The 6 Best Electronic Kick Pedals, Pads, and Towers (2023)
There are a few different styles of electronic kick pads, pedals, and towers that you can find on an electronic drum set. You can usually upgrade your existing electronic kick if you wish.
Some of the main considerations that you should take into account are sensitivity and volume. Beaterless pedals tend to be a lot quieter, whereas pedals that include beaters tend to feel a lot more realistic in comparison to standard bass drum pedals.
Most electronic kick pedals use a 1/4″ jack connector (instrument/guitar-style cable), so they are generally cross-compatible with drum modules from other brands for the most part.
My top recommended electronic kick is the Roland KT-10 Kick Trigger Pedal. This is arguably one of the best trigger pedals on the market with a natural feel.
My second recommended electronic kick is the Yamaha KP-65A. This is an affordable kick tower that’s sturdy and provides a large surface for two pedals.
Contents
- The 6 Best Electronic Kick Pedals, Pads, and Towers
- 1. Roland KT-10 Kick Trigger Pedal
- 2. Yamaha KP-65A
- 3. Roland KD-140-BC V-Kick Trigger Pad
- 4. Yamaha KU100 Silent Kick Pedal
- 5. Roland KD-7 Kick-Controller
- 6. Alesis Kick 8" Mesh Head Kick Pad
- Different Types of Kick Drum Pads
- Do You Need a Bass Drum Pedal?
- Are these compatible with all drum modules?
- Using Double Bass Drum Pedals on Electronic Drum Sets
- Summary
The 6 Best Electronic Kick Pedals, Pads, and Towers
Let’s compare these in more detail.
1. Roland KT-10 Kick Trigger Pedal
If you’re looking to buy a kick trigger pedal and keep everything low and quiet, the Roland KT-10 is the hands-down best option on the market. This pedal is a top-notch Roland item. As they are known for producing the best electronic drums at the moment, you get an idea of how good this is.
The KT-10 is small, compact, and quiet. It has a reverse-motioned kick mechanism, which has a natural feel when playing. This mechanism can also be adjusted by weights and connected to any kick module through a ¼” input. You can also take two and connect them to make them a double beater. All in all, a great buy for anyone.
2. Yamaha KP-65A
If you’re going for somewhat cheaper products, this Yamaha kick tower should definitely make it into your shortlist. The Yamaha KP65 is a 6.5-inch kick tower. It has a large kick surface on the head, so you won’t have a problem playing two pedals at the same time.
It sits on a sturdy steel frame, but it’s light and quiet at the same time. If you’re buying a kick tower, consider that you should also buy an electronic bass drum pedal (or even a double bass drum pedal) to play it with. It’s connected by two ¼” jacks. This is a great buy for any beginners or anyone looking to buy a quality kick controller for a small amount of money.
3. Roland KD-140-BC V-Kick Trigger Pad
Roland’s V-series is as close as you can get to the acoustic drums feel while playing electronic drums. This also applies to their kick tower. The Roland KD-140-BC V-Kick Trigger Pad is the closest you can get to playing an acoustic kick drum without actually playing one.
This kick tower has a huge panel on which you can easily fit a double bass pedal. It’s connected through a 1/4” output, so you can connect it to almost anything. Size-wise, this is not the smallest kick tower out there and as for the price, it is in the high-end range. Regardless, this is a pro option.
4. Yamaha KU100 Silent Kick Pedal
If you want to get a beaterless kick pedal, but don’t want to spend tons of money, the Yamaha KU100 is your pick. This is a 13” long beaterless pedal. It is really quality made, with 1/4” jacks that allow it to connect to most modules on the market.
KU100 is silent and velocity-sensitive. This is a perfect buy for any beginners looking to get quality pedals that will help them learn how to play properly without much noise.
5. Roland KD-7 Kick-Controller
The KD-7 is Roland’s take on compact kick pads. This tiny pad provides you with an extremely versatile and precise playing feel, while also being pretty quiet and light. It has a tiny footprint, so you can use it wherever you need it.
This is the best you can get crammed into such a small space while keeping all of the quality inside. It’s important to note that this is a kick controller for a single pedal only.
6. Alesis Kick 8" Mesh Head Kick Pad
The Alesis Kick 8″ Mesh Head Kick Pad is a great value kick pad as well as a popular choice for many drummers. It allows for an acoustic-like feel for players due to its velocity-sensitive nature. It’s also surprisingly quiet because of the mesh head material.
This kick pad is great and can be used with single and double bass pedals and connects through a 1/4″ cable. Overall, it’s a great purchase if you’re after a value-for-price ratio.
Different Types of Kick Drum Pads
As you probably noticed, there are three different types of kick drum pads. All of them produce the same result but in slightly different ways.
The most usual is the kick tower. This is a tower with sensors behind the pad, and you have to hit it the same way you would hit the kick drum with the pedal. They have to use a pedal attached to work. You can find them in all different kinds of price ranges and qualities.
Kick pads are a smaller version of a kick tower. They also use a separate pedal beater, but their footprint is so much smaller. To get a sound, you connect a sensor to the pedal and hit it with a beater.
And last, but not least, are beaterless kick pedals. These have all of the electronics packed inside of them and don’t need any additional beaters to work. They are made to completely work autonomously and simulate the pedal work from the inside, keeping them silent and compact. However, they are often not as sensitive as using a beater.
Do You Need a Bass Drum Pedal?
If you’re using a kick tower or compact pad like the KD7 then yes, you will need one. If, on the other hand, you’re using a beaterless pedal then you don’t need one.
Are these compatible with all drum modules?
All of the pedals that are on this list have ¼” jacks built into them. This means that they should be compatible with most of the drumming modules out there, as ¼” jack is the industry standard for connectivity. Most of the pedals or kick towers on the market are equipped with this kind of connection, so it would really be surprising to find some without it.
Using Double Bass Drum Pedals on Electronic Drum Sets
You may be wondering if your electronic drum set is compatible with double bass drum pedals. They generally work with them as long as the kick tower is large enough to accommodate two pedals, but please note that sometimes there are limitations in the drum module. Check out our article on double bass drum electronic drum sets for more information.
Summary
There are different types of kick drum pedals for electronic drums on the market. Even though they perform the same job, there are still some big differences you should pay attention to. Some people tend to love the feel of the acoustic beater, while others just want to keep things as quiet and compact as possible going for the beaterless pedals. All that’s important is that you make your choice wisely and pick what’s best for you.
My top pick is the Roland KT-10 Kick Trigger Pedal, one of the best trigger pedals on the market with a natural feel and superb quality.
My budget pick is the Yamaha KP-65A, an affordable kick tower that’s sturdy and provides a large surface for two pedals.
