Here you'll find out absolutely everything there is to know about electronic drum sets to help you choose the right option for you, whatever your budget or playing needs. All our advice comes from experts who have played, owned, reviewed and even sold kits over many years between them. And my favorite feature: the ability to not only choke, but mute the cymbal just by placing your hand or fingers on the bow of the cymbal. It’s only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the level of realism Roland engineered for this instrument. Ability to Import Custom Libraries to the TD-50 VH-14D digital hi-hat — as is with the ride, the digital hats provide the most authentic playing experience when compared to an acoustic drum kit. I suggest at least going for the Roland TD-17KV-S to play live shows. Transportation and Protection Practicing quietly is no problem and recording with MIDI is very easy now that we have USB connections. For the vast majority of drummers just looking to practice, it is just fine.

The DTX Pro module allows for a lot of processing, and thanks to the Kit Modifier controls on the top panel, you can apply and manipulate your sounds in real time, plus, you can import your own samples and map them to the pads too. We do feel that the kit would benefit from a software editor to make this process easier, so until then you'll need to make a good investment of time to really get to grips with the internal menu system. When it comes to choosing a kit to record with this setup, any will do just fine. All the electronic drum kits listed here have a MIDI output available, so you’ll be able to connect to your digital audio workstation fairly easily. But on an electronic set, you don’t face this restriction, because you can turn up your drum set volume in your headphones. Expert reviewers with years of hands-on experience testing and owning a wide range of electronic drum sets and with a deep understanding of e-kit technology as it has evolved.This is pure speculation, but I believe that both the Nitro does not have different samples for each velocity level. For example, tapping the snare drum quietly should produce a different recorded sample than just a quieter version of a snare hit.

It’s a huge bonus that the shells are made from wood. If I was a super serious drummer in your shoes, this would be the kit for me. For this reason, it’s important that you’re aware that most manufacturer warranties won’t cover re-sold items - meaning that even if your used kit is within the manufacturer warranty period, you won’t be eligible to use the warranty.

Overview

It’s by far the most realistic of the bunch and resembles an acoustic kit the most. I don’t own the TD-50KV2, but have the previous generation TD-50K-S electronic drum kit, and the similarities are very close for comparison. The verdict: No matter which way you put it, Roland makes killer products, especially drums. The TD-1K makes a great entry-level kit for the beginning drummer. No e-kit is whole without its module, and the DTX-PROX module which comes with the DTX10K-X delivers a raft of tonal personality in the way of great samples, exceptional tweakability and even a range of effects. These include compression and ambience, as well as an effect level dial - which can help to bring your drums to life in a live or studio scenario. We found, during testing, that the trigger settings were set to a fairly generic level out of the box and needed some initial tweaking to suit our playing style. Although a get-the-manual-out kind of job, it was fully worth it - not only to make our playing sound better, but to also understand the guts of the module in more depth.

The big message with Roland's mid-range TD-17 line, which features new pad designs, sounds derived from the flagship Roland TD-50 module, as well as Bluetooth alongside the ability to import your own samples, is that electronic drums shouldn’t feel like a compromise to those who are learning and improving on an electronic kit. Hence Roland’s ‘Become a better drummer, faster’ tagline. Roland has long held the crown for making the best electronic drum sets when money is no object. The VAD706 sits right at the top of the tree in the Roland V-Drums Acoustic Design line-up, and for good reason. Not only do the full acoustic drum shells give the kit that traditional look that means it wouldn't look out of place on stage or in a top-end studio, but the TD-50X sound module is currently unbeatable when it comes to the technology on-board. Electronic drum set playing has never felt more natural or nuanced, and dialling in your sound has never been easier. Are electronic drum sets quiet? Are electronic drum sets quiet? Yamaha’s DTX402 series is aimed squarely at entry-level drummers. There are three kits in the 402 line-up, but for us the 402K is the best for tight budgets and offers plenty to help first-timers get started.

About this product

MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface, and while the acronym and full name don’t necessarily matter, the technology behind it does. Alesis sells a lot of electronic kits, don’t they? This one, in particular, has been around for quite some time. The Nitro MAX is vastly superior upgrade from the Turbo Mesh with 440 sounds (as opposed to 100 only), as well as custom presets from BFD, one of the leading drum sample companies around. You can try your best if you wanna try some options out before buying, but I’m afraid you won’t find much to play around on. If you have no idea what any of the above means, don’t worry, it won’t apply unless you are recording and producing music. Drum pads VS electronic drum kits

Last but not least, we’ve got Alesis. They started off as music tech giants, and after releasing the SR-16 drum machine in 1990 - the all-time best selling drum machine, by the way - they ventured into electronic drum sets. They may have less history in the e-kit world but there are some truly impressive Alesis electronic drum sets on the market. They use a similar mesh head to Roland, delivering highly playable e-kits for not a lot of money. If you’re not so fussed on brand names, then Alesis is absolutely worth a look. They might not have been producing e-kits for long, but Gewa is no stranger to the drum world as European distributor of Drum Workshop, Gretsch, Latin Percussion, Gibraltar and more. The G3 Studio 5 is the latest addition to Gewa’s expanding digital drums line-up. The G3 Studio is the most affordable of the bunch, but still doesn’t come cheap. Pearl’s e/Merge comes with a 14″ snare, 18″ full-size bass drum, 10″, 12″, and 14″ toms, 14″ hats, 15″ crash, and an 18″ ride.

Alesis, along with many other kits, offers the Strike Software Editor for importing sounds to your module. Roland was behind the curve on this and Alesis wins here. The electronic drum set world moves incredibly fast with a raft of new releases landing over rhe last few years. Most recently, Roland announced a pair of fantastically specced beginner/budget kits, the TD-02K and TD-02KV which boast the nifty new TD-02 module. We've already reviewed the 02KV and it features in this guide. But if you want the best sounding and playing experience, I suggest using a Macbook Pro with one of the following sample libraries: At this price point, you can also start exploring the world of e-kits with proper wooden drum shells (like Roland’s VAD series). These not only look fantastic, but again authenticate your playing experience. They’re as close to real drums as you’ll get - perfect if that’s your thing. Do you need an electronic drum set? Personally, I use in-ear monitors since I am trying to keep the noise down, but it’s really up to your preference.