Setup & Sounds
Getting your electronic kit into a computer, the drum VSTs that replace the module's sounds, and the headphones that make an e-kit feel like a real one.
An electronic kit is two purchases: the pads you hit, and the sounds that come out. The module in the box is the second one on day one, and for most drummers it is the first thing they outgrow. The fix is a USB cable, a laptop and a drum VST — and a short list of settings that decide whether the result feels like playing or like lag.
Start with connecting the kit to a computer, then pick the sounds, and buy headphones built for the job rather than the ones already in the drawer. If you are still choosing the kit itself, the electronic drum kit buying guide comes first.
Latest in Setup & Sounds
All Our Buying Guides
Drum VSTs | The best sounds for your e-kit
The best drum VSTs for an electronic kit: Superior Drummer 3, EZdrummer 3, Addictive Drums 2, GetGood Drums and Steven Slate Drums compared, plus the free ones.
How to
Connect an e-kit to a computer | USB, MIDI, latency
How to connect an electronic drum kit to a computer: the USB cable, MIDI versus audio, the buffer and driver settings that kill latency, and mapping the pads.
All Our Buying Guides
Headphones for electronic drums | What works
The best headphones for electronic drums: closed-back studio pairs, the drum-specific models with isolation built in, and why Bluetooth is out.
Not sure what to pick? Ask the Gear Guru — free, honest gear advice for your style and budget.