Interview with Jules Tabberer-Stewart, Roland's Electronic Drums Brand Manager
We had the privilege to sit down with Jules Tabberer-Stewart, to explore the innovative spirit that fuels Roland’s latest creations. We discuss the vision, challenges, musician-focused trends shaping their revolutionary V-Drums and percussion gear, and more.
Roland V-drums came to prominence in the 1990's. Their mesh heads changed the game in terms of performance and playability. This innovative technology meant drummers could get a similar feel on an electric kit as their acoustic drums.
Roland TD716 V-Drums Kit
Magesh Magesh, Musicngear: What is the vision behind your latest products, and how do you see them evolving the landscape of music gear?
The concept of V-Drums remains as it always has; create digital instruments that mirror the behavior, playability, and sound expression of the acoustic drum set, but also with sound capability and creativity that goes beyond acoustic drums.
Our mission statement at Roland is “We design the future”, so with that mission in mind, our new products are all about pushing the boundaries of technology in order to go where no one else has been able to go before, in a way that directly benefits the player and musical creator.
There is no doubt that when someone plays an electronic drum set, they will hope for the same playability as an acoustic drum set – in terms of sound, but also in terms of expression and behavioral reaction. That last point, behavioral reaction, is often missed, but it’s so important.
The V-Drum 7 Series and the V71 module are all about sound, and playability – so that the playing experience is not compromised. Therefore creativity is unleashed for the user to create any sound or any play technique. That’s our vision – be creative, and express yourself, without compromise.
The V-Drums Quiet Design Series is part of that too – drumming noise is very much a limit for every player. Even standard electronic drums can be too much. So, solving the issue of noise, but in a way that doesn’t compromise the playability, or the creative expression of the user is central to the vision of this product.
In summary, we are about solving problems, making the playing experience the most organic and greatest it can be so that any user can enjoy total freedom of musical expression and creativity with Roland V-Drums. Evolution is driven by the same vision, and where we will go in the future will be focused on that desire to design the future.
Our mission statement at Roland is “We design the future”
What trends in music technology or musician preferences have influenced Roland’s recent designs?
The global pandemic of 2020-21 certainly accelerated the desire for people to access music from home. Going to spaces together, to play collectively, was compromised – so, people had to find a way to connect musically via remote means. That has been an increasing trend in the professional world (with things like remote recording) for some time, but now it’s about everybody, not only professional musicians.
That gave influence to products like V-Drums Quiet Design, for example. If everyone is at home, in the same space, at the same time, then even the e-drummer can create too much noise and distraction for the people around them, preventing them from playing. Solving that issue became important to drummers so that they could continue to play without disturbing others, also without needing to adapt or adjust their playing technique and style.
The increase in home recording/performance also meant that more people were experimenting with virtual instruments, using MIDI to control software sounds from their digital instruments. VSTs have a different way of sound play-back compared to drum modules, but also the VST approach to sound is more from the viewpoint of the producer – you hear the drums as if recorded and mixed in post, like the drums you would listen to on a recording. We understood and noted this key difference between VST’s and our drum modules, and the trend for people to use a VST.
Fundamentally, we believe that V-Drums should be much more than a MIDI controller, and we wanted the sound module user to be able to enjoy the same experience as the VST user, without the need for a computer. So in the V71, we recorded brand-new sounds, in collaboration with DW. Then, we changed the way these sounds played back in the module, combining multi-sample layer playback with sample randomization (round robin) and then adding our unique behavior modeling technology to it so that every single hit is sounded individually.
We then developed two types of sound from the same drum sample session; the player position sound (heard as if sitting directly behind the drum set, as the player) and the producer position sound (heard as if sitting behind the mixing console, with post-production applied to the drum sound). Finally, we also included a VST (DW Soundworks) with the V71 as well, so that players could have the choice of playing DW drum sets a VST, or enjoying the same DW drum sets within the module.
So the trend of VST’s helped us to develop new ways for users to experience and use sound in V-Drums.
Roland VQD106 Drum Kit
Who do you see as the primary users for your latest gear releases, and how are you catering to their needs?
