Tech Reviews: New products (March 2023)
Jonathan Savage
Wednesday, March 1, 2023
Dr Jonathan Savage reveals what's new this month.
Roland TD-02K and TD-02KV
Price: From £345
Roland has launched a new entry level V-Drums kit in two variations: the TD-02K and TD-02KV. The only differences between the two models are that the TD-02KV has a mesh head snare-drum and a wider playing layout. If space is a consideration, purchase the TD-02K. If you can afford it, and can spare a little bit more room, I would recommend the mesh head TD-02KV. Both models benefit from a more substantial, height adjustable V-Drums stand. This is a significant improvement on the previous 'Christmas tree' stand found on the TD-1K. Roland V-Drums are world leading in terms of playability and construction. The TD-02K and KV models offer a great introductory kit for educational contexts that will serve you and your students for many years.
Boss FS-1-WL
Price: £112
Boss has launched a new Bluetooth-driven wireless footswitch. Ultra-compact and fully customizable, it is a hands-free device that you can use to control digital music score apps, YouTube videos, DAWs, and supported BOSS and Roland gear wirelessly over Bluetooth. You can also connect a MIDI cable to operate multi-effect processors, pedals, and other hardware. Whilst it is designed with guitarists in mind, the wireless footswitch will have plenty of other applications. Using it to turn pages in digital music scores, moving the page backwards or forwards as you practice or perform is particularly handy. The FS-1-WL can also be used to control features of any DAW music software, with extensive MIDI capabilities for those who want more advanced options.
boss.info/global/products/fs-1-wl
Percussion Tutor
Price: £8.99
For anybody wanting a percussion encyclopaedia of sorts, look no further than this app available on Android and iOS devices. Featuring over 80 different rhythms and 50 instruments from across the world, it can really get into detailed learning. You can slow down or speed up the recordings of the rhythms, with and without a metronome to aid the practice. Many of the rhythms have an accompanying video that shows great players demonstrating these. There is also a free book on offer whether you buy the app or not, and this has all the rhythms in written form. However, given the folkloric nature of these rhythms and the limitations in standard notation, hearing and watching the rhythms being performed is essential and well worth the £8.99.
ChordChord
Price: Free
ChordChord is a smart chord progression generator. It is easy to interact with and achieve surprisingly good results, both in terms of musical chord progressions and sound quality of the instruments. You are able to choose from a good selection of free sounds to play your chord sequence, and upgrading to platinum unlocks some other features and more instruments. There is some nice attention to detail here, with Roman numerals used alongside chord symbols, and options to regenerate different voicings. When you've had your fun online, you can also export your progression as a PDF, MP3, WAV or MID file. This is great for sharing with other people, or for working on in another music production environment.