Tom Bradley

Tom Bradley

Tom is a professional drummer with a long history of performing live anywhere from local venues to 200,000 capacity festivals. Tom is a private drum tutor, in addition to teaching at the BIMM Institute in Birmingham. He is also a regular feature writer and reviewer for MusicRadar, with a particular passion for all things electronic and hybrid drumming.

Latest articles by Tom Bradley

Man wearing black hat playing the Roland TD716 electronic drum set
Best electronic drum sets in 2026: Picks for every playing level and budget, tested by drummers – plus video demos and full reviews

By Chris Barnes last updated

Our drum experts have road-tested over 90 kits to bring you this guide to the best electronic drum kits available today for home practice, studio recording and live gigs

Electronic Drums
Four brightly coloured nutcrackers playing drums
Best Christmas gifts for drummers 2026: my pick of affordable festive gifts they'll actually use, starting from only $8.75

By Chris Barnes last updated

Beat the rush and show the drummer in your life some love this Christmas with my pick of 18 useful accessories and gadgets for every budget

Drums
Roland TD-07KV2 kit on a rug next to a Marshall amp
“This new rack trims the often labour-intensive task of setting up an e-kit by a fair margin”: Roland TD-07KV2 review

By Tom Bradley Published

Roland borrows from its excellent 3 Series hardware to revamp the beginner to intermediate-friendly TD-07 series

Electronic Drums
Roland TD-07DMK2
“Ticks all the right boxes for budding drummers”: Roland TD-07DMK2 review

By Tom Bradley Published

Get up and running in no time with Roland’s updated, user-friendly e-kit aimed at beginner to intermediate players

Electronic Drums
A Roland e-kit on a rider with a Roland PM-200 monitor sat on the floor
Best electronic drum amps 2026: Expert-tested drum monitors for every budget

By Tom Bradley last updated

Go beyond headphones and turn up your e-kit with top-rated drum amplifiers and personal monitors

Electronic Drums
Millenium Drums MPS-350X
“It’s hard to argue with the amount of features on offer here for such an affordable price”: Millenium Drums MPS-350 E-Drum Set review

By Tom Bradley Published

Millenium beefs up its MPS e-kit range with a new entry-level offering

Electronic Drums
Man plays Alesis Nitro Max drum kit with black sticks
Best beginner electronic drum sets 2026: top-rated e-kits for entry-level drummers, tested by experts

By Chris Barnes last updated

Just starting out behind the kit? We’ve put the top entry-level e-kits through their paces - testing sound quality, pad feel, durability and more - to help you choose the right setup. Watch our video demos to hear how they perform

Electronic Drums
Zultan Alaris cymbal set
“Well balanced and sit wonderfully with each other in terms of pitch”: Zultan Alaris Cymbals review

By Tom Bradley Published

Zultan continues to expand its already impressive range of cymbals with the new Alaris Series

Cymbals
Yamaha EAD50 on a blue wooden floor surrounded by drumsticks
“An immensely powerful tool for recording, live use, rehearsing and practising, teaching, live streaming and more”: Yamaha EAD50 review

By Tom Bradley Published

Nearly a decade after the release of the EAD10, Yamaha knocks it out of the park with the upgraded EAD50

Drum Gear
“The overall sample quality is decent, focusing on natural sounds within a mixed bag of styles, and promising to keep the majority happy”: EFnote Mini review

By Tom Bradley Published

A fantastic looking ‘acoustic style’ e-kit, perfect for kids and adults alike

Electronic Drums
Roland VAD316
“Roland has always been extremely good at marrying the playability of its samples with the physical feel of its hardware - this kit is no exception”: Roland VAD316 review

By Tom Bradley Published

Roland’s new 3 Series offers a staggering level of features previously only available with the flagship 7 Series

Electronic Drums
Yamaha DTX6K5-M
"Remarkably the DTX Pro is capable of layering up to four individual samples - one more than Roland’s flagship V71 module": Yamaha DTX6K5-M review

By Tom Bradley Published

The first mesh option for Yamaha’s DTX6 lineup offers larger pads and high quality sounds

Electronic Drums
Zultan 25 series
“A versatile set with dry and dark tonal qualities”: Zultan 25 Series Cymbals review

By Tom Bradley Published

Zultan delivers another extremely versatile cymbal range for a wallet-friendly price

Cymbals
Millenium Drums Legendary Drumbook
“An extremely well-thought-out and all-encompassing piece of drum education”: Millenium Drums Legendary Drumbook review

By Tom Bradley Published

Get ready, you've got a lot to learn

Drums
Alesis Strata Club
“There is no question that there’s enough quality audio here to cater for every musical taste and presents a massive amount of editing options”: Alesis Strata Club review

By Tom Bradley Published

Alesis continue to expand its BFD-powered Strata range with this stripped-back, 4-piece e-kit

Electronic Drums
DrumCraft Urban Beats
“A good-looking kit which won’t break the bank”: DrumCraft Urban Beats review

By Tom Bradley Published

DrumCraft adds a one-size-fits-all three-piece kit to its remarkably affordable drum lineup

Drum Kits
Zultan Z series update
“A versatile set but these cymbals excel in a rock and metal context”: Zultan Z Series review

By Tom Bradley Published

Budget cymbals without the budget sound

Cymbals
Millenium MPS-850 E-Drum set
“Boasts an array of features above its relatively low price”: Millenium MPS-850 E-Drum set review

By Tom Bradley Published

An affordable e-kit with a few surprising tricks up its sleeve

Electronic Drums
Overhead shot of electronic drum set plugged into a laptop running a VST
12 ways to make your electronic drum set sound better

By Tom Bradley last updated

Our guide to enhancing your e-kit’s sound using the features within your module, exploring VST instruments and with some basic hardware upgrades

Electronic Drums
EFnote Pro kit in our reviewers garage
"The full-size 20” cymbal actually flexes and shimmers when struck, which feels fantastic under-stick": EFnote Pro review

By Tom Bradley Published

EFnote’s flagship stage-worthy e-kit offers some interesting functionality and a huge range of configurations

Cymbals
Best beginner electronic drum sets: Alesis Debut
“This is a kit that will literally grow with them for those early years of playing”: Alesis Debut review

By Tom Bradley Published

An affordable e-kit from Alesis that’s just for kids

Electronic Drums
Shure SE425 in-ears
"Where the Shure IEMs excel is in terms of comfort, particularly when compared to some other generic fit options": Shure SE425 Pro review

By Tom Bradley Published

A solid and affordable off-the-shelf monitoring option

Headphones
Donner Backbeat kit
"A kit with some surprising tricks up its sleeve": Donner Backbeat review

By Tom Bradley Published

A feature-packed mid-range electronic drum set, but are the light up pads a pointless gimmick?

Electronic Drums
Yamaha DTX402K electronic drum set
Yamaha DTX402K review

By Tom Bradley Published

A compact and affordable e-kit setup with some surprise features

Electronic Drums
Young man plays an electronic drum set
Best drumsticks for beginners: Recommended sticks for budding players

By Tom Bradley Published

Choose your perfect first pair of sticks from our expert recommendations, including models from ProMark, Vater, Vic Firth and more

Drum Sticks
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