stick and beater sound is pretty minimal. the bass drum pad is kooshy rubber rather than the tom style pads which are similar to a gum rubber practice pad. this almost eliminates clicky loud sounds when using nirmal felt beater. snare sounds like tapping a nylon basket and the tom and cymbal pads make medium loud at best tapping sounds. the quality and responsiveness of the onboard sounds are very sweet. wide range of snare sounds with rim sounds all velocity sensive...in some you can hear the pitch change on the rim. tom sounds are nice and cymbal sounds...however few to choose from(only 1 china) are very realistic and open when crashed. this kit did not sound perfect out of the box...i had to turn the sensitivity up on all the pads so they responded better and boosted the volume. double bass and blast beats sound awesome on the fiber kit...this kit has responded perfectly to some gnarley fills i threw at it...this thing is no joke for sure!

took me 2 days to check out MOST of the stuff in here. they don't show you in videos how you can edit sounds of different pads...meaning if i wanted to play a 4-piece with 2 crashes, i can make tom2 my ride which is still velocity/bell sensitive on the tom pad. so for all you 4 piece rockers like me...you can do a 2 crash config with your tom as a ride and no need for an extra cy-8. it also has an extra slot on the qwik connect harness for another pad(cy-8/china) and another input for another pad via 1/4" jack. its "compact" so congiguring is limited...but i mean how big you trying to go with a "compact" kit?

i haven't looked at the manual much and i can do about 75% of the functions...check out the online vids...this things is easy...hit a button...tap a pad...turn the dial...pretty much it! putting it together was easier than a desk from ikea...only the sides of the rack and the pads aren't assembled. easy double kick set up....no rack legs in the way.

Roland is one of the best E-drum company aside from RET. i'm gonna take care of this properly and in doing so i know this will last me many many years. i'm glad i chose this over the alesis dm5pro with Surge. definitely quieter and with better quality sounds! Go Roland!

i was comparing this to the alesis kit in the same range and for the extra money you get the rhythm coach and the really awesome quick record function which i use all the time to check out little things i've created...and it really lets you create differnt enviroments with the kit selection and editing!

haven't had to deal with them....hopefully never do...only time will tell!

the 4 leg rack did it for me no more wondering where my double pedal will fit...center mounted console...fits in my tiny room....they def got it right on this one

active drummer

metalcore

Allows ambient controls and the muffling and tuning features are quick access. Many kit sounds to fit many styles. I had a chance to play the TD-9, TD-12, TD-20, and some yamaha variations all in the same store (Guitar Center- but their prices were high) and liked the roland the best especially for their ability to easily modify sounds. The TD-12 and TD-20 are amazing but response wise the standard TD-9 kit and the TD-4 kit have the same pads and response is the same.

The rhythm coach feature is really nice but took going through the menu to set it for the number of beats per interval. Its a nice way to practice which I really needed since this is my first drum set. I also really like the mixer since each pad can have its volume level set independently. Only draw back is there are no pre-recorded songs, however an ipod can fix that easily with the build-in mix in jack.

This kit is VERY configurable. I had to pull out the manual to see how all the pad sensitivity setting worked like log, exp, and spine. Also the threshold adjustments are nice to have for setting how hard a pad has to be hit for the module to register it as a hit. The only thing about all of these settings is it can take a long to to optimize the drum set if you don't already have a feel for what the set should feel like when optimized.. i.e if you haven't been playing very long like me.

Its Roland so you know its well made. Been playing on it for over a month almost daily and shows a marks on rubber pads but you have to be sitting in front of the pads to really see them.

I was looking for a good first drum set that would help me learn and with the ability to play to my own music, practice with rhythm coach, and adjust the volume so I don't bother my wife, this set has been perfect. I played a yamaha and a couple other sets in the same price range and their sound did not seem as realistic. Also, the high hat controller seems much better on the TD-4 kit.

So far have not needed any assistance.. I give that a 10.

The design of the new stand makes this drum set take up very little space compared to an acoustic set. I play an acoustic set at our church and there is very little room around it on the platform since it is near a back wall. When we upgrade I am highly recommending a Roland electric set so we can also feed in the audio to the PA system and have more room. I often wish while playing the acoustic set it was already electric since I can't really open the high-hat at the church without being way too loud.

Beginner

Christian/Country/Alternative

The sounds I get are great! I haven't used it in a live situation, just through headphones with an MP3 player mixed in, but if the headphones are any indication, it should rock. Admittedly, it probably won't do for a world tour but rocks my basement just fine! I am really glad Roland didn't waste any space in the computer with bird chirps, dog barks or any other useless sounds. The included kits are fine and the tuning and muffling ability gives you even more variety.

No bass pedal but understanable. I prefer to choose my own pedal rather than someone pick it for me. It's a personal thing, ya know! Didn't expect much in the way of accessories with a kit at this price point but that's ok....it works for me.

No learning curve at all. If you are able to push the buttons on your computer keyboard, or use the phone to order pizza, then you can figure this machine out. Had it up and playing music within half an hour after getting it home. Kit selection, sound selection, tuning, muffling....it's all too easy to figure out.

So far, so good.....I've owned the kit less than a week, I've hammered on it for about 20 hours so far and it only shows a few stick marks on the cymbals and pads. I have never owned Roland gear before but haven't heard anything bad either so I feel pretty confident with this stuff. As I mentioned before, I can't imagine gigging week in and week out with it but it suits my needs.

