Updated: February 27th, 2024
Finding your best electronic drum set can open up a whole new dimension to your drumming.
An electronic drum kit isn’t just an acoustic kit turned quiet so you don’t freak out your neighbors. Instead, they can unleash your creativity. That’s why there’s even a world championship in e-drumming.
Yet, when I started looking for my first e-drum set, the amount of options confused me.
I didn’t know whether I could use my double bass pedal with these kits – or whether I wanted cymbals with choke functionality or not.
So I tried and tested – and wasted quite some money. But eventually, I figured out what is the best electronic drum set for which purpose. And in this review, I’ll give you the essence of it!
I’ll tell you which kit is best for beginners, for practicing, for the stage, and recording.
Heck: I’ll even show you my best cheap electronic drum set for under $500!
POCKETDRUM 2 PRO - Play and practice the drums anywhere you go
- Lightweight and portable - You can play whenever you want
- Good Value for Money
- Suitable for both Beginners and Professional Drummers
- Bluetooth MIDI
- AeroBand app is free to download
The 11 Best Electronic Drum Sets in the World Today
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Best All-Rounder
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Best For Recording
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Best Under 1000 Dollars
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Best For Playing Live
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Best Under 500 Dollars
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Best For professionals
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Least Noisy
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Best For Beginners
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Apart from my 7 best electronic drum kits, I’ve reviewed 4 more e-drums that didn’t receive “best” awards. Please note that this doesn’t mean they are bad – but it does mean that they will be different in at least 1 respect and therefore not appeal to the majority of people.
But then again, you might well not be among the majority. That’s why you’ll find an overview of all electronic drum kit reviews in the table of contents below.
Finally, the electronic drum kit reviews are arranged by price – from most affordable to most expensive – for the fact that an e-drum kit is cheap doesn’t have to mean it’s bad. If you read on, you’ll find that sometimes it’s quite the contrary….
1. Alesis Nitro Mesh Kit –
Best Electronic Drum Set for Beginners
- Great value for the price
- High-quality drum module, because the build is solid
- A sturdy rack holds the kit even if you’re a heavy hitter
- Relatively large footprint
- The drum module has some more detailed settings that you might have to get used to
The Alesis Nitro Mesh Kit is identical to the Alesis Nitro in module and hardware. Yet, as the name suggests, this one comes with mesh heads instead of rubber-only pads – which is fairly incredible at this price point.
And if you thought the mesh heads would be poor quality because of the low price – well, think again. I found them to have a good response (the module picking up even very light strokes) and rebound (bouncing the stick / your wrist back into its default position, so you save energy and power) – so playing the Alesis Nitro Mesh feels more like playing an acoustic drum kit.
The second advantage of the mesh heads on the Alesis Nitro is that they are much quieter than rubber pads, so you’ll be able to play without your family or neighbors noticing.
As such, the Alesis Nitro Mesh Kit has replaced its non-mesh version as the best beginner electronic drum kit on the market, because it’s really difficult to find anything wrong with this kit. The quality of the mesh pads and sounds within the module as well as the design of the Alesis Nitro Mesh result in visual appeal and a great drumming experience!
2. Alesis Command Mesh – Ex-Best E-Kit Under $1000
The Alesis Forge is not available at the moment (or even permanently), but you can still get its brother version (with mesh heads) or an even cheaper alternative.
- Very professional design (chrome rack)
- Wide range of sounds (600)
- Can be used with a double bass pedal
- No training functions (as with Yamaha and Roland kits)
Another one of Alesis’ electronic drums, and this time we’re leaving the beginner section and the confines of the practice room. From my experience, the Alesis Command Mesh will also satisfy more advanced drummers on the stage, because…
- …with its chrome rack and the more elaborate module, the Alesis Command Mesh looks very professional. Studies have shown that your audiences will judge you more by your appearance (including gear) than by your skills.
