Using A Double Pedal With An Electronic Drum Kit – All You Need To Know

Of all the different musical instruments out there, drumming has got to be the hardest. Where else would you find a musician using his 4 limbs, sometimes all in different tempos as if each had a mind of its own?

It takes a good deal of musicianship and countless hours of training to be able to call yourself a good drummer. The likes of Buddy Rich and Neil Peart and other world class drummers did not get to where they are in the history books by slacking through their practice.

Yet, for someone just starting with their drum practice, getting a normal drum kit might prove a bit problematic for a variety of reasons.

This is where an electronic drum kit kicks in, pun intended.

Why get an electronic drum kit?

So, why opt for an electronic drum kit when you can use normal drums? Well, for starters, they are somewhat cheaper than your average full drum kit. But the real catch with an electronic drum kit is not about the price really; it’s more about the options.

With an electronic drum kit, you can change sounds with just a click of a button. You get a wide range of available sounds for a variety of kits, from acoustic drums to orchestral percussion. This gives you a great deal of freedom when adjusting the sound according to your musical preference.

Speaking of sounds, electric drum kits have another very cool option; you can control the volume! For all the power of the acoustic drums, you can’t practice freely unless you have a basement or garage, or else your neighbors would probably kill you.

The electronic drum kits not only have volume control, but also can be plugged into earphones! There’s also the very cool possibility of being able to record your music through the drum kit itself.

The Cons of an electronic drum kit

Yet, for all the advantages of an electric drum kit, the one problem many drummers struggle with is the electric drum set double bass, or the lack thereof.

Many starter sets don’t have the typical double bass feel, as it just uses a push bass pedal without an actual kick pedal and pad.

This makes the double bass drum set feel less natural and authentic, something no drummer wants to experience while playing their favorite beats!

Double bass pedals for your electronic drum kit

This is why many have started resorting to installing regular double bass pedals with an electronic drum kit. Doing this enables you to get all the pros of an electronic kit, while replacing the one thing that might bug you or make your experience less natural.

The thing about double bass pedals is that they are an absolute necessity for certain genres of music. For instance, there are some sub-genres of metal music that would never work with a single pedal; double blast beats with a good old drum kick pedal is a must for the roaring sound you’ll hear in power metal or black metal, and other rather complex music forms.

How to use double pedals with an electronic drum kit

You have to make sure that the pad of the bass in your electronic kit can accommodate double beaters, which means the size has to be enough and the design has to be stable enough to ensure you can move forward with your plan without jeopardizing the integrity of the entire kit when you replace the electronic bass drum parts.

The problem that you might encounter while trying to replace your current pedals with an electric drum set double bass is being able to find a compatible double kick pedal with your electronic kit.

So, you’re going to have to do a little digging to find a suitable drum kick pedal that works with your electronic bass drum as they won’t come together. Importantly, you’ll need to buy the electric set and double pass pedal separately.

Fortunately, we’ve done the hard work for you and these are some of the drum sets compatible with double bass drum pedals.

1. Alesis Surge Mesh Kit

Alesis Surge Mesh Kit is a very cool kit for amateurs who are trying to get more into the world of drumming through an electronic drum kit. What’s also interesting about the Alesis kit is the fact that its mesh kick pad is wide enough to sustain double kick pedals without having to replace the kick pad, which isn’t something easily done in an electronic drum kit.

2. Alesis Burst Kit

The Alesis Burst Electronic Drum Kit is basically an entry level electronic drum set that is one of the best options out there for beginners, and it comes with four drum pads, threes cymbals, and two pedals. It’s also a bit heavier than its lighter predecessors, making it more suitable for rather more serious drummers, or those wanting to be.

3. Roland TD-11KV

The Roland is one of the best electronic drum kits out there, and even more so, it’s compatible with double bass pedals for its Roland KD-9 kick pad which works perfectly with double kick pedals.

4. Simmons SD350 Electronic Drum Kit with Mesh Pads

The Simmons SD350 is another excellent electric drum kit that is compatible with double bass pedal. It offers expansive sounds, a natural feel to the beats, and a pad good enough to accommodate the double pedals.

5. Yamaha DTX 760K

It’s only logical that a heavy hitter like Yamaha would have more than one electronic drum kit that is compatible with double kick pedals, and they do have them. But the Yamaha DTX 760K is just something else with its excellent quality and a large kick drum tower that should work just great with the double kick pedals.