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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

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However good (or otherwise) the 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 significance 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 find out in a few short paragraphs.

Build

It's all very well getting worked up about flagship products like Roland's TD-20K and Yamaha's awesome DTXtreme III, but in the real world it's kits like the TD-9 that more regularly find employment with everyday players.

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 flexibility in positioning terms, and in a situation where the other elements of the kit are rather more 'fixed' 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. We're 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 – we'll still take a mesh head.

Of course the most significant aspect of the new kit is the TD-9 module itself, with its spanking new selection of sounds and friendly interface. The brain is filled 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.