Technology has taken the drumming industry to a whole new level. And electronic drum pads are a good example.
For a while now, I have been planning to review some of the best cheap drum pads on the market. But I have not really understood why they are so popular and what good they are to me.
I have seen people going crazy about them, and these cheap electronic drum pads have made a huge fan base in a short period of time. It does not mean that the traditional drum pads have lost their value, or people have started to neglect them, it’s just that they have started to prefer these cheap electronic drum pads more.
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I always thought a full acoustic or electronic drum kit was the best. Well, having been a drummer for some time, some of these new things coming up on the market didn’t interest me very much. A kinda hands-on drummer – if you know what I mean.
But I changed my mind when I travelled far and wanted to perform to some students. I then realized a super-compact e-drum kit could be helpful. And this is exactly what electronic drum pads are. These cheap electronic drum pads are so light in weight and portable in nature that one can easily carry them around and play them whenever and wherever they want. It’s like carrying a small package that will not make you tired or disturb your travelling.
Besides, you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars to enjoy drumming. A simple investment in quality drum pads and headphones could be all you need. This is something I guess has made the biggest impact on drumming pads, because it’s not anymore the sport of rich people, after the introduction of electronic drum pads, even an average person can have them without thinking twice because now, you don’t have to invest loads of money. Another important factor about these electronic drum pads is that they don’t require a huge space to settle, as the old one needs, so now you can place them anywhere in your house, and practice as much as you want on this drumming pad.
And that means that these cheap electronic drum pads are the best option for those who don’t have a lot of space for full gear. Or they don’t need significant investment just yet.
Besides, now you can practice quietly without disturbing your neighbors. These electronic drum pads come with some amazing headphone output that lets you enjoy the sounds, and the person sitting next to you won’t hear single foot pedals noise. It will make sure that your family members or neighbors are not getting disturbed while you’re doing your practice or enjoying musical sounds.
If you are such a person, then this review is for you. In this best electronic drum pads review, I will be looking at some of the most popular products in the market.
What is the difference between Electronic Drum Pads and Sample Pads?
The main difference is in the way they are built. Even though the terms are used sometimes to mean the same thing, you need to understand what sets each aside.
Electronic drum pads feature pads and speakers; hence you can use them instead of a drum kit. Sample pads, on the other hand, are used specifically as an addition to the drum set.
This means a drum pad can be used with an acoustic drum kit for more sound ranges. Also, they can be used with an e-drum kit to add loops and effects. In easy words, electronic drum pads can be used for multiple functions, while the dum sample pads are designed for a specific function.
There, in this case, we are not talking about sample pads for drumming enhancement. Note that I am looking at an electronic drum pad for beginners.
What to look for in a good electronic drum pad
Before we get into the business, let me quickly share a few things that make a drum pad good or bad. This is important because it will guide you to understand why I chose the ones on this list. I have designed this list after extensive and in-depth research. As a beginner, if you’re planning to buy an electronic drum pad, then it is essential for you to go through these things while selecting an electronic drum pad.
Pads and pedal
An electronic drum pad may not serve you forever. So I am assuming you will want to pick up a full drum kit in the future.
Hence, you need to pick something that has the same number of drums and pads. This is for the purpose or learning and understanding how each drum set should be played.
Hence you are looking for something with four drum pads, their cymbals, and two pedal.
With these, it will be very easy switching to a real drum kit. You will need just a few things to adjust. While selecting a pad drum pedal, it is important to make things simple and choose the one which can perform multiple functions for you, and having an electronic drum pad with the above-mentioned things is a plus.
The In and Outs
Note that you want to play along with your favorite piece for the sake of motivation. And for this, you will need to plug in your smartphone or computer. Go for a drum pad that ¼ inch input to enable you to do this.
Also, you can practice drumming silently using these pads. So, do the kits allow you to use headphone output to avoid disturbing your neighbors and family?
USB and MIDI output and input are not essential. You need them for recording. But before that, we have to learn to drum first.
These functions might look small and irrelevant, but once you start playing an electronic drum pad, you’ll understand their importance.
Range of sounding
How many individual sounds are or can be stored on the pad?
Some pads come with hundreds of in-build sounds, while others only have a few. I would advise you to go for more sounds. Versatility is very important, and having a drum pad multiple sounds will bring new flavor in your drumming experience.
For electronic pads, you can assign sounds on a drum pad-to-pad basis. Some will only let you change the sounds of all pads together. As you can see, the first option is better because it allows you to customize the electronic drum pad as you wish.
The quality of sounding
Nobody wants poorly sounding drum pads. Even for you are buying the electronic drum pad for your child, make sure they come with the best sound because your child will not be motivated to play if they sound like crap.
But the sound is a subject matter. Everyone likes different sounds; hence I cannot go into so many details. As long as you get what fits your needs, you are good to go.
Sounds play a vital role while choosing an electronic drum pad, so having an electronic drum pad with quality sounds is a must. Whether you’re looking for an electronic drum pad for yourself or your other family members, don’t compromise on sounds quality.
