Simmons Electronic Drums

Every electronic drum kit on music store shelves and stages today owes its existence to Simmons. Founded in 1978, the original British Simmons company led the way to revolutionizing percussion into the electronic era of music. Those early Simmons drums can be heard on plenty of the music produced in the 1980s, having been adopted by musicians like Roger Taylor of Duran Duran, Rick Allen of Def Leppard, Howard Jones and Phil Collins.

Once electronic drums had come into their own, the focus of Simmons drums shifted. Today, these drum sets are aimed at beginners and hobbyists, as well as pros who want a casual kit just to play around and experiment with. If you're looking for something extremely compact and portable, start your search at the SD7PK and SDXpress. You might also like the SDD-7, which offers a 7-zone set all on one handy pad. Look up to the SDXpress2 and SD5X for more advanced options that are still relatively space-saving, or if you want a full-sized drum set, check out the SD1500 or the SD100, which comes in 5 and 6-piece versions.

If you've already got a Simmons electronic drum set that you'd like to expand, or if you want an extra pad for any standard drum set, take a look at the individual components in the Simmons lineup. The selection of cymbal pads provides single, dual and triple-zone models, allowing you to decide on your ideal balance between control and simplicity. The snare and tom pads have similar options - for a beginner, single zone pads are a more straightforward choice, while expert drummers will probably prefer two or three zones to expand the available sounds. Simmons also makes kick pads and hi-hat controllers in two versions each: one for the SD1000 series and one for other sets, so make sure you're picking up the right one for the drum kit you have.

If you'd like to build your own SD1000 set from the ground up, the sound module is available on its own. You could add a full range of pads to make a set, or use Simmons Piezo Drum Triggers to connect your acoustic drum kit to the sound module - picking up the standalone drum machine puts the decision in your hands. For any Simmons electronic drum set, consider the DA200S and DA50 monitors to get the sweet snare, tom and cymbal sounds flowing. These self-powered speaker systems are great for practice, rehearsal and even small-venue performances.

Electronic drums have had a big impact on the music scene, and there are plenty of things to like about these instruments from Simmons. Lightweight and compact, these impressive drums are perfect for players of all skill levels.