Roland VAD506

R

Reg Dewitt

Member
Here's something new, the Roland VAD506. From what I can figure out from translate.google.com, it is an acoustic kit with electronic sensors and a td-27 box of electronics

www.roland.com

Roland - VAD506 | V-Drums Acoustic Design

VAD506: V-Drums Acoustic Design - 存在感のある木製深胴シェル、2タム1フロアのキット
www.roland.com www.roland.com
 
Announced back in Jan - but not many people have received them yet.

Yes - its a TD27 with acoustic shells for those who are afraid of what other acoustic drummers think of their ekits ;)

For £4K + :D
 
Reg Dewitt said:
Is this idea something new Roland invented or do other companies make something like it?
Click to expand...

Just an acoustic looking kit with piezos stuck on it and a silly price tag.

Yamaha did it nearly 20 years ago with the DTXTreme, for example, with wood shells and mylar heads.
yamaha-dtxtreme-special-7778.jpg
 
I'm sorry for my ignorance here, but when you say it is just an acoustic looking kit, you mean the Roland drums are not acoustic drums with piezo's added, but just Roland electric drums like the TD30 with the shells extended down a few inches further to look like acoustics? and if you turned off the electricity and hit on them, they would make little or any sound? Because that was not my impression, but like I say, I could be completely wrong.
 
Just acoustic drums with mesh heads and piezos.
So, no electricity - they'll go "ping"
The TD30 pads you mentioned are also just shells with mesh heads and piezos. No difference.
 
I’ve got one with an added rack Tom and added a small crash. Absolutely love em. Put a double bass kick pedal on it and it’s a sheer pleasure to play em’
 
I got the VAD 306 for my very first eDrum experience. I chose the VAD series, because they use “normal” acoustic drum hardware instead of the specialized rack. It’s just like playing a set of acoustic drums, albeit smaller, and the built-in kit sounds are really fun to play. I enjoy it so much, that I have decided to go hybrid with one of my acoustic kits. I’ll buy another harness and I will then be able to just plug the module into whichever kit I am using.
 
Poleaux said:
I got the VAD 306 for my very first eDrum experience. I chose the VAD series, because they use “normal” acoustic drum hardware instead of the specialized rack. It’s just like playing a set of acoustic drums, albeit smaller, and the built-in kit sounds are really fun to play. I enjoy it so much, that I have decided to go hybrid with one of my acoustic kits. I’ll buy another harness and I will then be able to just plug the module into whichever kit I am using.
Click to expand...

Poleaux, could you say what you like about playing Roland hybrid drums, as opposed to pure acoustic or pure eDrums? And is anything worse?
 
Well, I haven’t created my hybrid kit yet… I am in the process. But I’ll say this, I fell in love with acoustic drums the first time I put my eyes and hands on one as a small child, and I’ll always have an acoustic kit to play on as long as I live. But with eDrums you have volume control – you can play with full expression and motion without pissing off the neighbors. Then you can completely change the kit sounds with a turn of a knob, which is fun, because the moment you hear the new kit sounds, a completely new beat pops into your head and you can jam on it until you turn that knob again. Then you can also sync up with an audio source and jam along with that with perfectly balanced volume. That said, eDrums currently have the hassle of all the wires and the need for a monitor or an amp (or headphones) and they are also smaller in diameter than normal acoustic drums and cymbals. I imagine a hybrid kit will have similar pros and cons as well. Plus a hybrid kit will have the benefit of being able to switch to regular acoustic if the electricity goes out!

I like the fact that Roland and other eDrum manufacturers are shifting towards making their products more like acoustic drums, because that way we drummers get the best of both worlds.
 
Poleaux said:
Well, I haven’t created my hybrid kit yet… I am in the process. But I’ll say this, I fell in love with acoustic drums the first time I put my eyes and hands on one as a small child, and I’ll always have an acoustic kit to play on as long as I live. But with eDrums you have volume control – you can play with full expression and motion without pissing off the neighbors. Then you can completely change the kit sounds with a turn of a knob, which is fun, because the moment you hear the new kit sounds, a completely new beat pops into your head and you can jam on it until you turn that knob again. Then you can also sync up with an audio source and jam along with that with perfectly balanced volume. That said, eDrums currently have the hassle of all the wires and the need for a monitor or an amp (or headphones) and they are also smaller in diameter than normal acoustic drums and cymbals. I imagine a hybrid kit will have similar pros and cons as well. Plus a hybrid kit will have the benefit of being able to switch to regular acoustic if the electricity goes out!

