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Gear Review: Roland VAD507 V-Drums Acoustic Design

By Magesh MageshContributing Author

Photo source: Roland

The Roland VAD507 is the Rolls Royce of electric drum kits! Its playability and authentic feel make it well worth the price tag. A 20-inch bass drum makes it feel just like an acoustic kit.

The different sizes of mesh pads make it easy to position the drums to your specifications. Having strong double-braced stands makes this a great kit to gig with. The module gives you access to over 75 preset kits which are versatile enough to play any genre.

Roland VAD507 E-Drum Set see price

The Pads

The Roland VAD-507 has excelled at creating a user experience that is incredibly similar to using an acoustic drum kit. Having wooden shells with depth means you can actually feel the vibration move through the drum. Personally, this changes how hard I hit. As expected the mesh pads feel great and help keep the volume down.

What separates the VAD-507 from other kits is the sizes. Having a 14-inch snare, then 10-inch, 12-inch, and 14-inch toms is amazing. These are the same sizes I use on my acoustic drumset so I didn't have to alter my playing to use this kit. The response on the snare drum is so incredible I could play brushes on it!

Cymbals

Being a top-of-the-range kit, you would expect dual-triggered cymbals. The icing on the cake for me was the actual size of the cymbals. 14-inch hi-hats, a 14 and 16-inch crash cymbal with an 18-inch ride. All the cymbals are thinner than most electronic kits. Having the cymbals sway when you hit them helps the user feel like they are playing on an acoustic kit.

Hi Hat

For me, the hi-hat on the Roland VAD507 was the coolest part of the kit. I have played electric kits since the 1990s. I always felt, that regardless of how good the sounds were, they were let down by the hi-hat. Having a hi-hat that opens and closes just like real metal cymbals was a godsend for drummers. Most drummers struggle to open hi-hats on other electric kits because the response seems late. This certainly isn't the case with this kit!

Bass drum

In the past, drummers had to watch the volume they played with when playing an electric kit because the bass pad would move. This isn't a problem with the VAD-507! Having a real 20-inch bass drum instantly changed the way I played. I could lay into the bass drum when playing heavy rock beats. The rubber used for the bass drum closely resembled an acoustic bass drum skin. The bass drum is lightweight making it easy to load in and out of bars/clubs.

The Stands

Although most electric kits come with rack systems, the VAD 507 has individual stands. I should also point out that the cymbal stands come with boom arms. I always loved boom arms because it meant I could get the crash cymbals close to me just above the toms. Having the tom arms clamp to the cymbal stands means you don't need to carry more stands than necessary.

Notable features

The amount of control you have over the individual drum sounds on the Roland VAD507 E-Drum Set is simply astonishing! From changing the depth of the shells to changing the mic placement and effects like reverb and compression. This kit is not only a drummer's dream but also a producer's! This is the first kit that I have played that has an authentic ambiance setting. Where the sound of the kit changes depending on what type of room you assign it to. With over 75 preset kits and the ability to create your own sounds via sd card, the VAD-507 is great for studio sessions. Although the module allows you to go to great lengths to change sounds, play songs and record it is still very user-friendly.

Rating

Build quality: 10/10

Price: 9/10

Functionality: 9/10

User experience: 9/10

Roland VAD507 E-Drum Set see price

Read our reviews for Roland VAD307, Roland TD-17KVX2, Roland TD-1K​, Roland TD-02KV, and Roland TD-07KV​​​

About Magesh Magesh

Magesh is a musician and producer who has worked with Rihanna, Lionel Richie, Ricky Martin, Chris Brown, The Pussy Cat Dolls, Nelly Furtado, and Vernon Reid of Living Colour. He released an instructional drumming DVD called "Unique Beats" where he mixed the drum kit with electronics and Indian hand percussion. He recently moved from Australia to the UK to explore new musical opportunities.
Website: mageshdrumteacher.co.uk

Contact Magesh Magesh at magesh.magesh7@gmail.com

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