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lugged7 ELECTRONIC DRUMKITS FOR UNDER $500

electricity! Back then, therewere only a few electronic drumkits available, and only a couplewith MIDI. You had your Simmons SDS-9 and your RolandDDR-30. If you wanted to use anelectronic ki t to interface witha computer or play sounds froma sampler, you had those twochoices. Each had only a fewonboard sounds, they playedlike crap, and cost over $2,000.Today, you young whippersnap-pers have electricity runninginto your house 24/7. On top ofthat, you've got half a dozen kitswith hundreds of sounds, plentyof kit memory, MIDI, and evenUSB connectivity. Plus, they'vegot a street price below $5001What a time to be alive.

We're going to be looking at kits from Alesis, Ddrum,KAT, Simmons, and Yamaha.All of these kits have certain

attr ibutes in common. All ofthem come right out of the boxwith everything you'd need tostart playing except a bass drum

pedal and a throne (althoughsome come with a bass drum

pedal). You'll get pads for drumsand cymbals, a rack-mountingsystem, hi-hat pedal, all necessary cables, and sometimeseven a pair of sticks.

Each kit has five pads des

ignated as snare, three toms,and sometimes, a dedicatedkick drum pad. Three cymbalpads are provided with each kit:ride, crash, and hi-hat. Each ofthe hi-hat systems offers onesound when the pad is struckwith the pedal down (normally

DRUMmagazine.com December 2013 DRUM! 93

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a closed hi-hat) and a differentsound when the pedal is up (openhi-hat).

To get an idea of how the kitfeels under your hands and theresponsiveness of the pads, you'regoing to have to play the kit inperson. But all these kits comevi^ith rubber surfaces that are de

signed to minimize impact soundv\/hile giving a somevi/hat naturaldrum-like response.

These kits have sound mod

ules that have the ability to selectbetween a number of d i fferentkits and assign different sounds toeach of the pads. Each brain alsohas a number of built-in songsthat serve as playalongs for yourpractice. In addition, all moduleshave an auxiliary input for connecting an iPod or other musicplayer. They also include a metronome and tap-tempo capability.

For some, the money-savingfeatures applied to these kitsmay be a minor problem. Afterall, lower costs means fewer bellsand whistles, and some cornersjust have to be cut to bring thismuch technology in at this pricepoint. But let's face it, those whoare buying a kit in this price range

want a good value for the money,but likely aren't expecting trueprofessional features or performance. Does that mean anyoneinterested in a kit like this is onlyan amateur weekend warr ior?

Absolutely not.There are many reasons why

a professional might want oneof these kits. For one, they areinexpensive. They can serve aspractice kits while your mainkit is at the club, in the truck,or otherwise not available. Theyare perfect for those who wantto practice in an apartment orhome where an acoustic kit justisn't possible due to the volume.For those who are into sequencing and home studios, having anelectronic kit to input rhythmsand grooves, as well as creatingloops, is as essential as a pianoplayer owning a digital keyboard.

ALES IS DM6The newest version of the DM6

has recently changed its name toDM6 USB. As you might guess, thenew name indicates that the DM6

brain now has a USB output inplace of a MIDI output. In addition

to the USB port, the back of themodule sports 1/8" mini-jacksfor headphones, main output,and auxiliary input. There's also apower switch and a small switchthat selects the type of bass drumtrigger you're using, allowing themodule to substitute a simplefootswitch. The pads hook intothe brain with an included cablesnake that makes hooking up thepads easy and quick.

The front of the DM6 has

s e v e r a l d e d i c a t e d c o n t r o l s :

master volume, tempo, click on/off, pattern select, start/stop forpatterns, drum off (for mutingthe drums in the included patterns), kit select, voice select,volume (for individual controlof kits, voices, patterns, andmetronome), and save/rec.Yes, this last control is used toenter record mode. Of the k i ts

included in this guide, the DM6is the only one that lets yourecord your own pattern. Okay,so there's only one user patternlocation for your recording, butthere's plenty of memory —about 5,000 notes — allocatedfor your recording. And, it's onemore recording location than theother k i ts have.

Another important item thatseparates this kit from the othersis a stereo snare pad. With a stereo pad, you can assign one sound

to the head's surface, and anothersound to the rim (rimshot, rim-click, cowbell, etc.).

