I’ve got both the 22 Dry Dark and Dry Dark Brilliant crashes. I got the brilliant version first and loved it - then got the regular Dry Dark. I’ve used them both in worship settings. They are great accent cymbals - almost like a very washy china. They sound great when hit at the same time as the kick and floor tom. A deep ‘gush’. They can do a lot depending on how you hit them and how hard. It will sound different, but I think in a good way to mix things up a bit. I also have the Joey ride and a 24” 30th ride and 16” 30th hats. 20” Traditional Dark crash as my main crash. Contemplating getting the 17” Dry Dark hats down the road. You can hear my 22” Brilliant here around the 7:30 mark. https://www.youtube.com/live/ukXFOG5T8X0?si=Gj0jhAar6X-ztx0N

The dry darks are one of a kind. Either they work for you or they don't. Some people (me) have them as at least a secondary if not primary crash, some use them as accent cymbals, some can't make them fit into their playing style. All I can say is try it and see how you like it!

I have this crash. It definitely sounds interesting and unique, it's the thinnest (I can bend it with one hand) the lightest, the driest crash I've ever heard. And it looks fantastic. But I can't recommend it as primary or secondary crash, it's too dry for me and my kind of music.

I had a 22" a couple months ago and loved the idea of having it for a different sound. I play the same type stuff you do, and thought that a dry crash would sound good paired with my 22" Heartbeat Jazz crash and 24" Jazz lite ride. But it was too dry for me. I've heard youtube clips of some that still had a little bit of tone and sustain, but the one I got was just a "shah" and it was gone, rather than "shaaaaah" if that makes any sense lol.

But they're all hand made, so each cymbal could be a little different. I will say, I had absolutely zero trouble selling it once I realized it wasn't for me. And since I bought it used originally, I ended up getting the same amount that I paid for it.

I have the 22 and it's the worst crash I've ever heard.

I just bought an Alesis Turbo Mesh, recommended by someone on here, off amazon for 299 and i love it

“Best” and “affordable” usually don’t go together

Of the ones you mentioned Roland will have the best build quality by far. Alesis all have a few more bells and whistles and might be the better buy at this price range. Stay away from the donner it’s cheap Chinese crap. At that price range look used

Alesis Nitro. Not produced anymore, but the mesh one should also be good. Never had any issues over 5 years. Added an extra cymbal and used double pedals for a while as well. Haven't done proper recordings though.

The correct answer is always Yamaha.

I dig the Roland VAD307. Great investment if you intend to keep playing the drums, and it isn't outrageously expensive. It'll serve you well for years to come.

For what it’s worth, I am a newbie drummer with next month being the 2yr mark of my ownership of a Roland TD-17 KVXS. My goal when searching for the kit was to as closely as possible replicate an acoustic kit, specifically a real hat stand which I thought was important after renting a version that had a electronic pedal/trigger rather than an actual hat stand with the version I have now.

This to me appears to be the best I could have possibly done at this budget. Roland has more premium lines that are absolutely incredible but that of course comes at a cost. This kit looks great aesthetically so can live in your home and actually look nice but perhaps more importantly it’s just nice enough that I won’t outgrow it. If budget were less of an issue you can look at the TD 27 or what I think they call their VAD line but if you want bang for buck this was a great choice for me. 2 years in and I still love it and am still happy with my purchase (although there is always another unit at roughly $1k more per version up the Roland line that would be great but it seems endless until you reach about the $10k mark).

This is still a bite in terms of cost as once you buy the hat stand and I bought a monitor as well (the Roland PM 200 which has also been fantastic) you are well past the $3k mark (CAD) which can be a pill to swallow.

For what it is worth, this was a great purchase for me and still happy with the kit 2yrs in. My kids play on it as well and we plan to keep it for the long run so hope this provides some perspective. Happy Roland customer here.

You'll have to decide for yourself. We all look for something that fits us and our style of drumming. Some like me find vast and accurate dynamics to be a must have. Some just want a lot if variation in different drum kits to choose from and some (also like me) wanna create their own sound within the kit. When it comes to gear just look for something adjustable, mid- to high quality and the heads should be mesh because they have more rebound and feel closer to acoustic drum heads unlike rubber or worse, plastic. Keep in mind, to have it all you need to be WELL off. Can't have it all if you're not upper class

I vote for Roland - bought a TD-9 over 10 years ago and it still works, haven't replaced a single thing on it yet, except the hi-hat pedal.

This gets asked a bunch over on r/edrums. Do some searching over there to get more ideas. I’m a yamaha guy so the dtx6 gets my vote. The TCS pads are nice. I prefer them to mesh. The stock sounds are great and there’s a great training mode.

I played a show earlier this week where the house kit was a brand new but very basic electric kit, with a proper kick pedal but not a proper moving hi-hat.

Frankly, it sucked. The whole kit was so tiny, and the rims around the pads so tall, that I felt I was playing with my elbows around my ears just to not hit a rim shot on every beat. The lightweight hi-hat pedal tried to skid away across the wooden floor despite copious amounts of duct tape, and the built in sounds were tinny and toy like with no real subtlety or variation possible.

Halfway through my set the snare drum fell off the rack, and we had to pause the show and tell jokes while the guitarist and I screwed the fastener back as tight as it would go. During changeover I had a chat with the next band's drummer to give him a heads up; despite this, 20 minutes into their set, the rack fell apart again.

Basically, it wasn't fun to play, and it made our band look unprofessional and sound like crap.

I used to own a Roland TD-17 which would have been a much better bet. Not fancy or overcomplicated, but solid, reliable, fun to play, and sounds OK especially with a 3rd party sound pack installed.

1. Roland 2. At least a mesh snare.

Any decent drummer can make that work

I tried several brands’ low and mid-tier options, all were just fine for rehearsals. The one element I valued most was a real hi-hat stand.

