SeriesRoland V-Drums

(Originally written by achka/translated from Audiofanzine FR) I replaced my DTXPLORER with a TD9KX 2 weeks ago. With headphones: super sound and very comfortable pads. With a P.A. system: great punch, kick and toms with a full sound... In short, I'm ecstatic (except maybe for the metronome which started up on its own during two songs) Each kit can be edited (sound, drum depth, volume, damping, reverb, etc.)! The sound module is user-friendly, the demo songs are very good, the rack is quite stable and the cymbal holders integrated in the rack reduce vibrations a lot. It carries a hefty price tag but I think it's worth the money!!!!!!

I purchased the Roland TD-3 module as part of the TD-3 e-drum kit. I have been really happy with out the module has working for the past several years. In my set up, I have e-drum trigger pads that go into the TD-3. Then I use the module to turn the trigger information into MIDI notes. I use the MIDI out from the TD-3 to go into my DAW interface to record my drum performances. It took a while to get the module set up to trigger correctly with the pads. Things like pad sensitivity and threshold need to be set based on how hard the drummer hits the pads. The TD-3 is not the most intuitive interface for making this changes. I had to look through the manual to figure out how it works. Since then, I haven't had any problems with incorrect triggering or cross-talk or anything. My opinion is that the drum sample sounds in the TD-3 are unusable. They basically suffer from the "machine gun" effect where every drum it sounds the same. This makes the drums sound fake. My recommendation would be to use e-drums to trigger a drum sampler on a computer (superior drummer, BFD2, Steven Slate Drums 4, addictive drums, NI Studio Drummer, etc.) rather than using a drum module. This way you will have a much better sounding drum performance than using the stock sounds in the TD-3. The TD-3 has lasted me for many years, and I fully expect it to last for many more years. It is made of plastic which does seem to be a little less reliable that a solid metal chassis. Nonetheless, if you take good care of it, I doubt that it will break.

So after a trip to Guitar Center on a Thursday evening, myself and a buddy of mine start looking into some electronic drums. One of the first ones we messed with where the Roland TD 3kw. At first glance all the electric drums looked the same to me. But I think the thing that made Rolands TD 3kw stand out a little more was how real it actually felt to play them. You really had the sensation of playing a real set. Ofcourse without the loud sound of drumming. I actually plan on getting he Roland TD 3kw for my son when he gets a little older but by that time they will have so many other upgrades to this one it will be called something else. So my friend purchased the set for his home studio and he has been using it daily and I get the chance to use it too. I love how you can just put headphones on and jam out without making hardly any noise at all. Plust the own board part where you can load your kits on. The price of it wasn’t too expensive to me because I was so use to seeing the prices of the high end real sets that this was like a breathe of fresh air , the Roland TD 3kw was the first electronic drum set that I have used on more than 1 occasion and im happy to get the chance to use it when I can. I can say its pretty tough too, I have seen it get knocked over several times with it being in a small space with a lot of other non musical stuff going around it gets hit and stuff spilled on it but it keeps working perfectly fine. This will be perfect for someone who needs drums in there room and can make a lot of noise. that’s why I want my son to have these.

The heart of this drum set is the TD-6V Percussion Sound Module. It has a very nice sleek black design with an easy to read blue LCD screen. This module is not overload with buttons, it has just the right amount for easy uncomplicated play. These easy touch rubber buttons are lit up for quick use. The TD-6V sound module includes; 64 voices, 1024 drum instruments, 262 backing instruments, 99 drum kits, 6 part sequencer, as well as Ambient and 2 Band-Master Equalizer for awesome effects. You get 150 preset songs with this model. In addition to the TD-6V sound module, this drum set also includes; an upright kick drum pad which can accommodate double-brass pedals, a PDX-8 mesh V-Pad with an expanded 10-inch rim, the C-5 cymbal pad with a 12 inch playing zone with separate bow & edge triggering and a double reinforced drum stand. Any way you look at it this is a very sharp looking and playing electrical drum set. You have the capability to record your songs and learn from the pre-installed database. This drum set takes up very little room compared to an acoustical set and of course gives you the option of plugging in a head set for personal play. I bought this drum set as a Christmas gift for my son. He has been enamored with drums since he was little. He love that he can practice whatever he wants and it doesn't bother anyone else. He is very creative. I was able to obtain this set from a friend out of state for about $1200. I am not sure where they got it from. I just told them which one I wanted and they took care of the details. My favorite option is the headphones. My children can play the drums without disturbing anyone else. We are very happy with this drum set. My son has gotten hours of enjoyment in improving his talent. Very nice and professional looking design. I highly recommend this product to anyone who loves to play the drums or who like me wanted a set for their children. This unit can be broke down for transport. You will be the envy of all your friends. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

