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

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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.
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