This article will help you choose an electronic V-Drums kit to suit you.
With the V-Drums range of kits, your biggest obstacle in choosing an electronic drum kit is also one of the range’s biggest advantages—variety.
As advantageous as variety is, it’s also responsible for one of the most frequently asked questions regarding the V-Drums range.
Which electronic kit is best for me?
Contributed by Simon Ayton for Roland Australia UPDATED April 2023
Welcome (back) to the drums!
Are you a lapsed drummer who misses playing? Or maybe someone who has always wanted to play drums but didn’t know where to start?
Maybe you’re a frustrated bass player who wants to have some fun laying down your own drum tracks. Because really, why should drummers have all the fun? A drummer’s favourite muso is one with a drum kit 🙂
Have you never played a musical instrument at all but think your kids would love it?
Experience the joys that can only come from replicating that awesome drum part from one of your favourite songs. Everybody’s got one of their own most loved drum pieces and you can play yours too.
For example—and for those that know the song—who hasn’t wished they could play that epic drumming moment in Phil Collins’ In The Air Tonight?!
Acoustic vs. Electronic? : Electronic drums are like the electric guitar for drummers making it possible to plug-in the headphones and play almost anywhere and anytime.
Perhaps you already play the drums but wish you could expand on your kit’s tonal range and/or options?
Sure, you can add capabilities to your existing kit using the Roland TM-2 as Michael Schack does. But, just maybe, you’re ready to go next level with a full electronic V-Drums kit.
It’s Never Too Late to Learn the Drums!
Which electronic kit to choose from?
If you already have an acoustic kit, you won’t believe how much more time you will spend playing and developing your playing skills on an electronic drum kit. The compact size and adaptability will mean you’ll use it in ways you never imagined.
Regardless of your level of experience, or what you’re trying to get out of your current drumming experience, the Roland V-Drums range offers the best solution when choosing an electronic drum kit. All you need to do is work out which kit is the right one for you.
So, what are the differences between normal electronic kits and the V-Drums range of kits? Let’s get started!
With over a dozen different kits available, It might seem like there are so many different electronic kit models, it’s hard to know where to start.
V-Drums are firstly divided into two main groups:
- ‘TD’ Series Rack Based V-Drums with slim trigger pads
- ‘VAD’ Series Acoustic Design Style V-Drums with wood shells and conventional cymbal stands
So actually, there are just five model numbers in the TD series and four in the VAD range.
Some model numbers have a few ready to go variations we’ll explain below.
The following four kit numbers make up the current V-Drums electronic kit range: TD-02, TD-07, TD-17, TD-27, TD-50.
Let’s break each of these electronic V-Drums kits down and go through their features and differences.
It’s important to note that all V-Drums kits are able to be setup for left-handers too!
Why Roland V-Drums Play More Like Acoustic Drums
Unlike other brands of electronic kits, Roland V-Drums and module combinations offer uniquely responsive and dynamic playing unrivaled in the world of electronic drums thanks to decades of research and developement and feedback from the world’s best engineers and musicians.
From the feel of the hitting surfaces through to the way the sounds are produced from the sound engine, every aspect of the sound is carefully considered from the early development stages through to the final instrument and we don’t stop there fine tuning and improving wherever possible.
This attention to detail means that typical strokes and techniques used on conventional drums and cymbals work on V-Drums more so than any other electronic drums giving the most playing enjoyment.
On an acoustic snare for example, the stick hitting strength, position and time interval between the notes dramatically affects the sound. These nuances are painstakingly analysed and taken in to account with V-Drums technlogy as far as possible for the most natural playing experience.
For cymbals for example, repetetive strikes are treated differenty in the sound module than single hits to allow the player to swell the sound as intended. The cymbals can be instantly muted on the edge with hand or stick while the remarkable CY-18DR digital ride can even sense skin touch allowing staccato playing possible; the first for an electronic trigger cymbal.
For the PD-140DS digital snare, the sensors are able to detect where and how often the strike is occurring and adjust the sustain and texture of the sound in response instantly for a more interactive experience.
Fully open, sloshy sounding hi-hats through to half-closed accented strokes and fully closed tight sounds are possible for the best expression just like their acoustic cousins. The VH-14D digital Hi-hat is even skin touch and left and right hand aware for the most stunning playing experience so you can forget about the technology and just enjoy playing.
The crash and ride cymbal respond like acoustic cymbals. You can also ‘choke’ the cymbals to mute the sound just like with acoustic cymbals.
Both kits feature the TD-02 module with a wide range of sounds built-in, clear easy to use controls that let you focus on playing which you’ll be doing a lot of. There’s a coaching mode built-in to help with timing and a mix-in for connection to media player/phone for playing along to your favourite music.
