I’m often asked to recommend the best electronic drum kits for beginners. So here you go.
Back when it all began my 1st Electronic Drum Kit was made out of a Remo Practice Pad, a Cystal Mic and a Circuit board.
It was probably one of the 1st Electronic Drum Kits to appear on a stage. It lasted for 2 gigs with OMD until I hit the mic and smashed it to bits. Then Roland, Yamaha, Alesis, Carlsbro and also Ddrum came along. They showed us how to do it and now make some of the best electronic drums available. Fortunately things have improved and these days Electronic Drums (E-drums) are tough and reliable both for beginners and pro’s.
Roland’s V-Drums are the world’s most popular and probably the best electronic drums around today. My Roland Hybrid Kit has played in front of massive crowds. It has spent years in and out of trucks, gigs, aeroplanes and flight cases and it still works as new.
Why Electronic Drums (E-Drums) ?
Play hard with a heavy Rock sound, then instantly change kits
Acoustic drums needs to be set up to play a specific style of music, so you’re stuck with one type of sound
E-Drums are easily packed down and stored away or easily moved to practice or live gig locations
Practice and Rehearse with Headphones in the morning or late at night without disturbing the neighbours.
Play along and practice with your favourite tunes
Record directly into your computer perfect for home studios
Wiring snakes connects all of the pads, cymbals and pedals.
Outputs can be connected to an amp or sound system
Lets take a look at the best of them in 2017.
1. Roland TD – 1K V – Drums Electronic Drum Kit
15 Onboard Drum Kits
Every onboard kit reacts just like the acoustic and electronic kits they emulate, giving you a huge range of variety in one compact, standalone instrument.
On Board Training
You can use Coach mode to develop technique, build and maintain speed, stamina, and accuracy, or play along with the onboard metronome to tighten up your timing. You’ll get instant feedback of your progress as well as quickly capture and playback a new fill or creative groove.
Play along with your Favorite Songs
Jam with the internal songs in the sound module, or connect your phone via the Mix In jack and drum along with your favourite tunes.
Practice with Headphones
Playing drums at home is fun for you, but can be a problem for everyone else around! Quieter operation is a major benefit of electronic drums thanks to the sound module’s headphone jack, the noise-reducing pads and beater-less pedal design. It all helps with keeping the neighbours happy.
Best Features
Acclaimed V-Drums sound in an entry-level set
Supports essential acoustic drum techniques, including cymbal choke, advanced hi-hat playing, and more
10 Coach exercises, Coach function and recorder
Practice along with headphones with onboard songs or your favourite tunes
15 kits – legendary Roland sound quality
Quiet and compact thanks to cushioned rubber pads
Expandable and upgradable
USB/MIDI connection for use with computer music software and virtual instruments
The new TD-11, SuperNATURAL powered, entry-level, V-Drum’s sound engine brings a more natural and realistic drumming experience to the entry level.
A great price gives the opportunity for drummers of all budgets to use electronic drums for lessons, home practice, and live performances.
Mesh-Head V-Pad for Snare
The PDX-8 mesh snare V-Pad features Roland’s amazing dual-triggering technology which is super accurate and even senses between the head and rim.
The PD-8A durable 8.5″ Tom Pads are rubber pad and offer super-accurate triggering and reliable use.
Acclaimed V-Cymbals for Crash and Ride
The CY-12C for Crash provides a natural swinging motion and accurate triggering for consistent crash performance, including choke control. The CY-13R for Ride offers an enlarged bow area, a realistic playing feel and three-way triggering for edge, bow and bell.
Practical Hi-Hat Combination
The CY-5 cymbal pad for hi-hat features a 10″ playing zone and natural swing movement. It also provides separate bow and edge triggering. With the FD-8 Hi-Hat Controller, drummers can get realistic hi-hat sounds with smooth transitions between open and closed positions.
Natural-Feel Kick Pad
The KD-9 kick pad provides great feel, dynamic response, accurate triggering and solid playability even when using a double pedal.
Custom Stand
The MDS-4V is the most space-efficient drum stand from Roland. The MDS-4V features a metal centre-horizontal joint bar for improved stability.
Best Features
SuperNATURAL Sound Engine – ‘behaviour modelling’. The most true-to-life V-Drums ever created
50 fully-customisable drum kits on board
196 internal instruments to select from and tune/edit
Song player – play along to internal songs, play to your own tracks using the USB song player or connect an external device
Coach Mode – improve your timing and accuracy and get instant feedback on your progress
Practice along with headphones with onboard songs or your favourite tunes
USB/MIDI connection for use with computer music software and virtual instruments
10 pre-set kits programmed into the module from rock and pop through to jazz and house.