ALESIS DM7XThe Alesis DM7X Session kit is a

step up from the DM6. Actually, you may consider this kitto have several additional steps.Along with the increase in available drum sets (40 rather than15) and raw sounds (385 ratherthan 108), the DM7X Session alsoincludes MIDI ports in addition tothe USB port. If your rig requiresMIDI rather that USB, this is

certainly the way to go. The 7XSession can also be expandedif you wish, The brain on thisunit is more sophisticated thanthe DM6, with additional tonalcontrols, reverb, and trigger settings that let you customize theresponse of the pads. The brainalso includes additional inputsfor another torn and another

crash cymbal.With these additional features,

is there any downside? Well,maybe yes and maybe no. TheDM6 offers up 12" cymbal padswhile the DM7X Session is suppliedwith 10" cymbal pads. However,the DM7X Session crash cymbalcan be choked. The DM6 includes

a kick drum tower while the DM7XSession relies on an electronic

pedal without the tower.

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D D R U M D D IThe front of the module supportsa number of ind iv idual funct ion

buttons. There are dedicatedcontrols for volume, save, start/

stop, kit selection, song selection, drum mute (for the percussion parts of a song), metronome,increment and decrement, padselection, and tempo. The backpanel of the DD1 module offers upthe pow/er-input jack and on/offsw^itch, along with nine triggerinputs, a MIDI output, a stereooutput, and an auxiliary input.The headphone jack and thecontrol for the volume of the aux

input are located on the left sideof the unit.

One of the features that

separates the DDI from some ofthe other units in this group is theability to adjust the sensitivity andcrosstalk rejection of each pad.There are 15 available settings forsensitivity and higher values makethe pads more sensitive to softerstrikes. There are also 15 levels of

rejection for each pad and 15 different pitch values for each sound.

The DDI does not come with abass drum pedal. You'll need to getone of those if you want to playthe kit as soon as you get it home.

KAT KT1The KAT brand is a relative new

comer to the electronic drumkit market. The top panel of thebrain is clear and clean. There are

power, mode, and page buttonson the left side; with the mastervolume and click on/off on the

right side. Two larger buttonslabeled *■ and - sit in the middle

and control the value of different

parameters. The back has portsfor 9V power, USB, MIDI-Out,stereo outputs, auxiliary input,and headphones.

Getting down and dirty withthe KTI is straightforward. There

are four main modes; pattern,drum kit, voice, and click. Youpress the mode button to accessone of these four choices, thenthe page button to scroll to thecommand you want to adjust.From there, the plus and minusvalue buttons do the rest. Whilethe module lacks dedicated buttons for individual actions, some

people may prefer the simplicityof this interface.

One unique feature of the KTI;while all the pads are single triggers, the crash cymbal is choke-able. Like the DDI, the KTI does notcome with a bass drum pedal.

- ^ T Ta l t e r i i a t e m o d e . c o m $849 ,$499

MIDi USB Snara Toms Ride Crash Hi-Kat Foot Kick KtckSplash

VoicesPad

VoicePedal

Kits" PlayPitchSongs

Aux EffectsAlong

Sensitivity RejectionInput

VelocityCurve

Alesis DM6 NO YES Dual Zone Single Single Single Single NO YES YES 108 NO 10/5 40 YES NO NO NO NO

Alesis DM7X Session YES YES Dual Zone Single Single Chokeabie Single YES NO YES 385 YES 0/40 60 YES Reverb YES YES YES

ddnim DDI YES YES Single Zone Single Singie Single Single NO YES NO 215 YES 20/10 50 YES Reverb YES YES NO

KAT KTI YES YES Single Zone Single Single Choiceable Single NO YES NO 156 NO 0/10 4 0 YES Revert) NO NO NO

Simmons SX YES YES Singie Zone Single Single Single Single NO YES NO 130 NO 0/14 4 0 YES Revert) NO NO NO

Simmons SD7PK YES YES Dual Zone Single Singie Single Singie YES YES NO 300 YES 20/30 50 YES Reverb YES YES YES (6)

Yamaha 0TX400K YES YES Single Zone Single Singie Single Singie YES NO YES 1 6 9 YES 0 / 1 0 10 YES 9 Types YES YES YES (10)

