Top 7 Best Electronic Drum Pads
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Top 7 Best Electronic Drum Pads
| Image | Electronic Drums / Rating | Summary | Check Price |
|---|---|---|---|
+ -  | Roland Percussion Electronic Drum Pad SPD-SX Total of 4.90/5 | A very powerful pad that brings great sampling tools to the table. | |
+ -  | Roland OCTAPAD SPD-30 Total of 4.80/5 | A very competitive pad that is packed with awesome features and software | |
+ -  | Yamaha DTX Multi Pad Total of 4.70/5 | A potent package that combines and awesome sample library and good hardware. | |
+ -  | Alesis SamplePad Pro Total of 4.60/5 | A very affordable sample station that offers good features and great performance. | |
+ -  | Yamaha DD-75 Total of 4.52/5 | A potent portable drum kit packed with an extensive library of samples. | |
+ -  | PylePro PTED01 Total of 4.28/5 | Budget option designed for those who want a great package without committing. | |
+ -  | Kat Percussion KTMP1 Total of 3.62/5 | One of the cheapest pads that still deliver a genuinely great performance. |
Roland Percussion Electronic Drum Pad SPD-SX
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Roland being one of the authorities in the industry, offers some of the most advanced electronic pad models on the market. Their SPD-SX series is truly an amazing piece of kit that features everything a professional would need.
With that said, this pad's strongest suit has got to be its ability to sample quickly and easily. You are looking at a standard six pads grid with extra three pads at the top. These can all be assigned samples stored in the pad's 4GB memory.
That is enough for 720 minutes of audio at 16-bit 44.1kHz. Pretty impressive. On top of that you are getting multi pad sampling as well as the full use of a massive, complex sound engine.
Roland OCTAPAD SPD-30
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Our next pick also comes from Roland and represents a more casual pad that offers a very interesting combination of features. Roland used a lot of the technologies and solutions from their famous V-Drums in this pad. Pad triggering is stellar with great sensitivity and feedback. All of the pads are isolated very well from one another, giving you full freedom to fully express yourself. SPD-30 also comes with a very simple and easy to use interface which allows you to navigate all of the features with ease. On top of that, you can also use external triggers, all of which have their own inputs in the back I/O. This model also supports sampling, recording and features a looper.
Yamaha DTX Multi Pad
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No list regarding electronic drum pads would be complete without a Yamaha. DTX Multi Pad is pretty much their answer to the emergence of modern pads like the two Rolands we have talked about just now. This Yamaha adds a bit of flavor by adding additional three pads for a total of 12, an angled layout optimized for drummers and a very versatile sound engine. For such a fairly inexpensive model it is packed with quite a few awesome features. You are looking at over 1000 percussion sounds and effects, over 200 keyboard sounds, a full fledged looper and more. Best of all, it comes with a pretty simple user interface that is very easy to use on the whim.
Alesis SamplePad Pro
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Alesis has always known how nail a borderline perfect balance of price and performance. With models such as SImplePad Pro, they've done such a good job that it is one of the most popular pads on the market at the moment. Not only is it a fully capable sampling station that comes with 8 isolated rubber pads, which are illuminated by the way, but it also features a decent library of sounds. You can choose from any of its 200 samples divided into 10 kits. At this price, it's a steal to say the least. Alesis went a step further and made the entire package very attractive aesthetically, which is only a bonus at this point. It’s a great option.
Yamaha DD-75
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Yamaha DD-75 is the first of the portable drum kit electronic pads on our list. It's a pretty powerful package as well that comes with 8 touch sensitive pads divided into a very familiar pattern. What really puts the whole thing over the top are the two pedals you get. Well, more like buttons but they work quite well. One is a kick pedal and the other is your hi hat pedal. In terms of built in goodies, you're looking at 570 drum voices, amazing 75 different drum presets and much more. If you need something to practice your stick game and enjoy yourself while you are at it, DD-75 might be it. Plus, it features a built in speaker.
PylePro PTED01
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One of the main benefits of portable drum sets pads like the one we are looking at here is their affordable price. PylePro took it to a whole new level with the PTED01, by offering an extremely compact package that works great if you travel a lot. The way they have packed everything in isn't traditional, especially in terms of pad layout, but it works. Pads themselves are pretty much alright when it comes to feedback on the stick. Things get quite crazy when you find out that this model packs 25 drum presets, over 200 percussion samples and much more. Also, it comes with both the hi hat and kick drum pedal included. This is a great budget option.
Kat Percussion KTMP1
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Speaking of affordable and simple solutions, you will hardly find something that beats KAT Percussion KTMP1. This electronic pad was designed as an addition to both electronic kits and acoustic drum sets. It is roughly the same size as a regular electronic drum pad. Build quality is there and everything feels pretty tight. Unlike an ordinary pad, this one is divided into four different, isolated pads. This tiny thing is packing 50 drum and percussion sounds, as well as a room for expansion. You can hook up a hi hat controller to it as well as a kick pad controller. Best of all, it's just insanely affordable for what it is. Every drummer could definitely benefit from one of these.
What Exactly Are Electronic Drum Pads?
