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Electronic Drums - Frequently Asked Questions - Roland Australia
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Need to know the score about electronic drums? Looking for answers, but don’t have the time to scour the forums… or worse, face the trolls when you post a question? Well, fret no more. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about V-Drums – all in one place, and not a keyboard warrior in sight.
Contributed by Roland UK & Localised by Simon Ayton Roland Australia
The entry-level Roland TD-1K V-Drums kit is under AUD$1k, and the V-Drums range stops off at various price-points before topping out with the flagship Roland VAD-706 kit at AUD$13999.
One of the most popular kits for new and established drummers is the TD-17KVX2S for AUD$3499 You don’t need Grohl-sized royalties to get started with V-Drums.
How are electronic drums powered?
Good old-fashioned plug and play. At the rear of the sound module, you’ll find a familiar DC IN jack. Simply use the included AC adaptor to connect to the nearest wall socket and your V-Drums kit is alive.
In the case of the TM-2 and TM-1 Trigger Modules (for use with hybrid drum setups), there’s no need for power cables – they are battery powered.
How loud are electronic drums?
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Electronic kits are generally far quieter than their neighbour-baiting acoustic counterparts, thanks to the headphones option. While some brands of electronic kits still make a fair old din (even if they’re un-amplified!)
V-Drums are renowned for being the quietest on the market.
Bright cymbals are impossible to tame without affecting playability and sustain and the shear volume of the drums bleeds into all open microphones making voices very difficult to hear. Luckily, V-Drums mean in-ears are easy to use as an alternative to stage monitors. The audience gets clear, direct drum sound without waves of echo and harsh drum sounds overpowering voice and music.
What’s the best way to amplify my electronic drums?
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Whether you want to hold discrete rehearsals or raise ear-bleeding hell, Roland has a monitor to suit. From the compact and über-chic Roland PM-03 drum monitor to the PM-100 and PM-200 drum monitors, simply connect your drum kit via the sound module’s OUTPUT jacks.
Beat away, my friend. Both wood and nylon tips will work just fine on V-Pads and V-Cymbals. Although, feel free to investigate the sticks developed by firms like Zildjian and Vic Firth that have been specifically designed for use with electronic kits.
It’s a good idea to keep a pair of fresh sticks just for your V-Drums, to extend the life of the mesh heads. Burred or chipped sticks are best avoided.
Can I use brushes on electronic drums?
Yes, swing to your heart’s content – as long as you’re playing a V-Drums kit in the TD-25/TD-27/TD-30/TD-50 range. A ‘brushes’ setting in the flagship TD-50 module allows the pads to pick up your every swish and slap. Just make sure that they are nylon, not wire brushes.
Can I transport electronic drums?
Yep, easily and that’s a major advantage as the slimline pads on the TD series kits take up very little space.
With no old-school drum shells to fill the van, e-kits travel much lighter and take up less floor space than their acoustic siblings.
If you’re a roving free-spirit, try the all-mesh TD1-KPX2 which weighs just under 15kg and has a fold-up stand for speedy assembly and breakdown.
What are the advantages of electronic drums?
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Whereas acoustic drums handcuff you to one tone, V-Drums let you switch up your sound to suit any band, gig or song. From clipped techno beats to fat hip-hop booms, a library of tones are selectable via the sound module of the kit you’re using. You don’t need to worry about inconsistent sounds live either, and with no microphone required, it’s arguably far easier to record with electronic drums.
5 advantages of electronic drums
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V-Drums never go out of tune
V-Drums are so quiet your neighbours won’t know you’re a drummer
Easy to record with one USB cable or through the air wirelessly
Easy to fit into even small rooms
Almost no on-going costs
What is a sound module?
Some folks refer to the module as the ‘brain’. Its primary role is to convert the thwack of your stick into sound. But depending on the specific unit, V-Drum modules have further tricks up their sleeves, letting you shape your sound with effects and virtual instruments, play along with backing tracks or simulate a range of classic drum kits using built-in modelling technology.
