Following hot on the heels of last week’s flagship 7 Series TD716 release, Roland has just dropped what might be the best electronic drum set on the market for those wanting to keep the noise down, with two all-new V-Drums Quiet Design VQD106 kits.
The exciting news here (for you and the rest of your household/neighbours) is that Roland claims that the VQD106 delivers “the lowest playing-noise in the history of electronic drum kits” and by that we think it means by anyone. Anywhere. Ever.
The VQD106 uses Roland’s existing TD-07 module, and comes as a five-piece (dual-zone snare, 3x single-zone toms, bass drum) electronic drum set, with hi-hat (including FD-9 hi-hat controller pedal), ride and crash cymbal pads.
What’s more, it’s available as the VQD106PADS setup, which nets you everything we just mentioned except for the module, allowing you to add the V-Drums brain of your choice.
Aimed at drummers looking to reduce the amount of airborne and transferred noise that results from hitting drum pads and operating foot pedals – particularly when played in an upstairs room or apartment – Roland says that the VQD range reduces the pad and pedal noise by 75%.
It does so through a series of technical changes to the pads’ structure and design, in combination with some more familiar features that have been upgraded by Roland. First is the rubber ‘honeycomb’ internal pad design, which absorbs the vibrations caused by the stick impact. This is, of course, topped with a tensionable Roland mesh head covering to maintain authentic stick feel and rebound.
Next up, the PDQ-8S snare and PDQ-8 tom pads are vented to allow air pressure to escape and disperse, rather than creating sound, and in the case of the rim-equipped PDQ-8S snare pad, the rim is covered in a rubber bumper to help keep things quiet.
The noise-busting continues with the KDQ-8 kick drum pad design, which comprises an 8-inch (double pedal-friendly), triple-layered foam playing zone, wrapped in a mesh-style covering. The playing zone is held in suspended frame, largely decoupling it from its housing to reduce vibrations. Add to this the inclusion of the foam-core KDB-Q beater, and you can see how Roland is achieving its “whisper-quiet” performance.
But it doesn’t stop there, because the bass drum and hi-hat controller pedals sit on the NEQ-K and NEQ-H - updated versions of Roland’s Noise Eater platforms which look to eradicate any remaining vibration transfer in order to stop it reaching the floor and structure of your room.
Now, as we discovered in our DWe review, cymbals can also be a culprit when it comes to noise. For the VQD106, Roland has overhauled its cymbal design too. Once again featuring a combination of rubber honeycomb internals and a mesh outer skin, the repetitive pulse of your time-keeping and accents is greatly reduced. We get three CYQ-12 cymbals for use as a ride, crash (offering bow and edge zones in these positions) and hi-hat pad.
The VQD106 and VQD106PADS are available now priced at $1,799 and $1,599 respectively. For more information, head to the Roland website.
