Electronic drum sets have come a long way over the years, there is no doubt they rival many acoustic setups. If you are a beginner or relatively new to the world of percussion there are many great brands to get you started. For a long time playing drums was a pretty hefty expense. With modern technology it is now possible to start for the price of a decent guitar! But you have to know what to look for. Let’s touch on a few points before looking at the best electronic drum sets for beginners.
For a long time playing drums was a pretty hefty expense. With modern technology it is now possible to start for the price of a decent guitar! But you have to know what to look for. Let’s touch on a few points before looking at the best electronic drum sets for beginners.
Electronic Drum Kit Basics
In the early days of electronics and recording people were learning great new ways to manipulate sound. It wasn’t long before engineers started building rhythm boxes or simple drum machines that would keep a backing beat for a musician.
Over time these electronic drums became a lot more complicated, rivalling human drummers in many cases. Some electronic drum sounds are created by circuitry while others are made by sampling. And that is what we will be playing on a kit; a sampled drum sound.
Modules and Sampling
The computer and brain of the drum is the sound module, this holds all the chips that contain the samples and effects. Samples are recorded from the best and sometimes most famous instruments in the world. Every style of drum kit is sampled, that way you have a huge variety of sound.
Triggers and Pads
One of the major problems over the years with electronic drums was durability and playing at the right moment. Older plastic pads are hard on the wrist and have terrible rebound. Plus they only used to have one or two triggers that caused the samples to play when struck with the sticks.
Kits eventually used rubber pads and now the real revolution is with mesh heads. These can be tightened and adjusted to feel like an acoustic mylar drumhead. Currently, mesh heads are the way to go for the best feel. And now modern kits have multiple triggers and sensors.
Cymbals and Pedals
The cymbals are made out of rubber and depending on the price will have multiple sensors. The more triggers, the better the module can tell the nuances of where and how you are hitting. Clearly one of the downsides of cheap electronic kits is that they can miss subtle aspects of playing.
And as for pedals, they are often very similar to acoustic setups. In some cases they have beaters, other times they are just the footboard and plate. The important part is that the feel is similar as you press down. Again lower cost kits don’t have the best pedals.
Electric Vs Acoustic?
Most players would prefer an acoustic drum kit, and there is no doubt it has aspects that are better. But these modern electronic kits offer so many samples, practice exercises, backing tracks, and more. Why fuss with what kind of wood or kit is the best sound when you can have them all!
And most of all the ability to practice with less noise is a huge benefit to many players. Without having to worry about the loud sound you can play more often. Granted it’s not super quiet, but far better than an acoustic kit with drum mutes. The better electronic drum sets have less ambient sound.
This is a common theme in the music world, especially with drum machines and synths. People want nostalgia and think a sound needs to be pure and analog. However once you find out how much you can do with modern instruments; the nostalgia quickly fades.
6 comments
Paddy mac
The issues I find with electronic kits for gigging is the type of PA you use and best to stick to one type of sound/kit. For practice it doesn’t matter. Ive now seen a few electric kits on the gig circuit but the above needs to be applied, in my view.
Dana
I have to donner 300 the o lyrics issue I have with it is the volume to turn the kit up in the headphones the best feature is I got to use my double bass pedals with the kick pad and it sounds realy good !!! I have alot of fun playing to music and one mor thug I with is gad was bluetooth most of the newer designs are bluetooth now !!!
Per Nørgaard-Nielsen
Why is the brand Millenium not in this review? Not tried or not good enough?
Nick Cesarz
Hey there. I haven’t had much experience with Millenium. I don’t believe they sell to dealers in the United States. Have you played their kits before? I’d be curious to know your experience!
Michael Pocock
Hi, as a beginner list, why include the td17 when Roland have the td07…?
Nick Cesarz
You’re correct! I feel if you’re going to go Roland at the price range of the TD-07, you’ll get more out of the TD-17 in the long run, both for resale value and upgrades. It’s still a great option, IMO. For beginners on a budget, I’d suggest searching out a used TD-6 or going with Alesis.