The Roland TD-4kx2s is a set I used several times because I didn't want to take care of a real drum set and it was also more transportable and I could plug it in to my recording equipment. I use this drum set almost every day and it is amazing. Unless your not willing to read a thin set up manual and put it together this takes no time to get set up and you can play instantly. I recommend you get stereo head phones to plug in for quite play and you will have to buy a drum amp separately (guitar amps will not work). I play guitar but having this drum set is not only fun but If you are mainly set on playing drums there is no reason you should pay a lot more money on a real one when this plays amazing. There is only 2 non-realistic things about this, first you may hit lightly for a light sound and it may not pick it up and you will get no response. That is really only an issue if you are playing live which you will most likely not with this kit. Secondly the resonance doesn't sound perfect on the crash, high hat, etc. but this can be fixed in the drum sets menu I'm pretty sure. High quality materials. Only expandable by one cymbal. Easy to tweak in the settings to get what you want. On board sounds are pretty great for practicing with. You have a decent amount of options to choose from. I think most of them are useless after you find that one sound you like though. Also you can go MIDI out to a software drum kit. The TD4 can not recognize the dual trigger of the toms. Be aware of that. This kit also vibrates the floor a lot when you hit it. If you are on a top floor and people live below you, it can definitely be a problem.

Roland is touting this as a beginner's set and on that level it completely succeeds. I've been drumming for 20 plus years and I wish I had started on something like this. Even the tom pads feel just fine and have very good sensitivity. The lack of individual outs is going to stop some players from using this in a live situation, but if you have a decent system and have set your levels correctly it works in that capacity as well. I found the hardest thing to get used to is the hi-hat pedal. The actual pedal is fine, but the open/closed sensitivity could be a wee bit better. Overall for the money I am completely satisfied. Very cool and a lot of fun. If you're a beginner, this is the way to go. You won't drive anyone else nuts with your constant restarts during practice. You can play along with your favorite band by plugging in your iPhone/iPad or whatever you have. There are downloadable music sans drums on Rolands site, along with lessons you can purchase. Great beginning set. Very light and easy to assemble. The pads have a fantastic feel. The set is very easy to set up. It's very easy to get all the pads just how you want them. The sounds are pretty basic and it took me a little while of playing with them to warm up to them. For the price range, you cannot find anything better. Great high quality sounds, very compact with all your toms snare and kicks and crashes/hats. It gives you that real drum set feel. But when you live some where that you can just rock out with real drums this is exactly what you need to go for. You wont disturb anyone with this, its very quiet and professional. Price is kind of high though but its worth it.