Our biggest customer group is people who play music as a significant hobby. We have many customer types, including professionals – and professional use is very much at the center of our product design. But, everyday people, that have jobs and play music in their spare time are the people that are our primary users.
But we don’t confuse hobby players as amateurs; so many hobby players are very experienced musicians, that play to a very high standard. Understanding that point means that we know that the user is looking to Roland for expression, quality (or product, sound) and durability, as well as innovation.
We build that understanding into our development, and we speak with users in the development process to understand more about their needs and desires.
The concept of V-Drums remains as it always has; create digital instruments that mirror the behavior, playability, and sound expression of the acoustic drum set
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced while developing the latest Roland gear?
When conceiving V-Drums Quiet Design, we dedicated more than 3 years to its development. The challenge was always how to make things quieter, without compromising playability. Since a drum pad is made of many small parts and components, we checked every single one to understand what kind of noise and vibration is generated by each and understand how noise or vibration is produced, to find solutions to reduce it.
One of the key challenges was in reducing vibration to floors below the drummer, i.e. ‘downstairs’. Normally vibration to downstairs rooms comes from the kick pedal, hi-hat pedal, and drums stand. In the beginning, we designed a drum stand with an integrated kick pad. However, this design compromised both the stand and kick pad and the two interrupted one another, meaning we couldn’t achieve the expected outcome to the standard we wanted to achieve. So, we decided to make the kick pad a stand-alone unit.
The drum stand and kick pad are equipped with special rubber components for damping noise and vibration, and we researched and tested many materials and designs to achieve the best balance between quietness and playing feel. In the case of the kick pad especially, when we changed the hardness of the special rubber components, we had to also change the hardness of honeycomb rubber inside the kick pad as well in order to achieve the reduction in vibration transfer and noise.
We created a documentary on the design and development of V-Drums Quiet Design, it tells the whole design story– this can be found on the Roland Channel on YouTube.
In the case of the V-Drums 7 Series and the V71 module, we went back to the start. We had to record a totally new sound library, and we needed to create a whole system for users to download and add more content to their sound modules. We continue to sample drums and cymbals throughout each year, to create new instrument expansions and kit packs continuously, so that has been a big challenge for us as it has required new processes and resources.
But then, we have also created new technologies, such as the snare throw-off on the PD-14DSX snare drum, and also a brand-new sound engine that involves new technology for us. These have all been significant challenges.
Roland TD713 V-Drums Kit
Are there any underutilized features in Roland products that you feel musicians should explore more?
For many years now, V-Edit has been possible with our sound modules. This basically allows users to make changes to sample sound virtually… such as changing a drum head, changing tuning or adding damping, switching one cymbal for another, or adjusting snare wire tension, or the distance of a mic to a drum… just as you would with an acoustic instrument. V-Edit also allows changes to the ambient environment, changing room types, mic distances and more.
If you bought a new acoustic drum set for example and took it to the studio, you would change drum heads, tuning, cymbals, and even the placement of the kit in a room. You would never just take an acoustic drum kit out of the box and accept its sound without making any adjustments or personalization. So, surely, you would want to do the same with an electronic drum set?
But, many users have told us they rarely explore the V-edit feature. V-Edit is very powerful for sound individualization and customization. Preset kits are only designed to be a starting point – some people will say “I like/I don’t like this kit”, but always those kits are completely editable. That is perhaps one key feature we hope users will explore more, not only focusing on preset kits.
We know that the user is looking to Roland for expression, quality (or product, sound) and durability, as well as innovation
How does Roland decide which artists or influencers to partner with for product demos?
Playing ability is part of it, of course. But it’s more than that. We want to work with people who want to understand our philosophy and understand that it’s not only about their performance, but the synergy between Roland V-Drums, its capability, and the artist's performance and creativity.
We have trusted artists that we have worked with for many years because they do an amazing job and are inspirational people – but also, we are open to new artists too, if they share a common interest and passion with us.
Connect with Roland
Website / Facebook / X / Instagram
Roland V-Drums Facebook / Roland V-Drums Instagram
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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