Native Instruments GmbH has confirmed that it has entered a preliminary insolvency (pre-insolvency restructuring) process in Germany, following reports earlier this week that the company had filed for insolvency protection. The move applies to Native Instruments GmbH and three German non-operating holding companies, and is intended to support a financial restructuring rather than signal an...
While some announcements had been hinted at in advance, Yamaha’s EAD 50 emerged as the standout surprise at last week’s NAMM Show in Anaheim. The new drum miking and processing system builds on the EAD 10 concept, expanding its capabilities for both live performance and recording. Full details are available here. Alesis had no new products to announce, but sister brand Akai used NAMM to launch the...
digitalDrummer will introduce a new feature at this year’s Europe Drum Show with the launch of the Innovation Showcase, part of the E-drum Labs programme. The showcase will take place at the end of the first show day on Friday, April 11, and will be repeated on Sunday morning, April 12. Each session will present three new electronic drum products making their first appearance at the Europe Drum...
Drum Workshop (DW) has announced a significant expansion of its DWe acoustic–electronic wireless drum system, introducing new kit bundle configurations, additional drum module options, and a dedicated Side Snare Bundle. The updates were unveiled at NAMM 2026. All new DWe four-piece and five-piece bundles are based on DW Collector’s Series 333 Maple shells and come factory-equipped with fully...
Ludwig has launched the Total Percussion Multi-Pad, a standalone electronic percussion instrument aimed at hybrid drummers and percussionists. The unit was unveiled at NAMM 2026 and demonstrated in a series of official Ludwig videos. The Total Percussion Multi-Pad features a nine-pad rubber playing surface and is supplied with more than 2,000 built-in sounds, including a full collection of mallet...
When Yamaha launched the EAD10, it quietly created a new category: a single unit that could capture the full voice of an acoustic kit, add electronic processing, and make drummers sound produced without microphones, mixers or laptops. With the newly announced EAD50, Yamaha has taken that original idea and significantly expanded it in terms of sound quality, control and application. Unveiled at...
Akai Professional has announced the MPC XL, a new flagship standalone music production workstation that expands the company’s long-running MPC range. The unit is designed to operate without a computer, combining sequencing, sampling, synthesis and studio connectivity in a single hardware system. At the core of the MPC XL is a second-generation 8-core processor paired with 16 GB of RAM. Akai says...
At the E-drum Labs during the UK Drum Show in Liverpool, Simon Edgoose, one of the UK’s foremost experts on e-drums, drew on his decades of experience in research and development for major brands and artist programming to offer the audience a wealth of actionable advice. Simon began by setting the tone: electronic drums, he insisted, are tools in their own right, not mere substitutes for acoustic...
If you own a Roland TD-12 or TD-20 module, you already know you’re caring for a vintage classic. Roland stopped supporting both modules almost two decades ago, and genuine replacement screens have long since disappeared from the official supply chain. That’s why the sudden appearance of a plethora of new TD-12/TD-20 replacement screens on AliExpress — most around the US$100 mark — will no doubt...
In online discussions about electronic drums, one recurring theme keeps surfacing: many virtual drum instruments still struggle to deliver flawless e-drum performance straight out of the box. German e-drummer software guru Martin Trommler recently summed up the issue in a detailed post to the community, arguing that DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) integration is essential for serious players. With...
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By electronic drummers,
for electronic drummers.
FROM THE EDITOR
Electronic drums have come a long way since the 1970s and are now seen alongside their acoustic siblings on stages around the world. They also draw crowds at music trade shows and attract strong interest on the floors of music shops.
As an electronic drummer, technology enthusiast and professional writer, I know first-hand how hard it is to be taken seriously when your kit needs a powerpoint and amp. That’s why we launched digitalDrummer in 2010. I wanted to create a communication channel dedicated to this vibrant market and the musicians who are so enthused by the digital opportunities.
Because it is aimed at a niche audience of dedicated enthusiasts, digitalDrummer is able to explore drum technology in great detail, but it is written for drummers, not techno-geeks.
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Allan Leibowitz
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