TD516 rocks the mid-market

Roland last year continued its strategy of flowing flagship technology down the product range with the launch of the V51 and V31 modules, both derived from the V71 brain. The company also built two kit configurations around the new modules — the VAD acoustic-look shell packs and the more traditional TD pad-style kits. digitalDrummer tested the TD516 after spending time with the other variants. Here’s what we found.

What’s in the box

The kit ships in three boxes: one containing the rack (MDS-Standard3), one for the kick drum pad, and one for everything else — module, pads and cymbals.

Worth noting upfront: while the kit includes a rack and mounting hardware, there is no hi-hat stand, snare stand or kick pedal/beater.

The rack is a mid-size frame — large enough for all the included pads and cymbals, with room for expansion and a few extra arms and mounts. It assembles easily and feels firm and rigid. Those who haven’t seen a Roland rack for some time may be surprised by the amount of plastic, particularly the main connectors, which were metal in earlier iterations. The material choice reduces weight and shipping costs without appearing to compromise stability or durability — though time will tell on the latter.

The centrepiece is the V51 module, discussed in detail below.

On the pad side, the kit uses the older PD-140DS digital snare rather than the latest-generation PD-14DSX with its virtual snare throw. The PD-140DS is no slouch — the only thing it lacks is the ability to quickly disengage the snare wire, which will be of little consequence to most e-drummers.

The tom pads are a welcome development — two PD-10P and a PD-12P. They are on the smaller side by current standards, but feature an integrated rubber rim rather than the rubber-sleeved metal hoop used for the second trigger zone on earlier pads.

The ride and hi-hat are identical to those on Roland’s flagship kits — the digital CY-18DR ride and VH-14D hi-hat. These are complemented by a CY-12C-T and CY-14R-T crash, both dual-zone and featuring full-surface playability despite their modest size.

The kick drum is the pad-style KD-12 — a heavy, sturdy unit with a significantly smaller footprint than the acoustic-style kick drums in the VAD range.

The module

We have previously reported on and reviewed the flagship V71 module from which the current generation of Roland drum brains is derived. The V31 and V51 share the same internal engine as the V71, the same multi-layered, realistic drum kits (predominantly DW), the same expressive behaviour modelling, and wireless connection to Roland Cloud Connect for downloading Instrument Expansions and new kit packs.

The V51, which powers this review kit, also shares the V71’s onboard practice tools and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

Where the V51 differs from its flagship sibling is primarily in connectivity — a DB-25 cable snake replaces the individual ¼-inch jacks on the V71, and there are fewer inputs and direct outputs overall. The onboard user interface is also scaled back, designed for quick on-the-go editing rather than in-depth studio work. However, the deeper editing capability is available through the free V51 Editor software, which allows detailed editing of kits, sounds and pad parameters, as well as drag-and-drop WAV sample import.

Setting up

Physical setup is quick and straightforward — more time is spent unpacking the components than assembling them.

The rack largely determines pad and cymbal placement, with two cymbals mounted on the vertical posts. These are fitted on articulated stems with flexible adjusters, allowing positioning to suit players of varying heights. The module ships with a dedicated mounting arm — a new addition for Roland.

The ride, snare and hi-hat connect via USB; the remaining pads and cymbals use the custom DB-25 snake. Notably, the snake omits cables for the snare, hats and ride — a sensible move that pre-empts the inevitable support enquiries about running a digital and analogue snare simultaneously (a common reader question for the previous module generation). Extra cables are provided for one tom and a crash.

Dialing in the cymbals and pads was straightforward. The only fiddly element was setting the hi-hat offset — a requirement common to virtually every electronic hi-hat solution — and, in practice, very little adjustment was needed across any of the instruments.

One minor inconvenience: a firmware update was required upon connecting to the Cloud Connect app. The process was entirely wireless once the Wi-Fi connection was established, but it took some time and required a couple of restarts.

In action

Roland has long been known for accurate triggering, and the TD516 upholds that reputation.

The digital snare is a delight — sensitive, responsive and articulate. Updated snare sensing provides even more virtual zones, with the module interpreting positional strikes with subtly different sample responses. The cross-stick is excellent, even when played in the traditional manner with the palm resting on the head.

The digital ride is equally impressive — responsive and accurate across the entire surface. The ability to mute with the lightest touch rather than the traditional edge grab makes it feel genuinely natural.

The VH-14D digital hi-hat is a different story from earlier impressions. When tested on the previous module generation, the triggering and open/closed transitions offered only marginal improvement over the analogue equivalent. Paired with the new module, the hats are transformed — triggering is precise across the bow and edge, and the open/closed transitions are entirely natural. It marks a genuine coming-of-age for Roland’s electronic hi-hat.

