BEST ELECTRONIC DRUM KITS

Article written by Mark Harris...

BUYING AN ELECTRONIC DRUM KIT

The electronic drum kit that is most suitable for you will depend on what you intend to use it for. For example, do you just want an electronic kit for quiet practice purposes, or are you planning on using it in place of an acoustic kit? Will you be using it for live performance purposes or will it mainly be kept in the studio?

Those of you who already own an acoustic kit but need a quiet practice set-up will need to look for the kit that best replicates the “feel” of an acoustic kit. For this purpose, a good set of full-size mesh heads will be the most important factor as they accurately mimic the feel of a drum skin. However, a good set of practice features will also be important. Many kits feature a simple metronome but others add features like “groove trainers” and backing tracks with a mutable drum track.

For those looking to replace the acoustic kit entirely, the onboard sounds will most likely be top of the agenda. To be confident of getting good sounds you will need to go for a mid-range drum kit. The kits in this price range feature a wild cacophony of options to design your perfect kit.

For the studio artist looking for a kit to record or trigger sounds, there are other options to consider. Nearly all of the kits available on today's market feature a MIDI output to trigger software instruments, but the accuracy of the triggering will depend on the quality of the triggers and the processing capability of the brain. Some of the kits on the market allow the user to build their own kits and load custom samples, which opens the doors to some very interesting live performance options, especially when combined with a drum kit sound set. For the recording artist, the brains at the upper end of the market feature multi-outputs for a true multitrack experience.

Here is a brief summary of some of the kits on offer today, and I have also given a breakdown of their good and bad points to help you better understand how different electronic drum kits differ in different price brackets....

BEST KITS IN PRICE RANGE

[**£500 AND UNDER

Traps E500 - £499.00*

Pros

• Full size mesh pads. There aren't many other kits out there with this feature! The 2Box and Roland TD30 are examples of others, but they are priced much higher!

• Strong and sturdy rack and hardware. Most kits in this price bracket have flimsy plastic or aluminium racks, but not the Traps e500!

• Proper hi-hat motion. Most kits in the price bracket have a hi-hat pad and separate pedal.

• Very quiet. Most other kits have membrane pads that make a fairly loud acoustic noise when you hit them.

• The only kit on the market with bespoke cases available for transport and storage.

Cons

• Can take a little bit of fiddling with settings to get it to trigger properly depending on your playing style, but you will get there in the end.

• Sounds are good but lack depth in terms of velocity layers.

](https://www.absolutemusic.co.uk/traps-e500-electronic-drum-kit-with-realistic-mesh-heads.html)

For more information on the Traps e500 Electronic Drum Kit, click the link below or give us a call on 01202 597180.

Traps e500 Electronic Drum Kit - More Info/Buy

[£500 - £1000

Roland TD-4K2+P - £765.00*

Pros

• Mesh snare pad feels very realistic and can be tuned for preferred tension.

• Very high quality sounds with lots of velocity levels.

• Cloth headed bass drum trigger for realistic beater response and quiet performance.

Cons

• Limited positioning of toms due to very small centre crossbar.

• Difficult to change to a left handed kit as all brain connections are on a multi-pin connector and cannot be re-patched.

• Only a 2-zone ride cymbal.

• Not that many acoustic kits on board. A lot of electronic and percussion kits, which aren’t that useful and may be seen as quite gimmicky.

• Double pedal users may have a problem with the size of the kick pad.

Yamaha DTX520k - £895.00*

Pros

• Mesh snare pad.

• 3-zone cymbals with choke function. These give a very realistic performance. Most kits in this price range only have 2-zone cymbals.

• Very comprehensive brain with 50 kits and several different practice/metronome modes to suit different practice styles.

• Very high quality sounds with lots of velocity levels.

• Lots of expansion options. Up to 4 pads/cymbals can be added.

Cons

• No boom arms for cymbals limits positioning.

• No dedicated auxiliary trigger inputs, which means sacrificing dual trigger functions to add extra pads or cymbals.

• Cannot tune the snare mesh for preferred tension.

• Double pedal users may have a problem with the size of the kick pad.

For more information on the Yamaha DTX520K Electronic Drum Kit, click the link below or give us a call on 01202 597180.

