Whether you are learning to play
drums, already studying and in
need of your first drum set, or
you're getting back into drumming
after a break and need a new kit to
start fresh, you'll require
a strong foundation for your journey
ahead.
There's lots of advice out there on
learning the basics of drumming and
getting the fundamentals right,
but choosing a drum kit can be
less clear.
In this video, we're going to take a
look at the Roland TD-02
series V-Drums and explain
how they can support you on your
drumming journey.
First of all, if you're not yet
familiar with different types of
drum sets, let's take a look at your
options.
When you think of a drum kit, you
might think of something large and
noisy.
Many of us will be familiar with the
look of the drum kit on stage with
the classic big bass drum and many
drums and cymbals.
These are acoustic drums, the rawest
form of drumming experience.
Playing acoustic drums can be
exhilarating, but can come with
its issues, noise being the biggest
of all.
Electronic drums are the digital
representation of an acoustic drum
set.
Many will sound like an acoustic
drum kit, but without the need
for tuning and maintenance, with
the biggest advantage being lower
noise and the need for less space.
No drum kit is truly silent as you
still need to hit a surface to
produce a sound, but electronic
drums are significantly quieter.
However, not all electronic drum
kits are the same.
Whilst many will look similar, the
ability to play the same level of
expression as an acoustic kit is
vital for developing accurate drum
techniques.
Some electronic drum kits are
notably more noisy and less sturdy
and reliable than others.
It's worth noting here that
electronic drums today are very
different to the early instruments
used in the 1970s and '80s.
Huge technological advancements have
taken place.
Roland has pioneered biggest leaps
in electronic drum technology with
V-Drums and have over 35
years in developing world-first
technologies and features that
have helped make them the most
popular and highly acclaimed
electronic drums available.
Playing electronic drums today are
akin to playing an acoustic set,
with seamless transition between the
two.
And there's no disadvantage to
playing an electronic drum set in
terms of sound, setup, or
technique.
However, with such a broad choice
available, there are some important
things to consider.
So let's take a look at what you
might need to think about when
considering your electronic drum
kit.
Noise.
Drumming is great fun and amazing
for releasing energy, maybe even
stress in some circumstances.
But there's no getting away from the
fact that acoustic drums are loud.
Even if playing on headphones, some
electronic drums will have higher
pad noise than others, particularly
from the pedals placed on the floor,
the vibrations of which will
transfer through to other rooms.
Whilst no drum kit can be totally
silent, Roland V-Drums have
developed some of the quietest
materials and mechanics of any
electronic drums available.
Sound.
It's important to have access to
great sounds that are inspiring
and fun to play, but
the sounds need to be realistic in
terms of behavior and expression
as well as tone.
Dynamic response to the sounds is
key to being able to play with
accurate drumming techniques.
Variety is also important with easy
access to sounds that are familiar
to your favorite music styles,
which can make drumming a lot of
fun.
Roland V-Drums offer the most
dynamic response a realistic
experience of any electronic drums,
with decades of development in
sensing technology and sound to
make this possible. Reliability.
Drums are instruments that are
physically hit repeatedly, day after
day.
Resistance to wear, reliability,
and durability of the kit are vital
to developing your drumming and
enjoying the experience.
Making sure that once set
the drums and cymbals stay exactly
where they need to be is also
important.
Nothing is more distracting than
pads that move as you play.
Roland V-Drums offer a solid,
stable platform by using strong
materials and clamps with firm grip
and durability for years of
drumming.
Many V-Drums sets produced over 30
years ago are still regularly played
today.
Feel.
It's essential that drums feel
consistent and similar to their
acoustic counterpart.
This ensures the transition between
acoustic and electronic drums is
seamless and that correct hand
and muscular techniques are
developed.
Many electronic drums claim to use
similar materials, but as well
as the noise factor, they can have
very different rebound and feel
compared with acoustic drums.
Roland V-Drums are
specifically developed to feel and play
as close to acoustic drums as
possible so that drumming techniques
can be developed accurately as
well as reducing the noise.
Now that we've explored what's
important in an electronic drum set,
let's take a look at the V-Drums
TD-02 series in more
detail and how noise,
sound, reliability, and feel
are all delivered.
The TD-02 series V-Drums
are designed for anyone that needs a
simple, compact drum set at an
affordable price, but that doesn't
compromise in terms of sound, feel
or playability.
The series consists of two kits:
the TD-02K
and the TD-02KV,
both with unique advantages.
There are some key differences
between the two, but also many
features that are shared.
Let's take a look at these common
points first.
Sound module.
The sound module is at the heart of
the electronic drum kit.
It connects the pads that receive
all of the drumming information with
the sounds that you hear through the
headphones or speaker.
The TD-02 sound module is purpose
designed to be simple, yet still
offer essential capability in
features demanded of more advanced
electronic drums.
The simple and compact construction
of the module is easy to navigate
with intuitive buttons, icons,
and LCD display.
As mentioned earlier, powerful, easy
to access sounds are vital to
improve your drumming experience and
make it more fun.
TD-02 sound module has 16
preset kits to choose from.
