5 Tips on buying an electronic drum set

Acquiring an electronic drum set can be an investment of significant value and risk, compared to buying a cymbal or a pair of headphones, for example. It’s a purchase that could prove enjoyable and beneficial, or a waste of money and a burden you’ll want to get rid of.

That said, here are 5 Points that will hopefully make buying an e-drum kit a non-regrettable decision.

1. Which Brand and At What Price?

Except for the prestige, owning an electronic drum kit manufactured by Yamaha, Roland, or Alesis, namely the three biggest brands in that industry today, there are a few more reasons you may want to lean towards that decision, such as design quality, resale value and of course the sound quality. However, the latter can be passed by if you’re planning on connecting the kit with a computer via USB and using a VST (Virtual Studio Technology) plug-in of a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) as a source of drum sounds.

As with most durable goods (say, a car) it all comes down to the reason why you’re buying it and for how long you intend to keep it. If you own a professional studio for example, buying a top-shelf e-drum kit is probably a good investment, as it will probably bring you more clients, so you might be keener to paying the extra buck for it. On the other hand, if you’re only going to keep it at home and maybe play it 30 minutes per day, you can probably get away with buying a somewhat less expensive kit.

2. New vs Used

Products of technology tend to depreciate quite fast, especially when a new series of that product is launched. The same e-drum set that cost $700 a few years ago may easily cost $400 today. As you can imagine, buying that same kit used will save you a significant amount of money. But is it worth it?

Buying a product from a shop gives you the privilege of the guarantee —along with the joy of unboxing a present, of course. Thus, you can feel calm that, even if something isn’t right with the product, you can always contact the seller and get it fixed, or get your money back. That goes especially if you’re not 100% sure about the brand and you’re afraid that the set will start having problems 6 months or a year after you’ve made the purchase, if not immediately.

The other side of the coin, however, indicates that with the same price you could get a better e-drum set, either one with more features, or one of a bigger brand —or both. And there are credible websites through which one can buy used products minimizing the possibility of getting conned.

What I would therefore suggest is either buying a less expensive electronic drum set new, so that you have the option of returning it, in case it turns out to be defective, or buying an expensive set used, taking advantage of the depreciation mentioned in the beginning.

3. Module: Essential Features

The module is the “brain” of the electronic drum kit, as it processes the signal from the drums and produces the appropriate sounds. It also serves the role of the main hub, or console, to which all the cables plugged to each electronic pad lead and which sends the signal to the headphones, speakers, or any electronic device connected to it.

So if there’s one piece on the e-drum set which plays the most important role, it’s the module —although you never get to hit it, nor you ever should, unless you no longer wish to have a functioning electronic drum set.

Each module has different features and it may take you a while to explore them fully. A rule of thumb here would be “you get what you pay for”. Just make sure that the module that comes with your kit comes with:

• An aux input, so that you can plug into the module another electronic device, such as your cell phone, tablet, MP3 player, computer, and so on, as this will give you the chance to play along with your favorite songs.

• A USB port and/or midi input, in case you want to record drums on your computer.

• And last but not least, make sure it has a few extra drum cable inputs, in case you want to expand your set in the future —maybe add more toms or cymbals, or even get a second kick drum pad, if that’s what you crave for.

4. “Real” Kick Drum Pedal

When browsing e-drum sets you’ve probably noticed that some of them are not equipped with an actual kick drum pedal. In fact, the kick drum mechanism does not resemble the kick drum pedal of the acoustic drums. That is to say, it does not consist of a kick drum pedal and a kick drum pad, but of a pedal that looks like the one for the hi-hat and no pad whatsoever.

“So what? If it works, then what’s the problem?” I hear you thinking as you’re reading. Well, first of all, it might affect your foot technique and then if you happen to play on a different kick drum setup, either on another electronic drum set or on an acoustic one, you may find it hard to adjust. So I would strongly recommend taking that point into serious consideration.

5. Mesh Drumheads vs Rubber Drumheads

One of the obvious advantages of e-drums compared to acoustic drums is that you don’t have to worry about the noise. Still, you may find that the electronic kit with rubber drumheads still produces just enough noise to prevent you from playing at any time in the day, especially if you live in an apartment.

The solution to that problem would be paying a little extra money to get a set that comes with mesh drumheads.

Of course, I would suggest trying it out first, as the feel is somewhat different (not better or worse, just a little different) between playing on mesh and rubber drumheads. Normally the difference in the feel wouldn’t be as crucial as to make you change your mind on which set to buy, but you never know. We’re all somewhat different, after all.

So this is it! Having read the 5 most crucial tips on how to make the right choice, you’re well on your way to owning —and enjoying!— an e-drum kit.

And if all you need to start grooving is guidance, check out my ebook on how to play the drums, bundled with videos of all the exercises from the book:

Stick to the groove Vol.1 contains more than 800 Essential Exercises for Building Technique & Musicality Around the Drumset. It’s suitable for beginners and —most of all— fun!

Do you have a personal experience with an electronic drum set you own or used to own? Do you have any questions on the subject? Feel free to share it with me at connect@theochristo.com.