Experiment with creating your own kits using the 108 individual drum sounds or play along with the 40 drum patterns.
The kit consists of 3 toms, a snare drum, crash, ride and hi-hat cymbals. It also includes hi-hat and kick drum controller pedals so you have everything you need to get going.
It’s perfect for bedrooms, uni halls or flats as it won’t take up too much room.
Kick Pedal
The kick pedal controller is a lot quieter than a traditional drum pedal rebounding off a bass pad.
Connect and Expand
The stereo ouput allows you to connect the drum kit to a monitor or amplifier for extra volume when playing live, whilst the aux in means you can connect an MP3 player and drum along to your favourite tracks.
USB and MIDI connections can connect this kit to a computer for recording, composition or use as a MIDI controller. These connections can give you access to a whole host of tuition software and DAW functionality.
Best Features
10 Onboard Drum Kits
108 Drum Sounds
40 Patterns
1 Demo Song
Practice along with headphones with onboard songs or your own tracks
USB/MIDI connection for use with computer music software and virtual instruments
With 200 sounds, a built in drum coach, play along patterns and exercises it’s a great tool for anyone wanting to learn or improve upon their skills. The DM Lite Kit includes one snare pad and three toms. Three cymbal pads are also provided – hi-hat, crash and ride.
On Board Training
Built in coach feature, 30 play along tracks and metronome.
When each pad or cymbal is hit the internal blue LED lights up adding an extra dimension to any performance. The pads also flash in response to the lessons and onboard patterns which is a valuable visual learning tool.
Included Drum Pedals
Two foot pedals are included with the Alesis DM Lite. The first is a high-hat open/closed momentary control pedal and the second is a velocity controlled kick trigger pedal.
Best Features
10 Onboard Drum Kits
Over 200 drum and cymbal sound
LED Illuminated drum and cymbal pads enhance built-in learning features
Allows custom kit configurations and modifications
Built-in drum coach with play-along patterns and 30 songs
Practice along with headphones with onboard songs or your own tracks
USB/MIDI connection for use with computer music software and virtual instruments
The DTX450K comes with ten professional quality drum kits. This Drum Kit provides quality, flexibility and usability.
Boasting some of the highest quality sounds in its class, the sound module houses stereo recordings of real drums, cymbals and percussion.
On Board Training
Has a host of onboard engaging and effective warm-up training functions.
“Groove Check”, helping perfect your timing with on-screen markers of early or late beats.
“Rhythm Gate”, where the drum kit silences out any off time beats alerting you instantly to any mistakes.
“Groove Tracker”, which helps beginners pick up the beat.
“Fast Blast”, a new challenge to test the chops of even advanced players!
There’s also a spoken grading system to encourage you along your drumming path.
Create Your Own Drum Kits
For those seeking extra creativity, draw from the selection of 169 sounds to create custom kits to match your own style. The DTX450K gives you the freedom to experiment with everything from heavy double bass kits to explosive dance kits and save your favourite ten in the memory slots for instant recall later.
Connect, Upgrade and Expand Your Kit
The USB connection allows you to control VSTi drum libraries and enjoy recording into DAW software such as Cubase. Yamaha’s Music Software Downloader also allows you to import new songs with new Apps due to be launched in 2013, designed to work alongside the DTX450K, so just as your skills are growing and you’re ready to progress further new interactive learning experiences will be available. There is also the option to add an additional crash cymbal pad when you’re ready for more of a challenge!
Best Features
10 Onboard Drum Kits (all of which may be edited and overwritten)
169 sounds to create custom kits
23 Snare Drum Sounds
21 Kick Drum Sounds
36 Tom Sounds
Built-in drum coach
Practice along with headphones with onboard songs or your own tracks
USB/MIDI connection for use with computer music software and virtual instruments
The Alesis Nitro kit not only looks and sounds good but provides added connectivity for a range of different applications.
On Board Training
The kit features a built-in sequencer, metronome and performance recorder.
The kit also features 60 built-in play-along tracks to sharpen your skills when it comes to performing with other instruments.
High Response Drum Pads
At the centre of the Alesis Nitro kit are quality sounding, good feeling drums and cymbals. The 8’’ drums provide pads large enough to have an easy striking surface, with the rubber top material giving a dynamic, natural response. The 10’’ cymbals offer a similarly active feel, with each section of the pad giving a realistic recreation of the sound caused by an acoustic. The cymbals’ height is fully adjustable thanks to the rack design, meaning you can the kit fully tailored to your preference. The kick drum is attached to a pedal that gives a comfortable, realistic response.
