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Whether you’re looking to upgrade from your basic electronic drum set or you’re looking to utilize a hybrid drum set for live performances, you’ll want to invest in an electronic bass drum to connect to an electronic drum ‘brain’.
In this guide, we’ll take a look at the best electronic bass drum pads, pedals, and kick towers. I’ve compared performance, design size, and cost to give you my top recommendations.
What are the Best Electronic Bass Drum Pads?
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Best trigger pedal
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Best portable option
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Best budget option
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Best professional pad
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How I Tested and Selected the Best Electronic Bass Drum Pads
I’ve been able to play and demo almost every available electronic drum kit on the market throughout the years.
Through this experience, I’ve used all the popular kick drum pads and towers. I know which ones are good and which are bad, and I have the regulars that I tend to recommend.
Whenever I test a kick drum pad, I’ll look at stability as the main determining factor for its quality. I’ll play a few heavy kick drum patterns to see if there’s any movement. I’ll also try a double pedal out to see if it can handle that.
After that, I look for responsiveness. I test this by playing nuanced bass drum patterns at different dynamic levels. If the dynamics come out clearly, I know it’s a good pad.
Finally, I’ll look at connectivity and compatibility to see which modules each pad can be used with.
Electronic Bass Drum Pads Reviews
Roland KT-10 Kick Trigger Pedal
Roland KT-10 Kick Trigger Pedal Review
The Roland KT-10 Kick Trigger Pedal is without a doubt one of the best electronic drum pad options to suit a wide range of drummers. This beaterless kick drum trigger takes up a small footprint and there are no physical impacts with this pedal- making it extremely quiet.
Compared to other electronic kick pads, you might think that it suffers on the performance side as it doesn’t have a beater or pad impact, but it provides an astonishingly realistic playing response.
I’ve used it as a trigger pedal for a hybrid setup in several gigs that I’ve played, and it’s always been very reliable.
The reverse-action trigger mechanism offers a playing action that mimics the motion and feel of a real acoustic kick drum pedal. It’s seriously impressive, and I found the electronic trigger to be accurate and responsive.
The unit itself is extremely solid and heavy-duty, it’s immediately apparent that it’s very well engineered. This pedal will certainly find favor amongst drummers utilizing hybrid setups looking for a reliable, gig-worthy electronic drum pedal.
Overall, I can’t recommend this Roland bass drum pedal highly enough. It’s small, rugged, and simply feels great to play. It features groundbreaking design throughout. Plus, because it’s so quiet, it’s perfect for allowing drummers to play an electronic drum kit in smaller living spaces.
Pros
- Highly expressive playability compared to most other trigger pedals on the market
- A lot quieter than bass drum pads and beaters, making it ideal for apartments where noise levels need to be kept down
- Impressive build quality and outstanding stability
- Good option for compact drum kit setups
Cons
- Limited adjustability, as there aren’t many parts to move around
- Very light action, which some drummers won’t like
Roland KD-140 V-Kick Trigger Pad
Roland KD-140 V-Kick Trigger Pad Review
The heavy-duty Roland KD-140 is a premium electronic kick pad that can easily accommodate a double bass drum pedal and provides a supremely realistic playing feel to that of an acoustic kick drum.
This KD-140 electronic kick pad is the same Roland bass drum that I have in my current Roland electronic drum set. The flexible mesh head provides a natural and comfortable rebound that feels so satisfying to attack with a bass drum beater.
No matter what style of music I play, this electric bass drum tower provides exceptionally accurate, velocity-sensitive triggering that will capture all the small details of my playing.
This electric kick drum pad is supported by four legs that add serious stability. It is perfect for double pedal players such as myself, and it can handle aggressive playing, unlike more affordable kick triggers, while providing a realistic and satisfying response.
The KD-140 feels far superior to cheaper electronic drum pads, especially rubber and plastic options found on basic E-kits, and It would make an excellent upgrade from a stock electric kick drum pad.
Pros
- Extremely sturdy and stable, so you can happily play heavy double bass drum patterns without any movement
- The mesh pad feels very natural, bringing the pad close to feeling like an acoustic kick drum
- You can adjust the tension of the mesh pad to suit your playing preferences
- Incredibly well-designed and it’s built to last
Cons
- One of the most expensive standalone drum pads available
- Very large and bulky compared to most other kick drum pad options
Roland KD-7 Kick Trigger with KDB7 Beater
Roland KD-7 Kick Trigger with KDB7 Beater Review
The compact Roland KD-7 Kick Trigger is the ultimate workhorse for touring and it’s incredibly popular amongst hybrid drum set players on the live circuit. It has an exceptionally small footprint and it can conveniently be connected to any single bass drum pedal.
This simple and no-frills electronic bass drum pad definitely ticks lots of boxes. It’s extremely rugged, lightweight, and offers a realistic bass drum impact while used in conjunction with the included KDB7 beater.
