Corrections: The last kit is obviously the VAD706 not the VAD506, it was a typo. Also note the prices are from Sweetwater which included rebates that were going on at the time of filming.
@@purevanillacookie9977 Thanks to you, it's fixed now :) there used to be a TD7 in the 1990s, I accidently forget to add the 0 for the new version that's out today sometimes
@@ohwow9910 well ..... I actually did get the VAD 506 this year 😂 I ended up getting a good bonus at work and instead of saving and investing like should have, I spent it all and only had to pick up a bit more. But now, drums are done for a long time
@@ohwow9910 It was around a $2k diff between the td27 and td50. I decided to use that money to get the VH14 which made it a $1k diff and then used the extra money to get a jobeky china and cowbell and then I had some left over for some food
I love this! Maybe once you go through all the brands and their official line ups, why not go through the discontinued kits out there that would be worth it to a potential customer when buying used kits
The industry standard in gear reviewers is this guy. Not just DRUM reviews either. I wish beyond wish that he was doing guitars, and keyboards as well. All of it. Why? Like everything else, it's STYLE. It's DETAIL. It's his lack of "noise" and GIMMICKS. Don't need 'em. The approach is so spot on. At least for me. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Do all of the company's lines. Why not? The smaller companies won't take as long, and would probably appreciate the exposure. The larger ones, we will be more familiar with, and interested in the various kit features. I could see this series as being one of the most popular long term vids you have offered ! Well done...
I bought a td17 module and built my own hybrid kit with roland triggers and cymbals with a 15" Lemon ride. WAY cheaper than the VAD kit. Using my Pearl References, looks great and sounds amazing. I also run the rig through Slate drums so recording it sounds amazing as well. You really do not need a better module IMO - just get good drum software.
I’m 14 and I’ve been drumming for about a year but I’ve never had anything other than the PYLE drum which is basically just a drum pad that makes actual drum noises, I’ve been planning on getting an actual electric kit but didn’t know where to start on finding out a good company but this video has helped me pick out one so thank you!
For anyone having a hard time deciding which electronic kit to get, I just wanted to come back and say how helpful the @65Drums channel was to me while I was watching videos and trying my best to pick the best kit for me. I was mostly trying to narrow it down between an Alesis and a Roland. At first I was so drawn to the Alesis Strike Kits that I almost couldn't force myself to NOT buy one. Ultimately I went with the Roland TD-27KV and I could NOT be happier. I've had it for about a year and a half now and I'm still blown away by how great it is. Now, I never got to really play an Alesis Strike Kit aside from 5 or 10 minutes at a Guitar Center, so if you play one, you might feel the same. I'm definitely not saying I know definitively which is better. But there is literally nothing I dislike about my TD-27KV. The reason I logged on to RUclips just now was because I was playing a beat with wildly varying dynamics, the gentlest of ghost notes and then exploding in volume and the feel and sound is as if I'm on real drums in a real room. It's incredible. The kit has never failed to pick up the really gentle ghosts notes. So, anyway, thanks Justin!
I've been looking at guitar center's website and juggling between these two options. The TD-27KV seems to have mixed reviews on the site but seeing your comment along with what 65drums said about it I'm leaning towards it
@@noakuu393 I truly can't imagine what the negatives are, and I'm pretty picky. 9 months after my comment that you're replying to and my opinion hasn't changed. I love it. Best of luck and have fun with whatever you end up getting! P.S. I'd buy from Sweetwater over Guitar Center any day. For an expensive purchase, you want to make sure you have a company with excellent customer service to back you up in the event that something goes wrong. I've bought a lot of stuff from them and they've always been solid. You might even get them to throw in a free pedal and stool or something like that :)
I have the TD17KV and as a beginner drummer its a great set. I added an extra crash I found used. My only gripe is that Roland charges too much for anyone to buy new parts to add on forcing you to go to the next tier...well played, Roland.
I owned a TD4 for over 10 years. Just upgraded to the VAD-506. TD4 served it's purpose and got me into drumming. But really enjoying the VAD-506. Probably the last drumset I'll ever buy.
Love watching your recommendations on electronic drums. I have the Roland VAD 503 which I bought after selling my TD17 KVX after watching and listening to you. I’d like to add another Tom and crash but figure I’ll wait and pick up one used when someone decides they don’t want to cart them around.
I bought the VAD506 and I’ve already added another 10 inch tom another floor tom and four lemon cymbals! I also just ordered the digital high hat. I also bought the Ddrum midi trigger interface to give me 10 more inputs. I also just bought easy drummer two with a few expansion packs. I also bought a new MacBook Pro 16 inch with the M1 pro chip. Can you say expensive ass kit…LMAO I also just had hip replacement surgery on the 6th and haven’t finished setting up all of the add-ons! Wish me luck! 😄🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀
Great walkthrough of all the current Roland offerings! I've had the VAD 506 for almost 5 months now, and absolutely love it. Not a single issue, looks and works just like day 1, no regrets at all with my purchase. I've barely scratched the surface on what the td27 module can do, because I'm too busy having fun playing it. I love the overall look and feel of playing on this kit, and I'm confident that it will last for many years to come. Expensive, but you get what you pay for, and it's worth every penny if you're into edrums.
What’s up Radar! I still haven’t gotten a kit yet 😭😭😭 I was SO close to buying the td 07 kvx a few weeks ago, it was on sale for 1,099 but it wasn’t meant to be. I’ve got to have that td 27 module.
Hi Radar, Same here....Totally agree on everything but the the hi-hats....lol....have heard/seen on different e-drum sites that it's a glitch with either the td-27 or the hats..???.can't really get a good sound.....still waiting for a reply from Roland...
My first roland kit was a TD-9 in 2014 which I loved, but after 6 years, the module started to short put and I had to throw it out. Then I upgraded to the TD11 which I hated, and recently I just purchased a used Roland Td9 module which is the same one as my first roland TD9, and I haven't changed ever since!