I like the fact that Roland and other eDrum manufacturers are shifting towards making their products more like acoustic drums, because that way we drummers get the best of both worlds.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the reply. It has a lot of interesting information.

But I see my question wasn't quite clear. By "hybrid" I meant the VAD, not something you were going to create (I'm not a drummer so sometimes I use the wrong word). Now you say the VAD is more like an acoustic drumkit. So let me ask you what is it about the differences that you like? Like does it feel more like an acoustic drum when you hit it? Does it make a sound more like an acoustic drum? Or anything else relevant to why you like it.
 
Last edited:
Reg Dewitt said:
Thank you for the reply. It has a lot of interesting information.

But I see my question wasn't quite clear. By "hybrid" I meant the VAD, not something you were going to create (I'm not a drummer so sometimes I use the wrong word). Now you say the VAD is more like an acoustic drumkit. So let me ask you what is it about the differences that you like? Like does it feel more like an acoustic drum when you hit it? Does it make a sound more like an acoustic drum? Or anything else relevant to why you like it.
Click to expand...
It's purely for looks. Roland has put this off for YEARS now and they finally caved in to the A2E (Acoustic to Electronic) conversion trend (and then like electrodrummer said, slapped a ridiculous price tag on it).
This will sound exactly like any other Roland e-drum (with equivalent module and triggers of course) but not as many people will tease you for having an e-kit ;)
 
If I may:
The VAD shells have no acoustic function or value. If you turn the electricity off and hit the mesh head, it will sound the same on a VAD 503/506 acoustic looking drum trigger as a TD-17KV or TD-27KV mesh pad- i.e. just the sound of a stick hitting mesh.No acoustic drum tone. Rubber /plastic cymbal pads are still what you use for triggering cymbal sounds. A case might be made that having the trigger electronics housed in a drum shell affects the trigger response (cross talk, trigger accuracy) but - I don't think so. There are hybrid drum kits out there that have real acoustic drum shells with triggers mounted inside - but I am personally not a fan of that solution.

When I hear of Acoustic/Hybrid kits is brings to mind a setup using acoustic drums with other e-drum only solutions. Maybe an acoustic bass drum and snare but all tom pads triggering a module. Also using something like the Roland RT-MicS-P 3-in-1 Module which functions as a snare mic and sample trigger, Heck even having a sample multipad like an SPD-SX in an acoustic drum setup is a hybrid.

My .02
 
I have just purchased the VAD 306. It was a toss up between that and the TD17 KVX. I could have saved myself £500 with the KVX. The deciding factors for me were:

a) The KVX toms have that horrible plastic inner rim, and an 8 inch playing surface (306 toms are 10, 10 and 12)
b) The 306 is mounted on traditional hardware rather than an ugly rack (subjective of course)
c) 18 inch kick drum (yes I know it's a KD10 mounted inside, but it feels much more solid to play)

Yes, I guess my decision was heavily based on looks, but definitely not entirely, but as with my guitars, if I like how they look, then I'm more likely to pick them up and play.
 
Reg Dewitt, apologies for the delayed response…

As long as I’ve been playing drums, I never wanted an electronic drum kit, because they didn’t feel the same when playing them. They seemed like toys and they didn’t look as cool as real acoustic drums in all their splendor. Now, since most electronic drum makers have been implementing tuneable, mesh heads to their pads and now, as Roland has, even added wood shells and mounting them on real acoustic drum hardware, I became very interested. It feels very much like playing on real acoustic drums now. What finally sold me to the dark side, is the way they sound… they can sound very acoustic, or very space-age… the modules have some really great features and bells and whistles that greatly expand a drummer’s capacity to be creative. So, yes, the VAD series are very much like real acoustic kits, in fact they are so close to the real thing that I am going to go hybrid with one of my acoustic kits and make it even more powerful as well.
 
I've been playing Roland drums ever since the old TD7 was popular back in the 90's

Playing electronic drums for practice has always been my only option as I've always lived in apartments/condo - The VAD 506 is without question the best simulation of an acoustic kit, especially the ride/snare package.

I think hi-hats are still the one piece that technology can't simulate however I've heard the next generation of VH-11's are going to be close.
 
On a sidenote- How have E drum companies still not figured out how to make normal drum sizes? Am I really paying 4000 dollars for a micro sized kit? What's the point?
 
Fritz Frigursson said:
On a sidenote- How have E drum companies still not figured out how to make normal drum sizes? Am I really paying 4000 dollars for a micro sized kit? What's the point?
Click to expand...

Ahhh - I think that's what we are saying
vad506.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top