Roland V-Drums

V-Drum is a trademarked umbrella term for a variety of electronic drums, drum brain modules, and related electronic percussion product manufactured and trademarked by Roland Corporation.

The primary V-Drum products are complete electronic drum kits. These vary in price and complexity, ranging from a few hundred dollars to approximately US$6,000. Components such as additional triggers and modules, are also sold individually to augment an existing kit.

Like most electronic drum modules, V-Drum drum modules are MIDI-capable. This enables the player to use a V-Drum kit to control not only the kit itself, but other MIDI-capable instruments, such as digital samplers. MIDI also allows V-Drum kits to be controlled by other MIDI-capable instruments. V-Drums, like most electronic drum kits, can output to an amplifier, recording device, or headphones.

Contents

The Roland V-Drum System

Each V-Drum kit is composed of the following:

Trigger types

V-Drum trigger devices are of four major types: mesh-head drum pads, rubber pads, cymbal pads and acoustic drum triggers. Mesh-head pads look very similar to acoustic drums, and attempt to emulate their feel. The simpler, more generic type is a rubber pad, which is less expensive, but also looks and feels less like an acoustic drum. There are several models of cymbal pads (also called V-Cymbals). The more expensive ones attempt to emulate the physical properties of acoustic cymbals of various types (e.g.: hi-hat, crash, ride), while the simpler, less expensive cymbal pads are less realistic. Acoustic drum triggers can be used to provide trigger signals from standard acoustic drums.

From an electrical point of view, trigger pads can be of the following types:

Rubber pads

Round rubber pads were introduced with the TD-7 drum module in the early 1990s (previous Roland pads were polygonal) and were universally used as trigger pads for drums and cymbals. Since the introduction of mesh-head drum pads and cymbal-shaped trigger pads, standard rubber pads are only used as tom-tom and (until recently) bass drum trigger pads on Roland's less expensive drum kits. More expensive kits don't include any rubber pads at all any more.

The downsides of rubber pads are their less realistic rebound and their relatively high ambient noise level (compared to mesh-head pads), but their lower price still makes them an economical choice in some cases.

Mesh-head pads

Roland V-Drum mesh-head triggers resemble acoustic drums in both appearance and feel. The striking surface is a two-layer taut woven mesh of fibers fitted with several electronic sensors. This allows the mesh-head trigger to respond to the play of a drumstick in a manner that feels more like real drums than their earlier rubber predecessors. Roland developers have stated  that the design of the mesh-head V-drum was inspired in part by a small toy trampoline.

In 1997, Roland developed and patented an updated version of mesh-head drum triggers, a key feature of the V-Drum line. As such, the name "V-Drums" sometimes refers specifically to Roland's mesh-head based drum triggers. The company began marketing the mesh-head triggers under the "V-Drums" name in 1998, in conjunction with the TD-10 drum module.[1]

Roland mesh-head V-Drums have a playable rim which has its own electronic sensors (and corresponding sounds). Many drummers who formerly eschewed electronic drums because of their lack of authentic feel have adopted V-Drums and other mesh-head drum products due to the recent advances of mesh-head technology.

Mesh-head triggers have created an expanded market for electronic drum kits because electronic drum kits, especially mesh-head based ones, make little or no unwanted ambient noise.Mesh heads used in V-Drum kits today are made by the American drumhead company Remo.

Acoustic drum triggers

Roland also makes acoustic drum triggers, which can be mounted on the rims of standard acoustic drums and provide a trigger signal from those drums, effectively turning them into trigger pads. The acoustic drumhead can either be left on the drum, to get the acoustic sound as well as a trigger signal, or the drumhead can be replaced with a mesh-head to lower ambient noise, if only the trigger signal is needed.

Cymbal pads

In the early 2000s, Roland moved away from using standard rubber pads as cymbal triggers and introduced new cymbal-shaped trigger pads with a rubber surface, which they call V-Cymbals.

The more expensive cymbal pads can swing freely after being hit (only rotation of the pad is prevented by a special cymbal mount), so they feel more like real cymbals, while the less expensive cymbal pads are not movable and always stay in their fixed position, thus feeling less realistic. Most of the movable pads also feature a third bell zone, which is triggered when hitting the bell area of the cymbal pad. These cymbal pads are called three-way cymbals because of their three trigger zones (bell, bow and edge).

Electronic hi-hats

Electronic hi-hats are always made up of two components: a trigger pad to detect hits, and a variable resistor-based hi-hat controller to detect the foot position, so the drum module can determine whether the hi-hat is supposed to be open or closed (or somewhere in between).

