Electronic kit for University

[gottdonn13]

hey guys, im heading into my second year at university and last year i did not have an electric kit to play on at uni, and i missed playing so bad! this year im going to have a bit more spare money and room is slightly bigger, so im looking at buying an electric kit.

ive been playing for about 10years, but have only played acoustic kits for any length of time (ive played on an electric one at school but only for an hour or 2), so i have a lot to learn to do with electric kits.

i only have around £300 to spend, but if you really think it helps i could maybe stretch to nearer 400, and im happy to buy second hand if you think im better of doing so, and it needs to able to pack down pretty small so it doesnt eat up all my space in my uni room.

ive read the yamaha dtxplorer is tht sorta price, and has features beyond its price range, but im a noob and dont really understand haha

any suggestions and advice is greatly appreciated, thankyou

[pastor_bob]

Welcome to Drum Chat gottdonn13!

I'm no expert on e-kits, but I'm sure someone who can help you will be along very soon.

Again, welcome.

[DrumRookie]

If you can afford the Yammy, I would go for it. It is pretty good for the money, and many features to play around with. I would also try looking on craigslist, there may be some Rolands (very high end brand) for cheap. May not be in your price range, but if your lucky you could find one for around 400. Ebay might have a SD9K for cheap too, same for craigslist. Very nice kits.
I'm not expert in e-kits, but I will need to purchase one soon due to not being able to play all the time because of high volume, so I have done some researching. Hope this helps!

[DLDante]

The DTXplorer, in my opinion, is the best entry kit there is. It's cheap, has a great module, reliable hardware, and folds up for easy storage (perfect for a dorm or small apartment). A brand new one will run you about $600. It's Roland equivalent, the TD4, costs at least $1,000 and the module has less sounds and the set can't be folded up for storage.

Just a quick opinion on Roland drums (since DrumRookie mentioned they are very high end): Yamaha and Roland are on par when it comes to quality. Roland really costs more because they're more popular when it comes to e-kits. They're definitely great, but the little extra you pay is really only for the Roland name. The main differences between the two are Roland's mesh heads vs. Yamaha's TCS heads and which one is better all comes down to personal preference. If you like the Roland mesh then you're justified in paying the cost for them. If you like the Yamaha TCS then you feel like you won the lottery getting the better equipment for so much less money.

Now, with the price range you're looking in, the only option for either brand is rubber pads anyway so I personally don't see any point in paying extra for the Roland sets in that category. Go with the DTXplorer. It will fit your needs perfectly.

[scorch whammin]

The DTXplorer, in my opinion, is the best entry kit there is.

Yamaha and Roland are on par when it comes to quality. Roland really costs more because they're more popular when it comes to e-kits.

Now, with the price range you're looking in, the only option for either brand is rubber pads anyway so I personally don't see any point in paying extra for the Roland sets in that category. Go with the DTXplorer. It will fit your needs perfectly.

Agree!...as a former roland owner/user, go with the yamaha..

[Drumbledore]

Even though I'm an Alesis and Roland player, a number of people I teach have Yamaha kits that are certainly value for money. Like others have stated (and I most certainly agree) the Yamaha DTXplorer is definitely worth the money. Mesh heads are definitely quieter when you compare the Roland mesh pads vs the Yamaha rubber ones, but even so when you do get Roland kits, the rubber pad cymbals are still going to be a little louder than the rest of the mesh pad kit. I'd only look and compare the Rolands if volume of sticks hitting pads (to the casual outside listener, as you might be hearing the drum sounds with headphones, let's say) might be a little loud if you were trying out various electronic kits.

[Andy_TAMA]

I've had a yamaha dtxplorer in my room for a few years now, as a quiet practice kit. It's brilliant and sounds perfect for what you want, its small, and as you say has features miles beyond it's price range. I would never even consider using it as a main kit or for gigging, because an acoustic kit will out do an ekit any day, but the yamaha dtxplorer in my opinion is flawless for use as a quiet practice kit. And my parents agree :P

[dave0549jv]

+1 on the Xplorer. It's a good kit for small spaces, and it folds up and stores easily. The sounds are all pretty good, and it's got way more features than i've ever used. The rubber pads are all 1 zone, but i believe you can upgrade them. I've been thinking about getting a fancier pad for a snare, so i can have rim shots and such, but it really isnt neccesary.

I came to the conclusion that it's the cheapest way to get a good quality kit. you can buy cheaper, but the reviews tend to get dodgy below this price point. I'm happy with mine, and I would definitely reccomend it. Hope this helps!

[Drumbledore]

Dave, I believe the Yamaha dual (or multi?) zone snare pad that you can add to a DTXplorer is called the HP65S? I've been looking around for one for a student who wants to upgrade.

[DLDante]

The TP65S is one option for the snare upgrade. It looks like the basic rubber pads but has three zones. It's the cheapest upgrade option. You can also get the TP100 or TP120 pads, which are the predecessors to the current DTX pads. They're essentially the same except those pads have a rubber surface whereas the new DTX pads use that textured silicone stuff.

[lionheart]

I love my Roland kit and haven't played the Yamaha, though they do seem a lot more kit for the money.
Pop to a largish drum shop and try to 2 out.
If you're short of space in your new room the HD-1 is about as small as it gets.
My drum teacher has recently swapped over from his acoustic kit(s) to one of his electronic kits because of ease of use. Though please bear in mind that it is top end and not a HD-1
Hope this helps

[Fifty]

I think rolands have made a name for themselves, and because of that tend to charge a bit more, Roland is excellent, but very expensive. I'm buying an electric kit soon. I thought I had my heart set on the Alesis DM10, it seems like a good kit, when you convert the pads to mesh people say it feels good. But the DM10 seems a bit out of you're price range ($1050) I've also heard great things about the DM6 and DM8. Really, under $1000 it seems you're always getting the same features no matter what you go with.

I think I'll be going with a Yamaha (Either the DTX500 or 700, depending on budget in a few months) because they record their drum sets, and put them on all their modules, from the 500 to the 900. For example, the Yamaha OAK kit is sampled and put into every single one of their modules, an actual Yamaha Oak acoustic set is recorded for the samples. One of the drum guys at a store was also telling me about the expandability of the sets in question (Roland TD4, Yamaha 5** (500, 520, 530, 550) and he was saying the Yamaha module will recognize any yamaha pad (the TSC ones that have the tuning knob, so you can adjust the pitch of each drum just by twisting the knob, which I thought was a pretty cool feature) so you don't need to "install" it. He was also saying any Yamaha trigger/pad can be used with any Yamaha module, so you can always upgrade to mesh or silicone heads in the future if you go with Yamaha.

As of this point, I'll probably be going with a Yamaha. Rolands seem overpriced, and Alesis is seeming really bad at this point.

[Rickkus]

I have the Alesis DM5 - you can pick these up for $200 with pads - I would replace the pad with a real drum and sew the mesh yourself - save some cash.