Roland HD1 Electronic Drum Kit

94 RHYTHM OCTOBER 2007
chunky aspects of more affordable e-kits – are
metal, and the housings into which they fi t are
of the kind of high-impact plastic that’s up to a
beating. Not that that ever needs to happen.
The kit slots together easily and, once it’s all
in place, provides a decent balance between
compactness and playing space. One of the
very reasons for the HD-1’s existence is to offer
space-deprived drummers a kit that will fi t into
a corner, but there’s enough scope for
positioning the four drum and three cymbal
pads that, unless you’re of Peter Crouch-type
dimensions, you shouldn’t feel like a monkey
perched behind a set of cotton reels.
And so to the pads themselves. And what a
treat they are. A mesh head snare pad is
accompanied by three cushioned rubber tom
pads and a trio of cymbal pads with ‘half
rubber’ playing surfaces. This arrangement
makes for as quiet a playing experience as
possible – there’s no escaping
a dull thud from the pads (near-
silent mesh head aside), but the acoustic
response from the kit is as muted as Roland
could make it.
Hands On
Playing the HD-1 is a rather different
experience than sitting behind a more
normal-sized electronic kit. But it’s in no way
unpleasant or uncomfortable, quite the
contrary: everything falls to hand easily and
the fact that everything’s slotted in close
actually means you have to concentrate on
accuracy rather than fl ailing all over the place.
Which is good for some of us.
And the tactile response of the playing
surfaces is very good indeed. Those familiar
with the V-Drum stuff so far will appreciate the
forgiving nature of the snare pad, and the wrist-
saving softness of the cushioned rubber toms is
welcome too. The one aspect of the playing
experience that does take some adjusting to is
the pedal feel, as with all ‘non-standard’ pedal
set-ups. There’s no escaping the fact that
sprung units like this can’t offer the same feel
and responsiveness as regular pedals. But as
the one signifi cant compromise in pursuit of
compactness and wallet-friendliness, it’s hardly
a bridge too far.
You’ll be expecting that downsized module
(barely bigger than a video cassette) to prove
limited compared to even the bigger TD-3
offering. And you’d be right. There’s seemingly
no way of squeezing tons of processing power
into such a small unit. But the sounds that are
contained within don’t let the Roland side down.
A couple each of pleasing acoustic ‘rock’ kits,
electro ensembles (heavy on the 909/808
vibe), jazz-oriented sets and percussion
groupings are presented within the choice of
just 10 preset kits. And the triggering abilities of
the HD-1 mean that dual sounds (bow and bell
on cymbals, edge and middle of head on
drums, for instance) are within the unit’s remit,
making for a slightly more rewarding set-up
than would otherwise be the case. A MIDI out
socket also means the HD-1 can communicate
with hardware better stocked with sounds,
should you feel the need.
However, there’s no editing as far as sounds
go – what you’re given is what you’ve got. In
the main this is no great shame, because the
sounds are very solid. But in some cases it
would be useful to reduce reverb levels on the
acoustic bass drums, or tune snares up for a
tighter tone.
The HD-1 also does without the TD-3’s
excellent training features, so this is less of a
learning tool than its bigger brother. There are
no songs to play along to, no coaching
functions to improve your chops with. There is,
however, a click (although no bpm info), and
you can plug an iPod/CD player in, too.
Verdict
The V-Drum line is essentially a premium
series, so although this is the entry-level, the
HD-1 was never likely to be a sub-£300
product. It has its limitations but it fulfi ls its
brief as a super-compact, good-sounding
practice set very well. Surprise at the price
has to be balanced against the superb build
quality and general design.
Rating ✪✪✪✪✪
THE TENSIONABLE MESH
head snare pad is a welcome addition to the HD-1, allowing for
a certain degree of tailoring to taste
THE ALL-NEW HD-1 RACK
is a great piece of design; compact, sturdy and good-
looking, it’ll fi t in almost anywhere
THE HD-1 MODULE FEATURES
a neat SCART-style connector that does away with individual
connections from the pads.
PRICE
£527.58
PADS
Mesh snare, rubber
toms (x3), plastic/
rubber cymbals (x3)
FEATURES
10 kits, built-in click,
pattern preview
CONNECTIONS
MIDI out, headphone
out (minijack), aux
input (minijack)
CONTACT
Roland UK
Atlantic Close
Swansea Enterprise
Park, Swansea
SA7 9FJ
Telephone
01792 702 701
Website
www.roland.co.uk
There’s no arguing
that the HD-1 is an
impressively cute little
thing. But it’s cute
in a serious rather
than silly way
ROLAND HD-1 ELECTRONIC DRUM KIT
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£450
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£399
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£649
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RHY143.gear_rol 94 12/9/07 1:23:00 pm