What are the benefits of an electric drum kit?

There is certainly a very exciting and visceral quality to playing an acoustic drum kit, but unless you have very supportive (or deaf) neighbours and the space to set up the kit, you’re probably better off going for an electronic kit.

Smaller electric kits are perfect for beginners to hone their skills on while being easy to move around and set up, while the larger, performance-focused electric kits really shine on the stage.

Electronic kits have moved on a bit since the hexagonal rubber pads of the ’80s, with Roland’s TD range now featuring many fully mesh headed kits. Why is this a good thing? Well, with their mesh heads Roland have managed to create something that feels ‘almost’ as good to play as the real thing (a hell of a lot better than a rubber pad, either way), but without the parent/wife/neighbour bothering racket that comes along with it. These are even available on Roland’s entry-level TD-1 kits with the TD-1DMK being the cheapest all-mesh kit you can get your hands on.

As well as feeling extremely satisfying to hit, the dual-ply mesh heads used on the kits have other features too – with the various drums able to detect where you’re hitting them, and how hard, and the sound adjusts accordingly. This all adds up to an experience that tricks your brain into thinking you’re playing a real, loud, expensive acoustic kit, but what you’re actually doing is practicing in relative silence with the only noise created being through the headphones (or yelling, depending on how aggressively you play).

Not convinced? Interested? Jump into your nearest Kenny’s Music store and give it a try for yourself.