The innovation of roll up drum kits is among the recent creation. The world of musical instruments has begun investing more in technology than before. And giant like Yamaha, Roland, and Alesis, among others, are not leaving anything to chance. These brands have introduced so many amazing products that no other can match the level of their brilliance.
Roll-up drums sound confusing, right? From its name, one may not help but wonder how a drum can be rolled up? Is it even possible?
Well, thanks to technology, we have roll-up drums. And in this article, I am going to introduce you to these devices and offer a review of some of the best in the market.
What is a roll-up drum?
As the name suggests, these are portable drum sets that can be rolled up—literally.
It’s different from the usual drum pads, like Alesis Compactkit 4, which have a sturdy build but cannot be rolled up and moved easily on the go.
They are constructed with a combination of soft rubber sheet of rubber with an electrical unit. The result is a drum kit smaller than any drum you will find on the market. The best thing about this drum is that you can easily carry them around, and it is virtually a weightless drum.
These devices may look like toys at first, but they offer a perfect solution for those who don’t want a full e-drum kit. I call them “babies” of an electronic drum set.
And the best part is, they come with every part of a drum set. The rubber is the playing surface. This is where you will get drum pads and the cymbal pads – including the snare and hi-hats.
Also, the module or “brain” of this drum is located at the top. It is the trigger that converts vibrations into audible sounds.
Last, roll-up drum kits come with a built-in speaker. So instead of connecting to an external speaker, or headphones, you can see what you are playing directly. Of course, not with the best sounds, but enough to let to enjoy your playing.
Advantages of roll-up drum kits?
From the description above, we can say roll-up drums come with a number of advantages. First, they are the quickest way to get an electronic drum set.
Apart from this, consider the following:
Portability
For many drummers, the biggest issue is portability. Drum, especially acoustic sets, are very bulky and heavy. It becomes tough to travel around with your team to perform.
Guitars and other equipment can easily fit in a subway. But for bass drum sets, you will need to have a van perhaps.
The roll-up drum set solves these issues. You can travel with them easily on your tour. Simply roll them up and drop in your backpack. They are as light as any other instrument, and you’ll not get tired while having them around.
The bottom line is these drums weight far less than any drum kit on the market. You are carrying everything in one pocket.
On average, a roll-up drum kit weighs below five pounds! This means there are small enough to fit anywhere.
Also, they are designed to be rolled-up. This makes it for traveling drummers to carry them around, and their sound quality is excellent.
Perfect for beginners
The biggest problem for a beginner is usually finding the right spot to practice. Especially those who live in apartment houses, the noise a drum electronic pad produce can be unbearable for your neighbors.
And the last thing you want is getting in trouble with other people around you. With roll-up drum sets, you can use headphones and stay virtually silent as you perfect your skills with their excellent headphone sound quality. You’ll be enjoying your time with this electronic drum pad, and no one will even notice.
And since they are minimal, you don’t need too much space. You can even set them on your lap, and you are good to go.
These drum kits are quite fun for kids too. As we know, children want what they are doing.
Roll-up electronic drum pad use batteries. This means you don’t require a large power size like you would with expensive e-drum sets. With this feature, you can play the drums from anywhere you want.
Playability
For normal drumming, you need drumsticks. But with roll-up drum kits, you can play without.
Also, this is a great feature in terms of portability. The pads are sensitive enough to be played by hand. This means you have two fewer things to carry around.
Also, it means you don’t need to spend money on buying expensive drumsticks. Hence, it helps you save a few bucks on your expenses. What more would you want?
Just buy this electronic drum pad and practice as much as you can with your hand, no hassle of having drum sticks.
Sound
The sound of the roll-up electronic drums pad is pretty decent. If you invest in the kid drum pad best kit, like the ones we shall review below, then you will get something close to desirable.
But don’t expect a lot for these sounds. For those who like putting their ears on traditional acoustic sounds, you will be disappointed.
And this means you cannot use them for large audience performance. However, they can come in handy for studio performance and practice.
Save some money
Roll-up drum kits are quite affordable. You may need to spend only a few bucks, and you have a decent drum kit. The drum kit you’ll buy is only cheap in price, but when it comes to its working quality, this drum kit is as good as any other associates program.
For beginners, you may not want to invest in something costly just yet. Why not get an excellent roll-up drum kit and begin sharpening your skills. If you’re a beginner, we highly recommend you to go for this drum kit because it will not only help you to enhance your skills but also make sure that you’re not investing much money.
5 Best Roll-Up drums
Roll-up drum kits are pretty impressive as gifts. But for you to impress the recipient, it is vital to pick the right item. Here, I have put together a list of five best picks on the market.
Paxcess Electrical Roll-up Drum set
One thing I love about Paxcess is its constant innovations. They are always coming up with new electronic musical instruments.
And this roll-up drum set is the cheapest high-quality kit you may find on the market. It comes with a choice to either use headphones or listens to your playing through a built-in speaker.
It has a built-in speaker on each side of the module. And there is a mini-jack connector on the module for connecting headphones.
Design
I like the futuristic design that this device has. It bears black missed with neon green outlining around it. Hence, it is pretty impressive. This drum kit is designed in a way that will attract most of its buyers.
It comes with a USB, as well as an internal 2400mAh battery. Paxcess says this power can take you up to ten hours of playing.
The USB connect is situated on the back, near the power supply switch, headphone, and the AUX input. Also, it has a connector for foot pedals in the same areas with proper power supply.
You can buy this gadget with or minus the foot pedals.
You can also include bass drum pedals on your list to get the best set.
With the AUX input, you can play along with MP3 players or iPods. This helps you listen to your favorite play-along tunes and learn the best gigs. You cannot bother anyone with this gadget. All you need is a power supply.