8 Best Drum Pads Reviewed
Now lets us look at the best drum pads on the market.
Pyle Electronic Pad PTED06
First on this list is the PTED06 electronic drum pad by Pyle. This is a very reputable brand in the drumming industry. It is a company that produces excellent drums and accessories. They are professionals and making some of the best electronic drum pad accessories for quite some time. If you’re looking for some top-quality electronic drum pod accessories, they must be among your choice.
They Pyle Electronic drum Pad PTED06 carries all the drumming and learning tools you need. It has a metronome, recording capability, groove trained, and other features at a very competitive price. Here you will see a large array of tools with professional and compact construction, and the best thing about their product is its price. All the electronic drum pad products are available at a very moderate price.
It features seven touch-sensitive drum pads on a tabletop house, two pedals, 300 songs and 55 presets, tow speakers. 3.5mm jack output, 1.4-inch input, and USB MIDI output. This means it comes with everything you need to start playing drums. Here you’ll get an amazing electronic drum pad package at a very reasonable price, so many fantastic instruments with top quality sound at such average price is a perfect deal to have.
I can say this is one of the best electronic drum pads of all time. And the fact that it comes at a competitive price is enough to give beginners something to learn with. We highly recommend beginners to go for this one. It not only saves you a lot of money but with a vast array of electronic drum pad accessories, they will help you to develop a better understanding of the bass drum pad.
Pros:
- A large range of sounds and presets
- A built-in metronome
- An excellent learning mode.
Cons:
- The pedals are not steady during an action.
Pyle ProTabletop Pad
This is another excellent device for beginners. It comes with seven touch-sensitive drum pads – one snare, three toms, one hi-hat, and two cymbals. They are on tabletop housing measuring 19-65 by 14.5 by 6.2 inches.
You also get two pedals, one for the hi-hat and one for the bass drum pedal. As a beginner, this electronic drum pad has everything to teach you in a proper way, from multiple drum pad to bass drum pedal, you’ll have a proper mentor to let you enjoy an amazing drumming experience.
On the module, there are audio interface 250 sounds, and 25 presets in-built. Also, it has two stereo speakers with a ¼ inches jack for headphones or amp. It also has USB MIDI for PC connection, and it is power supply by batteries or a 12V AC adapter. This electronic drum set is best for practice and with its quality speakers and trigger inputs.
The control panel features a wonderful LCD screen. This allows you to see everything you are playing.
This is an excellent choice for those looking to start drumming at a budget. It is also portable enough to fit small places.
Pros:
- A wide range of onboard sounds and presets
- Touch-sensitive pads
- A bunch of songs for practice.
Cons:
- Some users have complained about the poor quality of the MIDI connection.
- The pedal is not very steady.
Yamaha DD65 Drum Pad
Yamaha is a true leader when it comes to creating electronic drum pad musical instruments. And the DD65 electronic Drum pad is good proof.
It features eight touch-sensitive drums pads and two-foot pedals. These are one snare, three toms, one hi-hat, and three cymbals. These drum kits come with perfect practice pads and let you enjoy amazing drum sounds.
It carries a total of 254 drum sounds and 50 present drum kits. You can listen to them through the two built-in stereo speakers or connection to audio interface headphones or amp via the ¼ inch jack by using an sd card.
It also comes with MIDI output for PC connection. And it is powered with batteries or an AC adapter.
The LCD screen is pretty impressive.
This drum pad allows you to play a wide range of musical styles. Though it is more expensive, the features are excellent. But I would not recommend it for MIDI use.
Pros:
- Aux input for MP3 plays along.
- More pads than similar products
- A highly functional control nation.
Cons:
- The second hi-hat is to the left of the snare instead of the center.
- The normal package does not include an AC power supply.
Alesis Compact Kit 4
Alesis sample pad is another leader in musical instrument technology. And the Compactkit 4 says it all.
Alesis Compactkit 4 features four velocity-sensitive drum pads on a tabletop housing and measures 18.1 by 10.2 by 5.9 inches. It is, therefore, small enough to fit in small spaces. This one is for those who live in a smart apartment and don’t have a large space to place to have a full drum kit, this will not take a lot of places, and you’ll be able to adjust it easily anywhere you want. Its small size does not mean that it will compromise on sound quality. It is as good as any other sample pad and a perfect set for the price.
The drum pad carries 70 drum sounds and ten preset kits you can listen to from the two in-built stereo speakers with an sd card. There are also a ¼ stereo trigger inputs and output for headphones or amp.
It also has a control panel, an LED screen, and runs on batteries or AC adapter.
This pad is perfect for children. But it does not have recording capability or a metronome. This is why I would not recommend it.
The price tag is justified, though. It can be a great tool for your child to learn drumming basics. As a small percussion pad, your child will easily play on this percussion pad without facing any hard time.
