Electronic Drums For Beginners: Which e-Drumkit Is Best?
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Millenium MPS-150X · Source: Millenium
Millenium MPS-150X · Source: Millenium
Millenium NonaPad · Source: Millenium
Roland TD-02K · Source: Roland
Alesis Debut · Source: Alesis
Yamaha DTX402 · Source: Yamaha
Electronic drums, or eDrums, are often top of the list for beginners due to their size, cost and lack of acoustic volume. So what should you look out for when buying an eDrum kit for beginners?
When I was a young lad, there were no such things as electronic drum kits for beginners. There were hardly any electronic drums at all! But that didn’t last long. There had been numerous attempts at bringing the noisiest of acoustic instruments into the electronic realm. The dawn of synthesizers had sped the process up and towards the end of the 1970s, we began to see electronic drums and percussion emerging. It wasn’t long until the Simmons kit, developed by Dave Simmons and Richard James Burgess (he of Landscape fame), was synonymous with the electronic music explosion. Those of us who were around at the time can attest to loving and hating these in equal measure.
Electronic Drums For Beginners
But nowadays, eDrums have come on leaps and bounds. They are no longer odd-looking contraptions and are a great way to get into drumming as a whole. Let’s take a look at a few.
Millenium NonaPad
If, like me, you’re of Italian heritage, you’ve probably had a giggle at the name of this unit already! But the NonaPad is nothing to be laughed at. The name alludes to the number of pads (9) and it comes packed to the gills with 592 sounds, 30 kits and 17 loops. There’s also half a GB of storage on board, half of which is available for you to load your own sounds into.
It also has some basic effects, a limiter and metronome for practising your time-keeping. You can record your own loops and there’s a mute group feature to prevent selected sounds from playing at the same time. This is essential for open and closed hi-hat sounds. There’s stereo audio outs, a headphone jack, trigger inputs and footswitch control inputs too. MIDI is standard and there’s a USB port for storing or loading your work.
Millenium NonaPad
Why This Kit?
At a smidge over a couple of hundred bucks, this is a compact and affordable way of getting into electronic drums. It doesn’t eat up the budget and if you decide to expand into a full-size kit, the NonaPad can be added to it for percussion or sample playback. You can even buy a stand for it should you wish to mount it on something sturdy.
Millenium MPS-150X
If you’re flicking through the web and looking for a kit that mimics a more traditional drum set up, then you could do far worse than the Millenium MPS-150X. For just a few bucks more than the non-X version, you get mesh heads and that’s a really useful difference. Mesh heads better replicate the feel and playability of real drum heads but without the high volmes.
It is far easier to learn using these heads than the more solid, rubber variety. It also means that should progress to a more expensive eDrum kit, or even an acoustic kit, the transition will be far more comfortable. The MPS-150X gives you one 10″ snare, 3x 8″ toms and an 8″ kick drum, all of which sport mesh heads. The crash and ride cymbals feature chokes for damping cymbal sounds by gripping the rims.
Along with a hi-hat pad, you also get a hi-hat pedal controller and a kick drum pedal, the latter being often missing from many eDrum kits. The drum module has a healthy 108 sounds, 10 preset kits and 40 songs to play among with. There’s even a reverb in there to give you that stadium sound! MIDI is via 5-pin and USB and there’s audio outs, including a headphone jack. You can jam along with your favourite songs by hooking up your music player to the audio input.
Millenium MPS-150X
Why This Kit?
This has everything an electronic drum kit for beginners could need. It’s compact, very affordable and will pack away neatly when not in use. You get everything you need in one package and those mesh heads will be so much nicer to play.
Alesis Debut Kit
No eDrum kit list would be complete without an offering from Alesis. They’ve been making eDrum kits for many years and the Debut kit is absolutely perfect for inclusion here.
