Roland has lifted the lid on its brand new 7 Series electronic drum set configurations, which replace the TD-50X-equipped V-drums and VAD sets with a brand new V71 module as the centrepiece. There’s new pads, new sounds and some exciting new features to delve into. You can read our full Roland TD-716 review here.
First is the new V71 module, which features across all three configurations. The V71 sees Roland overhaul its top-end offering by keeping the things we love (kit-part volume controls, individual trigger inputs, three digital trigger slots, balanced direct outputs and more), but it’s seemingly gone to town on the areas that matter most.
That’ll be the sounds, then. Roland says that it’s “onboard drum library has been created from the ground up with world-class instruments never featured in any previous module.” That’s a big claim, especially given that Alesis’ Strata Prime came out of nowhere earlier this year, packing the entire BFD sound library into its brain. But Roland has employed multi-sampled, 32-bit/192kHz samples, captured in new sessions to populate its module, and this is no small news, given the brand’s previous reluctance to jump aboard the sample-heavy ship.
The on-board sound engine makes use of ‘round-robin’ sample playback, picking from a pool of up to 16,000 samples per-instrument. This means you’ll never hear the same sample played consecutively, in a bid to eliminate unnatural machine-gunning.
Of course, Roland also owns DW, whose DWe kit is centred around its Soundworks software sound engine. While 7 Series kit owners will receive a copy of the Soundworks software, the more important news here is that Roland has ported the original Soundworks samples into a module-friendly format. So, you can import multi-sampled kits into the V71, and play them straight from the module, and leave your laptop at home.
With this in mind, the V71 also includes its own WiFi connectivity which allows for direct, wireless connectivity to Roland Cloud for downloading and installing expansion packs, jam tracks and more into the module. 7 Series owners will receive a 6-month tial for Roland Cloud, offering unrestricted access to all upgrades. When the trial ends, you can continue with a paid subscription, or cancel it (your downloaded assets will, naturally, cease to work without the subscription or purchase of a lifetime key for individual products).
There’s Bluetooth too - a feature previously left off the spec sheet of Roland’s flagship modules, and Roland has equipped the V71 with a colour screen to help make navigation even more user-friendly.
As well as the V71 module, Roland has made upgrades across its drum pads. Starting with the snare, the digital PD14-DSX features a similar digital throw-off to DWe’s idea, but Roland has gone a step further and added a digital strainer, so now we can adjust the tension of our virtual snare wires in the same way that we do on an acoustic drum.
The tom pads included on the TD-716 have been overhauled too. The PD-10X rack toms and PD-12X floor toms both feature die-cast hoops, with a new rim bumper design that gives them a lower profile, making the physical rim of the drum less intrusive, while still offering the required articulations for playing rim shots and rim hits.
As we’ve already mentioned, the 7 Series electronic drum sets are available in three configurations at the time of launch, all of which include the V71 module. First is the TD-716, which features a real-shell KD-18 bass drum, 2x PD10X rack toms, 2x PD14 floor toms and the PD14-DSX snare drum. It’s joined by a pair of VH-14D digital hi-hats, CY-18DR digital ride, and two CY-16R-T crashes, and is mounted on an MDS-STG2 rack system, complete with internal routing of the cables.
Next up is a more compact V-Drums setup in the TD-713. Here, the bass drum pad swaps to a KD-12 mesh head bass drum tower. One of the crash cymbals is swapped for a CY-14C-T crash cymbal, and the four tom pads are the current PDX-100 mesh-head models. We get a change in rack, too, with the lighter-weight MDS-GND2 stand holding everything up.
Finally is the VAD716 setup. These configurations remain the same six-piece-plus-cymbals setup, but as you already know, the kit is based around real wood shells throughout (except for the PD-14DSX snare drum). The cymbal configuration is the same as the TD-716, and the VAD 716 is available in a choice of finishes: Pearl White, Satin Walnut, and three transparent lacquer finishes applied over maple veneers - Gloss Cherry, Gloss Natural and Gloss Ebony.
The kits are due to start shipping in October, priced at $2,599.99 V71 module, $6,333.99 for the TD713, $7,999.99 for the TD716, and $8,999.99 for the VAD716. For more information, visit the Roland website.