The PD-10P and PD-12P tom pads also impressed. The integrated rubber rim triggers cleanly — seemingly with less effort than the rubber-sleeved metal hoop it replaces. The pads are smaller than many players will be accustomed to, but remain a pleasure to play.

For anyone upgrading from a previous-generation Roland kit, the module will deliver the biggest impact. New samples, the ability to import further sounds from the growing DW Soundworks library, and a streamlined transfer process — the old SD card method has been replaced by direct online uploads to the module — all represent meaningful improvements.

There are, of course, compromises. Fewer outputs than the TD-50 or V71, and individual trigger jacks largely replaced by the DB-25 snake. But the module layout more than compensates: individual volume faders for each instrument (including a separate ambience control), large sound edit and kit modify buttons centrally positioned, substantial rotary knobs for scrolling through kits and menus, a clean song/click player and training control array, and an 11 cm colour LCD — generous by Roland’s standards.

The V51 is a Goldilocks module — enough features to satisfy most e-drummers without overwhelming them with controls they’re unlikely to use. And for those who do want to explore further, the free V51 Editor allows extensive parameter changes on a computer, syncing automatically to the module. This approach is far more logical than cramming every control onto the hardware, where screen size limits visibility and navigation requires menu-surfing with up/down controls. With the Editor, everything is visible at once, with mouse and keyboard access to pad parameters, kits and effects — including micro-adjustments unavailable on the module itself.

Once dialled in, the playing experience is thoroughly immersive. The combination of a module and pads engineered specifically to work together produces triggering that is hard to beat, supported by an extensive and realistic sound library. Before delving into the Soundworks library, there are more than 70 kits and over 1,000 instruments on board, spanning rock, electronica, World Music and more — all shapeable via Roland’s virtual tuning tools.

My benchmark for emulation — how convincingly an e-kit reproduces acoustic sounds — has long been brushes. Roland has been a leader here since its earliest kits, and the latest V-series modules push it further still. The snare brush sweeps on this kit were genuinely startling in their realism; even experienced jazz ears would struggle to identify them as electronic. Brush sweeps are limited to the snare in the automatic Brushes trigger preset, but the toms and cymbals are comparably convincing. For anyone with VST experience, the V51 library is difficult to fault — and that’s before factoring in the editing possibilities: virtual head changes, size modifications, muffling treatments, mic positioning, transient editing, resonance, compression and more.

The training tools were a less comfortable experience — not through any design flaw, but because of the uncomfortable reality they exposed. Roland, presumably assuming that players at this level had other practice tools available, has had to deliver something genuinely capable to keep drummers on the module. The included play-along tracks are varied and engaging across funk, dance, rock and jazz. The Time Check programme, however, is mercilessly accurate about rhythmic inconsistencies. Roland has been generous with its scoring labels, though “rubbish” might have been more fitting for some of my results. The suite also includes a Phrase Trainer for rhythmic practice, Stroke Monitor for stick control, and Blast Beast for accuracy and endurance — the last of which I declined to explore.

On the whole

The TD516 is a near-acoustic-size electronic drum kit incorporating much of Roland’s latest technology, missing only a handful of nuances from the flagship range.

The V51 module is a fully featured workhorse: excellent onboard sounds, access to downloadable VST-quality samples, advanced editing tools both onboard and via the free companion Editor, and latency on the analogue circuits measured at a very competitive 1.9 ms.

The pad configuration includes Roland’s digital ride, hi-hat and snare — although the snare is not the current top-of-the-line version — alongside current-generation analogue tom pads, established cymbals and a robust kick pad that accommodates double-pedal setups. Triggering is excellent out of the box and can be fine-tuned to individual playing styles.

The onboard sounds are highly editable and can be expanded with kits from the DW Soundworks library or one-shot sample imports blended with stock sounds. Unlike previous Roland mid-range offerings, the V51 includes a full suite of onboard training tools, augmented by a generous play-along library and Bluetooth streaming.

The V5 range sits very close to the flagship V7 range — in both pads/cymbals and module capability. The Editor brings its editing depth up to flagship level, and the shared circuitry and hardware make the gap smaller than the price difference suggests.

In summary, the TD516 is a well-built, well-specified electronic kit aimed squarely at the premium end of the mid-market. Its closest competitor is the Yamaha DTX8K — a four-year-old sub-flagship kit powered by the DTX-PRO, currently discounted to around US$2,400 in the United States. The Yamaha’s main advantages are its acoustic appearance (real birch shells), the ability to load multi-layer user samples, and a choice of mesh or TCS heads. The EFNOTE 7 — a four-piece kit with full-scale birch shells and a touchscreen module — is slightly more expensive than the TD516, but its module offers considerably less editing depth.

The TD516 is a capable, versatile kit that will satisfy amateurs, students and working drummers alike. It’s not the flagship — but it costs significantly less without making too many concessions. For many players, it will be just right.

Specifications