“This new rack trims the often labour-intensive task of setting up an e-kit by a fair margin”: Roland TD-07KV2 review

What is it?

The original Roland TD-07KV kit was released back in late 2020, closely followed by three additional ‘07’ configurations the following year. The TD-07KX, KVX and DMK models each offered a compact yet capable electronic drum set solution at an affordable price, aimed primarily at beginner or returning drummers. I use the past tense here because all four models have now been superseded by the brand new TD-07KV2 and TD-07DMK2 configurations, the first of which we’ll be reviewing here. You can read my Roland TD-07DMK2 review here.

As their names suggest, each of the new kits is built around the original TD-07 module, which has remained almost exactly the same since its original release, other than a slight revamp to its coaching functions which I’ll get onto later.

Despite the ‘KV2’ and ‘DMK2’ appearing incredibly similar at a glance, there are a handful of noteworthy differences between the two which justify the $200/£220 price difference (the KV2 retails around $1,099.99/£999, while the more modest DMK2 will cost you around $899.99/£779). The most obvious is the additional cymbal pad on the KV2, which also boasts a larger low tom pad and a higher quality FD-9 hi-hat control pedal. The cymbal pad sizes are also slightly larger for the most part, utilising 12” pads for the crash and ride rather than the 10” you’ll find on the DMK2. Outside of these features, the DMK2 ticks many of the same boxes as its marginally bigger brother.

Both kits boast a new rack system with pre-installed hardware to get players up and running faster, alongside upgraded pads, a stand-alone KD-10 bass drum tower and of course the TD-07 sound module. Also included with both kits is the Roland Drum Pass for Melodics software which includes 40 free interactive drum lessons.

The full nine-piece setup of the KV2 includes two 8” single-zone rack toms, a 10” single-zone floor tom, 10” dual-zone snare, KD-10 bass drum tower, 10” hi-hat pad with control pedal, 12” crash and ride cymbal pads plus an additional 10” crash - all of which are dual-zone (bow and edge). The upgraded PD-10H and PD-8H mesh pads, which have been borrowed from Roland’s more premium 3 Series, feature quieter rubber rims, reduced hot-spotting and an overall improved playing feel. The mesh heads can be tensioned to preference which allows players to dial-in their desired stick response for each drum. They’re also generally a lot easier going on the wrists than all-rubber pads.

The aforementioned FD-9 hi-hat control pedal included with this setup is also shared with the 3 Series - a sturdier model designed for superior stability and nuanced left foot control.

Performance & verdict

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Anyone who has ever set up an electronic drum kit before will know that it can make building flatpack furniture look like an absolute walk in the park by comparison. Imagine my delight when unboxing the TD-07KV2 to find that the four-post rack system is supplied in two halves, already adorned with all mounting hardware, with only the need to connect a central tube before it can self-stand ready for the pads to be secured. This trims the often labour-intensive task of setting up an e-kit - small brackets, tom arms, cymbal arms - down by a fair margin.

The entire kit arrives in a single box, with a noticeably reduced level of packaging - the majority of which is recyclable. This is very much part of Roland’s plan to minimise waste.

At first glance I spot that the updated rack has a slightly wider centre bar than its predecessor, which allows room for a larger bass drum pad to fit in the gap - namely the KDQ-8 kick usually found with Roland’s V-Drums Quiet Design series. This is a potential upgrade for those looking to keep acoustic noise and floor vibration to a minimum.

To complete the kit setup, each pad is connected to the module via the supplied cable loom. All individual jack cables are labelled to correspond to the correct drum pad and with just one connection to the module, setup is extremely straight forward. It’s worth noting at this point that the only items not included with the kit are a bass drum pedal, drum stool, headphones or sticks; fairly commonplace in the e-drum world, but you’ll need to factor in additional budget if you don’t already own them.

Moving onto the pads, the upgraded double mesh pads are satisfying to play and look and feel more substantial than the low-profile pads of the original KV. They had large plastic rims which reduced the actual size of the mesh playing surface. The larger 10” snare and low tom pads (compared with the 8” rack toms) help to beef out the kit somewhat without necessarily making much difference to the overall kit size in terms of footprint. The same can be said for the 12” crash and ride pads which help to boost the overall playability of the kit. It just helps having something more substantial under stick.

