Over the last decade or so, electronic drums (sometimes mistakenly called 'electric drums') have improved dramatically, getting ever closer to the experience of playing an acoustic drum set. Between the physical hardware - including sturdy racks and responsive rubber or mesh pads - and the formidable trigger technology that kicks in when you strike a pad, playing an electronic drum set has never felt better.
What’s more, the best e-kits - and particularly the ones in this guide - feature sounds and expression technology that's better than we've ever heard before. Because e-kits are so good now, and they make fantastic kits for quiet home practice and even recording, they’re experiencing a big boost in popularity.
There are electronic drum sets to suit every type of player. Are you a beginner drummer who needs the facility to practice regularly without making too much noise? Or a pro drummer who needs reliability, performance and control over your sound, whether you’re playing on stage or recording in the studio? There's a kit here for you.
In between there are great intermediate electronic drum kits, including options designed to look more like acoustic drum sets and compact kits for smaller spaces.
What is the best electronic drum set right now?
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With so much choice it can be difficult to pin down the best electronic drum set for you. If you have money burning a hole in your pocket and you need the very best in terms of technology, sounds and hardware, the is the one for you. From the studio to the stage, the technology under the hood of this beast is designed to help you unlock all your drumming potential with dynamic, expressive feedback.
If you’re just starting out on the drums, you can do no wrong with an Alesis electronic drum set. The offers is a great electronic drum set for beginners, offering incredible value. As the name suggests, you get mesh pads and a module loaded with 385 sounds, arming you with all the tools you need to kickstart your drumming journey.
A special mention must go to relatively new . Not only do you get great feeling mesh drum pads and some great sounds out of the box, the module also features Bluetooth so you can connect your smartphone without wires.
Best electronic drum set: buying advice
Finding the best electronic drum set for beginners
So, if you’re a beginner drummer, where should you start when it comes to buying an electronic drum set? There are a few things to consider. For starters, your pads will be mounted to a rack, so look for one that’s built to withstand some punishment (you’ll be hitting things with drumsticks, after all).
You’ll want at least five drum and three cymbal pads (hi-hat, crash and ride), plus a bass drum pad and hi-hat controller pedal. Some entry-level e-kits even chuck a drum throne, some sticks and a set of headphones in the box, too.
Rubber vs mesh electronic drum pads
If your budget isn’t huge it’s likely the pads on your first electronic drum set will be made from rubber. That said, some entry-level kits now come with mesh pads, which represent a vast improvement to feel and response.
Drum modules
Additionally, at this entry-level the module (sometimes referred to as the ‘brain') will offer a limited selection of sounds that cover acoustic drum kits to electronic sounds and percussion.
Your e-kit module should also feature an auxiliary input for connecting a smartphone or music player, enabling you to jam with your favourite music – nothing feels better than locking in with the hits from your favourite artists. Your first e-kit won’t be premium, but if you’re looking to find your feet and practice without disturbing people at home, you’ll do no wrong here.
Intermediate e-kits
Spend a bit more and you’ll open yourself up to sturdier hardware, better sounds, the ability to edit the sounds (tuning, adding dampening, etc), the function to import samples, plus mesh pads rather than rubber.
Going pro
If you’re ready to step up to a professional kit, you really are in the realm of what can be classed as the best electronic drum sets money can buy. Here, you’ll be investing in leading electronic drum kit technology. You’ll be able to edit your sounds to perfection and the relationship between striking a pad and the sound that’s created will be incredibly realistic, responding authentically to even the most dynamic drumming. This will be a kit that’s equipped for home or studio use.
With a pro e-kit module the parameters of your sounds can be changed within seconds, right there in the box. Want to add some ‘virtual tape’ to dampen a tom? You got it! Want to change the space you’re playing in from a small room to a cathedral? Sure thing!
Of course, all this technology and premium hardware comes at a price, but when you invest at this level you know you’re buying into technology that will enable you to play with authenticity for years to come, with plenty of room to expand and experiment. You may never return to an acoustic kit again.
