When setting up an electronic drum kit for the first time, you quickly run into two terms: preset kits and user kits. There is an important difference between those two, and it is useful to understand what the differences are before you get started with your kit.
What are preset kits?
By a kit, we mean an assembly of drum parts (kick, snare, toms, and cymbals). Preset kits are the factory sets that are already in your module. They are pre-assembled by the manufacturer and have names such as “Rock Kit”, “Jazz Kit”, or “Electronic Kit”. You don’t need to configure anything and can start playing immediately.
NB: With most modules, you cannot permanently modify preset kits.
What are user kits?
User kits are drum kits that you put together or modify yourself. You start with an empty kit or a copy of a preset, adjust the sounds to your liking, and save it under a name of your choice.
Do you want to combine a rock kick with a jazzy snare and an electronic hi-hat? You do that in a user kit. Most modules offer between 10 and 100 user kit slots, so you often have plenty of choice.
It is also possible that you are satisfied with the user kit, but find, for example, the snare pitch too high or the kick drum too dull. In that case, you adjust those parts of the preset kit and save it as a user kit.
Incidentally, not all electronic drum kits have user kits. Drum kits for beginners sometimes only have preset kits, such as the Millenium Rookie or the Millenium HD-120 .
When do you use which one?
| Preset kit | User kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Customizable? | No | Yes |
| Save? | Not possible | Yes |
| Suitable for | Fast startup | Creating your own sound |
Are you just practicing and want to get started quickly? Then a preset kit is most suitable. Do you want your own sound or are you playing for a specific song? Then a user kit gives you just a little more freedom.
I always use a user kit myself when I'm rehearsing a song. That way, I have a fixed kit for each song that fits the style perfectly, instead of having to search for the right sound every time. Saves a lot of time 😄
In short: You use preset kits to get started quickly, and user kits to save your own sound. A good approach is to choose a preset that is close to your desired sound, copy it to a user kit slot, and then refine it further. Good luck! 🥁
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