The Roland V-Pro Series isn’t just a tool, it’s the whole workshop! Roland has found a way to improve on a instrument that has already revolutionized drumming and percussion, by giving drummers what they want… everything!
As a drummer and percussionist for over 20 years now, V-Drums have been a part of my arsenal for the last five. That being said, I jumped at the opportunity to get at the new TD-20 and Pro Series kit to see what Roland has been up too. After several hours in our showroom and many wondering customers later, here’s what I found out.
The V-Pro Series is the next generation in the family of V-drums and Roland redesigned them from the ground up. They started by creating a new and improved frame. This new design is aesthetically more pleasing to look at by its sleek black color and the hardware used is more durable with better fittings for added support. The engineers at Roland must be mind-readers (or my brain waves finally made it across the pacific) because they allowed for the cables that connect to the triggers to be run through the support tubing. This improves the spaghetti that existed before and will prevent my cat from trying the tasty cables.
Next, Roland answered the cries of V-Drummers throughout the globe, “IF ONLY YOU MADE CYMBALS!” The new V-Cymbals and V-Hi-Hats, not only look like cymbals, they are mounted on cymbal stands and react much like the real thing. This makes the kit look more like a drum set, and really adds to the overall feel and drumming experience. However, the phrase “I’m used to REAL cymbals not PADS” is no longer a valid excuse. V-drumming purists (if there is such a thing) may claim that they can play faster on the older pads since they don’t give and act more like a practice pad, but the new cymbals have a nice rebound and I was able to blaze through “Caravan” doing my best Jeff Watts imitation.
The most obvious cymbal improvement is the fact the “hey, there’s a hi-hat now!” Yes, Roland came through in a big way here by granting us another wish. The new hi-hat is actually two separate pads that mount on an actual hi-hat stand and act exactly like a hi-hat. The technology put into it is unbelievable, They say its the little things that make the biggest difference and that is definitely the case here. By applying pressure to the closed hi-hat, the pitch “chokes” just like the real thing. ‘Nuff said. I do need to add that Roland does not include a hi-hat stand with the kit.
The V-Drums themselves were not left out of the overhaul. The pads now sport a new sensor that definitely is more accurate and able to handle singles and doubles well into quarter note=200 range. (Thanks Jim Chapin!) Though there was some need to tweak the sensitivity of the pads threshold and dynamics, I believe this should be done anyway to help the kit adjust to the player for maximum performance. The Tom’s also have rim sensors that can be set to give rim shots or other sounds, greatly adding to the possibilities of extra percussion, or toms. Be careful if you add cymbals since a misplaced stick could give a drastically different sound!
The kick drum pad is the same KD-120 that has been with the V-Pro Series, only now it has a new paint job to match the kit. This 12″ pad uses standard drum pedals-which you supply-and even accepts a double bass pedal…and there was much rejoicing! Yeah!
At the heart of the V-Pro Session is the new TD-20 sound module with over 500 new useable sounds. A complaint that I heard from V-drummers from all over was that “the sounds are cool, but there is only a few which actually sound real .” Not anymore! I went through every sound in the module and found myself saying repeatedly, “yeah, that does sound right.” The kicks, snares, and toms all come in a variety of “woods” that capture a lot of the sonic characteristics of the real wood. I’ve played nearly every type of wood out there and these samples do them justice. One thing to know is that Roland doesn’t just sample the drum, their COSM technology models the wood AND the mic AND everything else that goes into making the recorded sound. This results in a slightly different sound then the “real thing” but is more realistic when recorded or run through a live sound rig. They’re looking at the big picture of what we do with the drums.
One of my favorite features has to be the V-editing technology. I’ll try not to get too “tweaky” but It truly is designed for drummers with lots of pictures that we can relate too! Pictures=good, Words=baaad. The ability to “tune” the sounds just like a real drum is fantastic. Even though we are pushing buttons or turning dials, the display shows what we drummers understand. The ability to change shell depths, head styles, and mic placement is simply amazing. This makes the V-Drums truly a versatile instrument.
I could go on forever and get really in depth, but I’ll save that for the forums. I will say that it is easier to create custom sounds and kits and the background sounds are a vast improvement over the previous sequenced sounds. They are great for practicing and as a teaching tool and should be a staple of every serious music education program.
To wrap things up I’ll close with this. Guitarists and keyboardist have had electronic instruments for over 80 years. They play live and record as if it’s only natural for them to be electronic. It’s about time the drummers got on board and got ahold of the versatility that technology gives. Acoustic percussion is great, I love my vintage Rogers kits and Zildjian K’s, but When doing a gig or a session, The V-drums are my first choice because they are so much more then a drum set. They every percussion tool you need.