The drum set comes with fully rolled out dimensions ranging from 9-inches to 17-inches. You create your setting in a small place of less than 2ft-sq.
The drum set comes with sticks. But I would recommend you buy other separately since these are not of the best quality.
Pads
The PAXCESS real drum set comes with pads for the snare, their toms, a crash a ride, and a hi-hat.
They don’ come with foot pedals for the drum sticks. But you can buy them separately if you wish.
The module comes with eight demo songs and three rhythms. These demo songs will help you practice as you play along.
Pros:
- Paxcess is a reputable company.
- It comes with built-in speakers and all the essential connections.
- Decent sounding.
- Affordable.
Cons:
- This device is recommended for entry-level drummers.
Flexzion Digital Drum Roll-Up drum kit
This is another beautiful roll-up drum set with a design similar to the PAXCESS above. It also comes with a number of features that will impress you.
Pads
With this piece, you will get the bass drum set, snare, hi-hat, two crashes, and three toms. So it pretty much a full set, with two more pads than the Paxcess and hi-hat as well.
But it comes with the same price when you include pedals.
The construction
The kit is all black with a little red. Hence, you are looking at a very beautiful design.
Each pad features a red marking in front. This is to help you discern how they are assigned.
It comes with wireless usability. It has a USB for charging a battery that will take you for several play hours.
When rolled, this drum set measures about 10-inches by 20-inches by 12-inches. It is pretty portable and easy to set up.
Hence, you should be able to get two pedals added to your list. The two pedals module controls allow you to connect pedals for both the bass and hi-hat pads. Also, the hi-hat pads’ functions are pretty basic.
On the module, you get a few more things that were not on the Paxcess. For example, you get a handy record function, which allows you to listen to playbacks. Also, it has a demo function, which helps you practice more.
Functionally
Apart from the features above, this device lets you select the rhythm and style functions. This helps choose between various backing songs and the kit music. It offers three different kit sounds.
You will get module controls for volume and tempo at the front. Also, there is a light display for an easy meter reading. In total, you have nine demo sounds and 11 kits.
Pros:
- It comes with more hi-hat pads then the Paxcess.
- More sounds and connectivity
- Decent design and portability
- Record functionality.
Cons:
- It does not come with drum pads.
Pyle Roll-Up MIDI Drum Kit
For the best value, the Pyle Roll-Up kit my personal choice. Looking at the specifications, you will notice that it comes with foot pedals included. You get a 7-pad setup at the most affordable price.
The construction
The Pyle looks almost like the Paxcess kit. Also, it has the same number of pads, with a similar color scheme, except for the neon green on the Paxcess. The pads are also labeled so that you can distinguish them.
Features
The reason I take this drum set more seriously is that it offers extended usability. For instance, it offers connectivity to any Mac or PC to use as a home studio. You can, therefore, convert it into a controller kit to use with any DAW.
It has a USD port at the back for easy connection. After connection, you must activate it as a MIDI in the DAW preference. Then, it becomes a MIDI drum controller.
You can use it to record drum set demo songs in real-time. This is a big plus for these devices.
It comes with 12 onboard songs, which helps users practice. The songs come in different styles, so no matter your genre, you have something to work with.
It has the volume button for adjusting the overall volume—these features, together with buttons for tempo and the start/stop function.
There is also a recording feature you can use to record your work. Also, it allows you to arrange beats/fills and store them. Hence save your ideas as you move.
It features an MP3 mini-jack connector for connecting any audio device. You can use this to stream audio through the device, helping you play along with your best sounds. And you also listen to sounds through headphones.
The drums are very small, yet they produce a clear sound. You can use the headphones for better volume. Also, connect to a powered monitor or a home stereo, or even a full live P.A.
Generally, it is a wonderful choice for the money. You can purchase it as a gift.
Pros:
- The best quality
- Home recording capability.
- Connect and record audio for future listening.
Cons:
- It may be a bit too expensive for some drummers.
RockJam Electronic Roll Up MIDI Kit (with speakers)
This is another great pick. It comes with nine drum pads, a few more than the one above. Also, you get to pedals.
Drummers need at least one pedal. Hence this device is a wonderful choice.
Features
This kit has everything a drummer needs to get started. In the pack, you will get the kit, drumsticks, power supply, and pedals.
It comes with built-in speakers as well as a headphone input and a brilliant sound quality. This means you can practice quietly.
It comes with a USB connection for MIDI technology. This means you can easily connect what you are playing.
It is simply a wonderful choice for beginners, as well as experienced drummers. It gives you a quick and portable means to practice.
It is a great and compact kit for use as a MIDI-compatible option. And they are even more portable than any other.
Pros:
- Home recording capability
- Quality features with more drum pads.
- Best for beginners and professional drummers.
Cons:
- It is a bit pricey.
RockJam Electronic Roll Up Drum Kit (Without speakers)
If you are not ready to spend on the kit above, then here is a more affordable option. RockJam makes pretty decent roll-up drums, and this is one of the top products.
It is designed, entry-level players. However, it does not come with built-in speakers or a MIDI connection.
However, it is a really nice option for those who just want to practice without practicing. It is also very affordable.
Note that you must connect to headphones or speakers before using this device. There are pretty impressive headphones on the market today.
Conclusion
In this article, I have reviewed some of the most useful roll-up kits available. However, there are many more options on the market to consider.
When choosing a roll-up kit, it is crucial to understand your needs. Additionally, keep in mind that some kits come with speakers and others do not.
My personal favorite from the list is the RockJam roll-up kit. The version with speakers has all the essential features for a great roll-up kit.
For a more budget-friendly option, I suggest considering a kit without speakers. However, all the other options on the list are still excellent choices. I hope this guide has been helpful in your decision-making process.