Included Accessories
This exclusive Gear4music package contains all you need to begin your drumming journey. The SubZero SZ-7080 Monitoring Headphones have been specially designed for studio and recording situations and as a result, offer high quality sound and a large frequency range. With a 3m cable, an included 6.3mm adapter and a comfortable, non slip headband, these are perfect for all studio situations. The pack also comes with a pair of Gear4music 5A drumsticks that have a comfortable feel and wooden tip to give a more realistic action on your kit.
Features
24 Onboard Drums Kits
385 Onboard Drum Kits
User Kits: 16
80 Onboard Songs
Built in Drum Coach
Hi-Hat Combinations: 7
Reverb and 3-Band Equalizer Onboard FX
Practice along with headphones with onboard songs or your own tracks
Stereo line outputs to let you connect the kit to an Amp or sound-system.
USB/MIDI connection for use with computer music software and virtual instruments
The Carlsbro CSD130 Digital Drum Kit is the ideal solution for drummers who desire an electronic drum kit that is portable, durable and retains a classic acoustic kit sound. Able to replicate the same presense as an acoustic kit, the Carlsbro CSD130 Digital Drum Kit can be folded away to achieve an ultra portable size, making it ideal for the travelling musician or student.
The kit features 2″ reserve bass kick pads that perfectly replicate a realistic beater swinging action. Also featured is a 7.5 snare pad that is dual zoned to allow for standard snare and rimshot sounds.
The innovative commander sound module is home to 250 high quality sounds with preset drum kits, 10 user defined kits and 20 demo songs for the user to play along with. The featured sound module enables the player to record and playback their drumming which is great for practice and analysing technique. Also great for practice is the inbuilt metronome that allows the player to play along to user defined tempos that test consistency and timing.
Features
Commander 150 Sound Module
Digitron display
250 high quality percussion voices
20 preset drum kits
10 user defined drums kits
20 demo songs
Aux in jack, Line output, Headphone output
USB interface (USB to device), MIDI IN/OUT
Recording and playback facility
Adjustable sensitivity
Adjustable crosstalk
Trigger curve settings, Metronome, reverb
Specifications
Commander 150 Sound Module
Bass pad with bass kick pedal
Dual-zone Snare pad
Tom pads – Single-zone
Hi-hat cymbal pad – Single-zone
Crash cymbal pad with choke – Single-zone
Ride cymbal pad with choke – Single-zone
Hi-hat controller pedal
Ultra compact, portable 3-legged drum rack with all mounting hardware and invisible cabling
First of all, at ddrum their foundation is innovation. Ddrum continually endeavour, to provide drummers with tools designed to offer the best in performance & flexibility. We’ve been the link between drummers and technology for over 30 years, with “industry standard” triggers, electronic drums and modules. For the past 10 years, we turned our attention to acoustic drums, launching exciting new products that blur the lines between standard and custom features. Ddrum kits appeals to a wide range of players and artists, Vinnie Paul (Pant era and ), Derek Wright (Adele) and the Legendary Carmine Apace all choose ddrum.
Ddrum Beta Electronic Drum Kit. The all new ddrum beta, everything you need to start your journey in the world of electronic percussion! Working backward from our more advanced e-kits, we conceived the DDBeta to be the first step in a drummer’s journey. If it is simply your first electronic kit, or your first drum kit, we conceived it to be easy to use. The kit features a streamlined module which contains 100 usable drum kit sounds. You will find these and more, in the 32 pre-set kits that are standard on the DDBETA. The DDBETA offers compact size, perfect for bedrooms and small apartments.
Responsive, single-zone drum pads. Dynamic single-zone cymbals with choke feature. All at a very attractive price. DDBeta, the first word in electronic percussion. Features4- 8inch Single zone Drum pads3-12inch Cymbal padsChokable-Hi hat controllerBass drum foot controllerSet of HeadphonesModule Features – 10 1/4 inputs – MIDI OUT – LINE IN – Headphone output32 high sound quality Preset drum kitsMetronomeReverbCompact rack system
Features
32 Pre-set kits, with over 100 Drum sounds 4 x 8″ Single zone Drum pads. 3 x 12″ Chokable Cymbal Pad. Built in Metronome and Reverb. Foot controllers for both Hi-hat and Bass Drum.
Box Contains
1 x Ddrum Rack.
4 x Single Zone Drum Pads.
1 x Ddrum Beta Brain.
3 x 12″ Checkable Cymbal Pads.
1 x Headphone Set.
2 x Foot Controller.
1 x UK Power Supply.