I have the TD07-DMK and I love it! I totally recommend it. The bluetooth lets you play to your favorite songs from your smartphone or tablet and that was the deciding factor over the TD1-DMK.
I got a 17 KVX for 1340 from my local music store including a mapex HH stand. It was a rental return. I don't know how much the renter had played it but it is mint! No marks on the cymbal pads no different than if would have been new. I had a 50 and MIMIC prior but being older this is good enough to have fun with.
seriously love the approach ya'll take with your videos. so well done, very informational and to the point. keep it up! love every video that comes out from this amazing channel
Dude, thanks so much! A lot of useful info here, same with the Alesis video. I'm currently deciding if I should go with Alesis Command Mesh (or Surge, depending on what I want to get from the module) or a Roland model of similar price range. I've heard quite a bit that Roland boasts better quality/longetivity, but damn, in 700-1000 $ range, Alesis kits look SO much better...
Awesome series Justin. I just got into electronic drums this year and find this kind of video incredbly helpful with all the crazy different models that exist.
This was so helpful and straightforward; awesome work! Idea for similar video: break down the individual components. It's tricky to understand the feature sets between the different cymbals, hi hats, modules, etc
Amazing content Sir! I am a big music and gear geek and my girl bought her self a drum kit and I just became obsessed with it and ended up here. Again your content is amazingly well produced and well written. You made me skip hours of painful research! Having your first hand experience on every set is invaluable but the way you express your feelings and thoughts about the kits is just so articulate and direct. Really dig your "I am a fan of drums, music, geeking and sharing" vibe. I am on my way to your Patreon :)
Really helpful review video. I’m close to buying an e-drum set, and have decided on Roland due to reviews of better build quality and maintained value. Wallet is saying to buy TD-17KVX, which is good and meets my current needs; but heart and mind is saying to invest in step up to TD-27KV. Thanks for the review, and the other comment contributions.
I have owned pretty much every kit they made, td 10,12, 20 30,4,5,6,6x,7 9,11,25 Currently running TD50x(upgrade) with 506kit that is the 706 before the 706 came out! (local GC store considers me their Roland expert, I probably sold more kits for them then their sales staff) Best kit you can buy but expensive. so piece it together work with ebay, reverb and other sites, take your time but you can purchase everything new or almost new condition for a lot less on the after market. YES I have other brands DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY! the resale and quality is in the Roland name. You get what you pay for! I gig about 80 gigs a year all on my E-Kit.
I’m getting the Roland VAD-103, it’s affordable and even though the internal sounds aren’t the best I use drum plugins anyway so it won’t matter 🤷♂️the module doesn’t bother me that much tbh
Absolutely LOVE this series! So helpful and so thorough. You’ve become my go-to drumming buyers guide and really making the process less overwhelming for me. Thank you for your awesome work!! 🙌🏼🥁🤘🏼
You nailed it. I purchased VAD-506s for 2 environments. We are happy with them. I. One environment we already had a td50 module. Once I upgraded it to recent version, that drum kit is beyond amazing for live and recording. We wanted 706 but they were heavily back ordered and I had deadlines.
Since I’m in the market for a new electronic kit, I’ve had my used TD-12 since 2006, these series are extremely useful. Keep up the great work brother 👊🏽
I'm looking forward to the other parts of this series. Just curious why your first choice for a kit you would buy would be the VAD706 kit over the 50 kit with more drums and positional sensors ? Is it just that the look of the kit and the bigger drums means more to you then the positional sensors ? Please answer, thank you the #45 Vintage Swing drum sound that is in this video is maybe the most realistic I have heard from Roland.
I played drums all throughout high school and absolutely loved it. Of all the instruments I played, drumming was always the most fun by far. Unfortunately, I stopped when I moved out of the house and got an apartment and I always missed it but never pulled the trigger on an electronic kit. Now I’m 33 and married and we’ve got a house with a lot more room than our apartment had so I finally decided to start shopping around for an electronic kit. I started out looking at things like the Titan 70 and SD1250 from Simmons but I came to the conclusion that I would likely outgrow those pretty quickly and be hungry for something more powerful and higher quality. I just purchased a TD-17KVX2 brand new on sale, partly based on your recommendation, as well as a few other guys, and I’m really excited to get back into drumming again. I was able to get mine at a pretty decent discount. The current list price is $2,100, which would be $2,275 after tax. Roland is currently doing a Labor Day sale for 15% off so after taxes, mine was $1,930 so I saved $345. Just enough to buy a solid double bass pedal. I wasn’t really intending to spend quite that much when I first started shopping but I think I made the right choice for me.
I have the Roland TD-50KV but the DrumTec Edition MK2. Great kit and good service from the Drum Tec guys in Germany. The extra Tom balances the kit and plays comfortably. I played acoustic for many years and found the only changes I had to make was the hi-hat and cymbal feel. Good review Mate.
Wow! I was actually looking into current line-ups of electronic drum brands! Perfect timing!!! And of course, your vid comes with valuable input.Thanks
Including the TD-27K-SC makes this video wholly more complete and takes it to the next level 10/10 Worth noting is the TD-27K-SC does go on sale for $2100 frequently.
Hi Justin, Great videos. I am not sure about buying the Yamaha DTX8K-Mesh or the Roland TD27 KVX. Always been a Roland fan, but it appears that Yamaha sounds are superior. I get that this Roland model's ride and snare are best in class, but wondering if this Yamaha's model sounds are better than the 27KVX? Any thoughts? Are these two models comparable? Appreciate the advice. Thanks
What a brilliant review. Very objective and honest. Thanks for it! I just bought the GEWA G5 Pro and am very happy with it. I‘d be curious about your views on it if you care to review their lineup.
Great video, I'm a new drummer shopping for an e-kit (and will watch the ones for the other brands too). But, with prices going up again since last December, it makes some of this more interesting. For example, the TD-07KVX went up a lot (to $1699!), while the TD-17KV is still $1499. Hmmm.... On the Roland website there's a TD-07KX (which has everything I want for the least money- KD-10, 12" snare, larger toms, etc.) but I can only find it at Costco ($1399), so it may be another exclusive.