- The Forge comes with a library of 600 (!) sounds. And with 50 preset kits and 20 empty slots for you to fill, there is also more than enough room to make use of all the sounds. Taken together, this would allow you to change your sound multiple times during each song of a live performance. I’ve never done this, but perhaps you aspire to be the next Joe Clegg (Ellie Goulding’s drummer):
- If you’d want to use this kit for practicing too, there’s also a quieter version of it.
So the Alesis Command Mesh is my ex-best electronic drum set for under $1000!
3. Alesis Surge –
Best Electronic Drum Set Under $500
- A compact setup fits most indoor environments
- Good response time from the time of hitting the drum to when you hear it with headphones on
- Easy setup even for beginners
- A limited number of EQ options such as wood types, room sizes, etc.
Just like with the Alesis Nitro and Alesis Nitro Mesh, the Alesis Surge is an upgrade of the Alesis Forge – with the important difference of mesh heads instead of rubber ones.
That means that the all-mesh drum heads of the Alesis Surge are quiet enough to not annoy your family or neighbors while drumming.
I found them to also feel great, which means that they threw my sticks back to me (rebound) after a stroke so I could play as fast as possible. And they also triggered the sound that the head is supposed to play without any noticeable time lapse.
The best thing is: that the Alesis Surge isn’t even much more expensive than its rubber brother, the Alesis Nitro. Therefore, I now recommend the Alesis Surge as my best e-drum kit for under 500 dollars.
Find all my reasons for making that claim in my full Alesis Surge review.
It provides an accurate and balanced performance experience; you can produce a variety of sounds with this acoustic drum. Its silicone cymbal has a stable and well-distributed tone response at all positions of the cymbal. The drum set has a collapsible Iron metal stand, which makes it steady and extremely safe for use.
This model features 225 adjustable Timbre, which produces more realistic and excellent jazz, rock, blues, and punk, among others, as well as eradicates sound delay. The unique mesh drumhead hoop technology also eliminates the problem of mesh deformation and slackness, giving it a better feel and a longer life.
4. Donner DED-200 Electric Kit Electronic
- Silent play options as headphones can be connected
- 8-inch all-mesh drum head that is great for practice
- Convenient foldable Drum stand
- Uses digital technology, efficient software algorithms, and chip computing efficiency, to record the sound of real instruments and avoid sound delay and repetition
- Up to 25 Demo songs
- Durable design
- It is quite delicate and dense
- It is not suitable for outdoor performances because of low volumes
5. HXW SD61-2 Electric Drum Set
- Provides user-friendly module that supports USB-MIDI interface and AUX input
- Ease of storage and movement
- Offers onboard Coaching Function using metronome and recorder
- Easy to set up
- Collapsible Design
- It is affordable
- Sensitive triggering
- Sensitive dual-zone mesh
This model features a hi-hat, rides hat, crash hat, dual-zone cymbals with choke, bass drum with a kick pedal, world-class percussion sounds, a customized drum kit, and built-in play-along tracks. It also has a Sensitive dual-zone mesh snare shot and three premium silicone toms. All these features offer a natural feel, impressive sounds, and a satisfying experience with the drum set.
The coaching function allows users to record while playing so that during playback, they can listen and improve their skills. Its USB-MIDI port makes it easy for you to connect your electronic drum kit to a computer for external recording. The AUX Input offers a personalized user experience. The drum set is easy to set up and doesn’t require technical help. Due to its collapsible design, it saves space, and it is easy to store and transport.
6. Yamaha DTX450K – Best for Practicing
- Yamaha’s high-quality sounds
- Module simple to handle
- 12 training functions on board
- Limited number of preset kits (10)
- Can’t choke cymbals by hand
- Looks slightly odd (arrangement of drums, hole in the cymbals)
Yamaha is a widely recognized manufacturer of all kinds of quality musical instruments. And the Yamaha DTX452K is no exception.
