Roland TD-50 Review

The Roland TD-50KV electronic drum set is a remarkable development in the drumming world. Admittedly costing a small fortune, it boasts a magnificent specification, previously unheard of for an electronic drum set.

This TD-50KV 5-Piece electronic drum set offers the most advanced technology, features, sounds, and playing response available on an electronic kit. It’s also huge, which helps provide a realistic feeling of playing a real acoustic drum set. 

In this Roland TD-50 review, I’ll look at the quality of the sounds, the drum module, the build quality, overall playability, and value to determine if it’s worth the investment. 

Roland TD-50KV Electronic Drum Set Gallery

Contents

Roland TD-50KV Electronic Drum Set Ratings

Sounds

4.8

4.8/5

Drum Module

5.0

5.0/5

Build Quality

5.0

5.0/5

Playability

5.0

5.0/5

Value

4.5

4.5/5

Sounds

I’m blown away by how good the Roland TD-50KV sounds. The sounds offered by the advanced TD-50 drum module are exceptionally dynamic, expressive, realistic, and detailed.

Roland has truly set the bar very high for its competitors with the TD-50KV. The module offers practically limitless sound modeling options for each individual sound. This flagship electronic drum set is designed for top-flight performances and eclectic studio work. 

Each Roland TD-50KV electronic drum kit comes with 100+ onboard drum sets to choose from. These kits offer Roland’s most expressive and versatile sounds yet. Ranging from punchy studio kits to rootsy funk kits and powerful metal drum sets. The Roland TD-50KV has it all!

There is an overwhelming range of sounds at your disposal with the TD-50KV drum set. The sounds are varied across the board, with a vast range of world percussion and iconic electronic drum machines to choose from also.

The innovative Prismatic Sound Modeling technology produces ultra immersive and enjoyable sounds from this flagship Roland TD-50. You won’t want to stop playing!

Drum Module

The advanced Roland TD-50 module not only offers a massive library of expressive sounds, but it also supports deep sound customization, including adjustment of heads and shells, as well as adjustment of virtual microphones and room ambiance.

The Roland TD-50 drum module is very intuitive, and the interface is relatively straightforward to use. Despite being highly advanced, it’s designed to be streamlined and enjoyable for the user. The easy to fine-tune sounds and create bespoke kits inside the drum module.

In total, there are over 30 built-in multi-effects, as well as onboard EQ, compression, and reverb for huge sound adjustment potential. The level of customization on board is truly remarkable. You can create brand new sounds by tuning individual drums, changing the cymbals’ diameter, and even changing the virtual mic placement. 

Of course, you can load your own samples onto the onboard memory of the Roland TD-50 module. Whether you wish to load bespoke samples for performances, or wish to use third party drum VSTs, the TD-50 can accommodate SDHC cards. 

In terms of connectivity options, the Roland TD-50KV has it all. 14 trigger inputs, 3 advanced digital trigger inputs, stereo balanced master outputs, 8 balanced direct outputs, and a stereo mix in. You can even record 10 channels of multitrack audio via USB!

Build Quality

The Roland TD-50KV is built exceptionally well, as you would expect for an electronic drum set of this caliber. All the included components are highly sophisticated by design, and everything feels premium quality.

The Roland TD-50KV offers a one-up/two-down tom configuration with the following drums: 

• 14″ PD-140DS digital snare trigger
• 14″ KD-140-BC kick drum
• 10″ PD-108-BC high tom
• 12″ PD-128-BC floor tom
• 12″ PD-128-BC floor tom

It boasts top-of-the-range drum and cymbal pads throughout the kit, and they are sized to imitate real drums for an authentic playing experience. The drum and cymbal pads feature multi-element sensor systems for dynamic playing.

Each drum pad utilizes an authentic lug design and 3-ply mesh head that makes it easy for you to dial in whatever level of tightness or sponginess you desire. These electronic drums offer a natural rebound and a feel that’s remarkably similar to an acoustic kit. 

This is a flagship electronic drum set through-and-through. It truly represents the pinnacle in electronic drum manufacturing and design.

Playability

The Roland TD-50 has everything a drummer wants. It’s the ultimate electronic drum set in every way, and it’s designed to feel as close to playing on a real drum set as possible. The large sizes of the drum and cymbal pads help to emulate that feeling massively.

Everything is designed to offer an authentic response, ranging from the VH-13 hi hat stand that provides a remarkably natural playing feel when operated to the newly designed 14″ Roland PD-140DS snare drum that features 8 sensors to pick up every nuance of your playing.

This drum set seriously delivers. You can play every style of music on the Roland TD-50KV. It’s designed to detect every single dynamic of your playing with attention to each detail. 

Even the electronic cymbals included perfectly pick up playing dynamics all across the playing surface. All of the playing zones melt into one another seamlessly for a totally natural response. The Roland CY-18DR ride cymbal utilizes multi-touch technology that responds to the touch of a single finger.

Sitting behind the kit you can truly appreciate the quality of this musical instrument. Everything responds exactly as you would like. The Roland TD-50 is engaging and fun to play on every level. It’s incredibly impressive. 

Value

Now we arrive at the point in the Roland TD-50 review that’s not so fun – the price tag! You must have a large budget to be able to afford this electronic drum set. It’s very expensive, but considering the quality and the performance of this kit, it’s easy to see why.

Verdict 

Despite the immense price tag, the Roland TD-50 excels in every category. It boasts the latest technology and features that are astonishingly impressive. The onboard sounds and the level of sound customization of the Roland TD-50 module are something to behold. 

This flagship Roland TD-50 drum set sure costs a pretty penny. But nothing comes close in terms of expressiveness, realism, or playability for an electronic drum set. It’s the best electronic drum set you can buy, hands down.