Roland has built a reputation for themselves in the world of electronic drums. The V-Line series is among the best choices in the drumming community. The quality of these drums, together with the rubber V-cymbals provides a drum kit that feels and sounds acoustic drums.
The company has been on a constant spree of innovation. You will find features on the V-line that are not in any other drum kits in the same price range.
This electronic drum set happens to be one of my favorites. It offers a great natural feeling with the cymbals acting just like an acoustic set. So, a drummer will not be compelled to adapt their style for an e-drum kit. The TD-25KV kit comes with pliable mesh pads that will be able to handle your style.
In this review, I will talk about the features I like most about this drum kit. But before that…
How do you Choose Accessories For An Electric Drum Kit?
Many of the best electronic drum kits don’t come as a full bundle. Even if they do, they may not have what you need. In that case, you may need to buy accessories from a third party.
This is true with the TD-25KV. You probably want to start playing immediately after you get the set. In order to do that, we must learn how to pick accessories.
The drum throne
The drum throne is a drummer’s paradise. This is where you will be spending the majority of the time behind the instrument.
Whether you are writing a new song, or you are performing before a huge audience, you will be sitting on your throne.
Unfortunately these seats, rarely come included with a drum kit. That is because they highly depend on personal characteristics such as height and weight.
There are many drum thrones in the market today. They come with different designs and features. Some are saddle, round, cushioned, and others with a hydraulic/spindle bottom.
There are some fancier options too. You can find a drum throne that comes with pockets for storing drumsticks, cup holders, and many other items.
You probably need something durable too. That is why a sturdy throne is great for supporting your weight and posture for long hours.
Headphones
One of the benefits of electronic drum sets is that you can practice them silently by connecting headphones. Only you will hear the sound. This is very useful, especially when you live in an apartment or have roommates.
Unfortunately, most e-drum kits don’t include high-quality headphones. You will, therefore, need to consider sourcing for these items yourself.
If you are spending most of your time drumming through headphones, it will be critical to choose headphones that match the quality of your kit.
Some headphones are just not right. You can feel the quality of your sounds.
For this reason, spend some hours researching for a perfect fit. I would recommend you check out Alesis, Sony, and Vic Firth.
These are headphones you can use even with acoustic drumming. In short, they will give you more realistic sounds.
Drum sticks
One of the challenges I have seen in many people is choosing the right drumsticks for their first digital drum kit. There are endless options in the market; and it can be overwhelming.
Generally, you need something that will go a long way.
Many drummers prefer wood tipped sticks. It could be because they last very long. Besides, nylon-tipped drum sticks eventually could damage your drum heads
Wooden sticks also have a few issues. They can easily splinter or crack and damage the mesh, especially with aggressive drummers.
Also, it can cause sawdust to gather underneath the mesh heads.
Search for quality drum sticks that have special shock absorber inserts. They will help keep the damage low, especially when hitting ghost notes on the snare.
Drum bass pedals
Many digital drum kits don’t come with a bass pedal. There are tons of options to choose from, so I’m hoping this information makes it easy for you.
Pedals come with a lot of varying options. This is why it can be a bit challenging to buy a pedal for e-drum sets. Besides, your focus is not on the quality of the item but on its compatibility. You’re going to need a solid kick pedal when you play along with your favorite music.
Overview
The Roland TD-25KV is without a doubt among the best electronic drum kits on the market today. It’s derived from the flagship of Roland. I personally love this kit because it makes me feel like I am playing the real acoustic set, which is how I started to play the drums.
It features:
- Advanced Supernatural sound engine. This feature was the first design for the high-end TD-30 model. It provides great sound quality.
- PDX-100 10 inch mesh-head snare.
- LCD. This easy to use 64 by 126-pixel screen is easy to use,
- 21 multi-effects. You can create and customize the sound of the kit to suit your needs.
- Easy-to-use metronome.
- VH-11 V-Hi-Hat. This allows you to play the hi-hat as you would on an acoustic kit.
- Coach capability. Keep your skills in check with this highly functional kit.
The TD-25KV electronic drum is suitable for anyone looking to spend big in a high-quality e-drum kit. It has been designed to serve advanced drummers. You can use it in studio recording as it has quality sound, but may not be the best for beginners. You just need to invest a little more into a hi-hat stand and kick pad.