The simpler, less expensive solution uses a simple fixed V-Cymbal pad in combination with a separate foot pedal controller, which allows the drum module to replicate the sound of a hi-hat, but does not emulate the feel and scope of expressiveness of acoustic hi-hats.

The more expensive V-Hi-Hats integrate trigger pad and controller into a set of two opposing pieces, designed to be mounted on a conventional hi-hat stand. Because the hi-hat pad moves with the position of the pedal and can swing freely when the hi-hat is opened, this solution feels much more authentic. The most complex and most expensive VH-12 V-Hi-Hat can also detect different amounts of foot pressure in the closed position, but it is only compatible with the TD-12 and TD-20 drum modules. The simpler VH-11 can be used with more modules, but it is still not supported by some older modules and cannot sense foot pressure in the closed position.

Available drum and cymbal pads

List of Roland drum and cymbal pads
Pad Name Type Year
Introduced		 Diameter Channels Trigger Positional
Sensing		 Colors Notes
Head/Bow Rim/Edge Bell
CY-5
In Production		 Cymbal Pad (fixed) 2006 10 Inches Stereo Piezo Switch – No Black No edge trigger on pads that ship with the HD-1
CY-6 Cymbal Pad (fixed) 2001 12 Inches Stereo Piezo Switch – No Black  
CY-8
In Production		 Cymbal Pad (fixed) 2003 12 Inches Stereo Piezo Switch – No Black  
CY-12C
In Production		 Cymbal Pad (movable) 2011 12 Inches Stereo Piezo Switch – No Black  
CY-12H Hi-Hat Cymbal Pad (fixed) 2000 12 Inches Stereo Piezo Switch – No Black  
CY-12R/C
In Production		 Cymbal Pad (movable) 2001 12 Inches Three-way Piezo Switch Switch Yes Black  
CY-13R
In Production		 Cymbal Pad (movable) 2011 13 Inches Three-way Piezo Switch Switch No Black  
CY-14C
In Production		 Cymbal Pad (movable) 2000 14 Inches Stereo Piezo Switch – No Black, Silver  
CY-15R
In Production		 Cymbal Pad (movable) 2000 15 Inches Three-way Piezo Switch Switch Yes Black, Silver  
KD-5 Kick Drum Pad 1994 2 Inches Mono Piezo – – No Black  
KD-7
In Production		 Kick Drum Pad 1992 2 Inches Mono Piezo – – No Black  
KD-8 Rubber Kick Drum Pad 2003 5 Inches Mono Piezo – – No Black  
KD-9
In Production		 "Cloth" Kick Drum Pad 2011 6 Inches Mono Piezo – – No Black  
KD-80 Mesh-head Kick Drum Pad 1999 8 Inches Mono Piezo – – No Black, White  
KD-85
In Production		 Mesh-head Kick Drum Pad 2003 8 Inches Mono Piezo – – No Black, White  
KD-120
In Production		 Mesh-head Kick Drum Pad 1998 12 Inches Mono Piezo – – No Black, White, (Red), (Purple)  
KD-140
In Production		 Mesh-head Kick Drum Pad 2008 14 Inches Mono Piezo – – No Silver  
PD-5 Rubber Pad 1994 8 Inches Mono Piezo – – No Black  
PD-6 Rubber Pad 2001 8 Inches Mono Piezo – – No White  
PD-7 Rubber Pad 1992 8 Inches Stereo Piezo Switch – Yes White Features a switch to change piezo polarity
PD-8
In Production		 Rubber Pad 2003 8 Inches Stereo Piezo Switch – Yes Black  
PD-9 Rubber Pad 1994 10 Inches Stereo Piezo Switch – Yes White Features a switch to change piezo polarity
PD-80 Mesh-head Drum Pad 1999 8 Inches Mono Piezo – – Yes Black, White  
PD-80R Mesh-head Drum Pad 1999 8 Inches Stereo Piezo Piezo – Yes Black, White  
PD-85
In Production		 Mesh-head Drum Pad 2003 8 Inches Stereo Piezo Piezo – Yes Black, White  
PD-100 Mesh-head Drum Pad 1997 10 Inches Mono Piezo – – Yes Black, White, Red, Purple  
PD-105
In Production		 Mesh-head Drum Pad 2003 10 Inches Stereo Piezo Piezo – Yes Black, (White)  
PD-105X
In Production		 Mesh-head Drum Pad 2008 10 Inches Stereo Piezo Piezo – Yes Silver  
PD-120 Mesh-head Drum Pad 1997 12 Inches Stereo Piezo Piezo – Yes Black, White, Red, Purple  
PD-125
In Production		 Mesh-head Drum Pad 2003 12 Inches Stereo Piezo Piezo – Yes Black, (White)  
PD-125X
In Production		 Mesh-head Drum Pad 2008 12 Inches Stereo Piezo Piezo – Yes Silver Also available as PD-125XS for snare stands (without rack mount)
PDX-6
In Production		 Mesh-head Drum Pad 2006 8 Inches Stereo Piezo Piezo – No Black  
PDX-8
In Production		 Mesh-head Drum Pad 2006 10 Inches Stereo Piezo Piezo – No Black No rim trigger on pads that ship with the HD-1
RT-3T Acoustic Tom-Tom Drum Trigger 2003 – Mono Piezo – – No Silver  
RT-5S Acoustic Snare Drum Trigger 2003 – Stereo Piezo Piezo – No Silver  
RT-7K Acoustic Kick Drum Trigger 2003 – Mono Piezo – – No Silver  
RT-10K
In Production		 Acoustic Kick Drum Trigger 2006 – Mono Piezo – – No Black  
RT-10S
In Production		 Acoustic Snare Drum Trigger 2006 – Stereo Piezo Piezo – No Black  
RT-10T
In Production		 Acoustic Tom-Tom Drum Trigger 2006 – Mono Piezo – – No Black  
VH-11
In Production		 Hi-Hat Cymbal Pad (movable) 2005 12 Inches Stereo Piezo Switch – No Black Only supported by TD-4, TD-6/6V, TD-8, TD-9, TD-10 (with TDW-1), TD-12, TD-20
VH-12
In Production		 Hi-Hat Cymbal Pad (movable) 2004 12 Inches Stereo Piezo Switch – No Black, Silver Only compatible with the TD-12 and TD-20 drum modules

