5 Best E-percussion Instruments

When you think about rhythm, what comes to mind? It’s likely something relating to drums, or following a beat, popped into your head. Even if we know that rhythm is more than just percussion parts and drum kits, it’s tempting to think of the rhythmic aspects of our music as revolving around the percussive elements. To put it in fancier terms, it’s a question of form and function. In a very literal sense, form precedes function when it comes to acoustic instruments. No matter how many ways we affect the output of an instrument, there’s no changing the fact that the core output of a bassoon is still a bassoon, a snare drum is still a snare drum, and middle C is still middle C.

Thankfully, one of the many interesting offerings of modern e-percussion instruments is an opportunity to reorient ourselves to how we think about making music. Every part within a piece of music has a rhythmic component, and modern technology makes it easier than ever to separate the part of the rhythm from its sonic quality. It’s like taking the MIDI from a drum track and assigning it to a bass line or like replacing that synth part in your DAW with a totally different instrument, all without changing the actual composition.

The following e-percussion instruments are designed to flip that idea on its head, using different interfaces to define how we can interact with a world of sounds — we’re changing the “instrument” without changing the “sound.” Now, form and function enter a reciprocal relationship: one sound might be better on a given interface, but changing the “instrument” might open totally new doors for the rhythm (or melody) the interface allows you to create. Whether you’re a drummer first or looking to add some new hardware to your rig, these e-percussion instruments are sure to inspire!

Roland HandSonic HPD-20 Digital Hand Percussion Controller

Don’t let the design mislead you; Roland’s HandSonic HPD-20 is so much more than a digital version of hand drums. The arrangement of the 13 highly responsive velocity- and pressure-sensitive pads may be inspired by hand percussion, but that’s more of an ergonomic decision — the basic form factor of hand-drum design has endured for thousands of years, after all. Keeping this in mind, Roland reimagines the sonic output of the types of grooves this arrangement can allow. Their SuperNATURAL sound engine ensures any of the 1,000+ onboard sounds are faithfully reproduced with all the nuances of the real deal. You can even load up to 500 of your own WAV samples. Roland’s D-BEAM technology provides even more expressive opportunity, detecting hand movements to trigger sounds, samples, and effects in a supplementary dimension. Djembes, tars, tamboras, tablas, tsuzumis, and so many more hand drums span thousands of years of history and culture. When you consider the differences between all the various types of music, it highlights just how much potential you hold in your hand with the HPD-20.

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KAT Percussion malletKAT 8.5 Grand — 4-octave Percussion Controller

Despite its resemblance to traditional mallets, KAT Percussion’s malletKAT 8.5 Grand is hardly limited to being an electronic equivalent. The technology has evolved greatly since its initial introduction in the 1980s. Mario DeCiutiis — KAT’s own vice president, instrument designer, philharmonic percussionist, and Broadway alum — has stated that the pursuit of expressivity underpins his ongoing ideation and development of the malletKAT line, and the gigKAT 2 engine provides exactly that: a world of orchestral, percussion, drum set, guitar, and bass sounds — and that’s just the beginning. The malletKAT boasts deeply dynamic response features with programmable foot-pedal control, pressure sensitivity, velocity curves, and a roll mode, all of which (and more) can be applied to any of the module’s sounds. Play in 2- or 4-mallet styles and reimagine the sonic output of the instruments that are masterfully replicated. The context of play allows for otherwise impossible arrangements to come to life with 256-voice polyphony for unimpeded performance. Use your mallet know-how to compose for any instrument and broaden the scope of your musical horizons.

Korg Wavedrum Global Edition

The earliest iteration of the Wavedrum emerged in 1994, breaking substantial ground as one of the first synthetic drums to integrate accurate, real physical modeling into its interfacing — it wasn’t just a binary production of sound. With the Korg Wavedrum Global Edition, they have implemented state-of-the-art design across the pressure sensor and multiple pickups to capture physical contact on both the head and the rim, processing numerous vectors of pitch, strike point, location, and intensity. This allows the Wavedrum to more accurately reproduce the dynamics of a hand drum, differentiating play styles, hand or stick use, and the nuances of low-volume interactions. You can easily customize the 200 onboard presets, and a Live mode allows for storage of up to 12 settings for instant recall, making this an easily integrated part of any stage or studio setup.

