7 Best Drum Practice Pads For Quiet Rehearsing

Reflexx is a brand that specializes in creating resistance practice pads for drummers. While the brand became very successful on their own, they were acquired by Zildjian, and have since significantly boosted the production of their pads.

Reflexx pads have a very sleek aesthetic. A lot of pro drummers use these simply due to how good they look when set up on a snare drum stand. 

You get a 6-inch and a 10-inch version, but the 10-inch version is undoubtedly the better option. You get plenty of space to play on the surface, but it’s still small enough to pack into a backpack when you’re traveling. 

The key feature of the Reflexx Conditioning Pad is that you get two playable surfaces. The one side is referred to as the Flexx side. It feels similar to what most drummers expect from a practice pad. The surface is fairly hard, and it has a lot of rebound. 

The other side is referred to as the Workk side. The material here is a lot softer, and it has almost no rebound. It’s intended for resistance workouts when you want to work on your hand speed without relying on rebound. 

The resistance side of the pad is what made these Reflexx pads so popular in the first place, and it feels amazing to play on. Another benefit is that it’s incredibly soft, so you can practice on this side when you don’t want anyone to hear your pad work. That makes it a great night time practice option. 

These Reflexx pads used to get released with product drops, and then they’d stop production for a while. This made them in high demand. They’re more widely distributed now due to the Zildjian acquisition. However, they’re still not as abundant as most other popular practice pads on the market.

Tama’s True Touch Practice kit is one of the newest practice drum kits introduced to the market. It fixes a lot of issues present on other practice kits, and it’s an amazing option to get for practicing on when you can’t make a big noise on your main kit. 

If you’re looking for a single practice pad, Tama offers the option of buying the snare drum from that kit on its own. This AAD Snare Pad is an incredible practice pad option, as it offers many features that other pads don’t. 

The strike zone is made from a combination of materials to make it feel as realistic and responsive as possible. The Tama True Touch Training AAD Snare Pad also allows you to tighten or loosen the tension of the surface with the use of a drum key. 

You can dial in whatever your preferred tension is for your acoustic snare drum, and you’ll get the same response with this pad. 

The pad offers snare buzz with metal pieces rattling inside. So, you can use it as a snare drum in a practice pad setup, and you’ll get that authentic snare buzz when playing. 

Unfortunately, you can’t turn the snare buzz off. So, this isn’t a great option to get if you’re just looking for a quiet rubber sound.

This Evans RealFeel practice pad is one of the best drum practice pads on the market, and for good reason!

This pad is made from high-quality materials in the USA and it’s brilliantly versatile. It is mountable either on a snare stand or can be played on a tabletop.

The pad consists of two different playing surfaces. One side is made of natural gum for a realistic drumming rebound.

The other side is comprised of a natural harder recycled rubber, which offers less rebound. This means you will need to work harder and makes it an excellent workout pad!

Both sides of the pad are a joy to play with, and it’s nice and quiet. Meaning you’ll be able to practice without disturbing anyone else.

This is the best drum practice pad on the market and it will allow you to develop greater control and speed anywhere you like!

Up next we have Vic Firth’s offering to the drum practice pad market. My first impressions are that it is a durable and high-quality practice pad and it has been designed well.

It features two different playing surfaces, offering you the choice of a workout pad, or a light and bouncy cushioned pad- perfect for developing rudiments and control.

Playing this practice pad on both sides offers a fantastic response and articulation. The softer rubber side replicates a concert snare drum, whilst the harder plastic side mimics a marching snare drum playing experience.

The construction of the Vic Firth double-sized practice pad is excellent, and it performs quietly meaning you won’t have to disturb anyone else whilst you practice.

It’s a good size pad meaning it offers a realistic snare drum playing experience yet it is also portable enough to be transported in a bag anywhere!

I thoroughly recommend this product to anyone looking at a high quality, quiet, and portable practice pad that offers good value for money.

The Ahead S-Hoop Marching Snare Practice Pad is distinctively made from durable materials and is designed to offer the playing response of a marching snare drum.

This drum pad also features a unique steel S-Hoop that can take serious rimshots without any damage whatsoever.

Playing this pad feels fantastic, and the rim offers satisfying rimshots with a pronounced and articulate tone. The replaceable carbon-fiber playing surface feels like a Kevlar head.

This snare hefty and substantial. The quality of the manufacturing is definitely noticeable in this product and it is truly a satisfying practice pad to play. It’s a great practice substitute for an acoustic drum set.

This is the best drum practice pad for you if you want to play a pad that is the closest thing available to playing a real marching snare drum!

Remo is arguably the best drumhead manufacturer in the world, and their efforts have been successful in producing a great quality practice pad!

This practice pad is very different from the others I have reviewed. This drum practice pad features a genuine Remo drumhead that is able to be tuned just like a real drum head! You can adjust the tightness of the skin and thus change the level of bounce received from playing it as a result.

What’s so great about this drum pad is that it provides a playing experience as close as possible to the real thing! It is the perfect tool for the maturing drummer looking to develop his hand control and speed at home or on the go.

The Remo tunable practice pad is built from solid materials and has a protective rubber bottom for non-slip use. It is also possible to mount it on a stand.

The main drawback of this drumming practice pad is that it’s slightly noisier to play. But it is also the cheapest offering, which means it offers excellent value for your money.

It is, however, the best drum practice pad for portability, given its compact diameter! And despite the low price it is manufactured very well and has the quality you would expect from Remo USA.

Up next we have the Prologix Russ Miller Practice Pad that makes use of three different playing surfaces!

This drum pad is definitely the most versatile practice pad available on the market and is made from very durable, high-quality materials.

The base layer is a red gum rubber that offers a natural stick response. This is ideal for all-round warming up and practicing.

The blue lightning insert kills the drumstick rebound which makes it a fantastic workout pad. Playing on this pad will really build your endurance and power.

Lastly, the textured white insert provides the feel of a coated drum head which makes it perfect for practicing with brushes.

The build quality of this drum practice pad is excellent, and it’s constructed atop of a Baltic birch base that feels very high quality. It also offers a high level of durability and strength.

You can mount the Prologix Russ Miller practice pad in a number of ways. It has a non-slip bottom which allows it to stay firmly put on a tabletop. Alternatively, the notched tripod stand receivers in the base accommodate for snare arms!

You can also choose to set this up directly on top of your snare drum, which is a feature I really liked about this awesome snare drum practice pad.