Drumming is one of my favourite hobbies. Everyone is suggesting me e-drums or electronic drum set to practice alone in my room without disturbing anyone. They said go for the best kit. I got confused and when I start searching and asking friends about the best electronic drums to be under my budget of less than $500. I have come across only a few options. Nah options are so many but only a few are best in the market.
The reason to look for the Electronic drum is that I don’t want to disturb anyone else and also want to get rid off loading-unloading a big acoustic kit and hardware, mic placement, sound checks.
In the early 2000s, the electronic thing is replacing every acoustic music equipment. Be it the guitar, keyboard or the best digital piano and much more. If we start comparing the acoustic vs the electronic/digital, we can never get to the ultimate answer, who is best. In my opinion, both are class musical instruments. There is no comparison at all.
Hurry? We recommend => Alesis Nitro Kit
If your budget is on the lower side and you are looking for the best electronic drum set under 500 USD, without compromising the music. You can not ignore the things such as pads types (mesh or rubber), cymbals (hip-hop and choke) and should have sounded like the old drum set which we play traditionally. The brain or Module was able to retain all the sounds of an old-fashioned drum.
[table “” not found /]Best electronic drum set under 500$ for beginners and professionals with Reviews
1. Alesis Nitro Kit
If you want to dig into the world of electronic drums, without risking your money, this is one you should consider. They have high-end features which you find in 1000 dollar kits. Day by day “Alesis” is getting a name and bring the revolution in the E-Drums kits. All the people who are beginners, medium learner, and even professionals are looking to buy this one.
If take us like 10-15 minutes to install Alesis Nitro Kit, mind you this is real quick time. Once installed, please note we don’t have to do tuning thing, this is the electronic drum kit. It has a metronome, which we like to check before playing full fledge. We also observe that if your height is on higher side you might feel uncomfortable while seating and playing drum parts.
The drum parts are made of the rubber, technically very very less sound will come out. The size of the drum part is 8″ and for the beginners, it has 4 pads- one is dual zone snare and other three are single zone tombs. We feel the quality to be on the superior side.
Let’s come to the cymbal, we know all the best electronic drums kit will lack this quality. In this kit, the cymbal quality is good and durable, it is not similar but closer to the authentic drums. The size of all three cymbals is 10″. You will find ride cymbal, hit hat and cymbal with choke. They produce good sound effects, which is why this kit makes it our editors choice also.
The rack is another thing which should be made of high-quality material so it can stand strong and provides the stability. In this case, it is made of the aluminum metal.
It has kick pedal, which is a continuous variable type pedal. We feel that pedal quality could have been better.
Last thing which will make it a perfect contender for a best electronic drum set under $500 is the Nitro Module. It has 40 built-in kits and you can build your own also with 385 custom sounds. If you want to do some practice sessions or want to be a part of E-drums. It has something for everyone. Build in soundtracks practice can be done.
The output has 3.5 jack and MIDI. You can record, use headphone or if you want to bring your drum sound to larger sound. Do not worry amplifier can be attached. Just bring the wire and attach to your output device.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| 👍 Premium looks. | 👎 Rubber Pads. |
| 👍 Natural Cymbals. | 👎 Not suitable for people with height more than 6.2″. |
| 👍 Aluminium Frame. | 👎 Poor Pedal Quality. |
| 👍 Durable. |
2. Roland TD-1K Electronic Drum Set Bundle
This is the quietest Edrum under 500 bucks. If you want to do practice or learn electronic drum without disturbing anyone at day or night. The Roland TD-1K is the most recommended thing for you. They have included all the basic to the most advanced feature which you want to be in any edrums in the market.
My friend “Noora” start setting up (installing) Roland TD-1K at her place, I started a stopwatch and it took less than 30 minutes to set up. She sat on drone and set the height of drum according to her height, thanks to the easy height adjustor. The brand claims from the kids to adults, all can use this comfortably according to their height.
The overall ergonomics are excellent. The high quality of plastic is used in this electronic drum. It has 1 snare and 3 tom pads. It also covers up all the basic cymbals- crash and hi-hat. They all sound realistic and natural. The cymbal is very responsive which is the most important part of the acoustic drum also.
My favorite kick pedal and hi-hat pedal brings the energy to your music as per your playing style.
