If you are a beginner looking for an electronic drum kit, you have undoubtedly come across the Roland TD-02KV . This compact electronic drum kit is designed for beginner drummers and can be purchased at almost all major music stores.
Roland is a very well-known manufacturer of (digital) musical instruments. The range of drums is very extensive and also varies greatly in price. The popular V-Drums series starts with the TD-02K and ends with the Roland TD-50KV2 , with several models in between.
Now that I have had the Roland TD-02KV at home for a few weeks, I would like to share my honest findings with you in this review.
In this blog
Roland TD-02KV
Judgement
What you notice immediately with the Roland TD-02KV is that it is solidly put together. The rack feels robust and does not move during playing, as is sometimes the case with other budget kits.
The module's capabilities are limited, but it makes up for it with its realistic sounds and overall top quality of the material. The Roland TD-02VK is the perfect kit for the beginning drummer.
Pros
- Compact electronic drum kit with stable and sturdy rack
- High quality sounds
- The mesh head snare provides a realistic response
- Hi-hat and kick pedals produce little noise pollution
- Bluetooth function is possible with an adapter
Cons
- It is not possible to create your own kits
- Tom pads are made of rubber
- Cymbals are more difficult to position
- Connecting a double bass pedal is not possible on this kit
Pros and Cons of the Roland TD-02KV
A big advantage of the Roland TD-02KV in my opinion is the sturdiness of the kit. You notice this immediately when you assemble or move the kit: the whole is more robust and heavier but therefore much more stable.
Other entry-level electronic drum kits like the Alesis Nitro Max tend to wobble while playing, but that is certainly not the case with the TD-02KV.
The sounds are also of high quality. They sound very “real”, unlike some other kits where the sounds can sound a bit artificial.
Another advantage is the snare mesh head ; this is also what distinguishes the TD-02KV from the Roland TD-02K . It plays naturally and feels like a full-fledged snare drum.
What disappointed me was that the tom pads are made of rubber and you literally can't go in many directions with the cymbals. The cymbal itself can't be tilted, so it's always in the same position.
It is also not possible to put together your own kits and you cannot connect a double bass pedal, for that you will have to opt for an upgrade such as the Roland TD-07DMK .
All in all, the Roland TD-02KV is a very good electronic drum kit for all levels. With Roland, you pay for quality rather than features, so it all depends on what your priorities are.
What's in the box?
- 1x PDX-8 two-zone mesh head snare pad
- 3x PD-4 Mono tom pads
- 1x Hihat pad
- 1x Ride pad with choke function
- 1x Crash pad with choke function
- 1x Kick pedal
- 1x Hihat pedal
- Module with 16 drum kits
- Rack
- Manual
💡 The Roland TD-02KV does not have Bluetooth natively, but with the help of the Boss BT Dual Adaptor you can connect your smartphone and wirelessly play along with your favorite music via Spotify or YouTube.
Toms and Cymbals
The Roland TD-02KV consists of the standard setup of a drum kit, namely a snare, three toms, and a hi-hat, crash and ride cymbal. All pads are velocity-sensitive, so they respond differently when you hit them hard or soft.
8″ Mesh Head Snare Pad
Unlike many other kits, only the snare is a mesh head pad. Mesh heads are pads made of tightly woven mesh, which absorbs the impact of the stick in the same way as a real drum head. Because the snare is the most used drum, it plays very pleasantly.
3 Rubber Tom Pads
The rest of the pads are made of rubber and therefore also give a different feel than the snare drum, although the sound quality is just as good.
The tom pads feel solid and can take quite a beating, even if you're a drummer who hits a bit harder.
Three Cymbals
The Roland TD-02KV cymbals are half playable and do not rotate while playing, so you will always hit the cymbal well while playing. They move realistically and feel solid.
Unlike other budget electronic drum sets, the cymbals of this drum set have a choke function . This means that the cymbals are muted when you grab them with your hand.
The ride has two zones, so you can also play the well-known “ping” sound of the ride.
Kick and Hihat Trigger Pedals
In the Roland TD-02KV, both the kick and hi-hat are controlled by a trigger pedal, which is different from an acoustic drum kit. This provides a slightly less realistic playing experience. However, in this price range of electronic drum kits, it is not to be expected that the kit has a real kick and hi-hat pedal.