If space is high on your list of criteria, the Debut will really appeal to you. Each of its four pads are only 6″ in diameter and the cymbals just 10″. These are all mounted on a simple yet sturdy frame that can easily be folded with the drums still attached. There’s no kick drum pad or full size hi-hat pedal. Both these jobs are taken with a couple of small foot pedals.
The drum module has 120 sounds, 10 kits and 30 patterns to play along with. There’s an auxiliary audio input to hook up your music player. This way, you can play along with your favourite songs and let the Debut’s module mix the audio for you. MIDI connectivity is handled over USB only. To cap it all, you get a seat, a pair of sticks, a set of headphones and all necessary cables.
Alesis Debut
Why This Kit?
My parents always told me that we didn’t have room for a drum kit. A handy excuse back then, but not one that can be used when kits like the Debut exist. This is the archetypal beginners eDrum kit that will nurture the young tubthumper in your house without breaking the bank or cramping your space.
Roland TD-02K V-Drums Kit
If Alesis can’t be left off an eDrum kit kist, Roland definitely cannot be ignored either. They have lead the field in eDrums since the launch of the first V-Drum kit in the late 1990s. The brand continues to this day, innovating and leading the field in many people’s eyes and ears. Their top of the range kits can skirt towards the top end of four figure sums, but they don’t neglect the beginners either.
The TD-02K is as minimal as they come. A fairly unique, three-column stand means the kit is sturdy but also brilliantly stowable. Whilst the pads are small and sport rubber surfaces, they are responsive and strong too. The crash and ride have a choking featre and the pedals are full size too. Like the Alesis Debut, there’s no actual kick drum pad, with the pedal doing all the work.
The module comes with 16 drum kits and there are also five coaching functions to help get you playing and in time with the metronome. Audio ins and outs are all present and MIDI is handled over USB. If you fancy using wireless Bluetooth audio and MIDI connectivity, the TD-02 module is compatible with the Boss BT-Dual.
Roland TD-02K
Why This Kit?
Roland are leaders in the field and therefore, no matter how basic or low-cost their cheapest kit might be, it is going to be a high-quality item that offers a compact and affordable way into eDrumming. There’s also a bundle available for that “out-of-the-box” experience.
Yamaha DTX402KRL
Whilst not having such the illustrious and ever-present presence on the eDrum stage as Japanese counterparts Roland, Yamaha have always quietly worked at producing great eDrum kits, alongside their class-leading acoustic kits. And, as you’d expect, they have an entry level eDrum kit that is more than worth checking out.
Much like some of the other models here, it has a slim but sturdy four-post frame upon which the 4x 7.5″ drum pads and 3x 10″ cymbal pads reside. And similarly to the Roland kit above, there is a silent kick pedal and hi-hat controller too. Yamaha’s built-in sounds come from their enviable sample library, so you can rest assured this kit sounds good.
The module itself contains 287 sounds, with 10 user kits available. Beginners will benefit from 10 coaching programs and the ability to hook up to other gear via the USB-MIDI cinnection. Audio ins and outs are 3.5mm and 6.4mm respectively.
Yamaha DTX402
Why This Kit?
This might be one of the more expensive kits in this list, however it comes with the reassurance of coming from one of the biggest and most reputable brands in the musical instrument industry. It ticks all the boxes in terms of footprint, sound quality and pad count and will suffice as both a beginners kit or a small practice unit for more experienced players.
In Summary
Whether you’re starting out yourself or maybe shopping around to buy your child’s first drum kit, all five kits shown here represent great value for money and should suit everyone’s needs as they start their journey playing the drums!
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- Millenium NonaPad: Millenium
- Millenium MPS-150X: Millenium
- Alesis Debut: Alesis
- Roland TD-02K: Roland
- Yamaha DTX402: Yamaha
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One response to “Electronic Drums For Beginners: Which e-Drumkit Is Best?”
what about the carlsbro E-kits? I have one that came with a stool and sticks and headphones with the kit which has a better kick pedal and 20 kits programmed in with 10 spaces to make your own kits. it was less than 300 British pounds