner). But don’t forget that Arno (and other drummers we’ve posted using Aerodrums, like Larnell Lewis and Gergő Borali) are absolutely world class drummers. Plus, they have had time to practice with Aerodrums. So if their Aerodrumming seems remarkable, that’s because they themselves are remarkable drummers!

If that wasn’t enough to convince you, on our User Videos page, you will find drum covers posted by Aerodrummers dating as far back as 2014. AI video generation wasn’t even a thing back then!

Are the drummers in your videos miming along to tracks?

No. The sounds you hear are generated by the Aerodrums software in response to the player’s movements. There are no acoustic drums hidden off-camera and no miming along to pre-existing tracks.

Aerodrums is a very dynamic instrument: you can play loud strokes, very soft notes, and anywhere between. This is because the camera constantly tracks the position of the drumstick tips more than 120 times per second, making it possible to compute the speed of the drumstick very accurately. This allows Aerodrums to respond to extremely subtle differences in playing dynamics.

You can watch a whole range of Aerodrums videos on this page, and by following our social media.

By the way, we love that Rowan Atkinson / Mr Bean clip from the 90s too. That IS a really clever piece of miming, it must have taken him ages to rehearse that performance! That is definitely not what’s happening in our videos 🙂

How does Aerodrums make a sound if you’re hitting the air?

The camera tracks the reflective markers on your sticks and pedals and continually measures their position and movement. Aerodrums uses that information to determine which drum or cymbal you’ve played, where you’ve played it, and how hard you’ve hit it. The software then plays the corresponding drum sound.

So although you’re physically striking the air, you’re not pretending to play a drum. You’re actually controlling a digital musical instrument with your movements.

We don’t claim to be ‘better’ than acoustic drums

We don’t claim to be better or even the same as ‘real drums’. In fact, we love real drums! Half of our team are lifelong drummers and we all care deeply about the musical experience offered by Aerodrums.

Our instrument provides a solution for drummers who might not otherwise be able to drum due to space, portability or noise restraints. We want to empower drummers to either take up or continue drumming where circumstances may not otherwise allow them to. Aerodrums can be used for playing, learning, recording and performing, just like a traditional kit.

We understand there are lots of purists who will always prefer the physical, acoustic kits, and that’s totally fine. It is quite joyous for us to see how pleasantly surprised and thrilled drummers are when they try a new way to drum with Aerodrums!

What makes Aerodrums different from other air-drumming products?

There are several products that use the term ‘air drumming’, but the underlying technologies aren’t the same.

Aerodrums uses camera-based motion tracking to detect the position and movement of reflective markers on the drumsticks and pedals. Those measurements are used to determine what the drummer is playing and how the drums are being played.

The reflective balls on our drumsticks aren’t just a quirky design feature — they’re an important part of the tracking system. They’re the only air drumming product with these light-weight balls at the tip (and on the feet pedals), and they’re super-important because they’re what the high-speed camera tracks to capture your musical intent.

Unfortunately, our proposed slogan “If it doesn’t have balls, it’s not Aerodrums!” didn’t pass the marketing test.

We explain in this article why our technology is different, and more reliable and musical.

Got a question for us? We’re happy to debunk any myths about Aerodrums and help you feel confident that Aerodrums will be a great drumming solution for you – DM us on social media and we’ll get straight back to you!

Check out the Aerodrums shop here.