Pad/Module Compatibility

Generally, all Roland drum pads and cymbal pads can be connected to any input on any Roland drum module, and the head/bow zone will always work. However, when more capable pads are connected to less capable inputs, some zones (e.g. rim/edge or bell) on the drum pad cannot be used. Connecting less capable pads to more capable inputs usually lets you use all zones.

Drum pads and cymbal pads from other manufacturers are also generally compatible with Roland drum modules as long as they use a piezo as the head/bow trigger, but zones other than head/bow are sometimes problematic, especially on three-zone pads. Also, the module settings may need some tweaking. Hi-Hat controllers however are not usually compatible between manufacturers.

Roland Pad/Input Compatibility Chart
  DRUM MODULE INPUT
Mono Input Stereo Input
(mono/mono)		 Stereo Input
(piezo/switch)		 Stereo Input
(piezo/piezo)		 Three-Way Input
(piezo/switch/switch)
DRUM
PAD
or
CYMBAL
PAD		 Mono Pad All Zones All Zones All Zones All Zones All Zones
Stereo Pad
(piezo/switch)		 Head/Bow only,
No Choking		 Head/Bow only,
No Choking		 All Zones All Zones All Zones
Stereo Pad
(piezo/piezo)		 Head/Bow
only		 All Zones, but
crosstalk problems
and no Rimshots		 Head/Bow
only		 All Zones Head/Bow
only
Three-Way Pad
(piezo/switch/switch)		 Head/Bow only,
No Choking		 Head/Bow only,
No Choking		 Head/Bow and
Rim/Edge only
or
Head/Bow and
Bell only		 Head/Bow and
Rim/Edge only
or
Head/Bow and
Bell only		 All Zones

There's also a detailed compatibility chart for current Roland trigger devices and drum modules on one of the last pages of Roland's V-Drums catalog, which is also available as a PDF download[2] from their home page. Discontinued pads and modules are not included in their chart though.

Roland drum modules

Main article: Drum module

Roland drum modules range in features and price from the top-of-the-line TD-20 to the TD-12, TD-10, TD-9, TD-8, TD-7, TD-6, TD-5,TD-4, TD-3 and HD-1 (although the HD-1 brain is not sold separately, as it connects with a proprietary 25-pin parallel connector to the HD-1 frame and pads). Higher model numbers denote more advanced and/or newer models, while lower numbers are used for less expensive ones. When included with a V-Drum kit, the TD-20, TD-12, TD-10 and TD-9 take advantage of the more advanced mesh-head triggers for snare, bass drum, and toms. The TD-10, TD-8, TD-7, TD-6, TD-5 and TD-3 are out of production.

