An electronic cymbal pad gives you the opportunity to play a drum kit that has everything combined into one. And the best part is, it’s compatible with any music genre.
Imagine playing multi-drum components and complex sounds that you would never achieve under normal circumstances.
It was hard before, but now it is possible, thanks to the emergence of electronic drum kits.
However, many e-drum sets do not give you the sound and feel of an acoustic drum. This is why you need to be very careful when choosing any component, especially cymbals.
Electronic cymbal pads offer possibilities beyond imagination, where you can take advantage of the world of limitless sounds. They let you convert songs and incorporate percussion tones into your performances.
They make it easy for one to add effects like decay, any sound accessories and reverb while helping them practice in silence.
Unfortunately, choosing the best electronic cymbals is not that easy. There are so many manufacturers on the market today that it becomes overwhelming.
If you have had such issues, welcome to this guide. I will be sharing the best electronic drum cymbals on the market to make it easy for you.
The Best Electronic Cymbals Reviewed
Choosing a good cymbal, acoustic, or electronic, is key to delivering the desired performance. There is a lot that goes into these choices.
Since you may not yet know where to begin, here are some of the best products you can find out there.
Roland CY-12C Crash Pad
When it comes to choosing the best product, it is always a good idea to consider the brand. And you can never go wrong with Roland.
For many years, Roland has been shaping the world of electronic drums with their innovative ideas. Every product they bring on the market has unique capabilities to deliver unimaginable results.
Roland is a one-stop-shop for all the latest and high-end V-drums.
There CY-12C crash pad features in all lists of best cymbals. And its triggering system is a market standard.
The cymbal comes with incredible and realistic weight, with a natural feel. It has an unbeatable dual-trigger zone with high sensitivity.
If this doesn’t convince you to buy it, then its durability and a long-lasting triggering system should.
It features an optimized sensitivity and delivers fantastic accuracy in performance output. You will find the consistent choke control and the crash performance quite unbeatable.
It can respond naturally to even the smallest difference while in performance. Replicating the choking sensor, cymbal play, and powerful hits are some of its vast features.
The only downside is perhaps the prices. Otherwise, everything else is worth the trouble.
Yamaha PCY- 100
Yamaha is another major player in the world of electronic drum sets. The PCY-100 is a beautiful sound system from the manufacturer that has a 10-inch cymbal and a 3-zone layout. All three zones are distinct, up zone, edge zone, and bow zone to give different sounds.
Because of these zones, the pad will give you wonderful and unique sounds when you strike any parts or play them simultaneously.
In terms of response, the PCY-100 is one of the most accurate cymbal pads you can have. They help you differentiate its dynamic ranges whenever you play.
It comes with a great feature of reproducing sounds when it’s powerfully hit or choked. It also has the ability to swing, with stick bouncing produced so that the pad feels natural.
Yamaha has made this product with high-end attractiveness and a clear touch of finishing that reduces the fading effect.
However, it may have compatibility issues with the tone generator. It’s therefore advisable that you confirm this before buying.
Alesis Pro X Hi-Hat
Before Alesis joined the market with their affordable solutions, only Yamaha and Roland ran the big leagues. Today, Alesis has given in a good competition that ensures budget-buyers get good service.
The Pro X hi-hat is a continuous hi-hat dual-cymbal controller for DM8 and D10 drum from the manufacturer. It delivers a natural hi-hat feel and playability like no other.
The cymbal pad is popular for its high-end calibration control. They make it easy to integrate, and they expand the abilities you get from a normal electronic drum set.
Besides, it’s a sophisticated system that delivers the real benefits of an electronic controller. It comes as a single bottom and top controller, with a 12-inch hitting surface offering a vast responsiveness range.
For those who need to create all kinds of attractive sounds, this highly complex percussion instrument can be a great place to start.
It works with the standard hi-hat stand, which makes it easy to add to your control system.
The major downside is that this cymbal only works with DM8 and DM10 sound modules. It would have been better if it were more versatile.