The TD-02K has an L-Shaped rack designed to be strong and stable but also fit neatly into the corner of any room saving space.
The feel of the TD-02KV is the main difference between the two models as it has a tunable mesh snare, which is not only quieter but allows the stick rebound to be adjusted to suit any playing style and level of playing development.
Hi-hat, crash and ride cymbals are included as well as beater-less, silent pedals which transmit almost no foot-stomp sound to your neighbours.
The Roland team though of your drumming journey too as the kits can be expanded with an additional crash cymbal. The Kick can also be upgraded by adding one of the manny KD or KT series kick drum triggers that allow standard mechanical kick pedals to be used. You could even add a double kick pedal.
A standard USB port is built-in that can stream both MIDI performance data/notes and audio for one cable recording with any MAC/PC software.
See how simple it is to record the TD-02 series here.
Bluetooth streaming is available for cable free connection via the separately available BT Dual adaptor from any Roland/Boss dealer.
Melodics™ is a fun way to build your musical skills.
ROLAND TD-07DMK | V-Drums for everyone
The hugely popular, all mesh-head TD-07DMK is for players of all heights and ages with the playing response Roland is famous for.
The kit fits easily in the loungeroom or bedroom and comes with the versatile TD-07 module, ride, crash, hi-hat, kick and three toms. The kit works with any drum stool and single or double kick pedal. Just connect headphones or amplifier and off you go!
ROLAND TD-07KV | Next Level Up V-Drums
Decades of research and development are behind the creation of all V-Drums and the new TD-07KV is no exception.
The industry standard dual-ply mesh heads are tunable for the best feel and make the kit quiet enough to play at home anytime of the day or night.
TD-07KV features include a wide range of built-in sounds, Bluetooth audio streaming, bi-directional USB Audio/MIDI for easy recording and software connection and even support for optional double kick pedals and the VH-10 hi-hat for the authentic acoustic look and feel.
ROLAND TD-17 Series V-Drums | World's Most Popular Kits
Designed around a larger foldable and easy to transport rack, the three model TD-17 series is very popular with beginners choosing an electronic kit. Lapsed drummers and anyone returning to the drums are also attracted to how easy they are to use and fit in a small space for daily workouts.
Experienced drummers love the ability record and work out parts at home without needing to hire studio space.
“The TD-17KVX2 is the inspiring powerhouse kit you’ll play all day.”
TD-17KV2 | Compact Everyday Drummer's Kit
The TD-17KV goes mesh all the way with upgraded CY-12C-T and CY-14-R-T thin crash and ride cymbals too.
With all three TD-17 kits, metal fans love that the stable KD-10 kick trigger pad can be used with their favourite double kick pedal for near-silent double kick practice. The extra trigger inputs (Crash2 and AUX) on the module allow expansion with additional triggers down the line.
For creating your own sounds is your personal style, import your own user WAV sounds from anywhere. This allows you to layer samples with the internal sounds for endless sound possibilities into the future.
The built-in SD Card slot allows you to save your kits to share with friends or load more which you can download online from the Roland Cloud site; A great resource for content.
WAV and MP3 files can be played directly via SD Card too, for the ultimate fun practice session.
Practical Features
USB and Bluetooth features allow you to connect your kit to your computer and mobile devices directly or wirelessly.
Stream audio directly from media services such as YouTube and FaceBook quickly and easily. The built-in phone tray is a convenient place to dock your device.
It’s time to crank it up and jam with friends! There’s even a ‘mix-in’ for connecting keyboards and guitar pedalboards too.
Connect the stereo line outputs directly to amplifiers and speaker systems such as the PM-100 and PM-200 series personal drum amplifiers for everyone to hear.
If you are after great playing expression, sounds and build quality, look no further. The TD-27KV2 stands out from all other electronic kits in this price range.
For a mid-range V-Drums kit, the TD-27KV2 now features the same PD-140-DS digital snare and CY-18-DR digital ride from the TD-50 series along with the world’s first digital Hi-hat for the most expressive playing possible.
Two, thin series 12″ and 14″ crashes, wider MDS-Standard rack and PDX-100 toms are included for a well-balanced, everyday performance kit at home or on stage.
Want double kick? V-Drums are designed for double kick pedals so simply connect any double pedal and play. You could even add a second separate kick trigger for two, independent, tunable kick drums.
The slick TD-27 sound module V2 makes it simple to choose from any of the 720+ sounds.
The heart of the VAD-5′ and TD-27KV2 kits is the TD-27V2 module.
