If you try to key in the word electronic drum sets, you’ll be prompted with all the ‘best’. But then, not all labeled as the best electronic drum sets are the best. And, we’re sick and tired of checking the products other people considered the ‘best.’
So, we also made our list to give you what we think is best. Although we have a recommendation, our best may not be the ‘best’ for you.
On that note, we include a tried-and-tested buying guideline to help you make a wiser choice. At least, if you don’t find anything in this article (which we bet you’ll find something interesting) you know what to consider in your next purchase.
Contents
Top 9 Best Electronic Drum Sets in 2024 Reviewed
- Alesis Nitro kit
- Yamaha DTX402K
- Alesis Command Mesh Kit
- Roland TD-1K
- Alesis Surge Mesh Kit
- Yamaha DTX562K
- ATV aDrums Artist
- Yamaha DTX760K
- Roland TD-50KV
Also Great | Editor's Choice | Budget Pick |
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Alesis Nitro kit
We choose Alesis Nitro Kit to be the first product on the list to remind you that cheap electronic drum sets can be your best choice, too. This is a full set of tunable mesh drums to give you a personalized playing experience — a rare feat for many electronic drum sets. It’s a 5-piece kit with 8-inch dual-trigger snare drum, three 8-inch single-zone tom pads and 10-inch cymbal, ride, and hi-hat.
Aside from being tunable, the pads are expressive that respond well to rimshots and standard strokes. The tightly woven mesh heads can be customized to adjust their rebound and sensitivity. Mounted on a 4-post aluminum frame, it’s always ready to take on just any gigs.
Read Review: Alesis Nitro Kit
- Sound and customizable kits are exceptional
- Feature-rich with all teach, record, playback, MP3 input, etc.
- Build quality is superb with easy setup
- The rack is lower (shorter) than the traditional set
- Unresponsive hi-hat, you need to trigger it hard
- Kick pad is too bouncy, some users don’t like it
Yamaha DTX402K
We love drums because it’s fun and you can be as creative as you like. Build with the idea of ‘fun,’ the Yamaha DTX402K is designed to give each drummer an interactive drumming experience. It’s a 5-piece electronic drum set packed with 10 training functions, 10 preset drum kits, 10 play-along songs and over 415 onboard sample sounds.
If you want the best electronic drum set, then, the DTX402K could be your new concept of the “best.” Aside from affordability, functionality and the ‘fun,’ you see from this drum set, you can also benefit from its connectivity. You’ll enjoy more advanced features with its free DTX402 Touch app (iOS and Android) and get YouTube-ready covers using the free Rec’n’Share app (iOS only).
- Has great sound output, perfect for practice
- Solidly built and very space-efficient
- Lightweight and easy to set up or fold for transport
- Some players don’t like the smaller drum heads
- Cymbals aren’t close to the real thing and need replacement
Alesis Command Mesh Kit
Everything you need to start taking full control of your career as a drummer is given to you by Alesis Command Mesh Kit. It’s an 8-piece drum set that allows you to discover and maximize your fullest potential through tons of play-along tracks, sample sounds, and drum kits onboard. It also has several I/O, allowing you to connect your smartphone, MP3 player and computer.
This electronic drum set includes an 8-inch mesh kick drum tower with a pedal, 10-inch snare drum, three 8-inch dual-zone tom pads, and cymbals. All these are mounted on a collapsible 4-post chrome rack for easy setup and storage. Since all mesh heads offer unmatched response and playability, you’ll become a master in no time.
- Surprisingly sturdy and can withstand heavy beatings
- Great set, which is easy to set up, thanks to the easy-to-understand instructions
- Nice drum head response
- Hi-hat doesn’t execute half open
- The snare drum isn’t responsive after a while
Roland TD-1K
If you are a new drummer and you want the best drum set, try the Roland TD-1K. It addresses three issues you usually face — budget, space, and noise. The Roland TD-1K is very affordable, it has a compact and lightweight setup (only around 25lbs), and you can use headphones for silent drumming.
Although it’s an entry-level kit, it comes with professional features and 15 expressive drum kits. You can easily level up your skills and performance with the help of the onboard coach function, metronome and performance recorder. This 4-piece electronic drum set has a USB-MIDI interface to easily connect to your computer and use popular software like V-Drums Jam Series, DT-1 Drum Tutor, and more.
Pads, pedals, and cymbals have a natural response — like in the real drum set.
Read Review: Roland TD-1K
- Sound samples are great and seem authentic
- Pads, pedals, and cymbals have a natural response — like in the real drum set
- Easy to use controls, especially the practice modes
- Best for starting drummers, but not for professionals
- No speakers onboard, so you won’t get louder unless you’ll connect it
- No built-in speaker, so you need to have one
- Limited adjustment positions for the pads
Alesis Surge Mesh Kit
Alesis just gives you the best electronic drum set without breaking the bank. Its Alesis Surge Mesh Kit doesn’t only excels in design and performance, but in affordability and connectivity, as well. It’s equipped with lots of presets onboard, including hundreds of sample sounds, 60 play-along tracks and 40 drum lessons from Melodics.
This 8-piece drum kit allows you to connect easily to your smartphones, MP3 players and other AUX-compatible devices. With all of these, you’ll not only excel in practice, but also in your live performances and gigs. Its collapsible design makes it very portable and easy to set up in minutes.
- The feel and response is almost the same as real drums
- You can easily mix music and play along
- Chrome stand is sturdy with all the fixtures easy to adjust
- Setup instructions aren’t comprehensive
- Control box is a little complicated, especially for starters
- Not enough option to change the sensitivity of the drum heads
Yamaha DTX562K
Enjoy the features of Yamaha’s top-end electronic drums set offered on its affordable Yamaha DTX562K. It’s a 5-piece drum set including three toms, one snare, one kick-pad and three-zone cymbals for more expressive playing. With laser technology to analyze your playing pattern and drum strokes, Yamaha fine-tunes the settings to give you a drum set with a more natural response.