This is my best electric drum kit for practicing for the following reasons:
- It comes with a very simple-to-handle module that simultaneously produces sounds as good as this:
- It lets you plug in your smartphone or mp3-player so you can jam along to your favorite song. And with its 297 sounds and 10 preset kits, you can record nice stuff with it:
- But the best thing about this set is the 12 built-in training functions. The most effective of those is called “RhythmGate” and trains you to keep the time. Only the much more expensive Roland TD 11K (below) can do this too.
So the Yamaha DTX450K is my best e-kit for practicing!
You can see the training functions in action, find out about the latest deal, or learn how the kit can be made to sound like from outer space in my in-depth Yamaha DTX450K review.
7. Alesis Command –
Best Electronic Drum Set Under $1,000
- The two most important pieces (snare & bass pad) are mesh for excellent response and individual tension adjustment
- The chrome frame is sturdy and durable, plus it looks professional
- The entire kit is set up in about an hour out of the box
- Cymbals are single-zone only – so you won’t have an edge sound on the ride cymbal for example
I think the Alesis Command 8-piece electronic drum kit is the best electronic drum kit for live performances for these reasons:
It comes with a solid 4-post chrome rack and a bigger overall size. Since most other e-kits in this price range are smaller, the Alesis Command looks more like a traditional acoustic drum kit. And that’s what people in the audience are used to.
Also, the tom pads – sized 9″, 9″, and 11″ – are larger than usual (8″ and 10″) so you have some margin for error in terms of your strokes. And on stage, when you’re playing and also performing, this can be very useful. Plus: one of the cymbal pads is chokeable.
Finally, the 70 digital drum kits and 600 sounds programmed into the sound module provide you more than enough flexibility to even play gigs where you’d have to cover a wide range of musical styles while on stage.
So for drummers who need an electronic kit for live performance, I believe that the Alesis Command is a near-perfect fit.
8. Roland TD-1K Electronic Drum Set – Best For Playing Live
This five-piece electronic drum kit is for those starting as drummers and players who practice in noise-restricted areas such as their homes. As a beginner, it helps you build your skills and check your progress.
- Built-in tutorials
- Easy to operate
- Cymbals are dual-zoned
- Flexible enough to suit any style and set-up
- Built-in USB-MIDI interface
- Too expensive for a beginner kit
- Does not come with sticks
- Not suited for professional drummers
Operating TD-1K is as easy as taking a walk in the park, which is why it is the ideal choice for beginners who may need to play live. Due to its clear layout, you can easily access all functions quickly and easily using the control panel. The LED display and the metronome flashing tempo indicator help you see all the info at a glance.
TD-1K fits into the tightest living spaces and gives it a stylish and modern look. For better use, the sturdy drum rack is adjustable, allowing the drum positions to be set up for both adults and children. The height of each cymbal and the angle of the snare pad can be set to suit your comfort and playing style.
The drum kit comes fully furnished with everything you will need to play, except the sticks. Its set-up includes three toms, one snare, one bass drum, a hi-hat, a crash cymbal, and a ride cymbal.
Cymbals that come with TD-1K are dual-zoned in the sense that you can get different sounds from each pad depending on how you play it. Aside from that, the cymbals can quickly be muted simply by grabbing the outer edge.
9. Roland TD-27KV Drum Set
- Good sound quality
- Value for money
- Highly advanced
- Suitable for Double-bass drum pedals
- The Bass drum tower does not have a messy head
TD-27KV is a nine-piece drum kit with five drums and four cymbals. So, there is a bass drum, two crash cymbals, a ride cymbal, three toms, a snare, and a hi-hat. The pads, toms, and snare have realistic mess heads which give out a more natural response than rubber pads. However, the bass drum tower does not come with a mesh head. It is equipped with a rubber-type pad, which makes it somewhat quiet to play.
As regards sound, TD-27KV comes with a total of 728 sounds that spread over 100 drum kits, and 55 presets that you can use. The best part is that you can upload your favorite sounds through the SD card and use them while playing.