Great video!! It confirmed I went right way in terms of price and quality on my Roland T27 KV selection. Being a long time acoustic drummer (Gretch Renown kit), I did not need/want large drum shells on a e-kit. And I have since upgraded to the new digital HHs and top end Roland Kick, so get best of sound and small footprint on a kit that mimics my acoustic kit almost exactly in playing surface size and positioning.
Justin, I purchased the VAD 506 series for $3940 last year, I got a great deal..!! They had 2 in stock … sometimes you get lucky! Love em but not easy to gig with….! Slowly learning to tweak kits, for when put through a PA don’t sound that great!
Yo this vid was very enjoyable, please do more! Also a quick question, could you do a video on the millenium MPS-1000? Seems unreal for the price, cheers 👍
Are you sure about the 706 not having positional sensing on the tom's? When I researched the differences between the 506 and 706, I recall this as being one of the features it had that the 506 didn't. It's odd too, because the tom's have the same SKU, but the details are different for black (506) than the other color options, and the pricing is different too.
In the market for an upgrade of my 14 year old TD-3KV. With playability and compactness being top priorities I have jumped over the TD-17KV and think I’m landing on the TD-27 for the snare, ride and module. Dad rock all the way in my cave🔥🤘🏻
Thanks for the clear video!! Tomorrow I'm going to buy my first electric drum kit, the td17kvx. I can not wait! But one day there will be the vad706. 😁
I like your videos a lot, and this for me was the most useful yet, in part because I'm about to buy a set, love Roland e kits. Thanks so much, keep it up
Heyy justin! I just bought a Roland td-25kvx a couple months ago for $800, then swapped my pd-85’s to pda-100L and pda-120ls and and use those as snare and floor tom. I sold my td-11(w/ upgraded pads) for $650. Overall I spent $950 on my new TD-25. What do you think? Is that a good purchase? I’m always watching your vids!
I feel like the TD-07KVX is the Honda Civic, and the TD-17KVX is the Honda Accord of electronic drum sets. They get the essentials right at reasonable prices, they are durable, and the 17 just adds some creature comforts. Alesis is a little like Hyundai (I own a Hyundai). They're nipping at Roland's heels and surpassing them in some ways, but they don't have the reputation or the bulletproof quality.
GREAT REVIEWS. One thing missing though from all your reviews and Roland manuals is an in depth review and/or manual for using the Drum Modules. The td27 for instance is great but in trying to get the best sounds the volume adjustments are all over the place. A - .5 on one snare type might be louder than a + 2.0 on another. How to use the tuning, the pad type of head?? Everyone likes different sounds but adjusting the drums to the sound of a few great band drummers would be really helpful I.e. Foreigner, Beatles, Fleetwood Mac etc.
I agree, if you want an idea for another series, going in depth on several different popular drum modules and showing people how to layer some instruments to get to specific sounding legendary drummers would be a great idea.
Awesome Video Justin... Thank you. I have a Roland TD15KVX - With your help and tutorials on making my own pads I have upgraded it with my own 14 Inch Snare and 20 Inch Ride as well as adding two additional toms to it, It seems pretty great to me... It is pretty hard to find information on the TD15... Tho I did get some Vexpressions packs for it which really brought it to life... My question is What do I have here and why is it seldom talked about? Am I really missing out because of my Module?
Hey Bruce, the reason why the TD15 isn't talked about too much is that it was a short lived line. Roland replaced it with the TD25, and then replaced the 25 with the TD27. Your drumset is still solid and I like it, but that's why not many people talk about it at the moment.
@@65Drums ah! That makes sense. It feels really good. The module seems to be able to do a lot of stuff. I was thinking geeze if this is some low end Roland kit ( like the Costco special ) or something then the other kits must be night and day better then this one. I’m pretty happy with it. I’m out of space for more voices now and am having challenges with Splitters at the moment. so I’m thinking I need a second brain to assign sounds to. ( I don’t have MIDI in, so I’ll have to run both modules to my mixer rather then a Slave setup right? Is there a low(ish) end Roland module you would recommend just for additional sounds like percussion, bells or effects while my TD15 covers the bulk of my playing surfaces? One final question I have been trying to figure out how to make my Bass drum hits the same on each hit. I am working on something where I don’t really want dynamics on that part and just want to make sure it is pounding the same even if I use my double peddle. I’ve watched your other videos on the settings and played around with the curves and the sensitivity/threshold but I can still get soft notes in there where I don’t want them. What am I missing?
Thanks for this. Looking into an electronic kit and this helped a lot. I am new to your channel and find your information and production quality superior to other channels presenting on this same subject.
Hi Justin, thanks for the great Roland series. Much appreciated. Just in case no one mentioned it when you summarize the VAD706, the screen image you use at 16:50 reads "VAD506" at the top by mistake. Again, thanks for the summary!
Excellent and very informative video! (Just noticed two typos: at 15:37 the VAD706 says $6999 but is actually $7999, then at the end of the VAD706 section at the top of the slide it says it is a VAD506 for $7999...right price, but wrong model number).
Td-27k-SC goes on sale at Costco regularly for $1,999. So, definitely don't give Costco $2500... I wonder how many mega-size boxes of honey nut cheerios 2500 could buy? great vid dude
I think the best value for money is the TD-27kv. The module has a lot of features and there are a lot of third party drum kits available. I think if it had the VH14 then it would be near perfect.
10:00 if you play as hard as that dude it's NO WONDER why you'd be in the market for an E-Kit lol. That is one of the major advantages of them though you can play with tons of passion and immersion without blowing everyone's heads off.
am i crazy or... does my 2300€ Alesis Strike Pro sound kinda better than some of the more expensive ones of Roland? idk how, but maybe the multi layer samples makes a difference?(idk if roland has that as well)
Loving the Roland TD07DMK V kit. I’ve been recording an album with it in my apartment. As a midi controller plugged into a MacBook Pro and using Logic’s kit interface it works great.