It has one of the advanced module system called as TD-1 sound module. It comes with the 15 kit sounds which will surely enhance your drumming skills- you can choose from multiple available options such as jazz, classical, hip-hop and techno etc. Or you can simply play metronome along with the pre-recorded songs in this module.
When we bored with the inbuilt self-tutor and pre available music in the module. We just plug in our mobile and start practicing our favorite songs. In this model, you can attach whatever- mobile, amp, laptop etc. Record and play later.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| 👍 Audio Cable included. | 👎 Foot pedal not suitable for advanced drummers. |
| 👍 3 Pair of sticks. | |
| 👍 Portable – small footprints. | |
| 👍 Velocity Sensitive. |
3. BEHRINGER (XD8USB)
Are you the one who just want to use the simple yet advanced electronic drum set? This is the affordable kit you ever get on the market.
It is the 8 pieces electronic drum set and the Behringer has collab to bring you one of the best HDS110USB sound modules.
We find- 8″ – 4 pads out of which 3 are snare pad and one tom pad. Like other kits it also has the cymbal, we like the size of the cymbals i.e 12″. Also, it has a 1 kick drum pad.
They have provided the drumsticks and also for the pedal feel, there is kick drum pedal also. We think BEHRINGER XD8USB is not providing you the fancy features, it is just a simple kit.
The only thing in which they have focused on is the module. It is the icon-driven module which is very user-friendly. It has 15 different kit style out of whom 10 are pre-installed. And other 5 can be put in by the user anytime. The metronome and 175 different sounds make this interesting.
Overall the HDS (High Definition Sampling) technology helps you in achieving the closer sound effect of the nonelectric drum. And even this is the best edrum kit for those who want to have one in less than 400$.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| 👍 Bass kick drum pedal. | 👎 Low quality material. |
| 👍 Icon driven module. | |
| 👍 User friendly module. | |
| 👍 High definition sampling (HDS). |
4. Yamaha DTX402K Electronic Drum Set
We don’t have to praise for the brand. They know what they are producing for the drummers. If you want the drum at the cheapest price without compromising on the quality and brand name. With close eye go for this product. One of the easy to set up a drum kit.
What makes it unique is the stereo drum sounds, which are sampled directly from the super quality acoustic drums and cymbals.
Even if you have little or no knowledge of the Edrums, they have the built-in training module which will help you to be cozy with this beautiful edrum pads. Your skills and rhythm will be improved. This is the self-taught kit module.
They have the highest number of drum & percussion sounds at this price range. The pedals will not let you feel that you are on an electronic drum, you will have the same feel of an acoustic drum.
It also includes the 10 songs and 10 training function to make you comfortable with almost all the music styles.
They also have the app for both the androids and IOS, which will let you customize various functions and the ultimately enhance your drumming skills.
The USB connectivity lets you connect your module with software or computer for various other things.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| 👍 Force sensitive. | 👎 Only 5 standard. |
| 👍 One of the best training module. | |
| 👍 Recommended for all types of hitters (hard or slow). |
5. Alesis Surge Mesh Kit – Eight-Piece Electronic Drum Kit
Are you the one who knows the quality of music which produce from the mesh stuff? This is the benchmark for all the mesh kit. Alesis is one of the pioneering brands who is breaking all standards set by other big E-drums brands. No other brand is providing you the mesh pad at this price. And we all know how mesh can enhance the quality of drum sound.
The build is quite strong but seems to be a compact in size kit. It is good for all the newbies and even the professionals love to play. Alesis Surge Mesh Kit is the 8 pieces electronic kit. It took a little time for the setup, and we are setup without any problem. This has all the latest features, and also we can say an upgraded one on comparing to the older versions of Alesis.
The components we find when opening up the package are- 10″ Dual-zone snare and three 8″ dual-zone tom pads.
There are 3 cymbals also- 10″ ride cymbal, one 10″ hi-hat and a crash with the choke. 8″ mesh kick drum tower along with kick drum pedal is also included.
All the equipment works superb, but we feel the quality of cymbals not up to the marks. They are made of light plastic and covered with the rubber. For this reason, we can not say it is not the best edrum kit because that’s the common thing in all other brands also.