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KAT Percussion trapKAT XL Percussion Controller

You would be forgiven if your first impression of a trapKAT XL was that it was meant to replicate marching drums. Though it can do as much, it would be selling the trapKAT incredibly short. Boasting a total of 24 playable surfaces, this stick-centered controller is brimming with versatility — fully capable as a standalone instrument or as an expansion to an existing setup. Ten large, flat pads are accompanied by 14 raised pads around the perimeter, commonly relegated to “rim” duty but equally responsive and just as customizable. Force Sensing Resistor (FSR) technology is incorporated into every pad with Nubounce surfaces delivering a responsive, satisfying tactility to match the nuances of the FSR range. Whether you load your own samples or use the onboard presets, up to 16 sounds can be triggered per pad. The trapKAT XL provides a unique mix of percussive sensibilities, letting you reimagine the layout of any sound table with the physicality of drumstick play styles. Sounds and samples can be freely assigned and endlessly rearranged to be as melodic (or not) as you want, allowing you to approach rhythm from an entirely new direction. Drummers and percussionists of every orientation will find the trapKAT XL to be a compelling opportunity to explore composition of any kind in a manner that is both familiar and liberating. Plus, the kit is expandable with both kick-drum and hi-hat pedal inputs.

Keith McMillen Instruments QuNeo 3D Pad Controller

It may be tempting to categorize this as another bog-standard beat pad, but that familiar façade is really the Trojan horse for the QuNeo 3D‘s incredibly deep, versatile functionality. Originally the product of a Kickstarter campaign, Keith McMillen’s original goal of roughly $15,000 in funding was massively eclipsed — nearly tenfold! Fortunately for us, McMillen made tremendous use of the extra funds and his 35+ years of instrument innovation and design. First, every surface is programmable. No, like, really programmable. The QuNeo 3D is fully capable of MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE), and the main 4×4 pads measure velocity sensitivity, X-Y position, and continuous pressure direction, allowing for incredibly complex and nuanced control of samples, percussive instruments, or melodic parts. Nine multi-touch sliders can be mapped in tap, two-finger, and fader modes, controlling anything from basic track volume to value ranges and effects parameters — or all those things at once! You may be wondering about the two circular pads. They can function as buttons, but they also detect angle, continuous pressure, distance from the center, and value direction. Use these for DJ decks and jog wheels or turn them into instruments on their own with the amount of information they can process and control. The QuNeo 3D is bus powered and roughly the size of an iPad, which means it’s an immensely capable controller with a minimal footprint. Built-in multicolor LEDs can be programmed to provide visual feedback as you work and perform, letting you keep your focus on the controller. Expressivity abounds with the QuNeo 3D, making it the perfect hybrid instrument for tackling rhythmic and melodic parts — separately or together — through an endlessly customizable interface.

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So, What Does That All Mean?

What do these all have in common? They’re electronic percussion instruments, sure, but their true creative potential is unlocked by divorcing the form and the function. Really, they’re electronic rhythm instruments modeled after percussion. That may seem like a pedantic distinction, but it’s primarily a statement on creative liberation: reimagining, reorienting, and rearranging the ways we think about and interact with rhythm and detaching it from a strictly percussive realm. Or, put a different way, these can facilitate percussive approaches to places where rhythm might not normally be emphasized. These considerations can only expand when you factor in elements like velocity and location sensitivity, pressure, and expression. It can’t be overstated how much form and function are interrelated, and the simple notion of tactility can provide endless tools with which you assemble your next creative undertaking. No matter your primary instrument, these are sure to encourage fruitful exploration of rhythm, melody, and your overall approach to making music!

If you have more questions, then call your Sweetwater Sales Engineer at (800) 222-4700, and they’ll be happy to assist you in finding the right products.
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