Many V-Drums modules feature the COACH function, giving you tutorials in accuracy, timing and endurance that get tougher as you get tighter. There’s also the QUICK RECORD/QUICK PLAY feature that lets you record passages of your own drumming, then play them back to assess your progress.
Connect your V-Drums to software like Roland’s DT-1 Drum Tutor or Melodics for V-Drums to go from slow to pro in no time.
It’s the electronic transducer inside a V-Pad or a V-Cymbal that registers the impact of your stick, then relays the signal via a jack cable to the sound module, which then converts it into an audible sound.
You’ll also find standalone triggers like the Roland BT-1 Bar Trigger Pad or RT-30 series acoustic drum triggers, which attach to your acoustic drum when you’re building a hybrid kit [see below].
It’s the best of both worlds – an acoustic drum kit augmented with a sound module and electronic pads and triggers. For many players – including Neil Peart of Rush – playing a hybrid kit is like having your cake and eating it, giving you both the classic old-school vibe of acoustic drums and the space-age electro features of electronics.
Hybrid kits combine electronic and acoustic drums
What are mesh heads?
A special type of V-Pad, Roland’s mesh heads feature a two-layer mesh surface and unique 45-degree weave pattern that makes them super-quiet, alongside dual-triggering that makes them highly responsive. Made by REMO, they feature as standard on kits across the V-Drums range.
Roland mesh heads give you the feel of a head stretched on a drum with improved durability and much lower noise.
PowerPly mesh heads now come in all standard drum sizes up to 22″ to retro-fit your acoustic kit.
The new PD-140DS digital snare, which comes with the TD-27/VAD-5′, VAD-7′ and TD-50 series V-Drums, features a 3-ply head for the next step in acoustic feel and trigger consistency.
What is dual and three-way triggering?
Acoustic drums and cymbals sound very different depending on where you hit them. Likewise, V-Pads and V-Cymbals that feature dual and three-way triggering are able to detect and relay exactly where you’ve made contact, making for faithful response and more expressive play.
You can also apply different sounds to parts of a dual or three-way pad independently, e.g. a hand clap on a pad rim or a snare shot on the drum head.
Can I tune Roland V-Drums?
Well, everybody likes to tinker. Just as you would with a ‘real’ drum head,
Roland’s mesh V-Pads can be tension-adjusted to nail the feel that you want.
The pitch of the drum sound you hear is adjustable separately inside the module and is independent of the actual pad tension you choose, unlike an acoustic drum.
Can I import my own music into electronic drum kits?
That’s part of the fun. All V-Drums let you connect CD and media players via the MIX-IN for instant jam sessions and most models include USB/MIDI ports and even Bluetooth, letting you play audio files between your computer and your kit and stream audio wirelessly for play along and recording.
Import WAV files of sounds and loops into the sound engine to trigger them from connected pads and triggers for a personalised kit sound performance.
Can I add extra pads, toms and cymbals?
While it’s worth investing in an electronic kit that reflects your ambitions from the outset, the higher-spec V-Drums kits are flexible and open-ended. If you decide to make like Neil Peart and max out on the cymbals, it’s just a case of connecting them up via the TRIGGER IN jacks of the module.
Featured on kits from the TD-11 up to TD-30, SuperNATURAL is technology that lets V-Drums faithfully convey playing dynamics and the strength of your hits, from gentle brush-strokes to assault-and-battery pummelling. It works alongside Behaviour Modelling, which means that when the module simulates an instrument, it also nails the quirks and nuances you’d expect to hear if it were played in real life.
With the TD-17, TD-27 and TD-50X modules, samples can be imported directly into the user sample area of the module for layering with other sounds or internal factory sounds as you like.