These sounds are authentic,
expressive, punchy, and
realistic.
Moving from one musical style to
another can be done easily, and
quickly. Playing along with tracks
is something that all drummers love
to do, no matter your age,
ability, or time served behind
the drums.
The music we love provides
inspiration and motivation.
It's so satisfying to play along
with your favorite tracks, taking
inspiration from your favorite
drummers.
The TD-02 makes this possible
in two ways.
Firstly, there's a wireless-ready
connection using an optional BOSS
BT-Dual adaptor plugged into
the back of the module allows the
module to connect with smartphones
and other devices to stream audio
wirelessly.
The audio will play through the
headphones or amplifier along
with the sound of drum kit enabling
you to play along.
This also allows video audio to be
heard to, making this a great
feature and playing along with
online video lessons or livestreams
watched on your device.
The other way to bring audio into
the module is via a mixing
connection.
This 3.5 mm jack input
allows you to connect your audio
device over a wired connection
and brings the sound into the module
for you to drum along with.
They say that practice makes perfect
and tracking your progress has never
been easier with the Coach function.
This is a great interactive tool for
improving timing and visualizing
seeing your progression, whilst also
keeping things fun.
A series of engaging, almost
game-like exercises with Coach
provide scores for accuracy.
By tracking these goals, it's easy
to see the improvement of your
timing.
In addition, the TD-02
modules USB output can
connect to a computer to interact
with Melodics, an app that teaches
songs and drum grooves with your
drumming overlaid over the lesson
to see what you're doing right, but
also to see where you can
tighten up.
All TD-02 V-Drums
users can access 40 free lessons
with Melodics with the option to
subscribe for further lesson content
and songs, including well-known
tracks that drummers love.
The same USB output also allows
connection with computer recording
software for easy audio and
MIDI drum recordings and enables
connection to third party software.
Pads.
Every basic drum kit will consist of
a kick drum, snare drum,
tom toms, hi-hat cymbals,
and a crash and ride cymbal.
Both kits in the TD-02 series
come complete with all of these.
The drum and cymbal pads are
designed to be quiet, and the
beaterless pedals prevent unwanted
stomping noises from transferring
into the floor.
This allows the drummer to play
quietly with headphones while
the people around them are not
disturbed.
Unlike some drum kits, Roland
electronic V-Drums are designed to
have minimal mechanical impact
noise. Both kits in the TD-02
series use the same durable
toms, cymbals, and pedals.
The construction of each pad uses a
resilient rubber material that
has been developed over decades of
V-Drums for quietness and
realistic rebound.
The pads provide great feel,
whilst V-Drums triggering technology
provides great dynamic response,
which is very important when
learning the foundation skills of
the instrument.
The pads and cymbals are fully
adjustable for height and angle,
allowing every user to set
everything ergonomically so
that each pad is just in the right
place.
The kick pedal and hi-hat control
pedals are uniquely designed to
offer accurate feel but without
generating noise and vibration.
Removing the beater helps to
significantly reduce the noise and
vibration that can be heard
traveling through floorboards and
walls.
This is particularly useful if you
live in an apartment or are playing
drums in an upstairs bedroom.
Both pedals can be easily moved into
a comfortable playing position.
And should you wish to upgrade in
the future to a conventional kick
pad, for use of a kick pedal, the
TD-02 series supports connections
to a range of Roland kick pads. In
fact, the TD-02 series
kits are designed to be expandable
by adding additional cymbals as well
as upgradable, allowing the drum set
to grow to match your skills and
ambition.
So now we know what
the similarities are within both
kits, let's briefly talk about
what's individual about each set.
The TD-02K is the most
compact drum set available from
Roland. It has a unique three-post
stand, which is both durable and
sturdy enough for even the hardest
of hitters.
The compact size and design allows
placement in bedrooms, living
spaces, and even the corner of a
room without taking up too much
space.
The stand is also height-adjustable,
meaning that younger players can
move the pads lower so that their
feet remain on the pedals without
needing to overstretch to play
accurately.
This is the only stand available in
Roland's acclaimed V-Drums series
that has this functionality.
This kit consists of four rubber
pads for a snare and toms
and three cymbals for hi-hats,
crash, and ride.
Everything you need is here, with
all the shared features we've
covered earlier. There's
one more model to take a look at,
and that's the TD-02KV.
The TD-02KV
takes many of the same great
features from the entry level
TD-02K, but
adds some premium characteristics
that are featured in the
higher-level V-Drums kits.
The TD-02KV uses
a four-post durable stand which
allows greater spacing of drum pads
and a central positioning of the
kick drum pedal.
This is beneficial if you wish to
upgrade your drums at a later stage
with a larger kick pad, such as the
Roland KD-10, which uses
an acoustic bass drum pedal.
A mesh head snare pad is also
included with this
TD-02KV model.
This is tension-adjustable providing
further response customization,
and also supports two sound: one
on the rim and another on the head.
Both of these features are of value
when developing drumming techniques.
So
that's an intro to the TD-02
series of V-Drums and some things
to look out for when you're looking
for your drum set.
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