The Essential Quick Start Guide to the Roland TD-50 V-Drums will have you up and playing in no time!
So you’ve splashed out on a TD-50X series kit… CONGRATULATIONS!
We know that you’re busting to jump on and start playing so we’ve put together a drummer’s essential quick start guide to the Roland TD-50X V-Drums.
Here is a list of essential must do’s when setting up Roland TD-50X series V-Drums to give you the best possible experience.
In this setting up V-Drums guide, we will cover:
- Setting up the V-Drums rack for left and right handers
- Pad Placement and Trigger Settings
- Hi-Hat Adjustment
- Roland TD-50X Module Settings
Contributed by Simon Ayton for the Roland Australia Blog
Setting up the Roland TD-50 V-Drums Rack - Left or Right handed
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Setting up the V-Drums rack for Right-handers:
First, lay the two curved pieces down on the floor, with the straight ended jacks labelled kick, toms etc exiting to the far left corner. That’s where the module will go.
The third curved pole to the far right should have no cables running through it.
V-Drums For Left-Handers:
Reverse this so that straight ended jacks exit the far right corner of the rack for the left handed set.
TD-50K Setup Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTjHA6oGPhQ
TD-50KV Setup Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq3HqBnE6pk
Set up the kick
Now we’ll setup the supplied KD-220 or KD-140 kick trigger.
As with the any acoustic kick drum, the leg length determines the angle at which the kick beater will make contact with the head.
To avoid excess bounces and double hits, adjust the angle of the kick head surface back from 12 o’clock when viewed side-on, so that the swinging beater doesn’t hit the head twice. This is done by reducing the length of the legs.
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Connect Toms and Snare Drum
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You can set up the toms as per the pictures, with one up (T1) and two down (T3, T4) or two up (T1, T2) and one down (T3) for a conventional looking five-piece kit.
For this second option, insert tom 2’s rod holder directly into the rack pole and move the ride to the first floor tom’s clamp position.
Place the snare on a conventional snare stand. Connect the supplied USB lead to the snare and from the snare, into any of the digital USB connections of the TD-50 module.
Clip down the cable lock to ensure a reliable connection whilst playing
Mount and connect the cymbals
 
 Roland V-Drums V-stopper stops the cymbal from spinning[/caption]
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To stop cymbal pads from rotating, v-stoppers are required. These come already integrated into the cymbal arms supplied with the MDS-Stage, Grand, standard and compact drum racks.
For older series racks or third party cymbal arms, the CYM-10 accessory pack is available
The clamping screws of the supplied V-stoppers need to be loosened before tightening to the cymbal arm.
Cymbals mount directly onto the V-stoppers, which are designed to stop cymbals from spinning. The felt then goes on, followed by the wing-nut.
Attach the supplied USB cable between the CY-18DR ride and any of the module’s digital USB inputs. Ensure the USB connector clip is fastened to keep the USB connector secure during performance.
Mount and Connect the Module
Screw the supplied mounting plate onto the module and connect all the straight jacks to the trigger inputs as marked.
If the jacks are ‘L’ shaped, you’ve set up the rack incorrectly so please go to Step 1 and confirm that straight jacks exit nearest the module.
Mount the Hi-Hat
VH-14DÂ
Don’t take any shortcuts with the digital hi-hat. Check out the linked setup guide to make sure you don’t miss any of the important steps. The main points to check are:
- Turn off the tilt function of the hi-hat so the bottom hat sits flat on the stand
- To stop the top hat from spinning or moving, make sure the hi-hat rod through is tight. See the manual for your particular brand.
- Use the cymbal straps provided to keep the bottom hat flat and stable.
- Calibrate the hi-hat with the HH offset function in the module
Tidy up the Cabling
To tidy up the cabling, use the supplied clips to take up the slack in the cables.
Clip the jack leads for toms and cymbals into their rubber holders so that they don’t vibrate or interfere with the triggers, which can cause false-triggering and excess wear.
Module start and first time setup
Once the module has started – IT’S ALMOST TIME TO PLAY!
But next in this quick start guide, you must choose your kit trigger configuration and calibrate the hi-hat.
Choosing the kit configuration
The TD-50X comes included with several very different kit configurations so how does it know which trigger types to choose?Â
So the kit plays as intended, you have to choose your particular trigger setup. You can choose a different setup anytime to suit where the TD-50X is being used.Â
You might, for example, use the TD-50X at home on your TD-50KV2 kit, on a VAD-706 kit in the theatre and also as the centre of a hybrid acoustic/electronic setup. Simply choose the alternative trigger setup called a ‘trigger bank’ in the module’s trigger settings which will show the connected ‘trigger types’ currently assigned to the 14 inputs. Any changes you make will be instantly saved to make it easy to create your own custom configuration.
V-Drums Hi-Hat Calibration
Calibrate the hi-hat offset so that the module knows the difference between open and closed.
It’s a quick and easy process that you can do anytime you play but particularly the first time the kit is setup or whenever it is moved.
When Using it with the TD-50XÂ
- Press the TD-50X’s [TRIGGER] button.
- Press the PAGE [UP] button several times to access
the top page. - Press the [F4] (HI-HAT) button to access the TRIGGER HI-HAT screen.
- Press the [F5] (OFFSET) button. The VH OFFEST ADJUSTMENT screen appears.
- Loosen the clutch screw of the top cymbal and let it sit on the bottom cymbal. * Do NOT touch the hi-hats or the pedal.
- Press the [F5] (EXECUTE) button.
Now that the hi-hat offset has been calibrated, you can set your preferred playing gap between open and closed.Â
NOTE: Get to the HH offset adjustment anytime by pressing the [KIT] and [TRIGGER] buttons on the module simultaneously.
Done. Enjoy your kit and remember to eat and sleep!
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