For the best triggering available anywhere, connect a digital snare, ride and hi-hat.
Roland’s digital triggers allow greater dynamics and responsiveness than conventional analog trigger systems. Thanks to the integrated powered USB controller, they can even detect position, skin touch and edge choking instantly.
With an enormous sound library of over 720 sounds, recreate your favourite sounds and explore new musical avenues inside the module.
Add more sounds with the user sample import capabilities. 16 and 24bit WAV samples can be loaded via SD Card and triggered from any trigger zone freely.
A great fun feature is the Bluetooth audio/MIDI streaming. Use this feature to record yourself playing along to any audio playback from your phone. Save the WAV audio to SD Card for sharing or import into the module to trigger from pads.
The availability of user-created TD-27 kit patches is expanding all the time. You can easily load more via SD Card to create your own favourite kit list. Roland Cloud content can be loaded into the module for an ever expanding world of new sounds.
If you’ve ever experienced the challenge of recording acoustic drums, recording with V-Drums is simple.
Recording of your drum grooves can be done instantly inside the module. Capture WAV files of your playing straight to SD Card stick or connect the kit to your favourite Mac/PC program for professional quality recording with all software recording programs or DAWS. 28 channels of stereo audio along with MIDI are available simultaneously via a single USB cable!
TD-50X Series V-Drums | Everyday Pro Player Kits
The standout flagship, proudly electronic kit carries on the V-Drums tradition started with the TD-10 V-Drums in 1997.
Read about the history of V-Drums here.
With absolute attention to detail in sound, playability and features, nothing compares to the TD-50 series.
Two models of the TD-50X series are the TD-50KV2 and TD-50K2. Both kits feature the revolutionary digital triggers and stunning TD-50X sound module.
The top of the range, the KV2 is a six piece rack style kit with four toms, full-sized digital snare, ride and hi-hat and rack-mounted TD-50X module.
Simply laying a stick across the head and rim instantly produces a cross-stick sound without any special modes required.
Also included with TD-50X kits is the CY-18DR. This 18” digital ride cymbal also features a USB connection and weight and look of an acoustic cymbal without the noise.
Play V-Drums like you would acoustic drums
The remarkable touch responsiveness of the electrostatic surface allows techniques like bell, bow and edge playing.
Finger touch muting kills overtones and hand touch or grab muting silences the cymbal instantly. This is just like with an acoustic cymbal. See the detailed guide on V-Drums playing techniques here.
Both the TD50KV2 and TD-50K2 models have custom made racks with quick release fittings, memory locks and ball swivel joints that can take all you can throw at them.
Full-sized drums and cymbals on an electronic kit
With familiar sizes for the snare, hi-hat and ride, the TD50X series kits give the ergonomics of a full-sized kit while the thin crash cymbals have that ‘buttery’ feel under the stick. They are actually designed to flex and give like their acoustic cousins.
On the TD-50KV2, toms and snare all feature customizable wraps for changing the look of your kit easily without glue.
The supplied 14” KD-140 kick trigger with the TD-50K2 offers the best compact kick drum feel on the market. Heavy duty build quality and a wide pedal mount are the norm for extreme playing and compatibility with all popular pedals.
The TD-50KV2 comes with the 18″ KD-180 kick with wood shell. This unique design features the same trigger system used in the other Roland acoustic design triggers.
By utilising a trigger suspended on an acrylic drum head together with a cloth feeling contact patch and air baffle system, it feels like a perfectly dampened kick drum with just the right amount of rebound while being quiet and looking the part.
TD-50X V-Drums Sound Module
Main and individual balanced outputs, routable click, audio recording with standard MIDI file (SMF) and audio export and full sound editing control as standard.
If you like to tweak audio, the diverse range of classic acoustic and electronic onboard sounds are mere starting points for creating any sound you can dream up.
The extended V-editing possibilities are almost limitless.
The Top Hats
The groundbreaking VH-14D offers playability, touch sensitivity, tonal variation, and open/closed resolution that’s never been available until now with a trigger hi-hat. The two-piece design and thin 14-inch pads provide a familiar look and natural feel, while the high-resolution, multi-sensor system tracks velocity, stick position, and foot work with maximum precision. Foot splashes are reproduced authentically, and you can even mute the cymbals with a hand touch—just like acoustic hi-hats. The VH-14D is included with the TD-50K2/KV2 and VAD-706 and available to TD-50 and TD-27 owners via a free update.
Create your own sounds
Apart from drum and cymbal size, you can adjust the kick SUB mic amount, type and sustain, add sizzles to cymbals. Change the cymbal thickness and stick attack/ping amount and even sound colour.
