#electronic kit

The W335 was an amazing experience to play with as it had many fun activities and I could experiment with each of the pieces. The W335 is a circuit-making set in which there are plastic/metal pieces that can be clipped together to create different types of circuits. There are many circuits illustrated and explained in the booklet, but it was more fun to experiment with the pieces to try and make more circuits. Below are three different circuits that I made from the booklet. They are labelled 1-5 in difficulty, with 1 being easy and 5 being hard.

To start off, I made a simple circuit with the battery pack, two straight connectors 3 pins long and an LED light. This one was rated a 1 in difficulty, and even younger kids will be able to attempt this without instructions as the colourful diagram made it really easy to find the parts. The two 3 pin connectors were parallel to each other and each was connected to a terminal on the battery pack. They were then connected to an LED light to create a closed circuit. To experiment and test my own knowledge, I replaced one of the 3 pin connectors with a press switch. On the press switch, there was a metal plate which was connected to one end but not the other. When the plate was pressed, it connected both ends to create a closed circuit.

Now, the next circuit was slightly harder, with a difficulty rating of 4. This circuit allowed me to make a working FM radio using the radio module provided. For this circuit, connectors of various lengths, the speaker, radio module and battery pack were used. It was really fun to listen to, even though it was challenging to connect all the parts in the right order!

Finally, the last model I made was an ambulance siren, rated at difficulty 5. It used many of the pieces in the kit and was a real test of my understanding of circuits. I was so proud of it when I finished that I took a photo of it, which you can see below. It was interesting to observe the change in sound and volume when I swapped out pieces and changed their order. While it took me a while to finish, it was perfect for annoying my parents.

Beginning in the 1970s and into the 1980s, electronic drum kits became a new innovation in production and performance for some of the biggest bands of the era. Duran Duran, Rush, and of course Rick Allen of Def Leppard with his hybrid acoustic and electronic kit, set a new standard in what electronic drum technology could do to musical creativity. Fast forward to the 21st century and electronic drums have never been more popular. Sales of electronic drum kits have risen greatly in recent years with more and more studios using them for production and artists using hybrid electronic and acoustic drum kits. Software like Toontracks, Ableton, and Battery 3 provide an endless array of drum sounds to pick from to be controlled via a MIDI keyboard or with an electronic drum kit. I have spent the better part of my life playing acoustic drum kits and have recently been exposed to electronic drum kits and drum samples within production. I began doing some research into how the drumming community feels about drum technology and software dominated drum samples. I found that most drummers are not talking about this and we as a community of percussionists should be discussing how our craft is enhanced or threatened by this burgeoning technology. To get the conversation started I wanted to go through how electronic drums are used in the studio, on the stage, and finally my opinion and projection on the future of electronic drums.

In the last blog we talked about a very brief history and overview of electronic drums and sampling. I also delved a little into what I am familiar with when it comes to using electronic drums and samples in a studio production scenario as well as my own personal experiences. In part two, we will talk about electronic drums and samples in a performance setting, my projection about the future of electronic drums and sampling, and close with my own opinion on electronic drums and sampling in the studio and on the stage. Performance Some of the biggest acts in the world, even those with recorded drum samples, still have a live drummer performing with them. This makes for a great concert experience and shows the musicianship involved with percussion on certain productions. Many bands use drum pads with additional electronic sounds to compliment their live acoustic setup which you see across many genres. What most people do not know (or perhaps know all too well) is that drummers often times are playing to a click track or metronome. This means that if there is a powerful moment in a song, the engineer can add hits to almost anything because the drummer is following a tight meter. Also samples can be played within a drummers performance controlled by the performer or an engineer. This is another example of things sounding just a little too good to be true. Triggers are another feature that many performers use. These are response mechanisms placed within an acoustic drum kit to provide a programmed drum sound. This is reserved for stadium or large venue acts where the sound of the acoustic hits may not go much farther than the end of the stage. However I have gone to smaller venues and seen this used before. If you listen closely you can hear the acoustic kit and the trigger along with it.

When you ask drummers, "Which brand has the best electronic drum kit?", the typical answer is Roland. However Roland V-Drums are rather expensive even if you are getting what you are paying for in terms of build quality, performance, and overall fidelity. Roland has delivered a kit that is not only affordable, but also makes portability a staple feature on the new Roland TD-4KP V-Drums Portable electronic drum kit. Following in the footsteps of previous models within the TD-4K line, the TD-4KP retails for under $1000 with all the quality you can expect from a Roland V-Drum kit. Included in the kit are the TD-4 drum module, eight pads total (kick, snare, toms x3, hi-hat, crash and ride cymbals), the FD-8 Hi-Hat Controller, and drum rack for mounting your drum and cymbal pads. Not included are a drum throne and kick pedal but you can purchase the Roland DAP-3X V-Drums Accessory Package which comes with a kick pedal, throne, and drum sticks. Fold up the TD-4KP and take it anywhere. The appeal of something like the TD-4KP is its ability to be collapsed into a small and portable piece of gear. It folds into a nice square shape and can be carried with 1 arm or over the shoulder in a gig bag. This makes it not only a great practice tool at home, but also for bringing to rehearsals or the stage with great ease and just a few minutes of setup time. Lets go over some of the other features and a general hardware review of the Roland TD-4KP.

