Hi all - first of all I know we have a thread on this, but it was going in a different direction., so I opted to start anew.
I just demo'd the V-Session at ProSound Center in Bloominton, IL. These are my opinions, so please take them for that alone. Overall I was not very impressed. I can still remember the first time sitting at the VPros and being blown away! These did little for me. Granted it was a store set-up, cheap headphones, one V-Cymbal wasn't even hooked up, and the sales person was a die-hard acoustic fan who didn't have much good to say about edrums.
Pros:
1) New hardware is a big improvement. A plus in the anti-slip area, and broken clamps should be a thing of the past.
2) The new V-Cymbal HiHat played and felt great. The HiHat is a must buy for me!
3) The red looked good. (But I prefer my white and blue VPros).
Cons (my opinions only guys!):
1) Way too expensive, even for VDrums. You can get a good used VPro with extras on EBay for under $3000.
2) Crash/Ride - The 3-zone ride felt and sounded terrible. In fact all the crashes and rides sounded bad. I was getting a lot of mis-triggers, and couldn't get the right bell sounds to work consistentley. I felt very frustrated, even for a drummer. I know it's the same TDW-1 card I have, but did the V-Cymbal upgrade alter some of the sounds and pad responses?? I was not impressed at all with the V-Cymbals (except the HiHat). I finally have my PD-9 ride really smoking, and I have come to enjoy the pads, the feel and rim feature. Call me old, but I really don't have a need (or money) to relearn how to play VCymbals. Plus, I do not want to give up one of my aux inputs. I have both Aux 11/12 in use, and love it the extra flexibility. having a 3-zone ride is just not that important to my playing style. So its a thumbs down for the V-Crash and V-Ride. I will not be sending my TD-10/TDW-1 in for the free upgrade. Why fix something that's not broken?
3) Rack - as I said the new clamps look like an improvement, but I have reservations about the ribbed tubing. I didn't try to loosen a clamp and move it, but if the ribbing makes set-up/tear-down more complicated, then no thanks. The finish looks great new, but I've seen how this type of finish will look after a few years of use, nicks and scratches - not a pretty sight. After 1 1/2 years, my VPro blue finish is still like new - and I move mine 2-3 times a week. And then with the tubing ribs, I see a major dust and dirt collector. The VPro tubes wipe clean in a flash, can't promise the same for the new ribbed tubing.
4) I love my 2 KD-7's, so I really don't have a need for the upright bass. Having the option would have been a nice feature.
5) Not sure the VPro Case will hold all the V-Session gear. At least with the VPro's, Roland provided a quality custom case. My case has proven it's worth over and over again!
6) Sounds - for some reason, the TD-10 with TDW-1 V-Cymbal Control just didn't sound right. I dialed up some kits I use on my VPros, and they were just not the same. Can't really put my finger on it, but something wasn't sounding the way it should. The salesmen didn't want me rebooting the unit, so I don't know if the factory defaults were way off. Most noticeable was the cymbals. I wish I had brought my M512 card in, then I could have made a one-to-one comparision.
All-in-all, the VSession did not motivate or excite me as I thought it would, even after taking into account the poor demo environment. I would recommend the V-HiHat, as it worked like I expected, and it will go a long way for minimizing wrist fatigue and strain. I came home with a better appreciation for my trusted and loyal VPros, and treated them to a couple hours of play-time!
Again, these are my opinions - you need to demo them yourselves, evaluate your pros/cons, and then make an informed desision as to where your $4500 is going. Take the time to reboot the unit, and make sure you have a good set of headphones (bring your own).
Good luck! Tom.
I just demo'd the V-Session at ProSound Center in Bloominton, IL. These are my opinions, so please take them for that alone. Overall I was not very impressed. I can still remember the first time sitting at the VPros and being blown away! These did little for me. Granted it was a store set-up, cheap headphones, one V-Cymbal wasn't even hooked up, and the sales person was a die-hard acoustic fan who didn't have much good to say about edrums.
Pros:
1) New hardware is a big improvement. A plus in the anti-slip area, and broken clamps should be a thing of the past.
2) The new V-Cymbal HiHat played and felt great. The HiHat is a must buy for me!
3) The red looked good. (But I prefer my white and blue VPros).
Cons (my opinions only guys!):
1) Way too expensive, even for VDrums. You can get a good used VPro with extras on EBay for under $3000.
2) Crash/Ride - The 3-zone ride felt and sounded terrible. In fact all the crashes and rides sounded bad. I was getting a lot of mis-triggers, and couldn't get the right bell sounds to work consistentley. I felt very frustrated, even for a drummer. I know it's the same TDW-1 card I have, but did the V-Cymbal upgrade alter some of the sounds and pad responses?? I was not impressed at all with the V-Cymbals (except the HiHat). I finally have my PD-9 ride really smoking, and I have come to enjoy the pads, the feel and rim feature. Call me old, but I really don't have a need (or money) to relearn how to play VCymbals. Plus, I do not want to give up one of my aux inputs. I have both Aux 11/12 in use, and love it the extra flexibility. having a 3-zone ride is just not that important to my playing style. So its a thumbs down for the V-Crash and V-Ride. I will not be sending my TD-10/TDW-1 in for the free upgrade. Why fix something that's not broken?
3) Rack - as I said the new clamps look like an improvement, but I have reservations about the ribbed tubing. I didn't try to loosen a clamp and move it, but if the ribbing makes set-up/tear-down more complicated, then no thanks. The finish looks great new, but I've seen how this type of finish will look after a few years of use, nicks and scratches - not a pretty sight. After 1 1/2 years, my VPro blue finish is still like new - and I move mine 2-3 times a week. And then with the tubing ribs, I see a major dust and dirt collector. The VPro tubes wipe clean in a flash, can't promise the same for the new ribbed tubing.
4) I love my 2 KD-7's, so I really don't have a need for the upright bass. Having the option would have been a nice feature.
5) Not sure the VPro Case will hold all the V-Session gear. At least with the VPro's, Roland provided a quality custom case. My case has proven it's worth over and over again!
6) Sounds - for some reason, the TD-10 with TDW-1 V-Cymbal Control just didn't sound right. I dialed up some kits I use on my VPros, and they were just not the same. Can't really put my finger on it, but something wasn't sounding the way it should. The salesmen didn't want me rebooting the unit, so I don't know if the factory defaults were way off. Most noticeable was the cymbals. I wish I had brought my M512 card in, then I could have made a one-to-one comparision.
All-in-all, the VSession did not motivate or excite me as I thought it would, even after taking into account the poor demo environment. I would recommend the V-HiHat, as it worked like I expected, and it will go a long way for minimizing wrist fatigue and strain. I came home with a better appreciation for my trusted and loyal VPros, and treated them to a couple hours of play-time!
Again, these are my opinions - you need to demo them yourselves, evaluate your pros/cons, and then make an informed desision as to where your $4500 is going. Take the time to reboot the unit, and make sure you have a good set of headphones (bring your own).
Good luck! Tom.
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