Available drum modules

List of Roland Drum Modules
Drum Module Year
Introduced		 Drum
Kits		 Instruments Trigger Inputs Outputs[d] MIDI Voices
(Polyphony)		 Features/Notes
Drum Backing TOTAL MONO STEREO THREE-
WAY[b]		 Stereo
Pairs		 Single
Channel		 Positional Sensing Other
mono/
mono[a]		 piezo/
switch		 piezo/
piezo
HD-1
In Production		 2007 10 70 – 7 7 – – – – 1 – Out  ? No Module not sold separately
TD-3
Superseded by TD-4		 2004 32 114 – 9 4 – 4 1 – 1 – In/Out 32? No  
TD-4
In Production		 2009 25 125 – 9 4 – 4[b] 1 –[b] 1 – Out  ? No  
TD-5 1994 32 210 – 8 – – 8 – – 1 – In/Out 14 No  
TD-6 TD-6
Superseded by TD-6V		 2001 99 1024 262 9
(11[a])		 1 2 5 1 – 1 – In/Out 64 No  
TD-6V
Superseded by TD-9		 2003 0-2[c] 5-7[c]
TD-7 1992 32 256 (512) 9 – – 9 – – 1 2 In/Out 14 No  
TD-8
Superseded by TD-12		 1999 64 1024 262 10
(12[a])		 – 2 7 1 – 2 – In/Out 64 Yes  
TD-9 TD-9
Updated to TD-9 v2.0		 2008 50 522  ? 10 1 – 3 5 1[b] 1 – In/Out  ? No  
TD-9 v2.0
In Production		 2011 99 552 TD-9 Firmware Update, also adds MP3 support
TD-10 TD-10
Superseded by TD-20		 1997 50 600 54 12 – – 11 1 – 4 – In/Out 56 Yes  
TD-10 with TDW-1 2000 100 960
TD-12
In Production		 2005 50 560 262 11 – – 4 6 1[b] 1 2 In/Out 64 Yes  
TD-20 TD-20
Superseded by TD-20X		 2004 50 560 262 15 – – 6[b] 9 –[b] 3 4 In/Out 64 Yes CompactFlash Slot
TD-20 with TDW-20 or TD-20X
In Production		 2008 100 920
TMC-6
In Production		 2002 – – 6 – – 5[b] 1 –[b] – – Out – No Trigger-to-MIDI converter

^ a Two Mono pads can be connected to Mono/Mono inputs by using an insert cable (Tom2/Aux and Tom3/4 inputs on the TD-6, Kick1/2 and Aux1/2 inputs on the TD-8).
^ b Three-way (piezo/switch/switch) inputs can be used to connect a three-way cymbal like the CY-12R/C, CY-13R or CY-15R, or one non-three-way pad. On the TD-4, TD-10 with TDW-1, TD-20 and TMC-6, three-way cymbals can be connected using two designated Piezo/Switch inputs. Connecting them to any two stereo inputs on any module works with some limitations and is not officially supported.
^ c On The TD-6V, two stereo inputs (Tom2/Aux and Tom3/4) can be configured to be either mono/mono inputs or piezo/switch inputs.
^ d Outputs excluding the headphone jack.

Drum module input capabilities

It is important to note that not all drum module inputs have the same capabilities. Besides the obvious differences between mono, stereo and three-way inputs, which support mono (single-zone), stereo (dual-zone) or three-zone pads accordingly, there are additional differences in the capabilities of stereo inputs. While some stereo inputs only support pads with a piezo and a switch (piezo/switch inputs), others also support pads with two piezos (piezo/piezo inputs). Also, some stereo inputs are only intended to be split into two mono inputs by using an insert cable (mono/mono inputs). Certain pairs of stereo inputs can be configured to form one three-way input.

On some drum modules, some inputs may support additional features such as positional sensing or brush sweeps.

The capabilities of drum module inputs are listed in the table below. For details about which type of trigger pads are compatible with which type of drum module input, see section Pad/Module Compatibility above.

Drum sets

Roland V-Drum components are typically sold as drum sets, which are made up of drum and cymbal pads, a hi-hat pad and controller, a drum module and a drum rack. Sometimes, additional hardware such as a kick drum pedal and a hi-hat stand is also included (usually only as limited offers).

High-end V-Drum sets

Roland's most advanced and most expensive V-Drum sets:

Mid-Line V-Drum sets

Roland's mid-line V-Drum sets:

In the past, V-Tour sets with rubber pads and fixed cymbal pads were also available.

Less expensive V-Drum sets

Roland's less expensive V-Drum sets:

Older V-Drum sets

Older drum sets with the TD-7 and the (less expensive) TD-5 drum module had all rubber pads as drum and cymbal pads, simple kick-drum pads, and a rubber pad and foot controller for the hi-hat.

Artists who use Roland V-Drums

References

  1. ^ V-Drums History: How Roland Became the Biggest Drum Company in the World, Roland Insider Magazine
  2. ^ http://www.roland.com/V-Drums/downloads/index.html
  3. ^ http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/jfp.php/events/entry/40908

External links