This is essentially what I'm looking into with something in it's price range. What kind of music and do you find any of the sounds or functions too limiting?
@@jeffloucks2120 the music I play ranges from alt rock to folk to pop punk. The only thing I don’t like about the kit is the lack of bell zone on the cymbals. Everything else has exceeded expectations.
If you look up my music channel Bigger Smaller Guitar Man and listen to the song A Jersey Scene you can hear the kit. Plugged into my MacBook using the “Smash Kit” pre set in Logic.
Already asked for this, but Justin can you make a video about positional sensing and how it works? What triggers should i use to have it ? Can Jobeky 4 spoke dual zone trigger do it?
td50kv2's positional sensing is not really an advantage over the vad line as it is made possible by using a centre cone and therefore introduces massive hotspotting.
HEY JUSTIN, What an awesome video and presentation. Thanks so much for helping me find a red line in this very confusing world of e-drums. I am pretty new to this topic so I think I learn a lot from your videos. Thanks, man. Quick and maybe stupid question: I am really interested in buying the VAD 503. I don't mind that it only has two toms, that's the usual setup I play. But I need more cymbals. Can I buy any ROLAND crash cymbal and add it to the set myself?
I have a simple question: What is the weakest link in your opinion, or electronic drums for live playing? What should I prioritize? I want to move toward an E-kit live in smaller venues to have a volume control on the drums. Acoustic drums (namely snare and cymbals) are just too loud and unwieldy in small, over reflective rooms (which is all of them) lol. We do all of our own sound, I'm well versed in that. I do live sound for bands including my own all the time, so EQing and reverb shaping, I'm 100% comfortable with doing all that either on the mixing console, or I'm sure in the module I could figure it out pretty fast. So, I have considered continuing to use a real kick drum with an otherwise E-Kit. I've even considered using real toms as those are rather inoffensive live as well. But snare, and cymbals, HAVE to be Electonic. So I guess the real question is, where do I put my chips? Should I get a good module? Should I get a crap module and midi to EZ Drummer or something, and focus my money on getting a good sensing 14inch snare? Or should I focus on the ride or hats? Idk what I should prioritize and I'm looking for some guidance. I'm open to Frankensteining an E-kit, unless you guys think that's a crap idea. I already have all the mics, drums, cords, live sound PA, mixing, and effects capabilities and experience mixing (and struggling to mix) real drums in all sorts of live situations. It's just the stage bleed that is too hard to deal with and my current drummer is 100% willing and excited to try the E-kit route as he practices on an old Rubber Alesis all the time.
Good review over the Roland line Justin. This is a personal opinion, but I prefer digital drums to look drum like, but not necessarily having actual shells. It's just an allusion. I'm happy with the pads on the Efnote 3x or the new DT series from Yamaha. The only thing I used to change with electronic kits was the kick. It HAS to have some presence. That why I found a dtx kick to replace the original dtxetreme II one. If Roland came out with a kit that had what the Efnote3x gives at a slightly higher price, I'd pay the extra. For me right now, Yamaha is out of my price range
Corrections: The last kit is obviously the VAD706 not the VAD506, it was a typo. Also note the prices are from Sweetwater which included rebates that were going on at the time of filming.
@Erik Harper Music I've found that a local pawn shop can have these one off items that are good quality at better prices than new gear.
Why does the description say TD-7 instead of TD-07
@@purevanillacookie9977 Thanks to you, it's fixed now :) there used to be a TD7 in the 1990s, I accidently forget to add the 0 for the new version that's out today sometimes
One of the downsides of the TD07DMK vs the TD1DMK is you lose a bell zone on the ride
This is a random question that I don't know if many people ask but how loud is this drumset unplugged?
I'm buying a Roland VAD 506! In 20 years ... when my mortgage is paid and I can get it used !!!
Not that funny, but relatable
@@ohwow9910 well ..... I actually did get the VAD 506 this year 😂 I ended up getting a good bonus at work and instead of saving and investing like should have, I spent it all and only had to pick up a bit more. But now, drums are done for a long time
@@jamessullenriot if your still well off, lucky you lol. Btw, what stopped you from going to the Roland td 50 series?
@@ohwow9910 It was around a $2k diff between the td27 and td50. I decided to use that money to get the VH14 which made it a $1k diff and then used the extra money to get a jobeky china and cowbell and then I had some left over for some food
@@jamessullenriot hmm, well where we are in Canada, the prices are more lol. A VAD 506 would be around $6500-$7000 😆
I love this! Maybe once you go through all the brands and their official line ups, why not go through the discontinued kits out there that would be worth it to a potential customer when buying used kits
The industry standard in gear reviewers is this guy. Not just DRUM reviews either. I wish beyond wish that he was doing guitars, and keyboards as well. All of it. Why? Like everything else, it's STYLE. It's DETAIL. It's his lack of "noise" and GIMMICKS. Don't need 'em. The approach is so spot on. At least for me. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Do all of the company's lines. Why not? The smaller companies won't take as long, and would probably appreciate the exposure. The larger ones, we will be more familiar with, and interested in the various kit features. I could see this series as being one of the most popular long term vids you have offered ! Well done...
I bought a td17 module and built my own hybrid kit with roland triggers and cymbals with a 15" Lemon ride. WAY cheaper than the VAD kit. Using my Pearl References, looks great and sounds amazing. I also run the rig through Slate drums so recording it sounds amazing as well. You really do not need a better module IMO - just get good drum software.
i wish i was as techy as you lol. that sounds amazing. i really want my own roland jazz kit. just a snare and a hi hat lol
I’m 14 and I’ve been drumming for about a year but I’ve never had anything other than the PYLE drum which is basically just a drum pad that makes actual drum noises, I’ve been planning on getting an actual electric kit but didn’t know where to start on finding out a good company but this video has helped me pick out one so thank you!