A very good case of ya get what ya pay for.....again, not top of the line gear but not top of the line priced either. Great value for the price.....

Have needed support from Roland yet....hopefully I never will, but the guys at the shop where I bought it rock!!

Being a full time working man with a mortgage, car, 2 kids and a wife.....there just ain't an abundance of money lying around......but I've wanted a set of electronic drums for awhile now and have been watching Roland and "the other guys" to see what's out there in my price range. When this particular kit was released (last month) I knew this was it.....it had all the basic features I was looking for and I could still get some groceries after buying it. I had the demo videos playing for the wife....had the picture on my desktop for days....and was more excited than the proverbial kid in a candy store when I seen it at my local shop. 2 days later, I see it in my basement.....

Drum God wannabe :).....Actually....Hobbyist

Rock and Roll!!

The overall sound of this v-drum is very good. Is nice and clean, make sure you have a good amplifier and/or good headphones. If you are going to use an amplifier make sure you have to cables, because the drum is stereo and the sound improves A LOT when you use it stereo. The pads are really good, specially the snare the snare feels like a real one. Toms are ok, you can get used to them. The cymbal pads are the best, you can play edge, bow and bell and the sound triggers depending on the technique you use it to hit them. I was impressed. They all are very very responsive, much more than I expected. If you are a good drummer you can get the sounds out of it, because you can tune each pad and also muffle them. So if you know what you want you can get it. If you are a beginner, you can use the 'v-compact' set which is pretty good. Because the "from the box" sounds are really good, there's all you need. For work reasons I had to move to from my hometown, now I live in an apartment. No way I can have a real drum set, I play jazz and the TD-4S had no problem in join me and my band. Because you can get practically any sound out of it. I can't imagine what modifications you can do to it. Some people buy another cymbal pad. If you have enough money to spend, do it. If you are don't, don't worry... you can always unplug the T2 cable and use the CR2 input instead and use you second tom as another cymbal, it works just fine. Who needs more than two toms? when cymbals are more expressive and you can get two or three sounds out of just one tom. I haven't recorded anything with it yet. But I think that using the stereo output and a good mixer for the other instruments, there will be no problem. I haven't use it in other setting other than my rehearse room (a.k.a. spare room) Make sure you explore ever sound range, is very easy to use. You'll spend hours having fun with this drum. Make sure you know what is the sound you want because with a little of work you can get it. But of course remember this is an under u$1000 electronic drum set. This means is not the real thing.

I would like to see a roland kick pedal for the kick drum included just for the sake of symmetry. It DOES NOT include the kick pedal. I had to buy one. But is no big deal. You will need to cables and/or headphones with the big plug connector. Not small like the ones in your iPod, so you'll need an adapter. The same thing applies for the iPod/drum interface. Use the MIDI/Drum interface with your computer and you will be unstoppable. Remember, no headphones or amplifier No sound.

The assembling is really easy, instruction are written for dummies. It took me about two hours to set the whole thing up, customize it and put all the boxes into the recycling can. The drum module is nice and clean. So easy to use. It's like a cell phone. So you'll have no problem building up your own sets. You can create awesome percussion sets or bells sets... Just cymbals? Just toms? Sure, you can do it. The learning curve must be... in 2 days you can be sure you master it.

The product is 5 stars. Looks beautiful, is compact, nice and clean. The stand is really really secure. I haven't use it "on the road" but I'm sure if you protect and carefully carry the pads and the brain module you can make this beauty last forever.

Nothing better for the price.

Haven't use it yet. But it must be good.

One word: GORGEOUS.

Active Musician/Scientist

Jazz

Be creative when setting it up. I use one of the toms as a ride, and utilize 2 crashes. All of the cables are pre-wired into a harness, and there is only 1 extra input. The extra input (it is also pre-wired into the harness) can be set as either an additional Tom or Crash.

For the money, I would recommend this set over any other under 1500 or so.

I bought it when Roland was doing their Mail-in Rebate. I contacted them to make sure I included all of the necessary documents to receive the rebate, and the rep was very helpful. I receive the rebate promptly.

One of the best additions to my jammin' room. Sooo glad I bought it. Remember though, they don't show all of the cables in the picture, so it looks a little messy when its all set up. This is true with pretty much all electric kits though.

Just another rocker

Rock and Blues

I'm old (I started playing on calf-skin),and still impressd with cell phones. These Roland drums sound like acoustic drums once you set the tone up. The cymbals are not at the same level as the drums, but how much can you want at this price level.

I had this rocking wothin two hours of FEDEX arrival. I still tweak it here and there. The 'Coach ' mode will humiliate you.

This is not a traveling set, IMO, though I did take it next door to my neighbor keyboardist. pLayed through one of his amps. The set came packed very well, and I was glad to see that the packing materials were primarily carboard. I don't care of the stryofoam jetsam that flies around my house after unpacking some stuff, not to mention the Green=ness of cardboard.

I jumped on this deal partly because of the price.

It was a small question, but Roland has human beings that were very pleasant. If i's learned to read better, i probably wouldn'at have had to call them.

My wife of forty years has already told me that there is very little sex appeal in this product. Ask somebody else.

Active musician

anything