Also, the drum set features a revolutionary Mic stimulator that allows you to set your drums to sound as though they were being recorded from different Mics in different positions. As for connectivity, there are a total of seven ¼ jacks, an SD card slot, a USB jack, and a MIDI I/O. These connections allow you to expand your drum set if the need arises.
10. Alesis Strike – Most Affordable High-End E-Drum Kit
- The mesh heads on snare, toms, and kick are super-responsive & have very realistic rebound characteristics
- Offers more than 1600 realistic-sounding drums, cymbals, percussion instruments (and more)
- Comes with one of the most solid racks I’ve seen so far
- Hi-Hat has issues registering/playing opening and closing sounds accurately. The previous firmware update has improved the situation considerably, but unintended sounds still can occur
When Alesis launched the Strike Pro, most people assumed this simply couldn’t be a high-end kit at such an affordable price. But the Strike came, saw, and succeeded.
There simply is no other kit on the market that offers a similar range of sounds, a design as professional, or sound modification options as intricate at such a low price. For this reason, the Alesis Strike is my best electronic drum set for recording at a fully professional level.
The only issue is the HiHat which you can read more about in my review below. For me, though, even this “issue” has never limited my joy in playing the Alesis Strike in any way. And you’ll have to pay thousands of dollars more to find a similar range of features when looking at another brand (see Roland TD-30KV below).
So about this HiHat issue – and all other great things about the kit – see my full review of the Alesis Strike.
11. Roland TD-30KV – If Money Doesn’t Matter
The Roland TD-30KV is not available at the moment, so here is my recommended alternative.
- Multi-dimensional drum sound that feels organic
- Realistic and consistent trigger pad feedback
- Customize and modify the settings to your heart’s content!
- Not really for new players looking for a starter electronic kit
- This product does not come with a warranty
I didn’t even consider this kit in the comparison table, because it would – in all fairness – just be unfair to the other e-drum kits presented here. After all, the Roland TD-50KV2 is more than three times as expensive as the Roland TD-11K and the price of the other kits in this review don’t even compare.
BUT: neither can they compare in terms of quality. The Roland TD-50KV2 is a fully professional set that you can take into any high-profile recording studio in this world – and people will be impressed. And this is because…
- It comes with Roland’s so-called “SuperNATURAL sounds” and “behavior modeling technology” which essentially means that no sound coming out of this kit is prerecorded. Yes, the kit does have sounds in its library (how else can it produce them), but each strike of yours will trigger the Roland TD-50KV2’s module to synthesize an individual and unique sound each time. In other words, this e-kit produces sounds in just the way an acoustic drum set would.
- The Sound Module enables you to configure every aspect of your drum sound. Care to choose whether the kick should sound as if beaten with a wooden beater? Or do you prefer felt? The TD-50KV2 module gives you the power to switch with just the push of a button.
So there’s nothing negative to say about the Roland TD-50KV2. Quite the opposite: it’s a stellar electronic drumset and will bring you as close to acoustic sets as possible while preserving all the advantages of an acoustic one.
Only: it might not be for you. The lots of room for customization that this kit brings with it, also means that you need to spend a least a bit of time using those features. They are fairly easy to learn, but if you don’t want to be concerned with tweaking the sound through your module – better save the money.
Also, when a legend like Jim Keltner gets excited about using this MIDI electronic drum kit and the drum sounds that it makes, I’m all ears. So while the Roland TD-50KV2 is the most expensive kit in this review, it also is my best MIDI drum set.
If you’re good with that, the Roland TD-50KV2 will take your breath away! Guaranteed!
Want to modify your shell depth, microphone position, muffling, and dozens of other parameters? Discover how in my in-depth review of the Roland TD-30KV.
