Roland TDK9

What can you tell us about the
development of the new TD-9K?
“It’s all brand new in terms of the
module. The chip that features in
the TD-9 isn’t shared by any
other Roland module. And it
represents a really big step
forward in terms of sounds and
usability. Michael Schack (Roland
electronic drum artist and
demonstrator) was involved in its
development and the results
show how closely the company
has listened to artists.”
What, to you, are the TD-9K’s
most impressive aspects?
“The fi rst would be simply how
good the preset kits are. They’re
completely usable without
resorting to EQ or tuning. And
the sense of character built into
each one is amazing, thanks to
the way that bass drum sounds
and toms, for example, are so
well matched. There’s a real
difference between kit styles that
means they respond differently
to each other and feel right for
the type of music they’ve been
designed for.”
Is it truly giggable?
“Absolutely. I’ve used it for gigs,
straight into the PA. With the
right monitoring, there’s no
reason you can’t use it on stage.”
Craig Blundell, the offi cial TD-9K demonstrator,
gives us the lowdown on Roland’s new baby
From the Horse’s Mouth!
Craig Blundell
RECOMMENDS
JULY 2008 RHYTHM 93
H
owever good (or otherwise) the new
Roland TD-9K proves to be, this is
An Important Kit. As the mid-range
offering from arguably the
strongest name in electronic drum kits, this
set-up assumes signifi cance simply because a)
if it’s any good it’ll be the rig to beat, and b) if
it isn’t, it’ll allow others a slice of what’s
becoming an increasingly large pie. So the
new TD-9K has a lot resting on its shoulders –
whether it proves up to taking on the mantle
of its popular predecessor or not, you’ll fi nd
out in a few short paragraphs.
Build
It’s all very well getting worked up about
fl agship products like Roland’s TD-20K and
Yamaha’s latest, awesome DTXtreme III, but in
the real world it’s kits like the TD-9 that more
regularly fi nd employment with players like you
and I. Designed to offer a blend of the high-end
and the affordable, we’ve come to expect this
middle ground to throw up kits that sound
good, with reasonable editability and functions,
and a playing feel that’s a step-up from the
entry-level stuff.
The TD-9K aims to deliver on that latter point
by sporting a simple but highly effective rack
system with newly-designed cymbal arms and a
mesh head snare pad to boot. That the rack
hangs together very well and is super-simple to
set up should come as no surprise – we’ve
come to expect that of Roland. But touches like
the new cymbal arms are a welcome addition.
A ball-and-clamp design allows for huge
fl exibility in positioning terms, and in a situation
where the other elements of the kit are rather
more ‘fi xed’ than in the case of an acoustic set,
anything that adds such options is valued.
The mesh snare will also go down well in the
marketplace. I’m currently of the opinion that
big rubber pads (of the ilk used by Yamaha for
the DTXtreme III) can feel as good as anything;
but when we’re dealing with smaller pads –
particularly where the snare is concerned – I’ll
still take a mesh head.
Of course the most signifi cant aspect of the
new kit is the TD-9 module itself, with its
spanking new selection of sounds and friendly
interface. The brain is fi lled with 520-odd
sounds, 49 preset kits of various types and 50
songs with which to keep yourself from getting
bored listening to the metronome. We’ll come
to discuss how the sounds impress shortly, but
while we’re here there are a couple of TD-9
features that also warrant a mention.
The fi rst is the new Scope function, aimed at
improving your accuracy and timekeeping, or at
the very least drive you insane with frustration.
Basically a live graphical representation of how
close your strokes are to a metronomic click,
Scope places dots on an on-screen grid as you
play. It’s a harsh illustration of how spot-on, or
not, you are, and a useful practice tool. The
screen display can be zoomed in as well, which
makes Scope very easy to use when playing, no
matter how animated you get. The mid-range
nature of the TD-9K means that we have to
ROLAND TD-9K
£1057 It’s Roland’s eagerly awaited new arrival, but does it
live up to expectations? Jordan McLachlan takes stock
THE CYMBAL ARMS’
ball-and-clamp design allows for
huge fl exibility in positioning terms
RHY152.gear_roland 93 15/5/08 17:33:26