The SDS-3 was the predecessor of the world’s first fully electronic drum kit – Behringer has just launched its own version

It was first revealed two years ago that German audio giant Behringer was working on a clone of the classic Simmons SDS-3 drum synthesizer. Now, it’s available for preorder.

Based on the original circuitry of the Simmons SDS-3 – the debut product from British designer Dave Simmons which arrived in 1978 – the Behringer SDS-3 features four fully independent drum channels, as well as a fifth, dedicated special FX channel for adding “motion, grit and sonic character” to your synthesized percussion.

The Behringer SDS-3 features 57 onboard controls, with each of the four independent drum voices featuring a noise generator and self-oscillating diode ladder filter. These, along with the base array of drum sounds on offer, mean all the snares, kicks, hi-hats and cymbals you’ll be looking to create are covered.

Importantly, the SDS-3 is built for comprehensive compatibility with real drum sets; audio from a drum kit, for example, can be used to trigger the SDS-3 via 3.5mm TS jacks. The unit also boasts MIDI and USB connectivity.

There’s also pitch controls for each voice – one which tweaks the pitch of the tone generator and also serves as a low-pass filter for the noise generator – as well as pitch bend and decay controls.

An LFO is assigned to the pitch of each drum voice, offering square and sine waves, and audio-rate modulation via a Run Time effect, which introduces continuous modulation to your sound, instead of being re-triggered with each drum hit.

The original Simmons SDS-3 served as a predecessor to the SDS-5, the world’s first fully electronic drum kit. Instantly identifiable via its classic hexagonal pads, the SDS-3 found fans in a number of high-profile artists. Including Queen and Depeche Mode. The Behringer SDS-3 does away with the drum pads, and arrives in a more Eurorack-friendly chassis.

“In today’s synth landscape, the original machine is somewhat of a unicorn, but that isn’t going to stop us. We want to bring back this classic and a fun, unique way to add percussion to your songs,” says Behringer.

The SDS-3 is available to preorder now, priced at $249. Learn more at Behringer.

Sam is the Associate News Editor for Guitar.com and MusicTech. Thoroughly immersed in music culture for the majority of his life, Sam has played guitar for 20 years, studied music technology and production at university, and also written for the likes of MusicRadar, Guitar World, Total Guitar and Metal Hammer.