12 Carlsbro CSD130 Electronic Drum Set
The Carlsbro CD 130 electronic drum set comes complete with 8 pieces and features a realistic kick pedal for a great feel. Easy to set up in minutes thanks to stereo outputs that connect directly to recording consoles, PA systems, and amplifiers, it is equipped with the Commander 120/130 drum module, which gives you 250 different percussion sounds, and 30 drum kits – 20 are preset and the other 10 are user assignable. Full dynamic, sensitivity, and crosstalk adjustments help you create the sound you want.
Key features:
- 250 high-quality percussion voices
- 20 preset drum kits
- Digitron display
13 Carlsbro CSD 180
This electronic drum bundle contains almost everything you need to get started including a Commander 300 sound module with 26 preset drum kits and 20 demo songs. The kit features three tom pads, a bass drum pad, hi-hat, crash, and ride cymbals, a kick pedal, and of course, the necessary drum rack and mounting hardware. Over-the-ear stereo headphones and drumsticks are included.
Key features:
- Commander 300 Sound module with demo songs, preset drum kits, and more
- 458 percussion voices
- Recording and playback facility USB interface, MIDI in/out, and LCD
14 Roland TD-17KV-S Electronic Drum Set Bundle
With realistic pads designed to mirror the acoustic drumming experience, The Roland TD-17KV-S is fully equipped with all the toms, and cymbals needed, plus a bass and snare. Foot pedals are included, as are a rack, many accessories, three pairs of drumsticks, a throne, and an audio cable that connects your phone to your drum set so that you can play along to any track. Full electronics round out this exceptional electronic drum kit.
Key features:
- Roland TD-50-class sound engine
- TD-17 module imports samples to help with mixing and layering, and more
- 50 premium drumkits built in, or create your kit using onboard sound elements
15 Roland V Entry Electronic Drum Set TD-1DMK
The Roland TD-1DMK electronic drum kit features dual-ply mesh heads with adjustable tension for a realistic experience. A built-in metronome helps you improve tempo and timing, and 14 preset kits let you create unique musical expressions. The kit includes a kick, snare, hi-hat & pedal, 3 toms, a crash cymbal, ride, and the drum stand. This set is also available in a Roland V Drums bundle that includes a throne, drumsticks, and a double bass drum pedal.
Key features:
- 256 notes of polyphony
- Compact setup for easy setup
- The preloaded module connects to Melodics drum training software (sold separately)
16 Vault ED-5 4-Piece Electronic Drum Kit
With a convenient pre-assembled rack, the Vault ED-5 4-piece electronic drum kit offers quick, easy setup in minutes. The set includes a bass drum pad with a pedal, a snare, 3 toms, an 18” hi-hat with a pedal, a crash pad with a stop function, and a ride pad. The sound module is fitted with 3.5mm stereo jack inputs and outputs, USB, and MIDI. A metronome helps you keep time.
Key features:
- 20 preset drum kits
- 184 sounds
- 50 songs for play-along
17 Yamaha DTX402K Electronic Drum Kit
This is a great electronic drum kit for beginners thanks to a user-friendly design and an affordable price point. With ten built-in training functions, apps for iOS and Android, USB connectivity, and more, it covers different genres of music that make practice sessions even more enjoyable. All toms, cymbals, and pedals are included, along with a snare, a bass, and a compact rack.
Key features:
- Features 287 drum and percussion sounds
- 10 preset kits
- Customize additional kits using various sounds
18 Yamaha DTX452K Electronic Drum Set
The Yamaha DTX 452K electronic drum set is specially designed for beginners to improve their performance and expression as drummers. Loaded with ten built-in training functions, novice drummers will find it more comfortable working on their rhythm and timing. These functions include Rhythm Gate, Fast Blast, Pad Gate, and the Recording function.
To access these training functions, drummers make use of the Yamaha Touch app on their Android or iOS devices. You can also practice and perform with your favorite music using the Rec N’ Share app. The app will also help you share your drum covers with your family and friends.
Equipped with a kick drum tower, an adjustable tower, and a hi-hat controller, the set produces high-quality and realistic sound.