The biggest bonus of choosing an electronic drum set over an acoustic kit is that e-drums sound great straight out of the box and, if you’re not happy with it, most retailers offer hassle-free returns. Naturally we’d recommend checking your chosen retailer’s policy before you buy, but it’s never been easier to make a risk-free purchase.
Whether you're after a cheap electronic drum kit for beginners, a mid-range set for home practice or something for gigging and professional session recording, below is our pick of the very best electronic drum kits for all levels, including top picks from Roland, Yamaha and Alesis.
The best electronic drum sets you can buy today
The Alesis Nitro Mesh e-kit includes an 8" dual-zone mesh snare pad, three 8” single-zone mesh tom pads, a 10” dual-zone crash (chokeable), two additional single-zoned cymbal pads (one for hi-hat and ride cymbal), hi-hat controller pedal and a complete four-post drum rack.
Also included is the Alesis DMPAD kick pad featuring a robust pressed steel housing, anti-creep spikes and a single-zone pad. Partnering the kick pad is a chunky kick pedal together with essential assembly keys, sticks, and manuals.
Only a few strikes of the quality mesh pads reveal the kit’s acoustic drum-esque properties, particularly with rim-shots and cross stick. The same goes for the crash, which is capable of impressive chokes.
The module houses 385 sounds, 40 kits, and 60 play-along songs and the layout is great for quick kit/drum voice editing – this is where the module has the edge over almost any other kit at this price-point. The Nitro offers up an incredible spec at an impressively competitive price tag and makes an excellent value first drum kit or a great cheap practice kit.
Yamaha’s DTX402 series is aimed squarely at beginner drummers. There are three kits in the 402 line-up, but the 402K is the best for tight budgets and offers plenty to help first-timers get started.
The kit features a sturdy rack plus quiet, natural-feeling rubber drum and cymbal pads. The DTX402 module is packed with 287 expressive drum and percussion sounds, 128 keyboard sounds, 10 customisable kits and nine reverb types. In addition, aspiring players will find multi-genre playalongs, recording functionality and ten training tools to boost timing, speed and expression.
Impressively, the DTX402 is also compatible with Yamaha’s free DTX402 Touch app (iOS/Android), which enables deeper kit customisation, additional playing challenges and rewards as players improve.
The Roland TD-1K includes four single-zone rubber pads for toms and snare, choke-able dual-zone crash and ride cymbal pads, and a hi-hat pad. TD-1's pedals are standalone, meaning that they can be positioned where you like, and - more importantly - upgraded at a later date.
In total, you get 15 preset kits ranging from standard acoustic kits through electronic and percussion set-ups, plus a metronome, Roland's Rhythm Coach feature and 15 songs to jam with. Sound-wise, the kits are good quality for practising, but not mind-blowing, giving you a solid set of basic sounds in different styles.
The TD-1's flexible pedal positioning, upgradeability and solid construction mean that, unlike other budget set-ups, you're unlikely to damage or outgrow this kit in a hurry.
This compact kit packs an 8" dual-zone mesh snare pad, three 6" single-zone mesh tom pads, three choke-able 10" dual-zone cymbal pads (hi-hat, ride, and crash), a hi-hat controller pedal and a bass drum pad. The neat four-post rack is built around a narrow H-shaped central section and houses an in-built rubber bass drum trigger pad that’s wide enough to accommodate a double pedal. As a result, it's one of the best electronic drum sets for smaller spaces.
The TD-1 module is packed with decent backing tracks, practice aids, and some challenging coaching functions. Despite missing some bells and whistles, the module’s simplicity makes it incredibly user friendly, so it’s particularly well suited to beginner to intermediate drummers. The 15 kit presets onboard are varied in style and provide a usable selection of sounds that cater to many styles of music. The two-ply mesh heads respond well and there’s a pleasing dynamic range afforded by the module.