Many professional drummers have the KD-7 in their rig because it’s so reliable and dependable for touring. With accurate triggering and a realistic bass drum playing impact, this inexpensive Roland bass drum pad is a suitable option for all different drummers seeking a portable kick trigger.
I’ve seen countless drummers use this in a small electronic setup along with a Roland SPD-SX. It just seems so much more convenient than a typical pedal and pad.
The Roland KD-7 also carries an affordable price tag without sacrificing on quality or performance, making this the best standalone electronic bass drum pad to use with a single kick drum pedal.
Pros
- Built like a tank and is super compact, making it perfect for live shows
- One of the best kick drum pedal options for hybrid acoustic/electronic setups
- Can be used to trigger things like MD mics and lights on stage
- Excellent value for money considering the performance and price
- Accurate and reliable triggering
Cons
- The KD7B beater looks unconventional as it plays in reverse, but it still feels great to play
- Requires strong velcro or spikes to stay firmly in place for professional live use
Yamaha Electronic Kick Tower Pad - 6.5”
Yamaha Electronic Kick Tower Pad - 6.5” Review
The Yamaha Electronic Kick Tower Pad is an inexpensive option that should appeal to lots of drummers, especially those looking to upgrade their electronic bass drum to one that can accommodate a double kick drum pedal.
I find the build quality of the unit to be surprisingly strong and robust. No matter how hard I play, it remains in place.
It has a large playing surface that offers a realistic feel and the triggering is responsive to different playing dynamics. There is also a knob that allows you to adjust the output response which is a nice additional feature.
For the price, this is definitely one of the best electronic kick drums on the market that is compatible with most electronic percussion controllers and modern drum modules. It’s a solid and reliable tool for rehearsals and even live performances.
Pros
- Large impact surface area provides a realistic playing feel
- Excellent price to quality ratio that will certainly appeal to a wide range of drummers
- Ideal for rehearsals and small gigs
- One of the most affordable pads that can accommodate a double bass drum pedal
Cons
- Frame is not rugged and supportive enough for heavy professional use, so it’s not a good option for touring
- Rubber impact surface is quite loud, so you may have problems with noise complaints if you live in an apartment building
Roland KD-10 V-Kick Pad
Roland KD-10 V-Kick Pad Review
The new KD-10 Electronic Kick Drum Tower is an excellent recent innovation from Roland. This is the electronic kick drum that features in the latest series of TD-10 and TD-17 series electronic drum sets, and it’s designed to produce the feel of an acoustic kick drum with significantly low-noise.
The innovative mesh head utilizes a cushion-like surface that absorbs the shock of the bass drum beater and it feels awesome to play. It can accommodate for both single and double bass drum pedals, which allows for versatile use.
In my opinion the best thing about the Roland KD-10 is the unique impact surface of this electronic bass drum pad. It provides a satisfying kick drum response when struck with the beater.
When playing it, it feels surprisingly similar to playing a standard acoustic bass drumhead, which I really enjoy.
Where the KD-10 suffers, however, is its lack of support in its frame. The frame doesn’t feature supportive legs like the Roland KD-120 kick drum tower, and therefore it’s not going to hold up as well to fast and aggressive double pedal work.
This is quite a significant drawback especially for those looking for an electronic bass drum pad for live performances, where reliability is paramount.
Pros
- Feels great to play due to the responsive mesh material
- Fairly quiet in use, so it’s a good option for apartment drumming
- Accurate triggering responds well to various dynamics
- High-quality components and build quality, ensuring it will last a long time
Cons
- Lacks some stability, especially if you play fast patterns with a double bass drum pedal
- Doesn’t necessarily offer good value for money, as it has a steep price tag
Features to Look Out for in Electronic Bass Drum Pads
Pad Type
You get three different types of bass drum pads and triggers for electronic drum sets. These are kick triggers, kick towers, and reverse pads.
Kick triggers work on their own, as they just have a pedal that strikes a trigger zone when you press it down. The benefit is that they’re quiet and compact. The downside is that they don’t offer the same realistic playability as a kick tower.
Kick drum towers are set up so that you can connect kick drum pedals to them. These are the best option for authentic playability, but they’re also the largest and bulkiest pads.
Reverse pads are the most unique. They have a pad that faces upward, and they usually come with a special beater to attach to any kick pedal. These pads are compact and work excellently in small hybrid setups.
Size
If you’re getting a standard kick drum tower, you should take size into consideration. The bigger the pad on the tower is, the better it will feel to play.
It will feel more stable, allowing you to play heavy patterns without worrying about the pad moving around too much.
Larger pads also cater better to double bass drum pedal setups.
Material
Kick drum towers will either have rubber or mesh pad surfaces. The ones with rubber pads are typically more affordable.
The drawbacks of rubber pads are that they’re a lot louder and they don’t have the best response. Your bass drum beater will have more rebound than on a typical mesh pad or acoustic drumhead.
Mesh pads are a better option, but they’re more likely to tear if you’re not careful. Just make sure not to use a felt bass drum beater.
Some mesh kick drum pads can have their tension adjusted, but that’s not an option with all of them.