You can assign a cowbell or any sound layer on any drum. This includes the hi-hat and you can even move microphone position to perfect your sound. The transient controls let you shape the attack and release on every single strike for a world first in drums.
User sample load is now standard for importing your own WAV samples. You can use this for layering-up with the internal sounds to create the ultimate kit sound.
Sounds can be tweaked and edited in the module and assigned to any trigger surface. There are 60 sound trigger zones per kit patch!
With the TD-50X, kit switching is instant with no loading time, which is critical for live performance.
You can then share your new creation with others via the high capacity SD Card slot on the side.
SD Card allows synchronized click and backing tracks to stream instantly with no loading time.
With the unique, 4-track playback facility, you simply title your click “SONG NAME_click” and both the song and backing click-track playback together. The click is routed automatically to the phones output for no-fuss gigs.
The electronic kit for the performer
There are small and big MIX-IN ports in the front and back for integration with phones and media players.
Separate volume controls for click and backing tracks and even small and large headphones outputs are on the front. This is great, you’ll never have to search for an adapter again!
The SONG playback engine also allows recording of MIDI and audio with extremely quick and easy SMF and WAV audio export.
This is ideal for capturing ideas and especially useful for recording a soundcheck performance. Finally, the drummer can listen out the front with the audience.
Extensive overhead, ambience and reverb controls are also available. These can all of be easily controlled from a single fader.
With stage performers in mind, many functions have their own dedicated knob or button for quick access mid-performance in low-light.
Additionally, you can assign triggers and foot-switches to change kits, turn the reverb on and off, along with other common functions.
TD-50X Ins and Outs
Round the back, stereo XLR and 8x TRS outs provide 10 balanced audio outputs to record multi-track into audio interfaces for separate control of sounds in the mix.
On stage, connect the kit to a stage box to give the front of house engineer maximum control for the perfect blend with the rest of the band.
Roland V-Drums Acoustic Design Series | Acoustic looks, technically capable
If full-sized acoustic drums are your thing, the Roland acoustic design drums are for you!
Winner of best in show at the NAMM music show in L.A in January 2020, the VAD series strikes a chord with drum lovers of all styles and backgrounds.
To focus efforts on the acoustic kit experience, this new line was created independently of the conventional TD-series kits. On free standing hardware for the first time, the VAD series kits look and feel closer to acoustic drums than ever before. Consider them house-trained acoustic drums.
With three new models, completely new triggers were designed to match the acoustic design philosophy to give the ultimate look and feel for each kit.
The top model acoustic design kit VAD-507 gives the player the acoustic kit experience and look with all the low noise and technical benefits of an electronic kit.
Tom sizes are 10″, 12″ with a 14″ floor tom. Each tom is designed from the start for the best triggering for its size.
The wooden shells are designed for maximum damping giving the best triggering and lowest mechanical noise fit for any bedroom. The triggering system is uniquely matched to the size too with a three trigger system and rim trigger for the 12″ tom and floor tom. The floor tom has the same 3-ply mesh head as the PD-140-DS snare head which gives low noise, more realistic rebound and optimum trigger response.
Brand new to the Roland cymbal range are the included CY-14C-T 14″ thin and for the first time 16″ thin crash in the form of the CY-16R-T. The new thin 14″ for example is 40% lighter than previously with wider sweet-spot and faster response. These new dual-trigger, bow/edge triggers are mute chokable and have a buttery, responsive feel and natural swinging motion.
The kick is the KD-200 with 20″x16″ shell with integrated floating trigger for the same performance as the top level KD-220 trigger from the top TD-50KVX2 kit.
Coming from the TD-50X series, the PD-140-DS snare and CY-18-DR ride integrate the digital triggering and size and feel of conventional acoustic instruments with touch awareness so you can concentrate on playing and let the clever electronics give you the most natural response possible.
A Roland TD-27V2 module is loaded with an incredible array of acoustic sounds all of which can be modified and manipulated using the onboard V-editing and effects for studio quality final mixes.
The stunning 14″ digital hi-hat comes standard along with three heavy duty boom stands with clamps the same as those found on the top VAD-706 kit, so just add a 4 piece accessory pack to get drumming!
For those who prefer a stripped down style kit intended for gigging where acoustic drums can’t go, there’s the one up, one down four piece VAD-504 that includes a boom cymbal stand for the ride and a multi-boom stand to hold the mounted tom and crash.
With midnight sparkle 10″ and 14″ floor toms, this kit looks great in the music room and on stage. As with the expanded VAD-507 kit, each drum is designed from the start for the best triggering for its size so it’s not just another acoustic shell kit with off the shelf triggers.
