It all started in 1977 when Syndrum released the first playable electronic pad, which attracted several big names of the day with sponsors like Keith Moon, Jeff Porcaro, Carmine Appice and Terry Bozio.
In the early 1980s, the perception of electronic drums changed as pop and disco music created a demand for electronic sounds. Until that point, drummers were very preoccupied with an electronic “replacement” for their beloved acoustic kits. 1981 brought the first real electronic kit: the SDS-5 made by Simmons. 1983 made electronic drums even more appealing with the arrival of MIDI. In 1985 Roland made its first serious steps into the electronic market and during this year and 1986 ddrum and Yamaha also entered the scene. However, during the late 1980s and early 1990s, popularity dropped due to the kits’ difficult user interfaces.
These percussion companies needed a more user friendly interface – every kit sold also came with a video or DVD of how it all worked, which greatly helped the end user understand the intricacies of the brain of electronic percussion and how it could be tweaked. in many ways to produce various drum and cymbal sounds on the pads. Roland continued to develop e-kits throughout the 1990s with the release of the TD-7, TD-5, and TD-10, the first set to feature mesh heads. Yamaha continued their interest with the DTX range. By 1999, Yamaha had made a much more affordable kit with the release of the DTXpress alongside Roland’s TD-8, and at the time, these two companies dominated the electronic drum market.
Further developments came in 2004/05 when Roland introduced the first true electronic hi-hat, the VH-12. In recent years, as technology has improved, electronic kits have become more affordable with instruction books and easy to use with the emergence of a number of new manufacturers and Roland and Yamaha continue to develop new kits. Only time will tell what the next development in electronic kits will be, but one thing is for sure: they are here to stay.
Patrons like Omar Hakim and Thomas Lang are constantly on tour showcasing electronic drum kits to large audiences of drummers. Electronic drum kits can also be used as additional pads to expand acoustic drum kits so they can trigger audio loops to play at shows. The main brands of electronic drum kits out there are Yamaha and Roland, but many other companies make similar kits.