Mesh heads feel great and are even quieter than pads, but I wouldn’t complain about a pad kit with real pedals.

That price point is about 1k for used kits. Roland TD17kvx or Yamaha DTX6 and from up. TD27 much better. Or Efnote.

Efnote 5 and up, all day every day - it outclasses the Roland kits twice the price. Haven't tried the Efnote 3, but I'd bet it's good.

Drum-tec. Great advice and they don’t hesitate to sell you another brand if they thinking’s a better component. They are all drummers. I bought a set from them and it looks and feels like an acoustic.

Can't go wrong with Roland, the stuff lasts an eternity and no issues like Alesis

Efnote

Roland

Alesis

For more economic: XDrum

Millenium

You could convert your regular kit or get a cheap acoustic and convert it. The process is easily reversible. Basically you add triggers and replace the heads with mesh heads, then either use lv cymbals or get some ecymbals. If that sounds interesting I would watch this to get an idea what you would need to do. https://youtu.be/j80f-jt4w-I?si=BzkiyDFhXSaOk0dH

If you want something easy and off the shelf efnote5 or 7, Roland td27/vad504 or vad507, or Yamaha dtx10k or the new dtx8k model with the dtxprox module. If you are spending a lot it might be best to find a place near you that you can go try them out first so you know what you will be getting.

The two top brands are 1. Roland, 2. Yamaha.

Personally i'm NOT a fan of alesis because of quality issues. You should probably include your budget in the post. Makes it easier to recommend something. Solid mid budget options are the roland td 17kvx2 or the yamaha dtx6k5-m. I'd probably go with the yamaha cause it has bigger tom pads. I havent played it myself yet though cause it's only been on the market for a couple of months

I know this is not a direct answer to your question, but take a look at used acoustic kits, and put mesh heads and low volume cymbals on them. You can't get all this for 500, but maybe get close if you get a cheap used drumkit as the base. Then, if you later need to use the kit live can take your time shopping some real cymbals from the used market, and some normal heads.

I want to learn too but live in an apartment complex. Is learning on electric practical for being able to play on acoustic later?

A used Roland.

What’s your budget?

Banned from a subreddit because he offered his opinion about what he considers "good" brand of edrums?! Seriously?! Sorry, but that is absolutely ridiculous. Is your name Karen, by chance?

For the record, I happen to agree with the Itchy_Professor in regards to Roland being the best, hands down. Call me a fan boy, downvote me to oblivion, or go ahead and ban me as well, but I feel like I have enough experience with other makes/models/brands of edrums to come to the conclusion that Roland is simply superior.

Roland, Yamaha, Alesis

Roland, Yamaha, Alesis, Efnote, millennium,Atv, drum tech, Jobecky and more.

I’m only showing the same respect for this dude that they had for the community by asking a question with no research, context, or clarification.

I think it prolly took just as long or more to type that a-hole reply. Way to go pushing people away from the community.

You forgot about the human on the other side of the screen.

ATV

Yamaha DTX-10 Series. The Textured Cellular Silicone heads feature a unique internal structure that provides a realistic response with realistic hardness and rebound, as well as a treated surface that prevents stick sliding. I’ve played rubber pads and mesh heads but for me, Yamaha’s TCS pads are unlike any other brand. The module’s sound library is basically a recording of Yamaha’s family of acoustic kits, which sound wonderful. The cymbals are a bit generic but incorporating Superior Drummer 3 bolsters that shortcoming.

What's your budget?

So if quality is the most important point on your list (and i love that it is), you probably either want to go roland or yamaha.

While the Alesis flagship seems to be decent quality , their cheaper kits definitely arent which tells you a lot about their mentality including service and replacements etc.

If you want to go Roland, the td 27kv2 is a solid option. You could also look for a second hand roland vad 507. Roland kits are built like tanks so getting a 2,3,4 year old kit is usually nothing to worry about.
The vad 507 is a td27 module + bigger toms and bassdrum (look it up!)

An interesting yamaha option would be the dtx8k. Costs about the same as a td27kv but comes with nicer tom pads. Nice quality too. Sounds a bit oldish to me so maybe hooking it up to a vst would be a good idea

Last but.. maybe least? The efnote 3x. I've had an eye on this kit cause it sounds really really nice out of the box. Good enough that you wouldn't need a vst all the time. But! They havent been around for THAT long so i cant tell you a lot about their quality. Maybe ask around in an efnote forum. They seem very promising from what i've heard though

I own a TD-27 and wish I had gone with a VAD or something similar with larger pads. The TD 27 is nice for keeping a small footprint, but for me feels too much like a “toy” because of the size. Also, have had problems keeping the kick where I want it. It likes to move.

Roland TD27 as it’s the best one I have drummed on. Sadly never owned one but I’d like to in the future!

Only downside is that it costs minimum U$3K which can be steep however all the features make it worthwhile.

Love my Efnote 5.

I mean, you could go all out and get an Erica Synths Techno System. I actually have one and think it’s the best thing since sliced bread. Their new Perkons drum machine is also really cool… although idk if it would be a good first choice or even good as your only drum machine.

I'm using the TR-6S and so far enjoying it a lot definitely the TR-8S may fill all the dream machine needs

Alesis SR-16! Fight me lol 😂

Synthstrom Deluge. Does tons.

with no budget constraints, probably Elektron Analog Rytm MKII.With some budget constraints, I would suggest Syntakt, DRM1, and TR-6S are all solid options for different applications. Syntakt for glitchy IDM, DRM1 for club music, TR-6S for hip hop, maybe Polyend Play for generative music.

for ultra budget - I would go for Model:Cycles or Model:Samples, or even Volca Drum