Roland Drum Kit Advice

[Funky_ken]

Ok with the imminent arrival of our first child and having just got some money from selling some tracks I want to put my Pearl drum kit into storage and buy an electronic one.

I was looking at getting a Roland TD8KV Drum Kit (second hand)

Does anyone have any feedback on using one? Are they worth the money? Do they have the same feel/sound as my Pearl Export does?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Ed

 

[editor]

Unless you're hell bent on an electronic kit, I'd strongly recommend the Pearl Traveller - it's near silent as a practice kit but the heads can be swapped over and you've got a highly portable acoustic drum kit!

 

[Funky_ken]

Unless you're hell bent on an electronic kit, I'd strongly recommend the Pearl Traveller - it's near silent as a practice kit but the heads can be swapped over and you've got a highly portable acoustic drum kit!

Cheers I'll have a look at one.

Although I'm now quite into the idea of getting an electronic kit so that i can merge it with my studio/sequencer and use it as a midi trigger too.

 

[Moggy]

There's one in the main studio in my college; am not a drummer myself so can't really comment but i have seen some nifty things done with them, although it's already starting to show a lot of damage a year on (although i expect this is mainly down to idiots abusing it than it not being durable).

Have heard some people complaining about some of the pads being picky about where they get hit before they actually trigger, although again this might just be down to abuse.

Not much help i'm afraid


Oh yeah, what tracks did you sell by the way?? (Any of the ones from the music competitions???)

 

[Funky_ken]

There's one in the main studio in my college; am not a drummer myself so can't really comment but i have seen some nifty things done with them, although it's already starting to show a lot of damage a year on (although i expect this is mainly down to idiots abusing it than it not being durable).

Have heard some people complaining about some of the pads being picky about where they get hit before they actually trigger, although again this might just be down to abuse.

Not much help i'm afraid


Oh yeah, what tracks did you sell by the way?? (Any of the ones from the music competitions???)

Cheers for the feedback. That's what i'm worried about... will I have to hit it exactly in the middle to get a sound. I look after my equipment so I'm not too worried about its durability.

I sold (non exclusive) Canamale, Monkeys in Space, Kunk, Back Again and Cool as Ice to Bravo TV

 

[Moggy]

Nah you don't have to hit them exactly in the middle, if i remember right with things like the cymbals i think there's actually two trigger points on them anyway, one on the edge, one in the middle (although i could be wrong). Problems only really started to arise when the whole 'oh look its an electronic drumkit, i want a go thrashing about on it' phase had passed, so i don't really think its something to worry about too much. I'd go and have a play on them first in a showroom before parting with the cash (as with anything i reckon).

Congratulations on the tracks though! Did you enter any of thoes in the music comp?? If not, where can i hear them???

 

[Funky_ken]

Nah you don't have to hit them exactly in the middle, if i remember right with things like the cymbals i think there's actually two trigger points on them anyway, one on the edge, one in the middle (although i could be wrong). Problems only really started to arise when the whole 'oh look its an electronic drumkit, i want a go thrashing about on it' phase had passed, so i don't really think its something to worry about too much. I'd go and have a play on them first in a showroom before parting with the cash (as with anything i reckon).

Congratulations on the tracks though! Did you enter any of thoes in the music comp?? If not, where can i hear them???

Yeah I'm going to go and have a play around with some kits over the weekend but I'm usually a sucker for a good salesman pitch so I like to try and understand as much as possible about something before I buy one!

I might have entered Canamale in a previous comp. You can find some of my stuff here

Cheers, Ed

 

[dirtysanta]

Cheers I'll have a look at one.

Although I'm now quite into the idea of getting an electronic kit so that i can merge it with my studio/sequencer and use it as a midi trigger too.

Yes.

I dont what sort of kit your running Ken. But patching them into plug ins like Battery 2 ( loads and loads of fucking awesome sounds!!) or FX expansions BFD Drum Module (the best recorded acoustic drum samples IMO) has you rocking PROPER

Do it. Its the way forward for midi drum programming.


Edited to add. I know a couple of lads who run V drum setups' and they rate them. Very durable i understand. Ask how old they are. The majority of Roland kit has a 3 yr warranty. So check with whoever is selling them to you.

 

[pidgeonhead]

Yeah I'm going to go and have a play around with some kits over the weekend but I'm usually a sucker for a good salesman pitch so I like to try and understand as much as possible about something before I buy one!

I might have entered Canamale in a previous comp. You can find some of my stuff here

Cheers, Ed

Nice one - I too compose and sell music, in the middle of writing a ten track deal for a production company.

Nice to be able to pay for all the equipment after all this time isn't it?

 

[Funky_ken]

Yes.