One ever-present omission on the TD-07 is a lack of a dedicated ride bell. The cymbal pads are all dual-zone for separate bow and edge sounds which works perfectly on the crashes, but not so well for the ride. By default the edge of the ride is programmed to a crash sound for the kits with acoustic cymbals, which works without fault until you reach for the bell and there’s quite literally nothing there. After a slightly convoluted process of navigating menus and reassigning sounds, it is possible to assign a bell sound to the edge of the pad and work around it that way. The same process is required for playing cross-stick on the snare. Thankfully this can then be saved for each specific kit so it’s not something that needs to be done every time, but it does feel like an oversight.

The TD-07 module features 25 built-in kit presets and 25 spaces for user created kits. Presets such as Solid Rock, Fat Drums. Arena Rock, Metal and Punky sway towards the heavier side but there are also more versatile kits like Live Acoustic, Studio and Pop. Plus, you get the usual suspects like electronic 808 and 909 kits, plus reggae, jazz and percussion. Overall the samples are of a decent quality and, most importantly, highly playable.

Each kit can be tweaked and overwritten but there is also plenty of space for custom creations. The module has a wide array of built-in multi-effects too, including delay, tape echo, chorus, phaser, flanger, reverb, filter, auto wah, distortion, bit crush, plus several more. There are also room ambience options with control over virtual mic placement. These include studio, club, stage and hall environments.

With a reasonably simple to use interface, it’s not long before navigating the TD-07 becomes childsplay. There are clearly labelled buttons on the front for kit selection, metronome, coaching functions and volume. The module also has Bluetooth connectivity, which comes in very handy for playing to songs without the need for messy aux cables.

There are five built-in coaching modes which are great fun and super effective for improving time keeping. Here’s a quick run down of what each one does:

1. Time Check - rates beat placement to a click and tells you whether you’re playing early or late.
2. Quiet Count - silences the click for a set amount of bars and then awards a score on how well you keep time.
3. Auto Up/Down - choose a starting tempo, maximum tempo and duration from 1-15 minutes. Start to play a groove of your choice and work it up to tempo and back down. Choose a jazz swing and go full Whiplash if you dare.
4. Change Up - a subdivision exercise that moves through half notes, quarters, eighths, eighth triplets, sixteenths and then back down. An absolute must for any drummer.
5. Blast Beast - this brand new function records how many notes you can play in a set amount of time and saves a personal best.

In a further bid to push the TD-07KV2 as a beginner-friendly kit built for practice and growth, Roland has supplied each kit with a free lesson pack for Melodics software. This means that with the kit connected to a laptop, tablet or phone via USB, there are 40 lessons up for grabs.

Riffing on popular rhythm games like Guitar Hero or Rock Band, Melodics successfully turns real drumming into a game, awarding points for accurate note placement and XP for completing courses and daily challenges. It’s not quite proper drum notation but it’s close enough as a starting point and the lessons represent hours of fun on the kit. There are also tons of other drum lessons and play-along tracks available within the app, although a subscription is necessary for these.

Specification

• Module: TD-07
• Kits: 50 (25 preset), 143 instruments
• Built FX, room and mic simulator
• Coaching modes: Time check, Quiet count, Auto up/down, Change-up, Blast Beast (new).
• Configuration: 1x PD-10H, 10-inch (dual-zone) snare; 2x PD-8H, 8-inch (single-zone) toms; 1x PD-10H, 10-inch (single-zone) tom; 1x CY-5, 10-inch (dual-zone) hi-hat w/ FD-9 pedal; 1x CY-8, 12-inch (dual-zone) crash; 1x CY-5, 10-inch (dual-zone) crash; 1x CY-8, 12-inch (dual-zone) ride; 1x KD-10 kick (no bass pedal included)
• Stand: Four-post
• Other features: USB audio, Bluetooth
• Contact: Roland

Hands-on demos

Roland

Roland TD-07 Series V-Drums | Everything You Need to Know - YouTube

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Andertons

Roland’s New Entry-Level V-Drums Are Here! TD-07DMK2 & TD-07KV2 - YouTube

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Edrumcenter

New Roland TD07DMK2 and TD07KV2 Kits - YouTube

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