NAMM 2026: Donner Groove Series, professional-level kits from a budget manufacturer

Donner is one of the most well-known manufacturers of electronic drum kits. Until now they were known for being a budget brand with products aimed at beginners and the cost-conscious. But at NAMM 2026 the company announced the Groove Series, professional-level kits exclusively sold in the United States.

“Portability without compromising the authentic feel and expressiveness of an acoustic drum kit” is how Donner describes the Groove Series. There are three different kits in the model line – Groove Ultra, Groove Max, and Groove.

The Groove is the lower-level model and makes a great ergonomic kit for practice.

A groovy setup

Each kit includes a 5-piece drum pad configuration with mesh heads. All three Groove Series electronic drum kits use the same Swift-Rack frame system, so you can mix-and-match kit pieces and add additional drum pads.

A trio of tom pads have 3×8” dimensions, the dual-zone snare comes in at 1×10”, and the kick drum pad is 1×6”. For cymbals, the 10” hi-hat is also dual-zone which offers a good amount of articulation for an e-drum kit. Both of the 10” cymbal pads are also dual-zone and have choke capability.

Groove Max is the next model up, and has the same configuration as the Groove with an additional cymbal pad. The Ultra has a larger, 10” floor tom pad, the cymbals are better quality, and the hi-hat is 12”. The ride cymbal has a triple-zone design that includes a bell for better articulation.

The module has 175 more sounds than that of the Groove and Groove Max, with a staggering 575 total sounds.

Learn more about the Donner Groove series.