When you talk about electronic drum sets, many people will only think of Roland, Yamaha, and Alesis. After all, these are the biggest players in the market.
However, other brands are really coming up. And one of them is the UK-based manufacturer, Carlsbro. They released some of the best drums in the market, like Carlsbro CSD120.
In this review, I will be talking about its brother, the Carlsbro CSD130.
Why have electric drums become popular?
No one can deny that the sound you get from quality acoustic drums is unbeatable. They are natural and also flawless.
However, electronic drum sets are becoming more and more popular by the day. One of the reasons is because technology is changing the world, and everyone wants to be part of that change.
Acoustic drums are extremely loud. This is why it is not easy to find a good time for practice, especially for beginners learning to drum. You cannot play acoustic drums in an apartment block, or in your room at home when other family members are around.
Electronic drums, on the other hand, don’t produce audible sounds. You only hit the electronic drum pads, which represent the drums of an acoustic set. These pads are virtually silent. You can, therefore, play in your room while everyone else is first asleep.
Their silent-functionality is what makes many people want them, especially at entry-levels. They have become very useful, especially today.
Another issue with acoustic drums is their weight and size. If you have a small room at home, you may not have enough to keep your gear. Also, small stages present a huge challenge set up.
Electronic drum sets, like the Carlsbro CSD180 and Carlsbro CSD130, are designed to great portability in mind. They come fully equipped with snare, toms, bass drums, and cymbals, yet all of these can be wrapped into a portable piece of hardware.
They also come with a simple module or brain than connects everything together. The pads are small because they don’t need to vibrate as loud as the acoustic ones. They have a sensor that works as a trigger and tell the control unit to produce the sound associated with a specific pad. This communication happens in real-time without any lag.
However, you will not hear the sound through ear. Since the vibrations are electrical, they need to be amplified to be audible. And for this, you will need to connect the audio cable to a mixer, a speaker, an audio interface or any audio output you want,
If you want to play without disturbing anyone, even with the thuds, connect your headphones. You can hear the sounds clearly.
E-drum manufacturers today have become aggressive and are producing electronic drums that feel and sound like a classic one. There is Roland, for instance, whose high-end drums come with bigger pads and high-quality materials. Their sounds are unbeatable.
About the Carlsbro CSD130
The company went off the market for a while back in 2009. But they are back with some of the most amazing gear in the low-end market.
The Carlsbro CSD130 is a little e-drum kit from this brand.
If you get a student asks about a cheap, yet functional electronic drum kit, this might be a good recommendation. Besides, there are some professionals always looking for a small e-drum kit for practice purposes.
I think Carlsbro has really done it. They have built good looking, tiny drum kit, right for these needs. The CSD130 is a drum kit that comes with realistic sound and real feelings or drummers.
One of the most interesting aspects of this kit is its compatibility and portability. You can be sure this will not leave a lot of footprints, as many drummers have loved it.
According to the logo, Carlsbro has been in the market since 1959. They have focused on making amplifiers for musical instruments and speaker systems. And today, they are trying out other products like digital pianos and e-drums.
Besides the manufacturer, perhaps not being very famous, CSD130 is a pretty incredible product. Of course, it cannot win a grand award, but it is functional as it is.
Whether a beginner is small apartment rooms or an experienced drummer looking to practice a few tricks you have been working on, this might just be the kit for you.
Configuration
When you open the box, you will get:
- A drum brains
- One 7.5-inch dual-zone snare pad
- Three 7.5-inch single-zone tom pads
- 10-inch crash, and ride cymbal pads with chock functionality.
- A 10-inch hi-hat and hi-hat controller
- One 2-inch bass drum pad with a pro kick pedal
Hardware
- A complete 3-ft stand with hardware
- Drum key and drumsticks
- Cable harness
- Power supply
- Cable management strips
Features
I did not think I would like this kit either. When I looked at it, I felt it was too small until I realized that it might be just one of the features that make it special.
Build
The Carlsbro CSD130 comes as an 8-piece e-drum set complete with hardware. This should get you playing right away.
It features 20 preset drum kits onboard that come from different music genres. They are all aligned with quality drum machines.
You get 250 different voices that allow for certain tuning and changes for the best overall feel. You can, for instance, use the snare sound from one pad and the bass drum sound from another.
It also exposes the player to three snare sounds, which can be saved in any of the preset kits available. These kits allow you to edit and fix the parameters of the tunes is a flexible manner.
The pad and drums
The snare, which is often the most important drum for many players, comes with dual-zone functionality. The rim sounds just as great as the center.
The top pads don’t disappoint either. They are equal to two mounted acoustic toms, which makes them very functional. And of course, there is the floor tom.
The bass drum comes as a pedal unit measuring 2.5-inches. It designed to make everything fit into one box.
Each cymbal is 10-inches, which is the size for most electronic drums.
The whole unit is mounted on a 3-legged rack system. You don’t need to disassemble everything once you are through with your gig. Simple fold it and store it in a backpack (not included). The whole unit weighs under 40 pounds.
It also features the pedal unit that lets you play and open or closed hi-hat. And if you like, hit it open and then snap it open using a foot pedal.
The sounds
The sound module is pretty compact and easy to use. It comes with a small number of setup configurations for easy use.
It also carries several ins/outs. There is the AUX-in for connecting your MP3 player, allowing you to work alongside your favorite music. The 2 ¼ out are there to connect an audio interface or mixer in either mono, or stereo, or a headphone jack for private sessions.
When you want to connect directly to your computer for recording, the USB interface lets you. This is a feature that most seek in such a product.
The control unit is also simple, with volume and sensitivity adjustment function. You can use them to work on the 20 demo songs onboard.
But the demo songs are not very horrible. However, you can still use them as play-along.
Playability
There are several nice things to commend about the playability of this kit. First, the sound is good enough for this price range.
I was playing this kit from my apartment when my friend came to check on me. He initially thought I was playing an acoustic piece until he saw the unit.
There is no latency, and the response is quite standard. It does not come with the same whistles and bells that come with higher-end products, but you may need them at the beginner level.
You can use it without much hustle to record into your DAW. The snare tends to sound a little low, but that is something you can work around.
The biggest issue is that this kit can turn entirely off base. Since cables combine into one plug, you will have to replace the entire setup. It is not easy to just buy another and replace it.
Who is the kit for?
Considering the features and size of this kit, it is recommendable to entry-level and mid-level users. Also, professional and experienced drummers can use it for practice purposes. It comes with high quality sounds at a low price.
Conclusion
Playing the Carlsbro CDS130 feels great. Each sound produced features CD-quality output. It is easy to control at your fingertips and comes with a bright 3-digit LED. Well, it is not the best on the market, but it works with its limited features. If you want higher-end kits, I would recommend the Roland TD-27KV.