There is no big deal when it comes to setting up Yamaha DTX 452K electronic drum sets. Since it comes with a simple design, less effort and time is required to assemble, and you can start performing almost immediately.
Though the rack is made with sturdy steel, it is also lightweight, foldable, and compact, making it easy to move around.
Key features:
- Immersive stereo drum samples
- Ten preset drum kits that can be edited and overwritten
- Ten play-along songs
- Beginner-friendly
- Highly portable
- Durable rack
- Built-in training modules
19 Yamaha DTX522K Electronic Drum Set
With triple-zone snare and cymbal pads for realistic performances, the Yamaha DTX522K drum kit includes 3 toms, 2 cymbals, a snare, a hi-hat, a drum module, and a complete rack system with hardware. Bass and kick pedal are included, along with a foot pedal for the hi-hat. The module provides playing analysis to help you improve. On-ear stereo headphones and drumsticks are included.
Key features:
- Yamaha DTX502 Drum module
- 50 preset kits plus 50 user kits
- Many convenient practice and recording features
What makes a good drum set?
Learning and playing drums is more than just making music and creating art, as there are enormous health benefits that come with drumming too. However, a drum set that offers versatility will guarantee that you enjoy drumming regardless of the genre of music that you prefer. You get to play jazz, rock, and blues, among other styles conveniently, without having to buy a new set. Drummers also love to experiment, and a good drum set makes it possible for you to switch and try different selections while producing quality sounds.
What Makes The Best Electronic Drum Set?
Now you know about the features of 7 very good electric drum sets. But what if you’re not sure which features you need – and which would be a waste of money?
That’s where this buyer guide comes in. I’ll show you what you should look for in your e-kit – and what you can safely ignore.
1. Checking for essentials
You value your money, right?
So the first thing you should consider is this: what will you get for the price?
I’ve never seen an electronic drum set pack that doesn’t include the actual pads and the “rack” (the mounting system). But quite often the bass drum pedal is not included. And even more often there’s no drum throne and the kit doesn’t include drum sticks or headphones.
But to start playing you need all of this. (And in case you’re not a headphone type, consider getting a electronic drum amplifier or in-ear monitors)
So make sure you know what you get for your money – and what you have to pay for on top of the kit.
Tip: Even if drum throne/sticks/headphones aren’t included, Amazon will often give you a discounted package deal. Just look at the “Frequently Bought Together” section right underneath the product picture on Amazon.
2. Determining Your Purpose
There’s one thing to realize that makes buying an electric drum set much easier:
it doesn’t have to be very good in every respect. Not only would you have to spend thousands of $ to get there (as you saw with the Roland TD-30KV above) – but you’d also perhaps not make use of all you paid for.
So better determine whether you want to use your electric kit for practicing, playing live, or home/studio recording. Do that now!
Now you can simply scroll to the respective section below and ignore all the rest. (If you want your kit for multiple purposes, add up the important aspects.)
Purpose #1: Practicing
An e-drum kit for practicing should:
- Have a useful setup
- Make little noise
- Have a few practice tools on board
In particular, this means…
a. Setup
This is paramount but often overlooked: an electronic drum set should be set up like a regular acoustic kit.
Because if it doesn’t, you’ll store motions in your muscle memory that you would have to change once you sit down on an acoustic set again.
And this doesn’t work instantly. It needs a lot of un- and re-learning and is truly boring. So don’t buy an electronic drum kit like this (Pyle PED041):
Because it doesn’t resemble a regular acoustic setup at all:
Even if you’re looking for portable electric drums, you’d do yourself no favor going for one with the above setup. For yes, it would be easier to fit into a car or under a bed – but I think the un-learning aspect is much more important. I think you can afford to spend 10 more minutes disassembling a kit, but hardly anybody can afford to spend 2 months unlearning useless data in one’s muscle memory.
b. Noise
Chances are this is why you’re going for an electronic drum kit in the first place: you want to practice without freaking out your family or neighbors. Honorable intention…
…but the problem is: that electronic kits are not completely silent! Yet, depending on their pads some are more silent than others.