TD-4 Module

Roland TD-4 Drum Module The first thing to mention about the TD-4 module is the I/O. You have 1/4 inch stereo out, two headphone connections for 1/8 and 1/4 inch headphone connections, MIDI out, as well as your connection for a power supply and the drum pads. While the I/O may not be as robust as other kits out there, you have everything you need for practicing, performing, and recording. The TD-4 module has a very small footprint and weighing right around 1.1 lbs. The module comes loaded with 125 sounds and 25 kit presets so you have plenty of options for sounds. The standout feature here is the tuning and muffling buttons which allow you to customize the sound of each drum on a particular kit. This can be great for stage performances in different rooms that may lack a natural reverb or a room that has too much and requires you to muffle or choke your drums. The included metronome and coach mode are great features for beginners or those looking to warm up their chops before a gig or practice. There are 5 different skill building exercises that help you build your speed, stamina, and accuracy. One feature we really liked was the auto-volume adjustment on the metronome. When you are playing in time the volume of the metronome dissipates, and when you start to get off time the click will turn back up to keep you back on the meter. This is a really great tool for the drummer that has trouble keeping a steady beat and can work great in a full band practice scenario to keep the entire band on a steady meter. Lastly the quick record feature allows you to get an idea of how you're performing. You can also hear what you played back with a metronome to see how on or off time you are during particular sections. The recorder allows for around 9,000 notes which I am guessing is 9,000 notes of internal MIDI. This seems like plenty of space when all you need is a quick reference of your playing. Others may find this limiting but with a MIDI out you can always record more into your computer if you want to reference an entire track or performance. The TD-4 Module is a solid module for this type of kit but there were some features that we found limiting. The absence of a hub to connect auxiliary drums means you will be stuck with the pads you got. The trigger input connector is proprietary to the TD-4KP and you would have to hunt around for another trigger input connector if you wanted to expand the kit. Not a total deal breaker, but drummers looking to buy a kit they can expand on down the road may need to look elsewhere. Another limitation is that there is no ability to load VEX or other third party drum kits onto the TD-4, which means you can't import custom made drum kits into the module. There is also no USB save option so you will have to enter in all your custom kit sounds manually. This type of customization is typical on higher end Roland drum modules. It would have been nice to see this feature included on the TD-4, but we understand why it was omitted. What the TD-4 lacks in features, it makes up for in affordability and portability.

Drum Pads

The drum pads are rubber resting on plastic surfaces. They feel good but not typical V-Drum or comparable mesh head good. They certainly respond well to ghost notes and rolls and seem to be well constructed and rather sturdy. They were holding up well to even the most aggressive of strike but did have the feeling that too much harsh abuse would cause them to crack and break. While this is a portable kit, the tendency for some might be one of carelessness in how it gets transported, which could cause some cracking or breaking on the pads. This is of course indicative of improper storage and transport but it should be noted that a big fall or hard crash could mean the end of a pad on the TD-4KP. Most of you are always asking about the volume of the pads when struck as you may be practicing or jamming in an apartment or bedroom and don't want to disturb those around you. The pads do have a fairly audible sound but it decays rather quickly because all the pads are so thin. It would be deceiving to say they make little to no noise but this is typically contingent upon on how hard of a hitter you are. When you are doing your Neil Peart mega drum fill, those around you are likely going to hear every hit. If you are playing with more reservation, you will find that the pads on the TD-4KP make just as much (or as little) sound as any other electronic drum kit.

The Verdict

The Roland TD-4KP is perfectly suited for the beginner drummer or even for the giging pro who needs a simple and affordable solution for recording, performance, or practice. The things we like are the portability, affordability, and the features included on the TD-4 drum module. The things we would have liked to see are an easier ability to expand on the TD-4KP and the ability to load drum kits into the module. Despite these minor limitations, the Roland TD-4KP is definitely a kit to consider when looking at quality electronic drum kits at a great price. Leave any comments or questions you have about the Roland TD-4KP, or any other Roland products, in the comments section below. To purchase the Roland TD-4KP for the best price visit our website.  SLAM!! Transcript

Hey everybody my name is Trevor Root. I'm here on behalf of Roland here at UniqueSquared to talk to you about the new TD-4KP collapsable, portable drum kit. I'm really excited to talk to you about it. It has some great features. Obviously the new rack design. It collapses down without taking off any of the pads. You can put it into a tiny little square and pick it up with one hand and take it to your gig. Really cool.

The next thing is our TD-4 brain module. It has very expressive sounds in here. You have tuning and muffling to edit your kit. You have our world renown rhythm coach feature. You also have recording capability. MIDI in and out. So some great features there. But the most important, it sounds great. So check out Studio Kit, patch number eleven, sounds good. You can choke all the cymbals. You can play extremely fast and it picks up all the nuances of your playing still. 

Let's check out a few more sounds, how about like a techno kit. Kit number nineteen. Very cool stuff. And always the famous Roland 808 drum kit.