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The response from the dual-trigger ride pad is excellent

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We're big fans of Roland’s TD electronic drum kit series, but there are issues with the offerings at both the top and bottom end of the range.

The flagship TD-20K is utterly fabulous but costs the same as a car, and the entry-level TD-3 is a truly excellent tool but it is primarily a practice and rehearsal setup, and not quite fully functioned enough to satisfy the demands of serious performance.

None of this is really a problem, merely the result of some well-placed product differentiation. And the company caters for drummers who want something between the stripped-down TD-3 and bells-and-whistles TD-20 with the kit here - the mid-range TD-6KW. The ‘KW’ means this is a new version of the TD-6KV, which adds a couple of valuable features to further sweeten the appeal of a highly rated set.

In the frame

There’s no arguing with the fact that the TD-6KW is a handsome set-up - and a thoroughly ergonomic one at that. The grey/black MDS-6C rack (one of the aforementioned new features) is very moody looking, and fantastically easy to rig after the initial set-up. Cymbal and pad holders simply fold out of the way and the whole lot collapses into itself. We reckon we had the whole package set and ready to fit pads in less than two minutes, which is impressive.

The rack is perfectly robust too. The clamps might be plastic, but there’s plenty of torque available from the big old wingnuts to ensure that you can set and forget.

The TD-6KW is a relatively compact setup (something that counts strongly in its favour), but there’s still scope to tailor the positioning of pads to suit, unless you're a gorilla-armed type with the legs of Jimmy Krankie. The TD-6KW gives away its affordable nature with features such as the simple, rack arm-mounted hi-hat pad - more upmarket types now come with hi-hat stand-mounted units - but this doesn’t make for too many playing compromises.

Ultimately, you're best off approaching this kind of rig differently than you would a regular-sized acoustic kit and adapting accordingly. This done, the TD-6KW will make you feel at home right away.

Part of this homeliness is down to the upgrades bestowed on the new kit over its predecessor, namely the bigger CY-5 dual-trigger hi-hat pad and mesh-head PDX-8 snare. The CY-5 might be on the rack itself, but it plays nicely with the FD-8 hi-hat controller pedal, and while it doesn’t try to emulate the feel of a pair of real hats, it does enough to be perfectly satisfying.

The PDX does more to get close to the response of an acoustic drum and is an ideal improvement on the previous TD-6. The head can be tensioned, and although a bigger pad would further add to the natural feel, the PDX works just fine in this context.

Sonic canvas

It's difficult to review a Roland TD kit without harking back to the company’s glorious electronic percussion past. But it's always been at the forefront of such developments, which is why it’s hard to escape the perception that the firm’s gear has a head start over competitors in terms of sonics. Add that to the fact that Roland’s general sound synthesis credentials are second-to-none (as evidenced by the success of its all-conquering JV and XV ranges) and it’ll come as no surprise that the TD-6KW is a particularly impressive performer in terms of tone. In fact, it’s ace.