The 7 Best compact Drum machines (2023 reviews)

We consider a compact drum machine to be a worthy investment in the long run. We are here to help you choose the right one for your purposes from all the best available products in market today.

Our review process: Show/Hide

Our Top Picks:

Best Overall: Buy: Alesis compact Drum Machine READ REVIEW

Best For practice: Buy: Roland compact Drum Machine READ REVIEW

Best With synth: Buy: Arturia compact Drum Machine READ REVIEW

Best For experimentation: Buy: IK Multimedia compact Drum Machine READ REVIEW

Best For beginner: Buy: Donner compact Drum Machine READ REVIEW

Best For rock: Buy: Korg compact Drum Machine READ REVIEW

Best VALUE For money: Buy: Roland Drum Machine READ REVIEW

Best Overall: Alesis compact Drum Machine

Buy on Amazon

We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a machine. The alesis compact drum machine is exactly that - it's a simple machine that hits all the right notes. These drum machines aren't very user friendly for anything other than changing volume, tempo, and a/b switch or pre-loaded rhythms. Not only does it have lots of built-in patterns, it provides the ability to program and record more. It's simpler, better sounding, nicely balanced and panned.

This machine has all your rhythm needs, you can program a song beat for beat or jam along to the many cool patterns they have, and its important to note you can adjust the tempo on all of them so the possibilities are endless. The volume knob works just on the drum going to headphones, you control the instrument outboard so the volume is really like a mix control. The pads that give you the drums also give you the notes for the bass for you to program and record more.

Sound quality is awesome and it is easy to program beats on it. It's easy to use, so just enjoy it.

• A great machine, highly responsive and functional
• Has rich sounding tones and sounds like a real drummer and not canned
• One of the new comers and featured product

Best For practice: Roland compact Drum Machine

Buy on Amazon

The roland compact drum machine is capable of outshining several other machine featured in this list in overall features for the price point. It is filled with authentic recreations of legendary roland drum machines that have defined genres and driven culture for decades—including the 808, 909, 707, and. It fits in even the most space-starved studios or live rigs, so you can turn life into music whenever inspiration strikes. The sound quality on this is really amazing, and all the ways you have to tweak your patterns makes this a real treat to play live.

It is also a high-quality usb audio/midi interface, perfect for mobile or minimal production setups. It is for live performances and less menu driven operations, consider getting the full sized tr-8s if you can afford it. The new FM model kits sound great too, and the sweet spots are easily dialed in.

• Advanced sequencer with sub-steps, flam, step-loop, motion recording, and more
• Mix and match sounds for exotic hybrid drum kits
• New and hot release

Best With synth: Arturia compact Drum Machine

Buy on Amazon

Compared with other machine in this category, the arturia compact drum machine has a convenient design. It is a drum machine for musicians and producers who crave raw power and monstrous tone. It is designed from the ground up by passionate musicians for passionate musicians. Every one of these synthesizers has unique features that make them truly irreplaceable. It comes with attitude, an addictively fun, instantly satisfying beat maker with a beefy, unique sound. The sound quality is super low noise with high headroom, meaning you can really crank this thing without losing sound quality.

The pads are velocity-sensitive, but the Impact really only has two levels of velocity that it understands. The build is solid and the knobs are Arturia quality, meaning no wiggle and very smooth turning with a little resistance so you don't overturn. It can be applied globally or just for individual instruments.

• Easy-to-use drum machine matching vintage-flavored sounds with modern workflow
• Built like a brick and sounds great
• Delivers what they promise

Best For experimentation: IK Multimedia compact Drum Machine

Buy on Amazon

Best part: ik multimedia compact drum machine costs comparatively low and it is available to ship in 24 hours. The UNO Drum offers BOTH analog and digital/PCM instruments. It comes with 100 included pattern presets, 8 parameters per step and easy-to-use controls, all you need is a creative mind. This versatile portable drum machine is powered by your device/usb and works with iphone, ipad, mac, and pc so that you can create your beats and grooves wherever you are. It is great for live playing or experimentation.

The Uno drum makes it easy to program and perform using the widest sonic palette to add professional drum grooves to your music. Theres even a cool cancel feature that removes all of your manual sound changes and reverts to the saved kit. The sequencer also allows you to automate up to 8 parameters per step.

• Great little drum machine with classic and unique sounds
• Useable for recording and gigs while still being portable and battery powered
• New and hot release

Best For beginner: Donner compact Drum Machine

Buy on Amazon

Donner has been making great machine for years, thanks to a combination of clever design and appropriate materials. It's a decent valued toy if you don't like much variety in your voice library. It has a 'Tambourine Mode' for hand drumming but no voices to go with it like bongos, conga or djembe. The pads have a great, reactive bounce to them, making it way easier and more natural to do drum rolls and the like.

The unit takes 6 C size batteries, not AA's. It features except the voices plus it is easy to use, and clearly marked with it. The speakers are amazing, but you do not need to try to find an amp for drums.

These are really easy to set up, out of the box. It is perfect for beginners or someone who wants an easy way to practice without needing a full kit. It's got MIDI support, which is a GREAT feature, and you can even plug it into your PC and play drumming games with it.

• Loaded with great features to aid in developing tempo and technique
• Midi output to trigger other voices through a synth, etc
• Surprisingly good sound & very responsive pads
• Buttons and dials are all response, easy to use, and clearly marked

Best For rock: Korg compact Drum Machine

Buy on Amazon

The features department is where korg compact drum machine truly manages to shine. The Korg Kr mini compact rhythm machine spices up your solo practice with 60 amazing drum patterns and 120 fills covering a variety of popular musical styles. It has a large variety of beats or rhythms and has some decent volume for a little self-contained amplifier that's built in. The Built-in speaker with 2 watt output helps you jam anywhere without the need for an additional monitor.

Since it can run off batteries and have its own built-in speaker, you can jam anywhere along with your korg kr mini. There's also a chaining function onboard that lets you string together pattern and fill to create whole songs.

• New and hot release
• Delivers what they promise

Best VALUE For money: Roland Drum Machine

Buy on Amazon

If you often find yourself scrambling for decent quality and cost-effective machine, roland drum machine should be your first option for buying. It is an obsessively detailed and faithful replica of the legendary tr-. It is built with sturdy knobs, buttons, and switches. It provides finer control of tempo and shuffle. It has several tilt options for easy viewing in various live and studio scenarios. It makes your drumtrack sound good on one track.

The sequencer has 16 sub-steps per step, so you can create detailed snare fills and intricate, rolling hi-hats. It has a built-in speaker, and even runs on batteries for when the beat absolutely must go on.

• Very cool, sturdy, well built, and innovative stand/case enclosure
• A must have for every electronic music or 80's fan
• Highly recommended for creating polka beats and ham sandwiches