I have the older version which comes with: - TD-10 Sound Module - (3) PD-120s (snare & 2 floor toms) - (2) PD-100s (2 rack toms) - (3) PD-9s (cymbals) - (1) PD-7 (hi-hat) - (1) KD-7 (single kick drum) - (1) FD-7 (hi-hat pedal) The TD-10 module features: - Easy to use via six faders, large value dial, icon-based programming and backlit graphic LCD - Lightning-fast trigger response; amazingly accurate detection of stick velocity, position and speed - Positional sensing allows for triggering of sounds with natural timbral difference depending on location of drum hit - 600 drum sounds and 54 melody instruments; 50 full drum kits; built-in sequencer with 4-part backing band - Comprehensive reverb, EQ, compression, and ambience effects - 12 dual-trigger inputs and 8 outputs (4 stereo pairs) I've been wanting a set of these for years, and finally got a chance to buy them for a cheap price, so I jumped on them! I currently use this as a recording tool to trigger Steven Slate Drums on my computer via MIDI, and to practice with headphones when I can't play loud on my acoustic set. This set is perfect for those applications! The module certainly isn't as user friendly as the newer Roland ones are. I'm still trying to figure out how to use this thing, but for the most part, I've figured out how to use it enough for what I need. I'd DEFINITELY suggest you read the manual, especially if you plan on using this for more than what I do (live use, etc). The sounds in this thing are actually quite good. I find myself using the preset "Rock" kit more than anything, as it's, in my opinion, the best sounding acoustic set on the module. I have changed the ride to a china, though, since I don't use the ride nearly as much as the china (which the sounds on the chinas sound AMAZING, better than any real cymbal I've ever played). There's a lot of wacky sounds in here that I play around with occasionally as well, my favorite is the "Far East" kit, while I have no idea what I'd use it for in any practical application, it sure is cool to play around with! The pads are very nice feeling, I'd never played a fully mesh-headed electric set until I got this one, and wow, what a difference it makes. The rubber pads that come on many of the lower end sets don't feel real and aren't very responsive, they have little bounce-back and really just don't feel good at all. The 10" and 12" mesh pads on these things are amazing! Great bounce on them, super sensitive with the module, with allows you to build up volume, just like you could on a real set. You can even do rimshots, which is awesome! The PD-9s and PD-7 are okay for cymbals. They force you to hit them with the tip of your stick on the top, flat surface, of the pad, which is definitely a lot different than hitting real cymbals. It takes some getting used to, especially since they're pretty dense and it feels like you're hitting a wall. The first thing I did to my kit was replaced the PD-9s with a set of dual zone (2 crashes) and a triple zone (ride/china) Pintech VisuLite set, and replaced the PD-7 hi-hat with a Roland CY-6. Couldn't be more happy with them! The hi-hat pedal is very responsive, and I find it better than the new FD-8s Roland puts on their newer kits. The only thing this pedal lacks, is adjustability. I wish I could set the height of the pedal a bit lower, while still having a bit of motion left in it, but I find I have to keep it pretty high to feel somewhat real. The KD-7 kick pedal is extremely responsive and works great. Usually, I bury my beater, and this thing rarely double triggered on me. In order to use double bass though (which I need), you have to buy a second KD-7 and daisy chain it with the first one. While this is a fairly inexpensive add-on, I decided to sell the pedal and buy a KD-80 mesh kick pad instead, so I could use my double pedals on it. While the KD-80 double triggers A LOT more than the KD-7 (probably because I still don't understand how half of this thing works), it's much quieter, which is a huge plus in my book. The KD-7 sounded like you were beating on the floor (I have my set upstairs, and you could hear it loud and clear below me). Stock, this set is still awesome and I would definitely recommend it to someone who needs it for practice or recording. I'm not sure I'd use it live, just because I'm afraid of an electronic piece failing on me, and ending up with a dead set at a show. If I had the money for a backup module, I'd probably try using it live. Not only would it be much easier to set up, it'd also be a lot easier to hear the other instruments (especially if you use headphones and have the sound guy plug the mix directly into the Aux input of the module!). The only downfall is it doesn't look nearly as awesome as an acoustic set! If you have the money to spend, these kits simply can't be beaten for the price! If you can score the newer version with the expansion card on the module and the Roland V-Cymbals and KD-120 kick pad, you've got yourself a set that can easily stand up to the newer $7000 TD-20! Stock, with my version, I give this set a 7/10, because it could definitely use some upgrades (in my eyes), with the upgrades, this set is an easy 9/10!

