Here’s our pick of the BEST Electronic Drum Kits to get your prodigy started on their quest for musical DOMINATION!!
Kicking us off is the Carlsbro CSD130 Electronic Drum Kit. The drum pads on this kit feature “Real Feel” technology, allowing it to feel like an acoustic kit but fully “neighbour friendly”, with an option for headphones as well as an amplifier. The pads on the CSD130 are sensitive making practice a breeze and fully realistic to how acoustic drums react. The CSD130 features 20 preset drum kit sounds, each with their own demo songs ranging from Pop, Rock to Jazz, EDM and beyond. The module comes with over 250 high-quality percussion voices built-in. With 10 user-defined kits available and adjustable sensitivity/crosstalk features, the player can really customise their own kit sound for optimum, encouraging practice.
The kit features 8 electronic drum pads centred around one super compact and portable 3-legged drum rack, meaning this kit can be set up and tucked away in SECONDS. The Toms, Cymbals & Bass Drum Pads are single-zone trigger pads meaning when struck, they’ll make one sound. The Snare pad on the other hand is a dual-zone, allowing for two sounds to be made from the same pad. The Hi-Hat is triggered via a control pedal and cymbals are fully choke-able. What I really like about the CSD130 is that it has features usually only present in electronic kits that are at least £100 more expensive.
The variety in presets allows the player to fully amerce themselves in a variety of different genres at the touch of a button, which I think for a beginner is incredibly important. It’s like a cheat-code to expand their awareness of how drums sound in different styles of music. The small footprint on the floor and lightweight frame is an added bonus, and options for silent practise with headphones are great for beginners!
Next up is the Roland TD-1k V-Drums Electronic Drum Kit. Roland is probably one of the most widely recognisable electronics company for musical instruments, and for good reason. They do it SO WELL! The TD-1k is ideal for anyone looking to enjoy drums at home, and the perfect entry-level point for Roland. It features 15 built-in expressive drum kits, for playing any style of music and supports essential techniques required for playing an acoustic drum kit, including cymbal choke, advanced hi-hat playing and much more! You can practice along with its onboard songs or connect your smartphone or music play to jam along to your current jam! With built-in onboard Coach function, metronome and recorder, the TD-1k will help train you to become a better drummer as soon as you take it out the box!
The TD-1k features 7 strike-able drum/cymbal pads, with two low-noise pedals. One for Hi-hat control, the other is a Beater-less kick pedal, making it the ideal low noise solution. What’s great about the TD-1k is the space it takes up. Hardly ANY. It takes up very little floor space and folds away in seconds!
What I really like about the TD-1k is just how user-friendly it is. The addition of the Coach function is appealing not just for the player, but for the distant listener, as you can both see and hear improvement every time they sit down at it. The TD-1k also offers many upgrade options, for example, an additional crash and upgraded kick pedal such as the KT-10. The TD-1k is perfect for that beginner looking for their first electric kit, or an advanced player looking for that reliable at-home practice experience!
This is the Yamaha DTX 452, the top of their DTX400 range with some quite frankly INCREDIBLE features. All models in this range come with the same DTX402 module, featuring 287 high-quality, expressive drum and percussion sounds, using samples from Yamaha extensive acoustic drum library. 128 Keyboard sounds, 10 customisable drum kits and nine reverb types. The kit comes with 10 built-in drum kits, each with their own play-along song and training function – helping improve the groove and expression of any budding drummer. What sets the DTX 452 apart from any other electronic kit under £500 is the smartphone compatibility.
The dedicated iOS/Android app, DTX402 Touch unlocks more ways to play in a simple, easy to use app. The app also allows you to customize drum kit sounds to build your ideal sounding kit. The DTX402 also works with Yamahas Rec’n’Share iOS app, allowing practice and perform your favourite music, with the ability to quickly share with friends/family.