Pros:
- Feature game and coach function, excellent for kids
- Very few buttons
- Offer 80 varying sounds.
Cons:
- Four pads and no foot pedals
- No metronome and recording.
Paxcess Roll-Up Pad
Paxcess has also been very instrumental in building electronic drums and accessories. And the Roll-Up Pad tells a lot.
Its surface feature seven drum pad zones – one snare, three toms, one hi-hat, and two cymbals. You will also get two foot pedals, one representing the open and closed hi-hats and the other for bass drums.
It features two built-in stereo speakers as well as a ¼ inch trigger inputs and output for headphones with an sd card. The input for MP3/ music devices measures 3.5mm. And the USB output is for charging while the MIDI connection lets you record yours on sounds. A perfect percussion pad for professionals with all the required accessories and features.
This rechargeable sample pad is designed specifically for children. This sample pad is more of a toy geared towards helping children learning to drum while having some fun—a fantastic product at a very affordable price.
Where it not for the cross-sticking issues, I would say go for this device. But I would want you to endure the nuisance this problem brings.
Pros:
- A roll-up drum for portability
- A MIDI trigger
- Up to ten houses or battery power.
Cons:
- Its setup cannot be transferred to real drums.
- A little pricey for the features.
RockJam RJ760MD Pad
There are two versions of the RockJam roll up e-drums. One has in-built speakers, and the other does not have. They are both affordable, so perhaps you should pick the one with speakers.
It comes with nine drum pad zones on a roll-up surface. On it, you have a snare, four toms, one hi-hat, and three cymbals with the trigger inputs.
It also has two-foot controllers for the kick-drum kits and hi-hats. There are MIDI and USB out with trigger inputs, and headphones out for easy connection with other devices. The ¼ inch aux allows you to connect other music devices.
I would recommend you try to put these drum kits if you are looking for uninterrupted learning. I have not seen anything big to complain about, so it will offer you the services you need at a very reasonable price.
But it is only good for beginners. You may not enjoy it if you have been playing with complete kits.
Pros:
- Strong and durable
- Many pads
- Built-in recorder
Cons
- A short cord
- Its sticks are very small.
Kat Percussion KTMP1
These pads come at an incredibly low price. Note that it does not come with speakers and only four pads, but the price is very affordable.
Pros:
- Very affordable
- Good for beginners
- Customizable arrangements and samples.
Cons;
- It lacks preset and MIDI capabilities
- It does not have built-in speakers.
Alesis SamplePad 4
The Alesis SamplePad Pro is a highly recommendable device. But the Alesis samplepad pro very costly; hence you may want to consider its younger brother, SamplePad pro 4.
It has half the number of pads as the Alesis SamplePad Pro, but the price takes care of that. Also, it is a fully functioning samplepad pro.
The Alesis samplepad pro features custom sampling, custom presents, SD card storage, and MIDI out. The samplepad pro also comes with built-in speakers and an AUX input.
Pros:
- Fully functioning pad
- Very affordable
- Easy to use
Cons
- Limited internal sounds – only ten presets.
Should I buy a high-end or low-end pad?
One thing I have learned is that it is not much difference between a high-end and a low-end drum pad. All you need is to look for features that fit your playing needs.
However, a drum pad will cost more is it has more features and a sturdier build. They also have more user presets.
But for a beginner, some of these features are useless. Hence, I would recommend you buy based on your budget.
Does Walmart sell drum pads?
Every day, Walmart proves itself to be the market that is wall-to-wall with nearly any product you could possibly need. Walmart provides drum pads at a reasonable price compared to some other vendors; however, their options are limited in stores. Their online store offers more options if you don’t mind waiting for delivery or paying a little extra for it to be deliverers immediately.
What is the cheapest drum set?
The cheapest drum set these days can range depending on the brand and vendor that you choose to get them so, classifying the CHEAPEST drum set that you can get isn’t as easy as it sounds. However, the Alesis brand tends to lean towards the more budget-friendly side while maintaining the quality they have come to be known for. Alesis drums come in many different sizes and styles that range in price. To make sure you get the most bang for your buck, make sure you review your own requirements and find the drum set that fills those needs.
Are drum pads worth it?
There are many benefits to a standard electronic drum set. You get the playable experience of a full drum kit with many pads and cymbals. Electronic drum sets typically come with many different drums sounds to choose from, and electronic drum sets are practically silent to play on. This is great for practicing as much as you would like at home without disturbing your family or neighbors.
What is the best drum pad?
Determining the BEST drum pad is dependent on your needs. Acquiring a drum pad that someone considers the best may not be what is best for you because that person may not have the same expectations that you do. Before choosing a drum set, it is highly recommended to determine what you need to get the results that you need.
After determining the features that you need in the best drum pad, review the options that the Alesis brand provides. One of the sets that were reviewed above is recommended. This can eliminate some of the time and efforts that you put forth to find the set that is right for you.
Conclusion
I am glad you read through this review. And I hope I have helped you get what you are looking for.
