Category: Gear

Gear

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 […]

Gear

Unlocking cymbal options

We’ve had a few reader enquiries about Unlock e-cymbals, especially in the wake of our exhaustive reviews of rival Lemon cymbals. After various attempts at sourcing review samples, we finally got hold of a new 20″ three-zone ride (CY20R, with no logo or branding on the top) and a Lightning Series 14″ hi-hat. By way of background, Unlock is a relative newcomer to the e-drum market. Having launched in 2018, Unlock produces and sells e-drums under its own brand as well as providing OEM services for overseas brands. The company has partnered with around 20 organisations, but it’s hard to gauge its success in comparison with rivals like Medeli and Ringway because it will supply as few as five units […]

Gear, Samples, VST

Novation launches Control XL 3

British music technology maker Novation has introduced the Launch Control XL 3, a redesigned compact MIDI control surface aimed at producers and performers seeking hands-on control over DAWs and external gear. The new model updates the long-standing Launch Control line with a mix of physical controls and workflow enhancements while retaining a focus on broad compatibility and flexible configuration. Expanded controls and features The Launch Control XL 3 retains the layout familiar to users of earlier versions but introduces several notable enhancements: Eight 60 mm faders for mixer control or continuous parameter adjustment. 24 endless rotary encoders with RGB LED feedback for parameter tweaks. 16 assignable buttons that can be mapped to functions such as mute/solo, track selection or custom […]

Gear

Roland releases update for SPD-SX PRO

Roland has released a free Version 2.0 firmware update for its SPD-SX PRO Sampling Pad, adding several new features and workflow improvements. The most significant addition for existing Roland users is support for SPD-SX back-up files, allowing owners of the standard SPD-SX to load their existing performance set-ups directly into the SPD-SX PRO when upgrading. The update expands the unit’s time-stretching capabilities, enabling users to tempo-match samples in a manner similar to a DAW. Two modes are available — a real-time option for immediate results and an offline processing mode for higher-quality output. Other new features include per-kit master effects assignment, which previously operated only at a global level. Users can now assign master effects within individual kits and control […]

Gear, Samples, VST

Built to Play: The Drum VST Hardware Guide

The marketing around drum VSTs has never been better. The samples are more detailed, the mixing engines more sophisticated, and the sonic options more nuanced than anything that existed even five years ago. Superior Drummer, BFD, Steven Slate Drums, Addictive Drums — any of these can produce results that rival a professional studio recording. But open one of them on an underpowered or poorly configured machine and the experience is miserable: dropouts mid-fill, latency that kills the feel, or a spinning beachball every time you load a new kit. The good news is that building or configuring a system for drum VSTs isn’t as complicated — or as expensive — as it might seem. The bad news is that a […]

Gear

Akai brings MPC workflow to budget-friendly portable sampler

Akai Professional has launched the MPC Sample, a battery-powered standalone sampler priced at US$399 — the most accessible entry point the company has offered into the MPC ecosystem, and a notable addition to a market where finger drumming is attracting growing mainstream attention. The MPC Sample draws on the design language of the MPC60, featuring 16 velocity-sensitive RGB pads with poly aftertouch — the core requirement for expressive finger drumming — in a compact, backpack-friendly unit. A rechargeable battery provides up to five hours of use, and a built-in speaker and microphone allow basic capture without additional gear. The device operates as a fully standalone sampler with 8 GB internal storage, microSD expansion, and support for WAV, MP3, AIFF, FLAC […]

Gear

CME’s new MIDI hub ditches DIN for TRS

CME has built a reputation primarily through its WIDI range of wireless Bluetooth MIDI devices — compact, reliable, and notably low-latency solutions that filled a gap the MIDI world had been waiting on for years. The H12MIDI Pro, announced this week, suggests the company has broader ambitions. The H12MIDI Pro is a compact standalone MIDI hub that marks a significant step up from CME’s existing wired range — and a deliberate break from traditional connector conventions. Where the company’s H2MIDI Pro and H4MIDI WC both use five-pin DIN for hardware MIDI, the H12MIDI Pro replaces DIN entirely with 3.5 mm TRS MIDI ports: six inputs and six outputs, with USB Type A or B auto-detected on input and software-selectable on […]

Gear

Getting a kick out of mesh heads

We see it regularly: pictures of a mesh head kick drum that look like someone has attacked them with a hot branding iron. And generally captured in the same shot is the culprit — a felt beater. For e-drum old-timers, that’s a red flag. Experience has taught us to use only hard beaters — plastic or wood. But what exactly is the reason for the antipathy between two seemingly soft substances? According to Roland Australia V-Drums specialist Simon Ayton, the main cause is felt wearing down, “leaving the sharp edge exposed where the felt part is inserted into the plastic beater”. However, photo evidence suggests this is only part of the story. Most shared images show a broader damage zone […]

Gear

Pearl debuts eRoadshow electronic drum kit

Pearl Drums used the recent NAMM Show to introduce eRoadshow, its first fully integrated entry-level electronic drum kit. Drawing on the company’s long-running Roadshow acoustic series, the new kit is positioned as a compact, all-in-one solution aimed at beginners, students and players looking for a quiet practice setup. The eRoadshow arrives as a complete package, including pads, hardware, pedals, throne, headphones, drumsticks and free lessons from Melodics, allowing new users to assemble and play the kit without additional purchases. Pearl says the intention was to provide an accessible starting point for electronic drumming while maintaining familiar acoustic-style layout and proportions. The kit features four mesh-head drum pads, including a dual-zone snare, along with three cymbal pads, hi-hat and kick controllers. […]

Gear, Industry

NAMM at a glance

While some announcements had been hinted at in advance, Yamaha’s EAD 50 emerged as the standout surprise at last week’s NAMM Show in Anaheim. The new drum miking and processing system builds on the EAD 10 concept, expanding its capabilities for both live performance and recording. Full details are available here. Alesis had no new products to announce, but sister brand Akai used NAMM to launch the MPC XL, a new flagship standalone music production workstation. Designed to operate without a computer, the MPC XL combines sequencing, sampling, synthesis and comprehensive studio connectivity in a single hardware unit. More information is available here. EfNote returned to NAMM with an updated EfNote 5 kit, now powered by the Pro module. The […]