The DTX452 features a sturdy, quiet design with very natural-feeling drum and cymbal pads. The rack mounting system is lightweight but solid, providing a great foundation for reliable practice, but can also be tucked away easily. The key difference for the DTX452 is the addition of the KP65 kick drum tower, which comes with a bass drum pedal. It also comes with a three-zone snare pad for head, rim-shot and cross-stick sounds.
I really enjoy the sleek look of the DTX452, and it feels GREAT to play. The additional functionality with the 402 Touch app really expands the options available for an already feature-heavy kit. The drum samples sound incredible, and low-noise pads make you want to pick up the sticks and play this kit all night long!
The first and only mesh-head kit on our list, the Carlsbro CSD600 Commander features their NEW Commander 600 sound module. The module features 408 high-quality percussion voices, with 30 preset drum kits to choose from. It features 20 demo songs to play along to and has 20 user-defined drum kit slots allowing you to customize your ideal drum kit sound. If that’s not enough, the CSD600 comes with multiple coaching functions and adjustable EQ/tuning settings to really personalise your sound exactly how you want it. You can hook this kit up to existing recording software and record straight into your digital audio workstation note for note, making the CSD600 the perfect practice and recording tool!
The CSD600 Commander comes with 9 strike-able drum/cymbal pads. The drum pads are all dual-zone, mesh-head pads and are sized between 8in & 10in wide. This bigger strike surface makes these pads close to the size of acoustic drums, preferred by many professional players. The cymbal pads are sized between 12in & 14in, with the 14in being the three-zone ride cymbal pad for bow, bell and crash sounds. The CSD600 comes on a heavy-duty 4-legged rack, making it the ideal at-home recording and practice experience!
The response from the drum pads make this kit so much fun to play, with some of the percussion sounds being just the right side of ridiculous to encourage you to keep playing and exploring options. This kit is best suited to a drummer with a bit more experience due to how much you can personalise it, but the addition of the training functions allow the CSD600 to welcome the drummer starting their journey with open arms!
Finally, we have the Yamaha DTX582k Electronic Drum Kit. Okay, okay, this one does take us over the £1000 mark but hear me out. There’s a reason this kit is our best selling electronic drum kit – It’s SOOO good! The DTX582 is the flagship of the Yamaha 502 series, it features DTX-PADS for snare and toms, a real hi-hat trigger, large three-zone cymbals and the KP100 kick pad. The 502 Module has a vast library of drum sounds, with the capability to add your OWN samples and songs to expand this even further. The DTX502 series module utilises proprietary laser technology analyzing each stroke you play, resulting in an extremely natural feeling sound with laser accuracy.
The practice functions have evolved even further from the previous DTX402 series. I guarantee even advanced players will learn a thing or two from some of the functions this kit has to offer, as the module even generates scores to track your progress. Like the DTX402, the DTX502 also has an accompanying iOS/Android app, DTX502 Touch, allowing your options to be expanded even FURTHER! The DTX502 module can also sync up to your digital audio workstation to provide recording capabilities at a professional standard.
The DTX582k includes a hi-hat stand and incredibly study drum/cymbal pads. The silicone rubber used for all the drum pads is solid and reliable, allowing them to feel and react extremely close to an acoustic drum. The cymbals are all three-zone pads, allowing for dynamic, articulate performance. The rack is lightweight and also doesn’t take up a lot of floor space, making it perfect for bedroom practice or even live performance where space isn’t a luxury. This kit can also be expanded upon with additional pads or triggers, with the only additional requirement being a bass drum pedal and throne.
I really enjoy this kit a lot, it feels phenomenal to play. The response is second to none, the silicone pads make the transition from acoustic to electric kit SEEMLESS. I wish something like this was available when I was learning how to play, it’s so fun to build your own unique kit setups and test yourself with the training functions. Its minimal floor space is also a winner in our eyes!
So there we have it, five kits for five different budgets! We understand that is a LOT of information to take in, but please don’t be afraid to pick up the phone or drop us an email us. We’ll happily answer any questions you have and ensure you make the right choice for you!
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