Drum Module Choice?

twiles

Junior Member
Hello everyone,

This is my first official post on your forum here and I am looking to learn as much as I can. I am looking to purchase a Roland module for a drum kit I am putting together for my 9 year old son. I have narrowed the choice down to the Roland TD-9 and the TD-11. The drums are Pintech brand includling the following:

4 CC102ST-EZ, 10" ConcertCast Mesh Head, Dual Zone, EZ Tune Snare pads with Star Knobs
1 Gig KD, 8" Upright Mesh Kick Drum with Bass Head Saver
1 PC14-2, 14" PC Series dual-zone cymbal with choke and Aquarian Cymbal Spring
1 PC16B, 16" PC Series dual-zone Ride cymbal with bell and Aquarian Cymbal Spring
1 PC-10, 10" PC Series single-zone cymbal for hi-hat
1 Gig HH, Hi-Hat Pedal


Can you tell me which module I should pick?
Any advantages of one over the other?
Any advantages of one over the other with the type of drums I am using?

If there is anything else I am over looking please let me know as again I am brand new at this. I appreciate any help you can provide.

Thanks...

Twiles....
 
2box has the best module. I have no idea how much it costs individually though.
 
Pick a Roland td-4 it has decent sounds on board and you can use it also as a midi device to trigger drum software which to my opinion sounds better than a very expensive 2box.
 
Why not the TD10 or the -12? From my experience, the Roland modules just get better as you move up the chain. Is it a budget thing? What's your total budget? I've seen entire TD10 Vdrum kits selling used on eBay for around 1600-1900. I think the TD modules work best when paired with Vdrum pads.
 
Guys,
Thanks for the quick responses....

Re: TD-4 - I was about to buy one but felt it was limited in terms of usb ports to play along with other music, etc.

Re: 2box- I do not seem to be able to find alot of informaiton on them which concerns me.

Re: TD-10 or TD-20 - I guess I was looking at the TD-9 and TD-11 since they are newer in the Roland line up of modules. I do have a budget for the module of 500 to 800 dollars as I do not want to get to crazy for my son's first kit. However, I do not want to have to upgrade a year from now because I was cheap today. So, I am trying to find something that will last him for a few years, has room for growth, and will allow the use of a computer since my son (like all of our kids now days) is into computers big time. I figured if I get something he can tinker with using a computer he would be even more into it.

I cannot seem to find alot of information regarding comparisons between the TD-9 and TD-11 for some reason. Can you guys shed some light on what you feel are the major differences? Which one would you select? What would you do?

Thanks...

Twiles
 
I've found loads of reviews on the 2box kit as a whole, might be worth researching the whole kit and theres generally a fair bit on the module.

It's supposedly the most easily customisable module, if thats what you're after.

What it means is that you can take .wav samples from market leading products like Steven Slate and EZ Drummer, and load them straight into your module via USB, and assign them to any drum or cymbal or rim, which means you're not limited to "a kit" so to speak.

For example, you can take a kick drum from one set, a snare from another, have one cymbal as a 38" gong, congas on the toms and tambourines and shakers on the tom rims, for example, its completely customisable.

What this means is that you can never run out of new sounds for your kit as you can always add more (it plugs into the computer via usb) from sample packs. Also you can record your own .wav files however you like and load them in. It has onboard memory of 4GB which is pretty good.

One downside is that it has no built‑in sequencer, it doesn’t offer the training tools that teach you to play in time, it doesn’t have a huge LCD display with animated graphics and sliders to adjust the levels of every drum... but it does deliver hundreds of extremely realistic drum samples that you can add to over time too. If he has a drum teacher then this isn't a problem, but if you want this thing to teach him how to play...it may be a little problematic but no more than buying an acoustic kit!

Another downside is the price, its around £750 here in the UK so i guess that translates to a little over $1000 US? I'm not sure though, you guys get everything way cheaper over there!

I've literally just ordered a 2box kit so am not entirely sure on this, but it may be a little complex for a 9 year old. Then again, kids know more about tech then the rest of us do these days anyway so its probably fine and he'll figure it out before I will!

Heres some reviews if you're interested:

http://www.absolutemusic.co.uk/community/entries/105-2box-drumit-5-review

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb11/articles/2box-drumit-five.htm

http://www.musicradar.com/gear/drums/electronic-drums/electronic-drum-kits/drumit-five-376682/review
 
Used TD-8 or TD-12. I've previously owned both and about to receive another TD-12. Hard to beat at the prices these are selling for.
 
Keep in mind your son is 9.

Who are you purchasing the module for? You ... or your son ;)

USB this, pad support that, rack there, this voice count per pad here ... your 9 year old son is not going to care. He is just going to be tickled pink that he can bang away on the pads and perhaps use the module to get a few techno space sounds out of it too.

By the time he does care ... there is going to be new tech out there anyway for you to drool over and debate which to get.

I say ... get to what fits your budget at this point. At 9 ... if he keeps it up for 3 or 4 years ... then for his birthday, Christmas, just because ... you get him the latest greatest then.

With that being said ... you may want to lean toward a "newer" module ... as you will probably get better support for things like warranty ... ROM upgrades ... stuff like that. I would not be too concerned about the specs too much. If it can support what you see your son doing the next 3 to 4 years ... then I say your golden.
 
Hello everyone,

Just wanted to pass along my thanks for all the input. I decided I would go with the TD-11 module as I got it for a great price. I plan on giving the set to my youngest on his birthday in early December. I plan on continuing to look around and read on here plus I will introduce my son to the site and let him explore as well.

Again, I appreciate ALL of the input you provided.

Thanks....

twiles
 
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