The crucial distinctions in terms of the pads (applying to cymbals, toms, and the kick) are between:
- Rubber pads
- Pads with mylar heads
- Pads with mesh heads
Rubber pads have a steel core that’s covered with, well, rubber and they look like this:
And hitting a rubber pad will produce peak volumes of about 70 decibels. That’s like hitting the pages of an open book with a stick. Not very loud, but potentially annoying if there’s a person in the same room or directly next door.
But judge yourself:
Pads with mylar heads:
Mylar is a material that’s used in real drum heads too. But of course, the mylar PADS won’t be as loud as real drums, because there’s no shell that amplifies the tone.
Yet, hitting a mylar pad will again peak at around 70 decibels (think open book hit with a stick).
Pads with mesh heads:
Mesh’s heads finally are the quietest option as the sound waves are dispersed on the woven mesh.
Imagine the “noise” to be similar to hitting a sturdy cushion. It’s perhaps too loud to do when someone’s sleeping or watching TV right next to you. But usually, it won’t bother people next door.
Again, I’d like you to judge yourself:
And the “feel” of the pads?
Many people seem to be reluctant to go for electric drums because they’re concerned the pads won’t feel like acoustic drums. And there’s only one thing to say about this:
If you want something that feels exactly like an acoustic drum set, buy an acoustic drum set.
Don’t get me wrong: e-drum sets have become very advanced and the pads do mimic the feel of an acoustic drum set quite well (mylar and mesh better than rubber). But there will always be a slight difference. Emailing doesn’t feel exactly like writing a letter either, right?
The upside is of course that electric drums can do lots of different things that acoustic drums can’t.
They can help you practice effectively, change your drum set sound instantly on stage, record on a budget or make your drum set sound like a piano (see video below).
c. Practice Tools
This is the final cornerstone to watch out for in a practice kit: tools to help you make efficient progress.
The absolute essentials for this are:
- A metronome, so you can practice to play in time. (I haven’t seen an electronic kit that doesn’t have one built in, but be sure to double-check.)
- A recording function, so you can record what you are practicing:
Because as a beginner, you’ll be fully occupied with trying to get that groove in front of you right. You simply won’t have enough concentration and objectivity left to listen and recognize all the details that aren’t spot-on yet. So it’s invaluable to be able to push a button, have whatever you’re working on recording, and give it a listen afterward. - Plg for smartphone / mp3-player, so you can play along to your favorite music:
This is the real deal for practicing the drums. Nothing will boost your motivation more than being able to jam along to your favorite track. So make sure the electronic drum set has a plug to connect your smartphone/iPhone or mp3 player. (Mostly the plug is called “Mix-In” and has a ⅛’’ jack).
Finally, there is one nice-to-have-but-not-quite-necessary tool for practicing:
- On-board training functions.
Some higher-priced electronic kits such as the Yamaha DTX450K or the Roland TD-11K have guided training built into the module. These programs would for instance play a groove for you to emulate and then drop the click for a few bars at some point. You’re supposed to play on until the click sets back in – at which point you’d know how well you’ve been playing in time. There are different exercises for different purposes of course, but the point is: it’s guided and it’s tracked. Both will help you make progress more easily and eventually maintain your motivation.
Finally, if you’re a beginner and operating on a budget, electronic drum pads can be a good alternative to an electronic drum kit when starting.
Purpose #2: Playing live
If you want to take your electric drum set on stage, it should:
- have a decent range of quality sounds
- look professionally
- be expandable
a. Sound Range & Quality
Concerning the sound range, there are two crucial questions to consider:
- Can you import sounds into the module?
If so, that would make your sound range virtually limitless which is a good thing. But it’s also expensive as only the higher-priced sets like the Alesis DM10 can import sounds.
