Feel of Roland Kd9 kick drum vs Real kick

Nilsdrums

Junior Member
Hi!

I have recently started playing with the ankle technique to play faster double bass parts. During the last month however, I have only practiced double kick on a Roland KD-9 kick(Picture bellow). Before I played acoustic like 90% of the time so I do know the feel of a real kick drum so it's not new to me but have not had the opportunity to practice on a real kit the last months, does this affect technique in any way? Will my double kick playing all of a sudden become really sloppy when I switch to a real kick drum? Surely I would think the technique I've practiced would still be helpful but maybe just takes a little time(Like a day or so) to get used t on a real drum? I've also heard that the KD-9 thanks to its cloth design on the pad instead of just rubber is supposed to feel almost like a real kick drum.
 

Attachments

  • 0011808_roland-kd-9-kick-pad.png
    0011808_roland-kd-9-kick-pad.png
    572.5 KB · Views: 1
I've not played the KD-9 but I do have experience with other e-drum bass triggers that have a softer playing surface, which I like. First and foremost, make sure you put a patch on the mesh head if you are using felt beaters. Otherwise, the felt will quickly wear away the cloth head. Secondly, find some way to stabilize the base plate of the KD-9 so that it doesn't creep or tilt forward while playing. I think you'll have decent results if you can keep the KD-9 firmly in place.
 
My first e-kit had a KD9 but I can't remember what it felt like. After that I played an acoustic kit converted to e-kit with mesh heads and triggers.

I don't think going from the v-drum to acoustic will affect your ability to play cleanly. It may be more likely that you'll find yourself playing better on the real bass drum. When I returned to an acoustic kit after 12 years on edrums the bass drum felt so good and my double bass felt like clockwork compared to the edrum. The only downside was my double bass max speed is a bit lower because of less rebound.
 
I have a KD9 and played it for years on the Rock Band game. It doesn't feel quite the same but it's not too bad. It feels a lot closer to a real bass drum than the rest of a Roland mesh head kit feels compared to a real drum kit.

It will take some time to adjust, but don't worry about it too much.
 
Your operative phrase here is “almost feels”. Why aren’t you practicing on the real thing? I’m assuming you’re gonna take real drums out for the gig?
 
Your operative phrase here is “almost feels”. Why aren’t you practicing on the real thing? I’m assuming you’re gonna take real drums out for the gig?
I mean not very easy to practise everyday on an acoustic kit since I have it in my rehearsal and my parents and neighbours would go nuts. When I attended a music school i always stayed after school and practised on acoustic kits pretty much every day but practising on acoustic every day is a luxuary many drummers don't have.
 
Back
Top