Triple-zone Roland V-Cymbals-CY-15R-MG
Roland never disappoints in producing high-end solutions for electronic drum components. This V-Cymbal Ride is one of their most popular e-cymbals.
It measures about 15 inches and is designed with a chock-able edge. Its finish is all attractive to the eye, and you can tell already that it is one beautiful item, right from the silver-colored finish to the positional sensing feature.
The CY-15R-MG series features the ability to produce 3-way actuating sound, including bell tones, edge, and bow. It consists of dual connection cables, a wingnut, a stopper, and a felt washer.
Tap into the natural dangle-free and accurate triggering sensitivity of the cymbal pad for most amazing sounds. You are assured of a new level of sound expression from this cymbal.
Also, this triple-zone ride can be a great upgrade or add-ons for your e-cymbal module. Their compatibility with the VAR sample triggering could be the best use case. You will also need an SD1000 operating system with at least version 2.
Roland CY-5 Cymbal
Roland makes their cymbals with unbeatable features. They are designed for this specific purpose.
Some cymbals may begin to fade out eventually or get damaged with constant use. And this is why you should consider a CY-5 cymbal pad from Roland.
The pads feature a separate bow system with triggering zones. They bear a 5-inches playing zone and are designed for heavy-duty work, which is why durability should not be an issue.
Its design echoes the weight, shape, clear swinging nature, and acoustic swing’s rebound. Hence, the user gets a sense of natural instruments. These cymbals allow for a system of chocking.
They can swing like traditional cymbals and can be mounted in the same manner, which makes them stand out from other electronic cymbals.
It is designed with a smooth silver layout, which ensures a seamless interaction so that you can get exciting user experience.
It’s used mainly as a hi-hat pad, but it can also serve a substitute function as a splash for V-drum kits.
Pintech TC16 Single Zone Cymbal Trigger
For beginners who need something simple yet functional, this is one electronic cymbal you will enjoy. It is a cheap and reliable solution for your drumming needs.
It features a 16-inch single-zone surface made from sturdy polyester for durability. Besides, it is made to keep the real sound when playing a minimum, and hence, can be a great training tool without disturbing your neighbors.
At this price range, this cymbal is the best deal you can get on the market.
Roland CY-14 V-Cymbal Crash
Roland is a brand that does not need any introduction. It is a popular brand that offers the best quality electronic drum sets.
The CY-14 crash cymbal pad is one of their pro products. It measures 14-inches and has a dual-triggering surface that ensures more depth in your playing. It has a wonderful response and allows for choking.
The cymbal is compatible with SD and SPD series modules. It’s among the high-end products from the manufacturer. If you have the budget, then this is one product you will never go wrong on.
Why should you buy electronic cymbals?
There is nothing that compares to the sweet sound of a high-quality traditional drum set. When the cymbals ring, it flows with your heart.
But then I realize we must all grow. The world is changing, and technology has slowly taken over everything, making life easier for us.
And today, I have several electronic drum sets besides my traditional ones. It is all about diversity.
If this doesn’t convince you yet, here are some more reasons:
Portability
Traditional drum setups come with several cymbals on the same music arena, ride, crash, hi-hats, and many others. Such many parts can prove quite bulky on the stage. Setting them up alone will take you a really long time. A hi-hat alone, for instance, comes with a foot pedal that you must set properly in place.
After this, you need to set the other cymbals all around you while making sure they don’t block your drums.
Such a process is not easy. And I have not even mentioned carrying it around for performance.
Imagine if you could have one space with all your cymbals.
This is what a multi-zone electronic cymbal gives you. Absolute portability while ensuring you get the same sounds as you would when you brought different cymbals alongside your drum set.
Also, for traditional cymbals, the music style you play matters a lot. There are cymbals for rock, jazz, pop, church, and any other type.
For electronic drum cymbals, it does not matter what music you are playing. The cymbals and drum kits provide an unlimited range of musical sounds that will match any kind of music genre you want.