If the kit you’re looking at can’t import sounds, you should google for the manual. There will be a list of the sounds in the kit. If you want to play Rock or Jazz you’ll find appropriate sounds in any kit – but higher-priced ones will have more. If you’re into Latin or even Electro, it depends on the individual set whether it has come at all. - Does the kit have enough presets for your gig?
A preset is a whole drum set compiled out of the individual sounds. Usually, that’s one sound for each pad, so 9 for a standard e-drum set (3 tom, 1 snare pad, 1 kick, 1 Hi-Hat, and 2 Cymbal sounds).
The number of presets can range from 10 to 100 and there is also a variable number of kits to customize yourself from product to product. I recommend you think about how many songs you’re usually playing/going to play on a single gig and how often you want to change the sound of your kit. Depending on your music and the level of proficiency, this could be every single song, once per gig, or never.
As for the sound quality of a kit, I can’t give any hard and fast rules, because taste is subjective. The simple test would be to search for the electric kit you’re interested in on YouTube where you’ll usually find lots of people playing this set for you. Just give it a listen and decide for yourself.
b. Design
It’s scientifically proven that audiences will judge you by how you look on stage as well as by your skills. So better make sure that you’re reaping the fruits of your practice by having a professionally looking set.
What this entails isn’t set in stone, but generally, a kit that resembles a regular drum set will be familiar to an audience and thus look like it’s up there on stage for a reason.
Just think about what you’d expect on stage and I’m sure you’ll agree it isn’t this (DDrum Beta):
And that this Alesis Forge looks much more professional:
Purpose #3: Recording
Finally, electronic kits are a great and very affordable way to professionally record music at home (or in the studio).
And the only thing you need to worry about for this purpose is if and how your electronic kit connects to a computer. Once that’s done, even sound quality and range don’t matter anymore, because you’ll be able to modify them in any way you wish inside your music recording software.
How Does an Electronic Drum Set Work With MIDI?
Everything you need to use your electronic drums to a computer is a MIDI output at the back of your kit’s module.
Usually, you’ll be using the MIDI-USB port, but with an audio interface (for more advanced recording) you might need to use the 5-pin outputs. With the Alesis DM10, for example, both are situated just below the Alesis logo at the back of the module:
Once you’ve connected the module to your computer, your electronic drums act as a MIDI trigger. That means, that each time you’re hitting any drum pad, a MIDI signal is sent to your computer.
That signal doesn’t carry any sound information, which is a good thing. Once you’ve opened your recording software (Audacity and Reaper are free; Ableton, GarageBand, or Logic paid), you can match the signal with any sound in your library.
This way, you can make your drum set sound very, very good for any style of music. Or you can make it sound like something entirely different:
So choose an electronic drum set that has a MIDI output and you’ll be recording in no time.
Previous Best E-Drum Kits
Alesis DM6
- Module easy to handle
- Can be used with a double bass pedal
- Bestselling electronic drum kit on Amazon (1000+ /month)
- 200 5-star reviews on Amazon
- Limited sound range (108)
- No advanced features (cymbal pad can’t be choked, no half-open Hi-Hat)
In my view, the Alesis DM6 is the cheapest electronic drum set that’s useful. That is until the Nitro (above) came along.
The Nitro has more sounds, and more functions in its module, and looks more professional in my view. That’s why I don’t recommend the Alesis DM6 plain anymore. Not because it’s bad, but because the Nitro is even better.
But I still have an in-depth review of the DM6 lying around. It covers all the tricky questions: from playing Rock Band for Playstation on it to connecting it to a computer.
Questions?
I hope I could convince you that choosing an electronic drum set isn’t that difficult once you know what to look for.
I also hope you saw that an electronic drum kit isn’t just an acoustic set turned quieter, but that it can improve your practice, your stage performance, or your recording – and even open up new dimensions to your creativity.
If you’ve got a question about any of the e-drum sets reviewed here, I’ll gladly answer them in the comments. And I’d love to hear about your experiences with any of these kits!