Roland has been pounding out electronic drums for decades, most recently going for a traditional kit look and feel. The latest V-Drums release returns to the familiar skeletal setup of old and is claimed to offer "the finest electronic drumming experience in its class."
The TD-07KV's double-ply, tension-adjustable mesh-head snare and tom pads have been designed to give players an authentic feel. Different sounds can be assigned to the head and rim zones of the 8-inch snare pad, while each of the three 6-inch tom pads offers single-zone triggering, and the kit also comes with 12-inch crash and ride cymbal pads, a 10-inch hi-hat with built-in pedal, and a kick pad for rhythmic thump.
Everything you need to hit is securely clamped to a cage-like custom stand, which is also home to the TD-07 sound module. This offers a bunch of acoustic drum and percussion sounds in digital form, but massaged by Roland to sound and behave like the real thing. If you'd rather go crazy with electronic sounds, they're available too, and players can dive under the hood to edit, customize, personalize and shape every sound to "studio-level perfection."
Electronic drum kits can be ideal for practice at home since they're a good deal quieter than acoustic kits. Roland says that this latest model has been designed to make other e-kits seem loud by comparison, though Noise Eater accessories are available if housemates complain about your tippety-tapping.
Of course, the player can still enjoy full-throttle sonics by plugging in some headphones, and Roland reports that the new kit is compatible with the Melodics learning app for Mac and Windows, with 40 lessons offered for free and more available via a subscription model.
With Bluetooth 4.2 also on tap, music tracks can be fed in wirelessly from a smartphone or tablet for playing along with. MIDI over Bluetooth is supported too, catering for MIDI data recording in music apps without breaking out the cables. There is a USB port though, so users can record to music production software running on a PC or Mac, or trigger sounds in software for live or studio playing.
The TD-07KV e-drum kit is on sale now for US$999.99. The video below has more.
Product page: TD-07KV V-Drums