For anyone having a hard time deciding which electronic kit to get, I just wanted to come back and say how helpful the @65Drums channel was to me while I was watching videos and trying my best to pick the best kit for me. I was mostly trying to narrow it down between an Alesis and a Roland. At first I was so drawn to the Alesis Strike Kits that I almost couldn't force myself to NOT buy one. Ultimately I went with the Roland TD-27KV and I could NOT be happier. I've had it for about a year and a half now and I'm still blown away by how great it is. Now, I never got to really play an Alesis Strike Kit aside from 5 or 10 minutes at a Guitar Center, so if you play one, you might feel the same. I'm definitely not saying I know definitively which is better. But there is literally nothing I dislike about my TD-27KV. The reason I logged on to RUclips just now was because I was playing a beat with wildly varying dynamics, the gentlest of ghost notes and then exploding in volume and the feel and sound is as if I'm on real drums in a real room. It's incredible. The kit has never failed to pick up the really gentle ghosts notes. So, anyway, thanks Justin!
I've been looking at guitar center's website and juggling between these two options. The TD-27KV seems to have mixed reviews on the site but seeing your comment along with what 65drums said about it I'm leaning towards it
@@noakuu393 I truly can't imagine what the negatives are, and I'm pretty picky. 9 months after my comment that you're replying to and my opinion hasn't changed. I love it. Best of luck and have fun with whatever you end up getting! P.S. I'd buy from Sweetwater over Guitar Center any day. For an expensive purchase, you want to make sure you have a company with excellent customer service to back you up in the event that something goes wrong. I've bought a lot of stuff from them and they've always been solid. You might even get them to throw in a free pedal and stool or something like that :)
I have the TD17KV and as a beginner drummer its a great set. I added an extra crash I found used. My only gripe is that Roland charges too much for anyone to buy new parts to add on forcing you to go to the next tier...well played, Roland.
Great series, it would be pretty cool to not only see this series on major brands but also on less well known ones like EF Note and Gewa
I owned a TD4 for over 10 years. Just upgraded to the VAD-506. TD4 served it's purpose and got me into drumming. But really enjoying the VAD-506. Probably the last drumset I'll ever buy.
Nice to hear, I have one on the way!
Great feedback man! But do you think the TD50KV2 is worth buying over the VAD-506 ? I have interest for them both
Been a owner of a td4 kp going to look at a td 25 tomorrow hopefully I get it🤘
Love watching your recommendations on electronic drums. I have the Roland VAD 503 which I bought after selling my TD17 KVX after watching and listening to you. I’d like to add another Tom and crash but figure I’ll wait and pick up one used when someone decides they don’t want to cart them around.
AWESOME VIDEO....WHATS SAD IS THAT HERE IN INDIA EVERYTHING IS JUST 2 TIMES EXPENSIVE
I bought the VAD506 and I’ve already added another 10 inch tom another floor tom and four lemon cymbals! I also just ordered the digital high hat. I also bought the Ddrum midi trigger interface to give me 10 more inputs. I also just bought easy drummer two with a few expansion packs. I also bought a new MacBook Pro 16 inch with the M1 pro chip. Can you say expensive ass kit…LMAO I also just had hip replacement surgery on the 6th and haven’t finished setting up all of the add-ons! Wish me luck! 😄🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀
Great walkthrough of all the current Roland offerings! I've had the VAD 506 for almost 5 months now, and absolutely love it. Not a single issue, looks and works just like day 1, no regrets at all with my purchase. I've barely scratched the surface on what the td27 module can do, because I'm too busy having fun playing it. I love the overall look and feel of playing on this kit, and I'm confident that it will last for many years to come. Expensive, but you get what you pay for, and it's worth every penny if you're into edrums.
That’s awesome! Hope you’re really enjoying it!🤘🤘🤘
What’s up Radar! I still haven’t gotten a kit yet 😭😭😭 I was SO close to buying the td 07 kvx a few weeks ago, it was on sale for 1,099 but it wasn’t meant to be. I’ve got to have that td 27 module.
@@mitchmcturtle6890 Hey Josh!! Oh man, you sure are patient! I hope you get to playing one soon, it's great to hear from you. Happy holidays!
Hi Radar, Same here....Totally agree on everything but the the hi-hats....lol....have heard/seen on different e-drum sites that it's a glitch with either the td-27 or the hats..???.can't really get a good sound.....still waiting for a reply from Roland...
My first roland kit was a TD-9 in 2014 which I loved, but after 6 years, the module started to short put and I had to throw it out. Then I upgraded to the TD11 which I hated, and recently I just purchased a used Roland Td9 module which is the same one as my first roland TD9, and I haven't changed ever since!
I have the TD07-DMK and I love it! I totally recommend it. The bluetooth lets you play to your favorite songs from your smartphone or tablet and that was the deciding factor over the TD1-DMK.
Im about to buy it, do you still enjoy it?
@@LiamApilado I do... I think it's an awesome beginner set.
I got a 17 KVX for 1340 from my local music store including a mapex HH stand. It was a rental return. I don't know how much the renter had played it but it is mint! No marks on the cymbal pads no different than if would have been new. I had a 50 and MIMIC prior but being older this is good enough to have fun with.
Currently playing a Yamaha DTX 500k over on my channel and this series will be invaluable when the time comes to upgrade. Great work.
seriously love the approach ya'll take with your videos. so well done, very informational and to the point. keep it up! love every video that comes out from this amazing channel
Thanks Jeff! I try to cut out the unnecessary stuff and keep it streamlined
Thank you for this series!! It's so hard to compare the drums side by side whiteout it being condensed in a short video like this.
Dude, thanks so much! A lot of useful info here, same with the Alesis video. I'm currently deciding if I should go with Alesis Command Mesh (or Surge, depending on what I want to get from the module) or a Roland model of similar price range. I've heard quite a bit that Roland boasts better quality/longetivity, but damn, in 700-1000 $ range, Alesis kits look SO much better...