The included CY-14C-T 14″ thin crash is designed by cymbal lovers to emulate that classic, buttery vintage cymbal vibe and looks the part as do the included steel PD-140-DS snare and CY-18-DR ride. These most played parts of any kit integrate the latest Roland digital triggering in familiar sizes and movement even with touch awareness to give the acoustic like experience you’d miss with conventional electronic cymbals.
With the V-Drums acoustic design kits, you no longer need to use your acoustic cymbals for a great gig experience!
The kick is the same KD-200 with 20″x16″ shell with integrated floating trigger as included in the VAD-507 kit which has the familar feel of your fave kick with a pillow inside but with the choice of hundreds of kick sounds to choose from instantly.
The module is the latest TD-27V2 which has 3x AUX trigger inputs and the second crash slot free when you want to expand.
Gig friendly drums – Controlled and comfortable volume, same intensity
With extremely low mechanical noise from the kit and no acoustic sound level, the VAD-504 is a dream for venues and easy on you and your audience’s ears too. You can play with intensity but quietly for the first time as a drummer. To help you get a great sound quickly, use the built-in song player, recorder section in the module to record and playback your own soundchecks automatically while you, the drummer, listen to the kit in the room out front to hear how you’ll sound to the audience.
The TD-27 module has 4 audio outs so send the kick and the snare as well as the rest of the kit sounds out their own outputs to the front of house for the quickest setup and the best mix the audience has ever heard. Thanks to the routable mix-in on the TD-27 module, you can send a mix of the rest of the band minus drums just to your in-ears, headphones or connected stage monitors for the perfect stage sound for you and the band. Save the settings in the module for perfectly repeatable sound every time.
Sound wise, the TD-27V2 sound engine has features to allow you to easily emulate any classic acoustic or electronic kit or even your favourite recorded drums and sample libraries using it’s user WAV sound import and trigger ability.
The module mounts out of the way under the hi-hat with the included mount while the best in class VH-14D digital hi-hat’s work on a conventional hi-hat stand and round off the ultimate every week day and in fact, weekend player’s functional great all-rounder kit.
The VAD-307 gives you the essence of an acoustic kit small enough to fit anywhere without compromising the look.
This 5 piece compact kit comes with the three double braced combo cymbal/tom stands, two thin series 12″ crashes and a 14″ ride.
VH-10 comes with the kit and mounts on a conventional stand for the best look and feel.
There’s a brand new KD-180-L-BK 18″ kick designed to allow placement against a wall where space saving is required. From the audience’s view, it looks the real deal and feels great for the drummer.
Mounting on a traditional snare stand, the new PDA-120-LS-BK snare features a dual mesh 12″ pad and dual triggering with accurate triggering. Two 10″ toms and a 12″ floor tom are in the pack too. With the included TD-17V2 module, assign different sounds to the head and the rim of each drum for great musical possibilities and Bluetooth streaming and recording are useful tools to help you get better faster.
The pinnacle of drums, the VAD-706 gives everything you love about acoustic drums with all the advantages of a top of the line V-Drums kit.
Full-sized, 8-ply maple wood shells available in four high-gloss painted finishes set the kit apart from usual electronic kits.
Premium 22″ kick, 16″ crashes and 18″ ride on combo stands give the VAD-706 the big, bold, acoustic kit look on stage and make it the kit you’ve always wanted for home too.
The VAD-706 combines all of the technolgy highlights from decades of developement to create a kit that’s as exciting to play as it is to look at.
Range Summary
So as you’ve discovered, every Roland V-Drums kit comes with its own advantages and features designed to suit many drummers.
The secret to choosing the right electronic kit for you is knowing where you’re at in your drumming journey. It’s also important to know what features are the most vital to your future development as a drummer.
If you are pushed for space, one of the smaller kits like the TD-1K, TD-1DMK, TD-07KV or even TD-1KPX2 could be ideal if you’re on the go.
Maybe you want to learn to play double kick and build your own kit patches, the TD-17 series would be perfect.
If you are returning to drumming after a hiatus or ready to get serious, the TD-27KV2 could be just the ticket?
Is drumming is your obsession? The TD-50 series kits could quite possibly make your life complete.
Maybe the VAD series has rekindled your love for wanting to jump back on the drums?
Regardless of which kit you choose, it’s important to know that all V-Drums kits offer you the same essential thing.
They allow you to choose your favourite sounds, develop your skills and enjoy yourself playing the drums at any volume you like.
Perhaps the most difficult question you’ll be asking yourself now is “What song will I learn first?”.
