Looking at seniority alone, Roland, founded in 1972, is not convincing to be tied with big names like DW and Ludwig. But given Roland's current dominance in the field of electronic drums, the Japanese company that started out as an electronic component manufacturer definitely qualifies as one of the top drums in the industry.
Unlike Yamaha, which launched both acoustic and electronic drum product lines, Roland only makes electronic drums. The relative concentration of resources is one of the reasons why Roland electronic drums are superior to Yamaha in terms of quantity and quality. The electronic drum isn't the only electronic instrument Roland has dabbled in. In fact, the company produces many electronic components or instruments that have a significant impact on pop, rock, hip-hop, and electronic music. Fact, a well-known British music magazine, believes that "no other company has been more influential in shaping electronic music than Roland".
Roland's electronic drum products are quite numerous, but they all have a clear audience targeting. To put it simply, for beginners on a budget, TD1KV with the lowest price is recommended; The new, higher-spec TD17K/17kv is suitable for entry-level drummers on a budget. If you have some knowledge of electronic drums, the TD-25 will be the most cost-effective model when upgrading hardware. If you have an unlimited budget and need professional recording, the TD-30 and TD-50 are your best bet.
Entry-level drummers on a tight budget, the TD-1 and TD-4 are pretty much their only options, and we recommend the 1KV. Although it can be seen from the naming that the TD-1, which costs about 4500 yuan, is not as good as TD-4 in terms of positioning, in actual performance, the drum pieces and preset sound modules that TD-4 has more than TD-1 do not match the difference in price of 1000 yuan. And because 4KP mounts the analog kick drum on the drum mount, each impact of the hammer causes the drum mount to wobble. When a child who is not good at controlling the strength of the hammer uses it, it is easy to cause injury to the whole set of drums. It is worth noting that whether it is 1KV or 4KP, it is recommended to at least upgrade their snare drum face to a mesh drum head. As Roland's masterpiece, the mesh drum skin is designed to foster a drummer's feel and supports dual triggers (drum face and side hits) to mimic the texture of an acoustic drum as much as possible. In addition, when the drummer is not satisfied with the sound modules built into entry-level products such as 1KV and 4KP, he can connect to a computer and use a soft source to enrich the sound. There are already a number of tutorials on how to use it on the Internet.
If you're on a budget, the 2018 TD-17 is the best way to get started. The launch of the 17 series marks the end of the 11 and 15 series, which have not been updated for many years. The 17 Series is available in three versions, with the 17KVX being the highest-spec, but it's worth the money. The 17KVX is equipped with 2 CY-12 crushed cymbals, CY-13 cymbals and VH-10 hi-hats. In fact, the VH-10 hi-hat, KD-10 Kick Drum, and PDX-12 snare pads are three new parts of the 17KVX that give the 17 Series a more realistic feel and sound.
Compared to the TD-4 and TD-11 drum kits, the 17 series has greatly improved sound technology. That's because the series is equipped with the TD-50 sound module, which is the first time Roland has offered a flagship model in the mid-range. At the same time, the 17 Series has a variety of connectivity options, not only using standard audio cables and MIDI outputs, but also supporting SD card expansion, or using Bluetooth to interact with smart devices. Drummers can also connect electronic drums to their computers for more systematic and fun rhythm practice with Melodics. The series is priced between 8,000 and 11,000 yuan.
For the use of electronic drums for daily practice and ordinary live performances, the 13,000 yuan TD-25 is completely sufficient, and its timbre and dynamic effects are not much different from the TD-30 and TD-50. The advantage of the 30 and 50, which cost tens of thousands of yuan, is mainly that the sound source of the professional drum kit is integrated, which reduces the workload when recording. However, for most non-professional drummers, the high threshold of 30 and 50 is easy to make the electronic drum not achieve the sound performance it should have when actually playing. The sound module of the TD-25 is a simplified version of the TD-30 and is very simple to use. With 3 presets for Standard, Rock, Metal, Jazz, Funk, and Electric, the TD-25 already covers most of your daily needs.
Compared with most foreign acoustic drum brands, Roland's sales channels in Chinese mainland are relatively smooth. There are qualified dealers all over the country, and even official online flagship stores have been opened, making it very convenient to purchase and after-sales service.