Which brand did you end up going with? I'm stuck with the same decision
@@zachwatson2349 i went with Roland VAD306 in the end. Higher price than what I was looking for originally, but damn the quality is just so amazing.
Awesome series Justin. I just got into electronic drums this year and find this kind of video incredbly helpful with all the crazy different models that exist.
Craig Blundell plays really nicely on those edrums!
Best hi hat of the infustry is for me definitely the one coming with the EFNote 5x and 7!
Can't wait to watch the rest of the series! Good job!
This was so helpful and straightforward; awesome work! Idea for similar video: break down the individual components. It's tricky to understand the feature sets between the different cymbals, hi hats, modules, etc
Amazing content Sir!
I am a big music and gear geek and my girl bought her self a drum kit and I just became obsessed with it and ended up here. Again your content is amazingly well produced and well written.
You made me skip hours of painful research! Having your first hand experience on every set is invaluable but the way you express your feelings and thoughts about the kits is just so articulate and direct.
Really dig your "I am a fan of drums, music, geeking and sharing" vibe.
I am on my way to your Patreon :)
Really helpful review video. I’m close to buying an e-drum set, and have decided on Roland due to reviews of better build quality and maintained value. Wallet is saying to buy TD-17KVX, which is good and meets my current needs; but heart and mind is saying to invest in step up to TD-27KV. Thanks for the review, and the other comment contributions.
Hey David, this is where im at with my decision options, what did you go for in the end and are you happy with your choice?
@@BIGSWXRMZ TD27KV and no regrets. Not cheap but an investment.
I have owned pretty much every kit they made, td 10,12, 20 30,4,5,6,6x,7 9,11,25 Currently running TD50x(upgrade) with 506kit that is the 706 before the 706 came out! (local GC store considers me their Roland expert, I probably sold more kits for them then their sales staff) Best kit you can buy but expensive. so piece it together work with ebay, reverb and other sites, take your time but you can purchase everything new or almost new condition for a lot less on the after market. YES I have other brands DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY! the resale and quality is in the Roland name. You get what you pay for! I gig about 80 gigs a year all on my E-Kit.
I’m getting the Roland VAD-103, it’s affordable and even though the internal sounds aren’t the best I use drum plugins anyway so it won’t matter 🤷♂️the module doesn’t bother me that much tbh
Thank you very much for making this great video! I was trying to look at comparison breakdowns, and this is fast, and easy to see the key differences.
I ended up buying the VAD503 and I love it. I replaced the 10" tom with the 12" and haven't looked back!
Absolutely LOVE this series! So helpful and so thorough. You’ve become my go-to drumming buyers guide and really making the process less overwhelming for me. Thank you for your awesome work!! 🙌🏼🥁🤘🏼
Seems to be quite interesting serie, quite well done, definitely looking forward for Yamaha
You nailed it. I purchased VAD-506s for 2 environments. We are happy with them. I. One environment we already had a td50 module. Once I upgraded it to recent version, that drum kit is beyond amazing for live and recording. We wanted 706 but they were heavily back ordered and I had deadlines.
Great to have 'em all in one video. Thx Justin!
These videos are invaluable Justin. Thank you.
This is an awesome series Justin, and one you can update like every year.
Since I’m in the market for a new electronic kit, I’ve had my used TD-12 since 2006, these series are extremely useful. Keep up the great work brother 👊🏽
I'm looking forward to the other parts of this series. Just curious why your first choice for a kit you would buy would be the VAD706 kit over the 50 kit with more drums and positional sensors ? Is it just that the look of the kit and the bigger drums means more to you then the positional sensors ? Please answer, thank you
the #45 Vintage Swing drum sound that is in this video is maybe the most realistic I have heard from Roland.
I played drums all throughout high school and absolutely loved it. Of all the instruments I played, drumming was always the most fun by far. Unfortunately, I stopped when I moved out of the house and got an apartment and I always missed it but never pulled the trigger on an electronic kit.
Now I’m 33 and married and we’ve got a house with a lot more room than our apartment had so I finally decided to start shopping around for an electronic kit. I started out looking at things like the Titan 70 and SD1250 from Simmons but I came to the conclusion that I would likely outgrow those pretty quickly and be hungry for something more powerful and higher quality.
I just purchased a TD-17KVX2 brand new on sale, partly based on your recommendation, as well as a few other guys, and I’m really excited to get back into drumming again.
I was able to get mine at a pretty decent discount. The current list price is $2,100, which would be $2,275 after tax. Roland is currently doing a Labor Day sale for 15% off so after taxes, mine was $1,930 so I saved $345. Just enough to buy a solid double bass pedal. I wasn’t really intending to spend quite that much when I first started shopping but I think I made the right choice for me.
congrats and welcome back
I have the Roland TD-50KV but the DrumTec Edition MK2. Great kit and good service from the Drum Tec guys in Germany. The extra Tom balances the kit and plays comfortably. I played acoustic for many years and found the only changes I had to make was the hi-hat and cymbal feel. Good review Mate.
Used to watch you years ago. Glad you’re still making content 🤙 looking forward to the buying guides
Wow! I was actually looking into current line-ups of electronic drum brands! Perfect timing!!! And of course, your vid comes with valuable input.Thanks
Really glad this video was in my feed! Im getting in the market for an upgrade after 10 years
Awesome and helpful! Just one thing. We all need to hear the noise of all e-drums, as noise is one of the main reasons people buy e-drums :D
Loved this approach! It will be useful to me as I'm still choosing between Roland VAD 306 and Yamaha DTX 8 KM!
Including the TD-27K-SC makes this video wholly more complete and takes it to the next level 10/10
Worth noting is the TD-27K-SC does go on sale for $2100 frequently.
Hi Justin,
Great videos. I am not sure about buying the Yamaha DTX8K-Mesh or the Roland TD27 KVX. Always been a Roland fan, but it appears that Yamaha sounds are superior. I get that this Roland model's ride and snare are best in class, but wondering if this Yamaha's model sounds are better than the 27KVX? Any thoughts? Are these two models comparable? Appreciate the advice.
