Vdrums v/s ddrums

[theo]

I have owned a v-session kit/v-cymbals/TDW-1 for two years. Now eversince I have read about the ddrums4 SE I have doubts whether I have made the right choice in regards to my Vdrums. You see, I was never satisfied with the originality of the Vdrum sounds in comparison to an acoustic kit. But then, I thought that was the best there was in electronic percussions.
Does the Vdrums have positional sensing as the ddrums.
Could you please tell me the pros and cons between the two.

[Boingo]

Re: Vdrums v/s ddrums

Originally posted by theo
I have owned a v-session kit/v-cymbals/TDW-1 for two years. Now eversince I have read about the ddrums4 SE I have doubts whether I have made the right choice in regards to my Vdrums. You see, I was never satisfied with the originality of the Vdrum sounds in comparison to an acoustic kit. But then, I thought that was the best there was in electronic percussions.
Does the Vdrums have positional sensing as the ddrums.
Could you please tell me the pros and cons between the two.

1) I'm puzzled that you have had a V-Session WITH TDW-1 for 2 yrs and are asking about positional sensing. Of course it does. Maybe you asked your question backwards?

2) If you have had either ddrums or vdrums for 2 yrs, you have had more than enough time to pick out every flaw and nuance to make you wonder if there's something better. I doubt it would make any difference if you bought the ddrums 2 yrs ago. In addition people are people. They always want newer, bigger and better. It's very rare to buy anything and be completely satisfied for a long period of time.

3) I never played ddrums so all I can do is go by other posts on this board. Do a search and you should have a weeks worth of reading on the subject. Perhaps some other kind soul can take the time to go over it again.

[snared]

I have played the ddrum4 SE. It sounds amazing. I have a Hart Giga Pro kit with the TD-10 module. Both modules are good. They both have pros and cons. Only you can decide which one suits your needs. Right now, I am in the middle of the same type of situation. I am trying to decide if I want to get the TDW-1 and the V-cymbals, or get the ddrum4 SE. I have several things to consider as part of my own needs/taste. I want more than just 10 inputs, better sound samples, quieter pads, etc. So, based on that I am weighing the pros and cons of each. I am also weighing the cost of both options. For most people cost is a big issue, sometimes more important than the performance of the instrument. I do not want cost to be an issue, so I have even more things to consider, such as: how long it will take to have all the pieces I want in my kit, ultimately, if it even makes sense to wait as long as it will take if there will be something newer, bigger, better in before I can finish my kit.

[sepdrums]

Ok, I need to get flamed so I am going to spew about the ddrums....

1.) Positional sensing on the Ddrum SE pads - no. None. There is still positional sensing on the Cast Precision pads. However with ddrum (flames are building up) the positional sensing issue on SE pads is almost neglegable....those who have played them know what I mean.

2.) Vdrum sounds - processed. No question about it...some love them, some hate them...

3.) Ddrum sounds - raw samples. Some love them, some hate them. (neutral, eh)

Why is Vdrum known world wide, in every chain music store in every town? Marketing power and the "Roland Police".
If the Roland Police find any other edrum kit on the floor of their vendors, they come into the store with a search warrant, a warden, and a SWAT team. They evacuate the store and take the management into custody. The violating edrum kits are removed and pubically burned in the street in the front of the store. The remaining inventory at the store is taken for holding at the Roland compound hidden deep within the Rocky mountains. The management team is beaten and tortured, some never make it back. Those who do are usually doomed to live their lives under the constant fear that the RP's are watching. They are bugged and tagged. One more mistake and they are taken and made to work as a Roland sales rep for Indonesia. The sales associates are forced to watch the beatings. This psychological abuse assures that no other edrum kit will touch the floor at any store they work in...

So smaller companies like ddrum, pintech, hart, etc. are not able to get the floor space to get them going on the bandwagon...

Erik

[DJourg]

You may want to check out vdrums.com's sister site, ddrums.com.

[vdrumatic]

Eric, you're a pisser!

[snared]

I know what you mean about the positional sensing of the ddrum, Erik. What is up with that anyway? I really just like the cymbal samples and the HH the best. Maybe I will put together a monster Roland/ddrum hybrid kit. I dunno.

[GRRAVEE]

you would'nt happen to know where in colorado would ya erik?

[sepdrums]

I certainly do Gravee....but I wouldnt dare tell.... I value my way of life.

Erik

[theo]

Vdrums Expansion card

Thanks Guys. The thing is that I am not a drummer at all but they just facinate me thats why I purchased this kit. They say the positional sensing is only for input 2 and input 10 on the TD10 but my snare does not seem to give me the positional sensing. I went through the manual and it says maybe I have to adjust the tension of the head.
Do u have any idea if I can update my TDW-1 to TDW-1 with V-cymbals or do I have to buy a new card?
There's one thing about the HH on the TD10. How do I get positional sensing especially the bell of the HH. Does it happen if u have the TDW-1 with V-Cymbals?

[theo]

Thanks for the info jude but my Roland dealers ar not very competent so if you please let me know on how to upgrade my TDW-1 or give me a contact.

[SimZ]

Vdrum sounds

I have yet to actually demo a Ddrum kit. I used my Vdrums with a reggae band and they did a fine job. I was playing some blues for a while and used strictly acoustic, but I'm now in a R&B/Dance/Funk band and it looks like though I've been practicing with the acoustics, it's time to break out the V's again. I've never played some of these dance tunes before and the recordings often use drum machines or very processed samples. It will be interesting to see if we can pull off this music effectively.

Does anyone here trigger their acoustics with a Roland brain? If so, how well does it work and which triggers do you recommend?

Sim

[sepdrums]

sim - I have one on the floor.....
Let me know if you want to make a road trip to western pa.

erik
sep

[SimZ]

Thanks. I may do that, though it is a bit of a hike for me. Also, I never heard back from you about the replacement beater. Perhaps it wasn't available?

Sim

[darrenmc]

Originally posted by c. jude


Debates about the advantages of this setup or that are huge archives. It comes down to personal taste, circumstances, budget and knowing as much as you can about each. The best advice you will likely come across is try everything before you buy.

As for the ddrumSE vs. Session query in general. I have an asbestos suit on. The ddrum does have better (more faithful acoustic) sounds. The Megakits (sampled kits of a few notable drummers) are particularly nice. The triggering is fine too. The memory in the module is very limited, so you won't hold tons of kits, and there are no bells and whistles. You get the 10 inputs they list and that's it. The clear advantage is if you prefer those types of sounds....

Nice post, Chris. That's probably the definitive "ddrum vs. Roland" analysis that I've seen. I just spent four hours at drumbalaya's Secret Underground Lair in Seattle playing the Hart Pros with a TD-8 and the ddrum (the Hart/ddrum combination was the BEST sounding/triggering edrum rig I've ever played... the snare in particular was astonishing). I agree completely with your assessment of the relative merits of the two (so I won't be buying either one of them )

Darren