We especially love the cymbals in this drum set, because they execute cymbal muting and natural swells. The drum pads are very responsive to drum rolls and other tricks. The drum set includes 691 sounds onboard, with training functions, songs, and MIDI recording capacity.
- Nice drum kit, well-built with tons of choices for kits and songs
- Compact and portable compared to other drum sets
- Very easy to put together
- Some players don’t get the kicker that’s supposedly in the package
- Headphone jack isn’t in the ideal location
- Kick drum has rubber heads, which isn’t a choice for all drummers
ATV aDrums Artist
Just want to get an electronic drum set with the looks and feel of an acoustic drum set? The ATV aDrums Artist gives you the most authentic playing experience.
This is a 5-piece drum set made of 5-ply real birch shells with tunable mesh heads that sit directly on 45° bearing edges. The module offers five full kits, which is still expandable loaded with drum and cymbal sounds.
The cymbals included comes with 360° sensors that offer no dead spots, no matter how you hit them. Rather than a rack, it comes with double-braced hardware for easier and more reliable setup. The module gives you dual ¼-inch IN/Out to easily integrate with your external music equipment.
- Easy plug and play module, where you can do extensive tweaks
- Realistic since it’s made of real wood shells
- Amazing drum set ready for practice and gigs
- With limited kits onboard, but you can download for free
- Hardware setup instructions need clarity
Yamaha DTX760K
A Yamaha electronic drum set that gives you the luxury of 3-zone DTX-PADs, the Yamaha DTX760K could be your next drum set. It’s a 5-piece drum set with three tom pads, four cymbals, a snare, and a kick pad. It comes with an easy-to-use module with LCD, USB, MIDI, and headphone jack.
All drums are made of mesh with rubber hoops. It includes a snare and hi-hat stand so you can position them at your preference and you can add up to two extra pads. There are a total of 1,396 percussion and effect sounds, 57 effects, 60 drum kits and a lot more.
- Comes with a real stand-mounted hi-hat and snare drum
- Great electronic drum set for recording
- Large silicone snare and tom pads
- Silicone heads are not everyone’s preference
- No other issues found
Roland TD-50KV
Spending several thousand dollars for the best electronic drum set isn’t always the best move. However, with Roland TD-50KV, you might want to rethink, perhaps, save more to get this stunning drum set. It’s the closest you can get to playing an acoustic kit, this 5-piece electronic drum set will just blow your mind away.
It comes with 14-inch digital snare trigger, 14-inch kick drum, 10-inch high tom, two 12-inch floor tom, 18-inch digital ride trigger, and more. The 14-inch digital snare plays like a real drum with eight sensors across the head to accurately capture and translate the way you play. Featuring the Prismatic sound modeling, you’re the one controlling how your performance is going to be.
- Zero-latency with incredible sensitivity
- Ride cymbal is very cool and realistic
- Superior sound quality with the realistic playability
- Very expensive, not all drummers can afford this
- For the price, some users think it needs more ride and cowbell options
Factors to Consider When Buying an Electronic Drum Set
Electronic drum sets are more convenient and versatile. However, it’s kind of difficult to pick the ultimate best given all the different drum sets in the market. So, how will you pick the best electronic drum set?
As for our team, we have a guideline — some factors to consider, so we won’t wander and find what we need. Among the factors to consider are the following:
Use
How will you use the electronic drum set you intend to buy? Are you using it for gigs and shows? Or, you’re just using it at home for rehearsals?
If you want to use it for gigs, you better choose something portable which can be easily tucked away if you need to pack quickly. On the other hand, for home use, get something in which you have the option to use headphones or lower down the volume so you can’t disturb others. Space is also a consideration if you’re buying an electronic drum set for home or studio use.
Budget
After you determine the use, the next thing you should think of is your budget. Since electronic drums seem sophisticated, you think they are expensive? Well, you can get cheaper drum sets, which are not nasty.
From the research that we had, if you have a budget of around $500, you are assured of a decent electronic drum set. Yet, if you want to get a quality one, perhaps a budget of $1000 will give you better options.
Rack and Hardware Material
You must check the rack construction and the hardware of the electronic drum set you want to buy. Specifically, if you anticipate aggressive playing, it’s better to pick a steel rack, rather than plastic or composites, the Drum Kit Digital recommended. For the hardware, you need to pay closer attention to the mounting mechanism, particularly if you use the drum set for gigs and shows.
Input/Output Options
One of the advantages of an electronic drum set is the ability to connect to your phone, computer and other audio interfaces. Therefore, you should check all the inputs and outputs available. If you want to perform on big venues with huge sound systems, you should take advantage of all the outputs available.
Also Read: 10 Things Every Beginner Drummer Should Know
In the modern day, connectivity to smart devices is very important, you should check whether it comes with a USB port, AUX in port, MIDI port and so on.
Editor’s Choice
This list has been dominated by the big names in the market — Roland and Alesis. However, based on the considerations we set above and based on our experience with drum sets, we choose an Alesis. And for this roundup article, our ultimate choice for the best electronic drum set is the Alesis Nitro Kit.
Actually, there’s still one that’s also a good item for a recommendation — the ATV aDrums Artist. You can’t beat the ATV in terms of realistic feel and response, because it comes with real drum shells. But, for those who don’t want to spend too much and want a portable drum set, Nitro Kit is still the best.
The tunable and expressive pads are still great and playable. Plus, it has features found on expensive drum sets like connectivity, coach function, and ready-to-play tracks and sound samples.