There are many benefits to an electronic drum set. They’re great for people who just don’t have the space for an acoustic set. They’re also ideal for people who play several genres of music, especially EDM or hip hop.
With the wide array of digital sounds available, electric drum kits are suitable for any style of music that requires more than just a traditional drum configuration.
What is an electronic drum set?
An electric drum kit is essentially a collection of sample pads set up in the same way as an acoustic drum kit. The drum kit has to be plugged into an amplifier, speaker, or pair of headphones to be heard. The headphone option makes them ideal for practicing when volume has to be kept to a minimum.
So let’s get into the list.
*Disclosure: There are some affiliate links below and as an Amazon associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases. However, these are all products I highly recommend. I won’t put anything on this page that I haven’t verified and/or personally used.
Yamaha DTX402K
To my ear, this product sounds just like a real drum set. Yamaha has done a good job replicating a lot of acoustic kit sounds to add a feeling of authenticity.
It also comes with a built-in, interactive training module that helps improve rhythm and speed, and there is a USB connection for transmitting audio and MIDI information to your computer. Plus, with the 415 drum and percussion sounds, this instrument really lets you explore innovative drum beats and push the limits of your own creativity. Bonus: It also comes equipped with free iOS apps for recording songs.
Alesis DM6 Nitro
This full-sized eight piece drum set comes with 385 sounds with 24 drum sets. Plus, it has the ability to store more custom configurations. It is equipped with a USB MIDI connection for sound recording on computers. The headphone jack allows for private sessions, along with stereo outputs to connect to an amplifier. Lastly, the dual-zoned snare is an excellent feature, as a lot of kits only feature single-zone drum pads.
Pyle PTEDO6 Electronic Kit
This is a great option if you have extremely limited space. Weighing only 7.5 lbs, it is portable enough that you can easily store it out of the way. You can also easily take it to a friend’s house or the recording studio.
This compact tabletop kit features 7-drum pads and two pedals (1 hi-hat and 1 kick drum) with an AC adaptor. Or, you can go completely off-grid with the ability to run on batteries.
You get 55 kits to choose from, as well as 10 custom kits. These are already preloaded but you can swap sounds for that perfect fit.
Roland TD-17KV-SV-Compact Series Electronic Kit
This is probably my favorite option, but also a little more pricey. The kit is a five-piece set equipped with a snare drum, three toms, a bass drum, hi-hat, crash and ride cymbal.
This model comes with 50 premium drum kits and you also have the ability to save your own. One strength is that it offers a multitude of different options to customize your own drum kit sounds. You can also alter sounds in a variety of ways, from pitch to sample length.
The kits quick record functionality allows you to record your playing, note for note, at the touch of a button. The coach function provides a collection of exercises produced by Roland to improve your playing and increase your timing.