I dont what sort of kit your running Ken. But patching them into plug ins like Battery 2 ( loads and loads of fucking awesome sounds!!) or FX expansions BFD Drum Module (the best recorded acoustic drum samples IMO) has you rocking PROPER

Do it. Its the way forward for midi drum programming.


Edited to add. I know a couple of lads who run V drum setups' and they rate them. Very durable i understand. Ask how old they are. The majority of Roland kit has a 3 yr warranty. So check with whoever is selling them to you.

Excellent this is just what I wanted to hear and was intending on doing. happy days.

 

[Funky_ken]

Nice one - I too compose and sell music, in the middle of writing a ten track deal for a production company.

Nice to be able to pay for all the equipment after all this time isn't it?

agree

 

[Funky_ken]

Ok... I played a kit today and I have to say it was fucking great. A lot more responsive and 'real' than I thought it would be.

I wasn't too sure about the cymbals though... they sounded quite artificial but I think I'm just being picky.

So now I'm caught mid way. yes or no ....

Off to ebay now to see what they've got.

 

[poet]

A Vdrum kit with at the least a mesh-head snare trigger is an excellent option for silent practice and traditional drum sequencing. Cymbals tend to be a bit rubbish, fine for crashes/splashes with a good sampleset and hats (with a good pedal trigger) are OK (if lacking in tactile feedback) but you can't get close to an acoustic ride with current tech - most of the serious trad/hybrid e-drummers I know have at least an acoustic ride. If you're just after a practice kit a mesh-headed silent kit might be a better option, certainly miles cheaper.

If you're willing to go beyond the frankly irrelvant kit design paradigm, a TrapKat by Alternate Mode is the finest untuned percussion instrument in the world by a country mile. They're truly astounding tools, in the right hands they can blow away anything else. You're forced to rethink your playing and it is a grand for a soundless midi trigger but they're superb. Having 24 triggers within a very easy arm's reach is liberating. Fast, ornate and varied play that most trad drummers can only dream of becomes trivial when you can reach the entirety of your kit with little more than a flick of the wrist.

 

[Funky_ken]

A Vdrum kit with at the least a mesh-head snare trigger is an excellent option for silent practice and traditional drum sequencing. Cymbals tend to be a bit rubbish, fine for crashes/splashes with a good sampleset and hats (with a good pedal trigger) are OK (if lacking in tactile feedback) but you can't get close to an acoustic ride with current tech - most of the serious trad/hybrid e-drummers I know have at least an acoustic ride. If you're just after a practice kit a mesh-headed silent kit might be a better option, certainly miles cheaper.

If you're willing to go beyond the frankly irrelvant kit design paradigm, a TrapKat by Alternate Mode is the finest untuned percussion instrument in the world by a country mile. They're truly astounding tools, in the right hands they can blow away anything else. You're forced to rethink your playing and it is a grand for a soundless midi trigger but they're superb. Having 24 triggers within a very easy arm's reach is liberating. Fast, ornate and varied play that most trad drummers can only dream of becomes trivial when you can reach the entirety of your kit with little more than a flick of the wrist.

Thanks. That Trapkat looks amazing.

 

[Moggy]

Bit pricey though!


Yes, i know i'm a cheapskate!!

 

[bingiman]

what about percussion. Anything anyone can recommend.
I remember seeing an electronic tabla type thing. Is that any good?

 

[poet]

The roland HPD-15 is one of the best (and only) electronic triggers for hand-percussion players. If you're a tabla player you'll hate it as it sounds totally dead and inexpressive compared to the real deal, but a lot of conga players quite like it. There's 15 zones on the trigger so you can get some variety out of the thing but I'm not a fan.

 

[Funky_ken]

I got one ... Roland TD8 ... and it's fucking brilliant and love it.

Still not very impressed by the cymbals though. I reckon I'll keep my real High Hats out.

I've got the midi all wired up too so I can trigger Battery through Cubase. All I need now is some decent Battery Drum kits ... (anybody got any I can have)

 

[Moggy]

All I need now is some decent Battery Drum kits ... (anybody got any I can have)

Ditto!!

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

I've got one and I love it. I got it to spare the guys next door and love it love it love it. It actualy feels wierd playing a real kit now. The last stuff I recorded (dirty punk ass) I didn't bother setting up a real drum kit and just took the stereo out to the mixing desk. I even did the guitars straight from a pod. It's so not rock and roll but I like it like it like it anyway!!!

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

I got one ... Roland TD8 ... and it's fucking brilliant and love it.

Still not very impressed by the cymbals though. I reckon I'll keep my real High Hats out.

Oh yeah that's true the cymbals arn't great and quite oftern mistrigger.

Fuck, I forgot that I actualy hate it now, screw my last post where I wanted to cum on it.