To a complete newcomer who is just starting to explore the world of electronic drums, a mention of electronic drum pads will most likely pop an image a regular pad found on any electronic kit. Although they would technically be correct, the electronic drum pads we are talking about today have nothing to do with these except sharing the overall principle of operation. The pads we are talking about are a fully self contained system that can be used as a standalone instrument or an addition to an existing kit. Imagine a beginner electronic drum kit packed into a single panel. With that said, these come in a variety of formats which we will discuss a bit further down in this guide.
Who Would Be Interested In Electronic Drum Pads?
One of the best things about electronic drum pads is that hey can find a role in just about any environment and application. These are mostly used by drummers who run acoustic drum kits as a way to add a force multiplier to their rig without spending obscene amounts of money. The idea is that you can assign different cymbals or toms which you don't have. Or, if you are into a more modern and less traditional genres, you can always pack the pad full of samples and use them in a percussive role. The fact is that your options are endless and we have only mentioned the most vanilla use of for electronic drum pads.
When used as standalone devices, you can use them as MIDI controllers and much more. There are drummers who prefer to take these out to a practice session instead of their $500 electronic drum kits. Are they going to sound the same? Most likely not, but you will get a fairly similar experience from high quality pads as you would from a full sized kit.
What Do Electronic Drum Pads Fail To Do?
As it is the case with most devices which are trying to repack something into a much smaller package, you will run into various limitations. There are two which any potential user of these instruments needs to understand. First and foremost, these aren't a drum kit nor can they replace one. You won't be able to practice drumming technique on these aside from the most basic drum stick skills. These are made only to allow you to trigger different samples on a board that is compact.
The second major limitation is the fact that everything on these pads is heavily integrated. Where a standard electronic drum kit comes with a standalone module, different multi zone pads, cymbals and more, these are trying do deliver all that in a box like package that is much, much smaller than any kit. out there. That means that you won't get the same amount of features or options as you would on a full sized kit. Even so, most of these come loaded with decent samples and presets. Some are actually very good. Presets aside, you will quickly be customizing your own libraries, especially if you go for a more affordable model.
Different Types Of Electronic Drum Pads
One of the interesting facts which is often overlooked is that electronic drum pads come in two main types. The firs tone are the grid pattern pads which we have just described. The other type are pads which emulate a standard drum kit layout, only in a much smaller platform. Truth of the matter is that many beginners are using these as a sort of a learning tool to get started. At this point you are probably wondering what's the point when none of the pads are anywhere big enough to allow you to learn proper drumming technique? It all comes down to being able to practice positive stick bounce on a surface that not only somewhat feels like the real thing, but also produces tangible feedback.
That is not the end of it, though. Some of these come with foot pedals which can run hi hats and kick pedals. Naturally the pedals are simple triggers which don't offer much in terms of learning how to properly step on kick pedals, but it does allow you to control a kick sample. Again, it's not about the fine skills but rather gross motor skills. Learning how to separate your feet from your arms and each of those from one another. In that regard these rather simple devices offer a great value and are sometimes even preferable to a full sized kit.
Can These Run With No Speakers?
This one is going to depend on the specific model you have. Some have built in speakers but those are mostly the mini practice drum kits we just talked about. Built in speakers tend to be a rather crucial part of the equation with such models. When the entire idea behind a musical instrument is for it to be portable, it only makes sense to integrate speakers into the package as well. That all in one design is exactly why those portable drum kits are so popular among those who are traveling often.
As for the other type of electronic drum pads, they mostly don't have built in speakers. Instead they rely on you plugging the system into a PA or a mixer of some kind.
What Features Do These Pads have?
One of the reasons why electronic drum pads are so great is the fact that they come with a whole lot of built in features. These are essentially sound modules with built in pads on top. However, where most modern full sized kits come with factory setup modules that allow for some customization, most of the electronic pads, at least higher and mid range ones, allow for full customization. That includes loading different samples, different presets and so on. The reason for this is simple. Most drummers are using these pads as a universal part of the kit which should be able to run any sample or sound they need. That can be an actual drum kit sample or something completely abstract. The freedom to choose is completely yours. With that said, some of these kits pack a really good built in library.
The Recording Potential Of Electronic Pads
Another application where electronic pads really come to life is music recording in a home environment. Large recording studios definitely don't have issues with owning different acoustic kits, amps, guitars and other instruments. However, a home recording studio might. If you want to actually play out your drum lines instead of typing them out, the cheapest and most compact way of doing so would be with one of these pads. The only thing you need to do is hook it up to your computer using the USB drive and you are good to go. Then again, even if you have a full sized kit in your home studio, owning a pad like the ones on our list above could be used as means of quickly capturing a fill or a line that came to you.
Conclusion
Electronic drum pads aren't your regular electronic drum kits although they do belong to the same family of instruments. With that said, it's important to realize just how awesome these instruments can be. Whether you are a drummer looking to expand their existing kit with something flexible and interesting, or a beginner trying to find a decent practice rig, the models on our list should serve you very well. We have added pads from a variety of price ranges in order to ensure that everyone can find something that is within their means. All you have to do is choose.