Thanks
What a brilliant review. Very objective and honest. Thanks for it! I just bought the GEWA G5 Pro and am very happy with it. I‘d be curious about your views on it if you care to review their lineup.
Great video, I'm a new drummer shopping for an e-kit (and will watch the ones for the other brands too). But, with prices going up again since last December, it makes some of this more interesting. For example, the TD-07KVX went up a lot (to $1699!), while the TD-17KV is still $1499. Hmmm....
On the Roland website there's a TD-07KX (which has everything I want for the least money- KD-10, 12" snare, larger toms, etc.) but I can only find it at Costco ($1399), so it may be another exclusive.
Great video!! It confirmed I went right way in terms of price and quality on my Roland T27 KV selection. Being a long time acoustic drummer (Gretch Renown kit), I did not need/want large drum shells on a e-kit. And I have since upgraded to the new digital HHs and top end Roland Kick, so get best of sound and small footprint on a kit that mimics my acoustic kit almost exactly in playing surface size and positioning.
Great series Justin. This information will help me to make the best choice for an electronic kit, it is most helpful.
Glad you enjoyed it Cora!
I wish you would have commented on each set if they were able to be expanded, especially on the higher end sets. Otherwise, great video.
Justin, I purchased the VAD 506 series for $3940 last year, I got a great deal..!! They had 2 in stock … sometimes you get lucky!
Love em but not easy to gig with….! Slowly learning to tweak kits, for when put through a PA don’t sound that great!
Yo this vid was very enjoyable, please do more! Also a quick question, could you do a video on the millenium MPS-1000? Seems unreal for the price, cheers 👍
Great video!! Big shout out to Erik at Edrumcenter for hooking me up with my VAD503. Jumping up to the digital pads has been awesome!
Are you sure about the 706 not having positional sensing on the tom's? When I researched the differences between the 506 and 706, I recall this as being one of the features it had that the 506 didn't. It's odd too, because the tom's have the same SKU, but the details are different for black (506) than the other color options, and the pricing is different too.
love these videos!!!
..these are the best type of video for folks in the market for a drum set!.... Great job!!!
In the market for an upgrade of my 14 year old TD-3KV. With playability and compactness being top priorities I have jumped over the TD-17KV and think I’m landing on the TD-27 for the snare, ride and module. Dad rock all the way in my cave🔥🤘🏻
Thanks for this man, I'm looking to get a used e-kit and it's hard differentiating between all the crazy model numbers and features.
Thanks for the clear video!! Tomorrow I'm going to buy my first electric drum kit, the td17kvx. I can not wait! But one day there will be the vad706. 😁
I like your videos a lot, and this for me was the most useful yet, in part because I'm about to buy a set, love Roland e kits. Thanks so much, keep it up
Heyy justin! I just bought a Roland td-25kvx a couple months ago for $800, then swapped my pd-85’s to pda-100L and pda-120ls and and use those as snare and floor tom. I sold my td-11(w/ upgraded pads) for $650. Overall I spent $950 on my new TD-25. What do you think? Is that a good purchase? I’m always watching your vids!
I recently got the VAD506 a few months ago and I absolutely love it :D
I feel like the TD-07KVX is the Honda Civic, and the TD-17KVX is the Honda Accord of electronic drum sets. They get the essentials right at reasonable prices, they are durable, and the 17 just adds some creature comforts.
Alesis is a little like Hyundai (I own a Hyundai). They're nipping at Roland's heels and surpassing them in some ways, but they don't have the reputation or the bulletproof quality.
GREAT REVIEWS. One thing missing though from all your reviews and Roland manuals is an in depth review and/or manual for using the Drum Modules. The td27 for instance is great but in trying to get the best sounds the volume adjustments are all over the place. A - .5 on one snare type might be louder than a + 2.0 on another. How to use the tuning, the pad type of head?? Everyone likes different sounds but adjusting the drums to the sound of a few great band drummers would be really helpful I.e. Foreigner, Beatles, Fleetwood Mac etc.
I agree, if you want an idea for another series, going in depth on several different popular drum modules and showing people how to layer some instruments to get to specific sounding legendary drummers would be a great idea.
Awesome Video Justin... Thank you.
I have a Roland TD15KVX - With your help and tutorials on making my own pads I have upgraded it with my own 14 Inch Snare and 20 Inch Ride as well as adding two additional toms to it, It seems pretty great to me... It is pretty hard to find information on the TD15... Tho I did get some Vexpressions packs for it which really brought it to life... My question is What do I have here and why is it seldom talked about? Am I really missing out because of my Module?
Hey Bruce, the reason why the TD15 isn't talked about too much is that it was a short lived line. Roland replaced it with the TD25, and then replaced the 25 with the TD27. Your drumset is still solid and I like it, but that's why not many people talk about it at the moment.
@@65Drums ah! That makes sense. It feels really good. The module seems to be able to do a lot of stuff. I was thinking geeze if this is some low end Roland kit ( like the Costco special ) or something then the other kits must be night and day better then this one.
I’m pretty happy with it. I’m out of space for more voices now and am having challenges with Splitters at the moment. so I’m thinking I need a second brain to assign sounds to. ( I don’t have MIDI in, so I’ll have to run both modules to my mixer rather then a Slave setup right?
Is there a low(ish) end Roland module you would recommend just for additional sounds like percussion, bells or effects while my TD15 covers the bulk of my playing surfaces?
One final question I have been trying to figure out how to make my Bass drum hits the same on each hit. I am working on something where I don’t really want dynamics on that part and just want to make sure it is pounding the same even if I use my double peddle. I’ve watched your other videos on the settings and played around with the curves and the sensitivity/threshold but I can still get soft notes in there where I don’t want them. What am I missing?
Getting a used TD-07KVX tomorrow for $650, and from what im seeing, its well worth it
Thanks for this. Looking into an electronic kit and this helped a lot. I am new to your channel and find your information and production quality superior to other channels presenting on this same subject.
