Name: R. READ
Location: Arizona
Date: 2009-04-23
Customer Rating: -
Summary: It is so nice to enjoy drumming again.
Comment: I really wanted a 100% mesh head Roland v drum kit, but $3000.00 was out of my price range for what I do. I use Kit sounds 1 and 2 only. They are great through head phones, and my project studio monitors. I get a jazz set, and a rock set. My old acoustic drums only had one jazz set sound, lol. The midi out is great for triggering my VSTI drum sounds for my software sequencer (Acid Pro). I am an old Drum Corps drummer. I have played with jazz fusion combo's and hard core troops. I had truly lost the love for playing drums (burnt out), until I decided to dump the acoustic drums, and get this quality Roland HD-1 V drum lite. They take up very little room, and won't piss off the Neighbors. The rack is solid, but does tend to shake a bit because of the attached pedals. I switched to 7A sticks for this kit, because the mesh head snare is very sensitive, and the cymbal triggers respond best in my opinion to a smaller stick.
Would I use this kit for a Gig? Probably not because of the 1/8" stereo mini plugs, but I have no problem using this as a practice set, or in the project studio. Great product for the price in my opinion, it is so nice to enjoy drumming again.
Name: K. Lin
Location: Walnut, CA, USA
Date: 2010-06-25
Customer Rating: -
Summary: from novice to intermediate player in 30 days
Comment: I bought this online for almost 2 years. It's been collecting dust in my son's room.
I bought it for him thinking he just might be interested and ask other kids in church to teach him.
I was wrong. He was completely unmotivated....until the software, the HD1 Tutor kit.
After I got the HD-1 Drum Tutor kit software and the midi interface, amazingly, it integrates so well together.
I installed the software on the only PC computer at home (IBM laptop) because I tried it on the Mac with VMWare running WINXP, there's delay when converting the signal from midi into the VMWare WINXP then out to video and audio out. And when playing drums, the rhythm is so important, the delay made it very difficult to learn. (Even though the Mac's plug and play was superb, it had no issues installing the driver whatsoever.) The actual WINXP IBM Thinkpad I am using, took a little while to install because the midi can't seem to be found (hardware not found). Finally, after a bit tweaking, turning on and off different switches on the usb midi-interface, it finally worked.
Then the lesson went on sooooooooooo exciting and smoothly.
I personally was able to go through about 9 lessons in just 2 weeks.
From a complete novice (hitting the drum sticks and dropping them and even flying away into the air while playing.)
I used this drum set and the software to play along with the lessons in the software, and plugged in my iPod to play along with songs.
It is completely amazing. Nothing short of a miracle.
The drum is very nicely built.
Quality is excellent (being the V-drum series) and the pads and very nice and responsive.
The head electronic unit is grand. It gives you so many variations of drum tones, it is just wonderful.
The Roland website shows a lot of demo videos and Youtube also offers many videos.
If you do decide to buy this, buy it with the tutor kit.
It is really nicely put together and well designed. Roland did a great job on this.
Now I only wish they will improve upon the software, making it Mac version and more lessons.
The only CON I would list here is that it shakes when you play erally hard because it's kind of head heavy. If they had installed another two short folding legs on the back, it would sit more stable on the ground.
I bought other bigger watt amps to go with this, not the HD1 drum amp. I think it's too small.
After showing the worship team last month, the pastor was so impressed he bought a HD1 the very next day. Others are jumping and asking to play so they can learn to drum too.
I am sure if Roland lowered the price to sub $500, it would sell really well.
Highly recommended.
Name: A. Nordby
Location: Tacoma,WA
Date: 2008-12-23
Customer Rating: -
Summary: Great service
Comment: I got them for my son and he just loves them. Fast shipping, great product.
Name: Gustavo Guerrero
Location: Bogotá, Colombia
Date: 2008-12-30
Customer Rating: -
Summary: INCREIBLEMENTE MARAVILLOSA!!
Comment: Es de lo mejor que he comprado en los últimos tiempos, sonido maravilloso, fiel, algunos ruidos bizarros, y la calidad y comodidad de los productos Roland, no se como pense en comprar una Medeli DD502! La recomiendo ampliamente, excelente para grabación, mi homestudio ahora esta completo!
Name: George C. Hammond
Location:
Date: 2009-02-10
Customer Rating: -
Summary: Back in the groove
Comment: This kit is near-to-perfect for someone who finds their acoustic kit has become too loud, too big, too difficult to transport, and too time-consuming to set up.
If you are looking for something that is small with a small footprint that is light, portable, and that sounds good, this kit will fill the bill. I haven't been able to put the sticks down (geeze, now I know why I got away from playing for 15 years - it's as additive as crack cocaine).
The other reviews voice criticism and they are justified, depending on what you are looking for. Unlike the higher-end kits, you cannot select individual drums. The drums for any of the pre-programed ten kits, and the volume of those individual drums are "global," meaning you can turn the whole kit up or down, but not adjust the tune or volume of one drum vs. another.
The voices are sampled and really sound incredible, but if I could "have it my way," I would have the snare be a bit more sensitive (you can set the sensitivity, but again, it's "global" for all the drums in the kit), and would make the snare and cymbal louder in relation to the toms and kick.
The peddle system is ingenious, and works well. It took a little while to find a the sweet spot to allow me to do "Banham doubles," and it still is not as easy to do as it is with a true peddle, but it's close.
The other thing that I have seen on the more expensive kits that the HD1 does not have is the ability to be able to choke out cymbals with your hand.
If these thing are important to you, you might want to look at a more expensive kit. But those kits are bigger, heavier, and more time-consuming to set up. If the reason you wanted is primarily for portability (the greatest kit in the world that you won't take to friends' house to jam with will do you no good, right?) - or what this thing is, for how tiny it is, and for what it weighs (32 lbs), you can't beat it with a stick - well, actually you can, and I have been, a lot.
More information: Kit 1 has a nice acoustic sound, like a kit in an intimate setting. Kit 1A is a "jazz kit," the snare sound of which I like the best. The crash is a bit more splashy, and the ride sounds like it has rivets. The hat is really crisp and clean. The second tom becomes a cross-stick on a rim. Kit 2 sounds just like drums in a big empty hall. Kit 2A sounds the same as 2, but the hat peddle becomes a second kick (open hat) and the second tom become a cowbell. Kit 3 is a snare, crash, ride, hat, and three "island drums." Kit 3A is a snare, crash, ride, hat, and three percussion instruments of some kind or another. Forget about Kits 4 & 5 and their Alternates, unless you like Devo and dance music from the 80s.
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