The Command Mesh follows a standard five-piece-plus-cymbals kit configuration, including an 8" bass drum pad which also uses a mesh head. The snare and tom pads are all dual-zone, meaning that separate sounds can be assigned to the head and rim of each pad.
Other top features include a USB MIDI connection, enabling you to easily record MIDI data into a computer - plus standard MIDI in/out sockets, 3.5mm headphone, and auxiliary input jacks, expansion pad inputs for an additional tom and cymbal pad. To the side of the module sits another USB socket, allowing you to connect a memory stick containing your own jam tracks or samples. The sounds within the sleek-looking Command module follow the overall feel of the rest of the kit: it’s safe, with everything you need.
Acoustic kits range from studio all-rounders to samples of brushed jazz kits, taking in rock, funk and ‘power’ style sounds along the way. Alesis has done a fine job with the Command Mesh. The pads alone make it a worthy contender, while the range of sounds on offer followed by the sample playback option makes this a kit that will take a long time to outgrow.
The DTX502 module gives the user a total of 691 drum and percussion samples and 128 keyboard voices. There is also plenty of space for 50 user kits. As well as drum samples, which are taken from Yamaha's classic acoustic drums, this module incorporates additional sounds created by third-party VST developers. The USB port also opens drummers up to the wealth of drum sample libraries readily available. The DTX562K’s samples are crisp and clean without being clouded or 'improved' with compression or masses of reverb – just a really great drum sound. The selection of intelligently compiled kits and the small but diverse range of songs is equally impressive.
Cymbal features such as muting, swells, and choking are authentic and make the whole set more enjoyable to play. While the lower-end DTX kits offer a great deal for your wallet, it is worth shelling out the extra for the enhanced response and feel of these Textured Cellular Silicone pads.
The big message with Roland's mid-range TD-17 line, which features new pad designs, sounds derived from the flagship Roland TD-50 module, as well as Bluetooth alongside the ability to import your own samples, is that electronic drums shouldn’t feel like a compromise to those who are learning and improving on an electronic kit. Hence Roland’s ‘Become a better drummer, faster’ tagline.
High quality and highly configurable sounds aside, the main draws here are Bluetooth, and the ability to import your own samples. You can throw whatever .wav sample you have onto an SD card and into the pool of 100 user slots.
Then comes the Bluetooth. Many drum companies have dabbled with their own systems, but this solution makes the TD-17 one of the best electronic drum sets around. Pairing your device and starting to play along to tracks is fast, and rock solid. The Roland TD-17K's sound quality, features, and playability set a new benchmark for those looking for V-Drums they aren’t going to outgrow in a hurry.
The 11-piece Strike Pro wears Alesis’ flagship crown. All drum pads are dual-zone (except for the single-zone bass drum), as are the chokeable crashes. The large ride pad has three zones which offer separate control over the bell, bow and edge. The sleek looking module features a large 4.3” colour display and physical mixer. The unit also features an on-board effects engine and in-built sampling capability which allows the real-time recording and editing of audio via the aux input.
Most impressive is that the Strike Module accepts user samples not only for looping or backing purposes but for actual drum kit creation. The inbuilt samples are of a good quality and the sheer number of kit presets take a long while to explore.
The Strike Pro may not be perfect, but it does represent an unquestionably impressive amount of gear for the money. However, be prepared for a lot of tinkering to customise your setup.
“I’m not getting any sound from one of my pads!”: 10 common electronic drum set issues and how to troubleshoot them
“What we get here is the essence of Alesis’ flagship electronic drum set, with all the great features, minus the stuff that is likely to be ‘nice-to-have’ rather than essential”: Alesis Strata Core review
“I’m not getting any sound from one of my pads!”: 10 common electronic drum set issues and how to troubleshoot them
“What we get here is the essence of Alesis’ flagship electronic drum set, with all the great features, minus the stuff that is likely to be ‘nice-to-have’ rather than essential”: Alesis Strata Core review