Such products are ideal for professional drummers who work in a wide range of music production environments. They don’t have to come along with so many cymbals or be compelled to change whenever they are playing a different type of music.
A drummer can easily tap into different sounds that aligns with any band. Be it reggae, R n B, horn band, jazz combo, or any other band type; these cymbals bring them all together.
Sometimes you may not need the mic to organize the sound of your cymbal or set up faster. Using electronic cymbals will save you on time.
Because of their bulkiness, storing acoustic drums may be a bit challenging. One needs to have a lot of space in their rooms to keep the drums well.
Electronic cymbals can be kept anywhere. Some multipads are so small that you can keep them on your table, and they will still leave some more space for you.
You can travel with them in a couple of soft cases or in your backpack. And their design allows you to easily set them aside in your band van, crowded places, or anywhere else you want.
Easy to set up
Let’s face it. Setting up an acoustic drum set is tedious. And you still have to tune your cymbals to get the sound you need.
This takes a lot of time. It means you have to arrive at the show way earlier to get everything in place.
Also, you will microphone and stands to deliver the sound that reaches your audience. All these things add up to the bulkiness of your drum set.
Electronic cymbals don’t need all these things. The absence of mics means you can remove sound bleeds or partial feedback from the instruments.
It becomes very easy for those who work in houses of worship to control the volume of electronic cymbals. You can easily bring it down when needed, or take it higher when necessary. Check here the Best Drum Pad Worship article of the year!
This is not easy with traditional cymbals. You will need to invest in other products to help you control the sound, which will not come out in full potential anyway.
Practice with ease
For beginners, you need a lot of time to practice your moves. Even for professionals, you also need some time to practice playing different new sounds.
This can be easy if you have enough room or a dedicated practice area where you don’t disturb anyone else.
Drums are very loud when you play them normally. They can be a real pain if you live in apartment houses or school setups.
But electronic cymbals can eliminate such issues. You can play them silently using headphones, and not one will even know what you are doing in your room.
Learn with ease
Some beginners think that playing cymbals is just as easy as hitting them anywhere and anytime. Well,this is true.
It’s an art on its own because it comes with some moves that might be hard to deliver. Learning cymbals is a process that requires attention.
Also, you need something to help you with the learning. For traditional cymbals, you may have to create some music besides your normal gear.
Most electronic cymbals feature a built-in preset pattern, which you can use to learn playing the instrument. Follow the patterns, and you will easily learn to build and coordinate the muscle memory you need to become an expert.
Some e-cymbals come with specific metronome functions and other learning tools that are essential for the development of a beginner. Learn good time ability so than you can maintain a steady groove.
If you are going to play along with your music choice, learning to keep the tempo is necessary. Besides, you want to become an expert as quickly as possible, and hence, any help you can get will go a long way.
Generally, electronic drums have become everything the modern music world needed. It delivers functionality beyond imagination, more so with the cymbals.
Frequently asked questions
How Much Is an Electric Drum Set?
Electronic drum sets have come up strong today as a great alternative for acoustic drums. Their prices vary depending on the quality and manufacturer.
Beginners’ sets are cheaper, costing a few hundred dollars. And just like acoustic drums, the more features you get, the more you have to spend.
Higher-end electronic drum sets may cost more than $5000. These are the top-of-the-line sets that deliver the natural sounds of acoustic drums, among other high-end features.
What Is the Best Electronic Drum Set?
This question is a bit subjective. This is because it depends on the user’s level of expertise. There different electronic drum sets designed to meet specific needs. The best option should be one on your budget and with full capacity features for your playing needs.
How to Set Up an Electric Drum Set?
Setting up an electronic drum set is easy. As long as you have the components and a source of power, it only involves connecting everything to the sound module, and you are good to go. The module has connection ports for every component, which should be hard, although it depends on the individual product.
Conclusion
The constantly changing technology in electronic drum kits requires every drummer to be alert. If your e-drum kit is old, a new pair of cymbal pads can update it perfectly.
