Best Drum Box Pedals: 5 Ways to Keep The Beat
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Best Drum Box Pedals: 5 Ways to Keep The Beat · Source: Peter D Noyce / Alamy Stock Photo
These are some of the best drum box pedals that you should look at. Is the metronome driving you mad? Here are 5 convincing beat machines to keep you in time.
In this purchase advisor, we’ll be looking at five examples of drum box pedals. They can be the perfect practice companion, or the missing link for your live performances. We’ll compare different models at different price points.
Key Information About Drum Box Pedals
- Drum Box pedals provide built-in percussion grooves without needing drumkits or backing tracks.
- They operate via footswitch control, making them ideal for live and or street performers. Not only that, bedroom rehearsals.
- Drum Box pedals are portable and easy to integrate into existing pedal boards.
5 Drum Box Pedals
Flamma FC12 Drum machine
In our first look at drum box pedals, we’ve got this budget example from Flamma. Not to say that it’s not worth your time, it’s just a great way to experiment with the concept without breaking the bank. These retail at *£52 / €59.
What’s on offer then? This easy to use drum box pedal has 48 drum grooves across 6 musical genres:
- Pop
- Rock
- Funk
- Blues
- Metal
- Jazz
There are also dials to control the speed and EQ of the drum beat. I’d use this as a practice aid, to help with timing, or just making bedroom jams more enjoyable.
Electro Harmonix Super Space Drum
Next up, we’ve got something that’ll appeal more to the prog rock generation. Any Pink Floyd fans in the room? This Drum Synthesiser costs *£106 / €119.
On offer within the robust diecast housing is a drum synth with an analogue sound. There is a huge range of sounds from sci-fi drums to high toms. There are single input and output 6.3mm jacks, as well as an AUX input for external sounds.
All of which can be controlled by the large ergonomic dials. Allowing for overall volume control, depth, rate and more. Less Rock, but still something to consider nonetheless.
Digitech Trio+ Band Creator
Onto something that delivers more of a package deal. This drum pox pedal also acts as a looper, making it the ideal choice for solo performers. Comprising 12 genres for varying drum styles.
Available from *Thomann for £219 / €249, you can record up to 12 songs and save them, ready to recall at any time. These can also be saved onto a Mini USB drive. Moreover, there are also built-in guitar effects to accompany the drumming potential.
Hardware includes an overall volume control, making it ideal for plugging straight into a PA system or your existing pedalboard. Plus, there are some handy LEDs that indicate which beat is playing, as well as other functions of the pedal.
Singular Sound BeatBuddy 2
In our list of the best drum box pedals, this *BeatBuddy 2 is the most expensive unit that we’ve looked at so far. This is for good reason; however, you can also get hold of its younger sibling for slightly less cash.
Headline stats look great. 24 genres, 13 varying drum sets, and a visual metronome across the new large LCD screen. What I also like is that it accommodates every time signature, so it’ll even be useful for Jazz guitarists. Because there is more to life than 4/4!
Of the 220 different beats, they’re all non-quantised. What does that mean? It gives you a human feel, allowing for realistic performances that don’t sound too clinical. The tap temp will also be useful for getting the exact speed that you need.
Meinl Perc. Digital Stomp Box Kick
Concluding our look at the best drum box pedals is something so simple, yet just as effective. Arguably, if you’re a solo or acoustic guitarist on the gigging circuit, this pedal could transform your sets from as little as *£81 / €93.
No thrills, it’s just an electronic kick drum! Simply plug in at one end, and hook up to your amp or signal chain at the other. With one PUSH button, you can add an artificial kick drum.
Why is this useful? These help to keep the vibes up at live gigs. I wouldn’t use this all the time, but for keeping a chorus alive, it could be a big success at your local pub or gin bar.
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