An acronym for ‘Composite Object Sound Modelling’, COSM replicates the tone of classic instruments and drum kits in hair-splitting detail.Â
The bottom line is that you can transform the tone of your V-Drums and create your own virtual kit, swapping in a maple snare, a Bonham-sized kick, a vintage crash cymbal – or anything in-between. Take it a step further and you can swap drum heads, change beaters, add muffling, edit the ambient microphone environment and a whole load more.
Where do Roland drum sounds come from?
It depends on the sound you’re playing – some of the more electronic drum sounds (such as the TR-808 and TR-909) and sound effects are purely digital and derived from Roland’s own historical instruments.Â
The acoustic drum sounds start out by sampling real acoustic drums in a professional studio environment. They are sampled many times, across the lightest to heaviest hits, and different parts and playing positions are sampled.
Those samples are then layered to create a representative sound of the original drum. COSM and Prismatic sound technology [see above] is then applied to allow you to virtually edit each instrument as you would with its acoustic counterpart, while SuperNATURAL technology [see above] allows each instrument to behave as an acoustic instrument would.
At the rear of the V-Drums sound module, you’ll find the MIDI socket, which lets you connect and interact with other electronic musical equipment, as well as computers and samplers.Â
When it comes to connecting non-Roland pads and triggers, we can’t be sure of the result – chances are you will have to play around with the sensitivity and threshold settings of each pad or trigger in the module to get it to play smoothly without crosstalk or mis-triggering.
The latest TD-50X and TD-27 modules now include digital trigger ports which are compatible with the Roland digital pads only.Â
The PD-140-DS Digital Snare, VH-14D Digital Hi-hat and CY-18DR digital ride are able to respond to skin touch and positional information to a new level never possible before. The digital snare is aware of the player’s hand position to allow instant detection of cross-stick playing for example.Â
The digital hi-hat can even differentiate between left and right stick hits for the most engaging and nuanced playing experience ever.Â
Can I plug other brands of pads into my Roland V-Drums?
In the analog trigger AUX inputs, generally yes!Â
At the rear of the V-Drums sound module, you’ll find the MIDI socket, which lets you connect and interact with other electronic musical equipment, as well as computers and samplers.Â
When it comes to connecting non-Roland pads and triggers, we can’t be sure of the result – chances are you will have to play around with the sensitivity and threshold settings of each pad or trigger in the module to get it to play smoothly without crosstalk or mis-triggering.
The latest TD-50X and TD-27 modules now include digital trigger ports which are compatible with the Roland digital pads only.Â
The PD-140-DS Digital Snare, VH-14D Digital Hi-hat and CY-18DR digital ride are able to respond to skin touch and positional information to a new level never possible before. The digital snare is aware of the player’s hand position to allow instant detection of cross-stick playing for example.Â
The digital hi-hat can even differentiate between left and right stick hits for the most engaging and nuanced playing experience ever.Â
Do I need to update the firmware of my sound module?
Yes, if you want to take advantage of the latest features and settings with your own kit, the latest operating system for your kit will keep your module up to date with the latest sound and technical developments.
Roland periodically updates the ‘firmware’ (the internal software) of the module to offer new features or settings.
To check the latest firmware for your product, head over to the product page for the Roland sound module and check the DOWNLOADS tab.
Just download the update, follow the instruction leaflet, copy to a USB flash drive or Sd Card and upload to your module.
I'm a left-hander- How do I setup my kit?
Every V-Drums kit can be set up left handed. Depending on the stand you have, there are specific ways to do this – take a look at our post about setting up your drums left handed.
Our Electronic Drums FAQ will be added to over time, to address new features to our kits. But if you would like to have anything added to our Electronic Drums FAQ, then please comment below and we will add them just for you
How do I record my V-Drums?
V-Drums are simple to record. Most kits in the V-Drums range have USB for direct recording into your computer or even iPad.
Created by Roland V-Drums specialist Simon Ayton, these patches were designed using the internal factory sounds and many of the techniques covered in the TD-50 guide. Enjoy exploring the possibilities!