Top Features
We live in a world where technology has taken center stage for human development. Therefore, Roland lets you implement this in your musical craft. From tuning muffling to enhancing the kick pad, you’re going to find tons of fun playing this set.
Hardware, drums, and appearance
Module
They present a different approach to this model. They have removed the layout and design of classic e-drum modules.
It comes with features that expose the user to fewer modules. But the high-end sound module does not disappoint. It is, therefore, easier to use.
It offers multi-layered vibraslaps and functionality to make samples for online streaming.
Construction
The set is stripped down from technological modules visible in other drums sets. But this is just what makes it interesting. There are just enough features and functionality a drummer needs.
It comes in two configurations:
- The first comes with 10-inch floor tom pads, 10-inch PDX-100 snare pad, two PD-85 rack tom pads, two crash cymbals, and one ride.
- The second one features similar snare pads, but the mesh pads and rack toms are smaller, PDX-8 and PDX-6, respectively. There is also one crash and one ride cymbals.
Both kits come with the appropriate hi-hat trigger that is mountable to a mechanical stand. There are 18 different kits inside to choose from.
The audio recording features such as on-board, USB connectivity, and multi-effects offer an excellent way to create more music notation.
Sound Features
First, the clean and glassy layout on this kit looks fantastic. It does not have dust-collecting faders; instead, you get illuminated rotaries and 11 soft press switches. It’s a good size rotary, more than you can find in any other module; so you can navigate easily through the kits.
There are different categories of sounds the player can choose according to their preferences. For example, the studio kits are compatible with any genre.
Also, there is the Dry Funk, that lets you make backbeats. Also, the larger hats and punchy kick drums mean you can make beats much easier.
The Custom Maple may be all you need to create modern rock sounds. Its Vintage sounds like the deep snare of a classic rock ‘n’ roll song. It offers the metalheads the speed metal choice as well.
There are sensors on the snare that can detect stick positioning across the head. This means you can get an excellent sound response.
Also, there is the addition of playback and sound recording. You can use the internal USB memory stock to capture song ideas or record through MIDI for demo tracks.
Value for money – functionality
Is the Roland TD 25KVs worth it? Well, I would say this depends on your goals as a drummer.
Consider the following:
- Practicing at home. I would say using the TD-25KV for home practice is a waste of money. This kit has everything that you will get in cheaper home practice e-drum kits. With its price, there is nothing logical that justifies its use as a practice kit.
- Playing live on stage. When talking about live stage performance, we are closer to what I think this kit is designed for. The kit comes with a bigger snare, floor tom, and cymbal pads that many other kits don’t have. It also offers the experience of playing real acoustics. The appearance of the whole drum set and the sturdy aluminum rack with four poles makes it the best kit for stage performances.
- Home recording. If you are thinking of home recording, perhaps this kit is the best option you can get in the market. Studio recording time is expensive; so this could be a good way to save cash. You can connect your drum kit to your computer to use as a MIDI trigger. The recording software will register each time you hit one of your pads. The kit comes with a USB port for easy connection. But you will need to understand recording software like Reaper, GarageBand, and more
In short, the sound of the TD-25KV by Roland is brilliant. You can play over and over as if you were working with real acoustic drums.
Alternatives
There are other drum sets in the same price range as the Roland TD-25kv. There is, for instance, the Roland TD-30K V-Pro. It was released the same year as the Roland TD-11K 30K and still stands as one of the highest-quality electronic drums on the market. You can bet your money on this one.
The Yamaha DTX522K, released a few years after the Yamaha DTXplorer is another good kit for recording, live shows, and just enjoying studio sessions. Yamaha is a leader in manufacturing quality musical instruments, and this one will not disappoint.
Consider the Alesis Forge Drum Set too. It also is a professional kit that has earned a top 50 place on Amazon. It is especially powerful for live shows, just like the Alesis Nitro Mesh Electronic Kit.
Social proof
I went online to check out what other users were saying about this kit, and I was pretty impressed.
My Final Verdict
The real strength of this kit is in-home recording functionality. For me, it would be great for someone to listen to something I have worked on and appreciates how good it is.
For this reason alone, I would invest any amount in this kit. Also understanding how expensive studio recording is, the price tag on this kit is justifiable.
It also checks the boxes for practicing and playing on stage. I would, therefore, recommend it to anyone.