Yamaha DTX520K Electronic Drum Kit - More Info/Buy

£1000 - £2000

2Box Drumit Five MK2 - £1799.00*

Pros

• Excellent sounds. Lots of velocity layers and very useful drum kits.

• Pads and cymbals have a great response and are very quiet.

• All pads are full size, mesh and tunable.

• Very good rack and hardware - all metal clamps!

• Real hi-hat system.

• The brain can be connected to a computer for new sound banks and to put backing tracks on. Totally open system. Very versatile.

Cons

• The kick drum is fixed in place. It would be nice to be able to move it forwards or backwards.

• The hi-hat stand is mounted on a rack. It is still movable, but is more difficult than just having it on a normal stand.

• Orange colour scheme may not appeal to all.

• Such advanced sound banks means that it can take longer than average to load a new sound.

](https://www.absolutemusic.co.uk/2box-drumit-five-mk2-electronic-drum-kit.html)

For more information on the 2Box DrumIt Five Mk2 Electronic Drum Kit, click the link below or give us a call on 01202 597180.

Roland TD-9KX2+P - £1869.00*

Pros

• Excellent sounds. Lots of editing features to refine to taste.

• USB function to load backing tracks from a USB stick.

• 3-zone cymbals for added realism and triggering opportunities.

• Cloth headed kick trigger adds a realistic feel and dampens noise.

• Real hi-hat system.

Cons

• Pads are not full size and can be restricting towards the floor tom.

• Double pedal users may have a problem with the size of the kick pad.

• Left handed configuration is a problem as the cables cannot be re-patched on the multi-pin connection.

• Hi-hat stand is not included.

Yamaha DTX700K - £1879.00*

Pros

• Very comprehensive brain. Load your own samples or backing tracks. Massive on board library.

• 3-zone snare pad and cymbals.

• Real hi-hat pad with included hi-hat stand.

• Lots of practice options to suit all styles.

• 12 trigger inputs for the included pads and for future expansion.

Cons

• Pads cannot be tuned to your preferred tension.

• Double pedal users may have a problem with the size of the kick pad.

](https://www.absolutemusic.co.uk/yamaha-dtx700k-electronic-drum-kit.html)

For more information on the Yamaha DTX700K Electronic Drum Kit, click the link below or give us a call on 01202 597180.

[£2000 AND ABOVE

Yamaha DTX750K - £2689.00*

Pros

• 3-zone cymbals all round.

• Snare allows for open and closed rim shots.

• Excellent sounds and it includes the ability to load user samples and backing tracks.

Cons

• Large jump in price with no brain upgrade from DTX700K.

• Still only a single hi-hat pad instead of a lower and upper pad.

• Cannot tune mesh heads to your preferred tension.

• Double pedal users may have a problem with the size of the kick pad.

• Only L/R outputs.

](https://www.absolutemusic.co.uk/yamaha-dtx750k-electronic-drum-kit.html)

For more information on the Yamaha DTX750K Electronic Drum Kit, click the link below or give us a call on 01202 597180. 

Roland TD-12KX - £3035.00*

Pros

• Large bass drum pad easily accommodates double bass drum pedals.

• Large full size mesh pads with tunable tension.

• Very advanced brain with lots of features to customise sounds.

• Multiple outputs for recording.

Cons

• Hi-hat stand not included.

• No features to add sounds or samples.

Roland TD-20KX+P - £5525.00*

(Please note that the Roland TD-30KV is now the flagship electronic drum kit in their range).

Pros

• The most advanced brain available.

• Every element of the drums can be adjusted, from wood type to shell depth.

• Full size mesh pads that you can tune to your preferred tension.

• Large bass drum pad easily accommodates double bass drum pedals.

• High quality metal hardware with metal clamps.

• Genuine hi-hat with both lower and upper cymbal pads.

• Multiple outputs for recording.

Cons

• Some users may find the adjustment options overwhelming.

• Sounds can sound too “raw” without having adjusted settings like compression and EQ.

• Snare stand and hi-hat stands are not included.

• No feature to add sounds or samples.

That's your lot for now! For more information on any of the products or to buy one, click the relevant links in the text above.

* Prices all correct at time of writing - 8th November 2011

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