*Factory/User

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JASON ROLLS &ATOR STYLEM t k U J J I ^ L g • , A - ' f c T l

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Jason Blltnef_ S/ joc /ovws Fa i l

Cases. Bags, Covers. & Accessories

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PLUGGED INSIMMONS SDSXSimmons has been makingelectronic kits from the

very beginning, and theSDSX often has the leastexpensive street price inthis group. The drum brainof this unit is very similarto the one on the KAT KTI.There is a mode button

that selects betv/een thepattern, kits, voice, andclick controls. There's alsoa page button to accessthe commands under eachmode area. You'll also

find the familiar volume,start/stop, and plus/minus buttons. The back ofthe unit is also familiar if

you've seen the KT1. Hereyou'll find the power jack,the on/off switch, USB andMIDI jacks, stereo outputs,aux input, and headphonejack. In fact, the variouspages inside the modes areexactly the same as theKTI brain.

SIMMONS SD7PKThis Simmons kit is an upgrade from the SDSX. Thiskit sports a more sturdyrack-mount system anda dual-zone snare pad soyou can trigger a separatesound from the head and

the rim. In addition, thebrain is significantly moresophisticated, offeringup the ability to set eachpad's level, pan position,and tuning. In terms ofsetting the responsiveness of the pads, you canadjust the sensitivity,velocity curve, crosstalk,and even the splash sensitivity on the hi-hat.

The h i -ha t con t ro ls on

the 7PK offer five differentsounds; open, half-open,closed, foot closed, andsplash. This gives the hi-hat more flexibility anda more natural feel. The

7PK has more availableonboard kits, sounds,and playalong songs thanany other brain in thisprice group.

s i m m o n s d r u m s . n e t

^ 1 M A . -

999.99^^5400

s i m m o n s d r u m s . n e t

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PLUGGED INY A M A H A D T X 4 0 0 KYamaha has been creatingelectronic drum kits for a goodlong time, and the 400K offersa few unique features. Ratherthan having controls on the frontand back of the brain, this unitincorporates the top and thesides, making everything easyt o a c c e s s .

The 400K doesn't come with abass drum pad, but it does comewith the freestanding KUlOO electronic bass drum pedal. Yamahastates that this pedal system isquieter than a pad-based kick. Afreestanding hi-hat pedal offersopen, closed, foot closed, and footsplash sounds.

The 400K sound module is laidout in a way that is both easy tounderstand and ergonomic. Thereare controls for the ten pads, kitand song select, metronome,start and stop, tempo, volume,and drum mute. From the verybeginning, Yamaha has stressededucation in its electronic kits,and the 400K keeps this traditionalive. There is a specific command

for "training" that takes you intocommands for working on yourrhythmic accuracy (groove check,rhythm gate, measure gate, tempo, and change up), playing drumpatterns (easy session and groovetracker), learning new drum patterns (pad gate, part mute), andsomething called "fast blast" (agame where you can score morepoints by playing faster).

F I N A L A N A LY S I SAs I stated earlier, your finaldecis ion should be based on how

the kit feels beneath your handsand feet, and how the on-boardsounds fit with your needs.Hopefully, this guide can helpyou limit your choices to just acouple of kits with the featuresthat you want or need. Fromthere, it's up to you. But you really can't lose with a functionalelectronic kit at this price.

All the kits included in this

article have a street price under$500 even though the list pricesare significantly higher. 19

J O S E P H R U S S O M A N O" S E I Z E T H E O P P O R T U N I T Y "

Joseph's mother pushes him to attend a STOMPaudition rather than race to his stepdad's side aftera heart attack. Joseph gets the gig, bringing muchneeded good news to the family, and ultimately ita l t e r s t he en t i r e cou rse o f h i s l i f e .

Congratulations Joseph! Enjoy your 50-year supplyof Vic sticks and all your other great prizes.

ChecH HTOtWa l lat VICFlftfH

c n a r r a ! * ' "

/ i d e o a n d" j t o r i e s

yamaha.com/drums I Q$799.99Q ^499

IQO DRUMI December2013 DRUMmagazine.comJoseph's photo courtesy of Guido Mandozzi