We play and we rock the audience. The Alesis module is the same as we find in other models. It includes the 40 kits from jazz to hip-hop, you can enjoy all the styles. It has 385 high-quality sounds, and that’s the enough to rock on stage or practice. If you get bored they also included the very famous 60 play-along tracks.
Connectivity is a very important thing in E-drums kits. It has two extra inputs. You can find USD, MIDI sort of MIDI over USB. The inbuilt sequencer helps you in recording tracks/sounds which you can do lots of fun later. Also, all the necessaries cables are included. This is one of the latest best electronic drum set under 500$, also you just save like $100 more with the accessories it is providing at Free of cost.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| 👍 Mesh pads. | 👎 Cymbals Quality. |
| 👍 Compact size. | |
| 👍 Coaching Mode Build-in. |
6. Carlsbro CSD130 Electronic Drum Set with Realistic Kick Pedal
The Edrums kit in the budget, thanks to the Carlsbro CSD130XXX. This is one of the best kits for the entry-level drummers. Though for professional they might get bored if you won’t buy the expensive accessories along with this electronic drum kit.
It has 3 tom pads and a single snare pad. the center of part produces nice smooth sound while the edges produce different sounds.
The brain Commander 120/130 (module) can do lots of thing for you. It can control tempo, kit selections, preset songs, you can control volume for the individual song. It also has 250 sounds, 20 preset kits, and 10 user-defined kits. Moreover, it includes demo songs, you have aux in, line out, headphone jack, USB interface, and MIDI in/out.
For hard hitters this is an average thing, You can do recording and playback easily.
Overall we can’t have expectations from 300$ electronic kit. It is the budget-friendly kit along with so many features.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| 👍 Digital Display on Module. | 👎 Installation is not easy. |
| 👍 Budget friendly. | 👎 Inferior quality. |
Buyers Guide: How To Solve Your Electronic Kit Drum Problems
1. Drum Pads-
It triggering is mainly of three types- single, dual or triple. All these specify the types of sound and also the sound will specify how sensitive the pads/heads to the pressure of sticks hit by the drummer.
Based on material and features there are mainly two types of pads-
- Rubber – These types of pads are very common because they have the tendency to act the same in all types of acoustic or mesh heads of the edrums. Are the most economical types of pads.
- Mesh – It synchronizes best with all electric accessories. It is much more silent. The rebound is much better than the rubber type. Because of this, you can smoothly play the edrum. They are considered to be the best quality and also it cost more than rubber.
2. Brain or Module-
As like humans, the brains is one of the important parts of a body. Basically, it decides what we choose and do. Similarly, in Edrums the Module is called the Brain of the set. It holds all the sets, sounds, functions, and much. Many brands are doing great research on this.
Look for the better Module and one who have high-quality functions. Modules have the recorded sounds on the high-end acoustic, that is why the higher end modules are good.
3. Features-
There are lots of DIY to convert acoustic drum into an electronic one, they just look nice and fancy on stage only. Buy for the live performance or for the practice sessions we should not go with the DIY things.
The most important features are recording, mixing and audio input/output (MIDI and USB) connectivity. Many things will be different- drum head, pads, hi-hat pedal, and cyntals etc. We have to make sure that the features are enough for us to produce quality music.
3. Brands-
Most of the people have this common thing in mind. Whether to go with the big brand or the smaller? I would say big companies also start from the small. So it does not matter I you choose the e-drums from the big brand or a smaller one.
You have to look at the features, material it is made of or the rack which holds all the set together.
We have reviewed on the brands such as Yamaha, Alesis, Carlsbro, and Rolands. All have their history in electronic drum manufacturing and research.
5. Portability-
One of the reasons we are looking for the Best electronic drum set under $ 500 is the ease of uninstalling and installing of the small and compatible edrums. We can not do the same with ease in big acoustic kits.
Look for the one which is really quick to set up in a few minutes. And you can wrap things easily and can take the kit will you easily. For live setup or take at friends home.
Few Benefits you cannot ignore in the E-Drums:
1. Build in metronome
2. No tuning Required
3. Sound can be heard alone on Headphones.
CONCLUSION-
E-drums sounds silent, You need to hear it on the Quality headphones or requires the amplifier for the audience. We have done the intense research to bring you the crux on Best electronic drum set under 500 USD.
Since the choice should be a budget one without compromising the sound quality of the E-drum, we have given our honest research solution along with the guide.