Hi Justin, thanks for the great Roland series. Much appreciated. Just in case no one mentioned it when you summarize the VAD706, the screen image you use at 16:50 reads "VAD506" at the top by mistake. Again, thanks for the summary!
ugggg. I tried to catch all the typos, but that one slipped through, sorry about that
Very helpful and informative. Looking forward to the Alesis & Yamaha videos. Merry Christmas!
Excellent and very informative video! (Just noticed two typos: at 15:37 the VAD706 says $6999 but is actually $7999, then at the end of the VAD706 section at the top of the slide it says it is a VAD506 for $7999...right price, but wrong model number).
Great Video. I got a 17KVX last year and I love it
Td-27k-SC goes on sale at Costco regularly for $1,999. So, definitely don't give Costco $2500... I wonder how many mega-size boxes of honey nut cheerios 2500 could buy? great vid dude
I think the best value for money is the TD-27kv. The module has a lot of features and there are a lot of third party drum kits available. I think if it had the VH14 then it would be near perfect.
Very well done, and greatly appreciated!! Helps me a lot in navigating the eDrum landscape.
Great video good detail.. ,,I still love my TD-10 expanded
10:00 if you play as hard as that dude it's NO WONDER why you'd be in the market for an E-Kit lol. That is one of the major advantages of them though you can play with tons of passion and immersion without blowing everyone's heads off.
My TD 20k is still doing the job after all these years. And i didn't even made a single upgrade to it!
🖖🏻🇫🇷😎🇫🇷😎🇫🇷🖖🏻
am i crazy or...
does my 2300€ Alesis Strike Pro sound kinda better than some of the more expensive ones of Roland?
idk how, but maybe the multi layer samples makes a difference?(idk if roland has that as well)
Great job! Can't wait for the Alesis drumline review.
Great video! By chance do you think you could use say a Pearl Icon rack with the VAD 706?
Loving the Roland TD07DMK V kit. I’ve been recording an album with it in my apartment. As a midi controller plugged into a MacBook Pro and using Logic’s kit interface it works great.
This is essentially what I'm looking into with something in it's price range. What kind of music and do you find any of the sounds or functions too limiting?
@@jeffloucks2120 the music I play ranges from alt rock to folk to pop punk. The only thing I don’t like about the kit is the lack of bell zone on the cymbals. Everything else has exceeded expectations.
If you look up my music channel Bigger Smaller Guitar Man and listen to the song A Jersey Scene you can hear the kit. Plugged into my MacBook using the “Smash Kit” pre set in Logic.
@@Andrewtimoni Thanks for the reference material. That may suit my sutuation just fine. Nice playing and song writing btw. :)
@@jeffloucks2120 thank you so much 😊
Already asked for this, but Justin can you make a video about positional sensing and how it works? What triggers should i use to have it ? Can Jobeky 4 spoke dual zone trigger do it?
yes please
Thanks for going through the kits. This was very helpful.
td50kv2's positional sensing is not really an advantage over the vad line as it is made possible by using a centre cone and therefore introduces massive hotspotting.
I have a Roland TD-17k for the last two years since December 21, 2021
Awesome Video!! Love this new series
Awesome stuff, man! Love watchin' your vids. Always informative, great content.
I really dig this series. Please begin to do more in the future. From Demo. Drums (with a new name now)
I had a td4 then td6 for years. Tank of a kit. Everyone called it a toy which i found highly annoying. Glad they're making shells finally
HEY JUSTIN, What an awesome video and presentation. Thanks so much for helping me find a red line in this very confusing world of e-drums. I am pretty new to this topic so I think I learn a lot from your videos. Thanks, man. Quick and maybe stupid question: I am really interested in buying the VAD 503. I don't mind that it only has two toms, that's the usual setup I play. But I need more cymbals. Can I buy any ROLAND crash cymbal and add it to the set myself?
Just what I was looking for. Thank you
Awesome video of the line up! Thanks!
The TD-17KVX is on my buy list, and maybe I’ll get one
Hey Justin can I add another cymbal to td-07kvx ? Thanks for the content you’re a badass!
I have a simple question: What is the weakest link in your opinion, or electronic drums for live playing? What should I prioritize? I want to move toward an E-kit live in smaller venues to have a volume control on the drums. Acoustic drums (namely snare and cymbals) are just too loud and unwieldy in small, over reflective rooms (which is all of them) lol.
We do all of our own sound, I'm well versed in that. I do live sound for bands including my own all the time, so EQing and reverb shaping, I'm 100% comfortable with doing all that either on the mixing console, or I'm sure in the module I could figure it out pretty fast. So, I have considered continuing to use a real kick drum with an otherwise E-Kit. I've even considered using real toms as those are rather inoffensive live as well. But snare, and cymbals, HAVE to be Electonic.
So I guess the real question is, where do I put my chips? Should I get a good module? Should I get a crap module and midi to EZ Drummer or something, and focus my money on getting a good sensing 14inch snare? Or should I focus on the ride or hats? Idk what I should prioritize and I'm looking for some guidance. I'm open to Frankensteining an E-kit, unless you guys think that's a crap idea. I already have all the mics, drums, cords, live sound PA, mixing, and effects capabilities and experience mixing (and struggling to mix) real drums in all sorts of live situations. It's just the stage bleed that is too hard to deal with and my current drummer is 100% willing and excited to try the E-kit route as he practices on an old Rubber Alesis all the time.
Good review over the Roland line Justin.
This is a personal opinion, but I prefer digital drums to look drum like, but not necessarily having actual shells. It's just an allusion. I'm happy with the pads on the Efnote 3x or the new DT series from Yamaha. The only thing I used to change with electronic kits was the kick. It HAS to have some presence. That why I found a dtx kick to replace the original dtxetreme II one.
If Roland came out with a kit that had what the Efnote3x gives at a slightly higher price, I'd pay the extra. For me right now, Yamaha is out of my price range
thanks for making this. this has been very helpful