The pedals are the same size as pedals for an acoustic drum kit. Roland has done its best to make the pedals produce little noise for the surroundings: and it has succeeded quite well: the pedals are super quiet.
TD-02 Module
The Roland TD-02 Module is a simplified module of the TD-07 Module and has the basic functions that you need as a beginning drummer. This module is simple to set up so that after playing it once you actually know exactly how it works.
16 Varied Kits
The module contains 16 kits with varied genres. Whether you like jazz or metal, there is always a sound that suits you. Unfortunately, it is not possible to compile kits yourself.
As a beginning drummer, the first few kits are actually enough. If you want to vary, there are enough kits to try out.
Some modules allow you to import your own samples, which is not the case with the Roland TD-02KV. But as a beginning drummer you don't need that function either.
5 Coaching Modules
As a beginning drummer, but also as an experienced drummer, you can use 5 Coaching Modules. This is fun to try and to work on your timing, but is not for everyone.
Metronome
The integrated metronome allows you to work on your timing. The metronome click sound has a clear and distinct sound.
Connections
The module has 5 different connections:
- DC9V connection (power supply)
- USB-MIDI (allows you to import the drum kit sounds to your PC)
- 3.5 mm stereo jack aux in (to connect your smartphone so you can play along with your favorite music)
- 3.5mm stereo jack headphone output (for headphones )
Overall playing feeling
What I noticed immediately while playing the Roland TD-02KV is that the kit feels super solid. The rack is stable on the ground and also during playing the kit moves little.
The Roland TD-02KV is comfortable to play. The pads attached to the rack can be moved and tilted to your preference, so you can create your ideal setup. Despite the smaller dimensions of the pads, the kit comes pretty close to an acoustic drum kit.
Because the snare drum is a mesh head, this pad responds more realistically than the toms. Ideally, all pads would be mesh heads, but for that you have to upgrade to the Roland TD-07DMK .
Hihat and Kick Pedal
The kick and hi-hat pedals feel stable and can easily be connected to the module with the supplied cables.
One of the components that causes noise pollution in an electronic drum kit are the pedals. Because they are so quiet, you do not have to worry about your (downstairs) neighbors or other housemates.
The hihat is accurate and the bass drum plays quite realistically, but doesn't give the rebound that a kick pedal would give.
Clips for the Cords
One thing that can irritate me personally about electronic drum kits is the visibility of hanging cables. This can be solved with velcro strips, but Roland has taken this into account by supplying clips with which you can hide the cables. This makes your kit look much neater!
What alternatives are there?
If the Roland TD-02KV isn't quite your kind of drum kit, perhaps because of the price, there are a number of alternatives you can consider.
Roland TD-02KV
A more budget friendly version of the Roland TD-02KV is the Roland TD-02K . The kits are the same, except that the Roland TD-02K does not have a mesh head snare pad, but a rubber snare pad.
The rack of the TD-02K is slightly different; it has three legs instead of four. The kit therefore has slightly less support points, but is still quite stable on the ground.
Alesis Nitro Max
The Alesis Nitro Max is a popular 8-piece electronic drum kit with mesh heads and Bluetooth. The kit is slightly cheaper than the Roland TD-02KV and features a real kick pedal.
You also get 32 different kits with the Alesis Nitro Max, while the Roland kit only has 16. So the Nitro Max has more specifications, but you lose some quality.
A review of the Alesis Nitro Max read here.
Conclusion
All in all I am very impressed with the Roland TD-02KV. Especially the firmness and the high quality sounds appeal to me.
Another strong point is the silence of the pedals, so you can be sure that you can practice undisturbed.
The material is of sturdy quality and can certainly withstand a knock. The extra horizontal bar in the middle also makes the rack extra sturdy.
What disappointed me was the limited ability to position the cymbals differently. Also the module is limited in functions and is Bluetooth not integrated in the module as standard.
The Roland TD-02KV is a drum kit designed for drummers who are looking for quality and are less concerned with a library of hundreds of sounds or advanced features.
Roland clearly puts quality over quantity and that is something you notice immediately with this kit. If you want to go for quality, look no further!