(Originally written by twit/translated from Audiofanzine FR) I haven't given up my acoustic drum kit but I did yield to the convenience of the TD9 three months ago. I've used it for several live gigs in locations where the volume had to stay low or when my back couldn't stand carrying heavy gear. I used it for a live gig directly after unpacking it, without having read the user's manual... It worked fine right away, even if I had to enhance the drum sets later. The sound module is very intuitive and easy to use. Even normal drummers like me who don't know how a power socket looks like can easily use it (drum type, head tension, ambiance, muffle, volume, etc.) The hi-hat is very good and surprised me a lot. Cymbals are the only thing I don't like: I can't find the right sound nor balance them in the overall sound. But I guess that's normal considering the whole mechanical resonance system is missing. The snare with mesh head provides a very pleasant playing feel and the rubber pads aren't that annoying. I prefer the rebound of the rubber pads rather than the mesh heads that feel like a trampoline. I hesitated three years and tested all models in the same price range (TD3, TD6, DTXpress, DTxpress IV...), but when Roland launched this model and I tested it all my hesitations stopped. It's the best product I found considering value for money: - You'll find cheaper products but don't even dream about using them for live gigs - You'll find better products but they are much more expensive and aren't worth the money if you want to use them like an acoustic drum set. I'm still faithful to my acoustic Maple Custom and I only use the TD9 when it's necessary, but I don't regret having bought it because it fulfills all my expectations. As a summary, think about what you want to do with it: - If you need a drum set to practice at home Yamaha, Roland, and other brands offer cheaper products that will surely match your expectations - If you want a product for rehearsals and live events the TD9 is an excellent solution. It is sturdy enough (you can transport it, plug it in and out, etc.) and provides a good sound quality and enough sound editing possibilities.

This is a great drum kit for the standard electric users. I've had my kit for 3 years now and it still works good. I've have not had to replace anything on the set at all. I wish the stand that everything connects to was taller. The pads could be bigger. It could have more realistic hi-hat control with pedal and one more extra tom input. There is 99 pre-set drum kits in this sound module. Styles ranging from jazz, rock, metal, and punk. I think it's the best to set your own and play around with things. Recording is a breeze. Just plug in the left and right quarter inch output and your ready to go. Use the main volume on the set and your recording interface. I think by recording with an electric set, you will get the best possible recording even vs the acoustic set. For live performances, it's ok. It just looks weak on stage. There is tons of extra features like room ambience, pitch shifter, left and right panning, and volume control. It's has a built in equalizer of all the fine tunes on the volume, lows, mids, and highs. The 170 pre-set songs help when you want to play along with music and learn new beats. This 64-voice module serves up 1,024 of Roland's best drum and percussion sounds and 262 backing instruments. Some of the kickers and snares a really good hard hit tone for all the rock drummers. It's neat that you do the jazz style with some of the snares. It's all based on how hard to hit but it's not needed to hit really hard because doesn't work that way. It's about being a fine tuned machine. You can use the double bass pedal also. Trigger Input Jacks: This set includes 9-11 inputs, hi-Hat control jack output jacks, (L/MONO, R)phones jack (stereo miniature phone type), mix in jack (stereo miniature phone type)MIDI connectors (IN, OUT/THRU). The set runs on 1k Ohms. The dimensions: 10-1/2 x 7-7/8 x 3 in. (266 x 199 x 75 mm). The weight: 1.1 kg / 2 lbs 7 oz (excluding AC Adaptor) The TD-6V also features dual-trigger tom inputs to allow rim shots on toms combined with the capacity for cross-sticking, cymbal catches, etc. This module allows for highly realistic playing. The buttons are bright and big. Menu screen to simple and ready to rock. I've never tried out another set before I bought this. I just sat down, started to play and fell in love with it. The manual is easy to follow if you use it. I don't really use manuals. I like to figure things out on my own. With this set, you can achieve just about any kind of sound your looking for. It's always best to change and adjust each of the toms, snare, ect. Record with it and play around until you have what works best for you. It took me a year to figure that out and understand the limits of the equipment. $1,500 is a lot of money for a drum set. I think for that price there could have been better effects and more realistic tones and hit pads. $1,000 is what I paid on sale. I wouldn't have paid anymore for this.