“I tested the new Roland HD-1 at the X-MUSIC store near the Red Cow roundabout in Dublin. I played a really cheap electronic kit once before, but the new Roland is way better than that. In fact it’s really an ideal electronic drumkit for somebody like myself who lives in an apartment, where you can’t really play a full set of drums yet you want to practice something or even learn some new songs. The HD-1 comes with a DVD set-up guide and there’s a basic drum class with it.

When I first sat down to play the kit I didn’t have to do as much to make myself comfortable as I would normally with my own full kit. It’s easy to move the main parts, say the snare or the cymbals, around to suit your own needs.
If you were sitting beside me while I was playing it, the noise you’d hear would be the same as if I was just playing something like a packing case, but the drummer uses headphones so he himself can hear what he’s playing. You have complete control of the volume level, using the volume knob and the headphones. The HD-1 is also equipped with an external input for connecting CD players and iPods to it, so it’s great for playing along to tracks you like or that need to learn.
The kit doesn’t actually have a beater for the kick drum as such, but it has a kick pedal. It has a hi-hat component and cushioned toms and snare, so – to all intents and purposes – it’s like playing a normal kit. It’s very cleverly designed in that sense. I think it would be fine for playing any kind of music, although a heavy metal drummer might feel it doesn’t have the array of toms that metal drummers like to have. I’m sure it’s very durable – as long as you take proper care of it! – but I certainly wouldn’t recommend trying out any Keith Moon stuff with it!
Some people would use Roland HD-1 for recording purposes, and it can be incorporated into a live kit, but for me it’s perfect for practicing on – as it would be for anyone learning the basics. It has a metronome you can plug in too. It’s fairly small and compact, so you can easily carry it about from place to place. In fact it’s small enough to pack away in a drawer in your home, so you can make the place look tidy when you have visitors. I never thought I’d see the day!”