Tech review: Roland's VAD716 electronic drum kit

Roland, one of the forerunners in electronic drum kits – and electronic instruments in general – has released its new hybrid kit, the VAD716. At first glance, one could be forgiven for thinking they were looking at an acoustic drum kit. But beneath the wood shells and mesh heads lies a powerful engine of digital functionality.

The store rep who walked me through the features was incredibly knowledgeable and pointed out that he could easily spend the entire day showing me everything the kit could do, a fact which I wholly believe to be true. There are seemingly endless layers of configuration available, from the depth of the shell to virtual dampening, mic placement, EQ, and room selection. This level of control could be appealing to picky players and producers, or perhaps be an interesting tool for understanding how these variables affect the sound of an acoustic kit. But I'm not sure that alone justifies the cost.