There is no doubt about it, Roland is the leader in electronic drum kits and has been for quite a while. The Roland TD-07KV is no exception to this rule.
The Roland TD-07KV is trying to fill a spot in its electronic kit line up, the $1000 (£850, €1000) price point. This has been a week spot for Roland for a while. They have had a good entry option with the TD-1K and the top end with the TD-50KVX. $1000 is a common budget for drummers looking to purchase an electronic kit making this is a key pricepoint to get correct.
Let’s see if Roland has been able to achieve this with the TD-07KV.
Who is the Roland TD-07KV V-Drums Electronic kit for?
The Roland TD-07KV is aimed at beginner to intermediate level players that aren’t wanting to break the bank. It isn’t the cheapest mesh head kit offered by Roland but it is the cheapest that comes with a more powerful module that allows you to customise your sound.
If you are looking for an electric drum kit to gig with this is a solid offering but it is best suited to being used at home for practising.
What pads are in the Roland TD-07KV?
A lot of the pads you will find on the Roland TD-07KV are similar to that of the Roland TD-1DMK. There are a couple of nice upgrades though, you get slightly larger cymbal pads and a better bass drum pad with a more realistic feel.
So what do you get:
- Kick: KD-10
- Snare: PDX-8 (8″ pad with 2 zones, head and rim)
- Hi-hat: CY-5
- Hi-hat Control Pedal: detects open, closed and half-open strokes
- Tom: PDX-6A x 3 (6.5″ pad with 2 zones, head and rim)
- Crash: CY-8 (12″ pad with 2 zones, body and edge. Can also be choked)
- Ride: CY-8 (12″ pad with 2 zones, body and edge. Can also be choked)
Overall with the Roland TD-07KV V-Drums, you are getting a good range of pads. The highlight of the kit is the incredible Roland mesh heads. These offer accurate triggering whilst giving a great feel. The mesh heads can be tuned up or down to give a response of your liking. For example, crank up the toms and lower the floor tom for a more realist feel.
The only downside we can see holding back this kit is the ride cymbal. It would have been great to see this come with a 3 zone pad. As the bell is such a key part of a ride cymbals sound, it does take you out of the zone when you have to hit the edge of a cymbal to trigger that sound.
If you do get this kit and want to upgrade the ride cymbal we recommend having a look at the Roland CY-13R V-Cymbal.
What sounds are in the Roland TD-07KV?
Out of the box, the Roland TD-07KV includes 25 preset kits and 143 instruments. There are also 25 slots for you to configure your own drum kits in the module.
Here is a great video from drum-tec demoing all the preset kits.
The Roland TD-07KV also offers deep editing tools to customise any sound to how you want it. EQ, ambience, and 30 multi-effects. Using these gives you immense control over the sounds in the module allowing you to make them sound exactly how you want. When it comes to in module sound editing, Roland is leading the pack.
What can the Roland TD-07KV module do?
On top of the incredible sounds on the Roland TD-07KV module, there are also a few more interesting features to look at. The module delivers an astounding amount of features that aren’t easy to come by at this price point.
Integrated Bluetooth
Do you often play along with songs while practising? Sure you do! The TD-07KV makes this a breeze with its built-in Bluetooth. Stream music straight from your phone, tablet or Bluetooth supported device straight into the module.
Built-in metronome
It comes with a drummer’s best friend. A built-in metronome. You can adjust the tempo, time signature, note value, and click tone.
Onboard coach
Looking for some new ways to improve your playing? Why not try the built-in coach? Five onboard coaching functions, including time check, quiet count, and change-up are ready to help you improve your playing.
Connect it to your computer via USB
There are a couple of things you can do with the USB. You can either:
- Record the audio of your playing
- Use the MIDI in a DAW to access more sounds. A common one is hooking up the kit to EZDrummer via a DAW. It sounds great and isn’t too complicated to set up when you have done it a couple of times.
Where can I buy a Roland TD-07KV V-Drums Electronic Drum Kit?
The Roland TD-07KV is available at almost every online music store or from your local drum shop.
If you are looking to order online, here are some of our favourite sellers.
OR Gear4music
Final thoughts
The Roland TD-07KV V-Drums Electronic Drum Kit certainly does seem to achieve most of what it set out to do. It has all of the incredible features and sounds you expect from a Roland mesh head kit but at the lower price point.
The TD-07KV module shines but to achieve the $1000 price point, the cymbals pads have faced the cutbacks. I think this is the only downside of this kit. If a 3 zone ride was included this kit would be unfaultable.
Overall, this is a great kit for someone looking at getting into drums or wanting an electric drum kit for extra practice.
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