The TD-07 is an entry-level electronic drum kit, sitting above the compact TD-02 and below the more fully-featured TD-07 in the Roland range. Due to it’s modest price point, the TD-07 may be a first electronic drum kit, whether you already have an acoustic kit and need something to practise at home on, or are brand new to drumming in general.
In this review, we’ll take a look at the pros and cons of this kit, which versions you should consider, and what alternatives there are to this kit.
TD-07: Review Summary
Summary
Drummers on a budget should consider the low-end TD-07DMK which offers an affordable route into the Roland brand. If you have more to spend, consider the TD-07KVX for it’s free-floating hi-hat.
Roland TD-07 module pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
| The cheapest way to get a dependable Roland kit with mesh heads all around | No real expandability as the module lacks additional trigger inputs |
| Bluetooth support & built-in USB audio interface | No master audio-out, only a headphone out. This kit is for solo practice only |
| The cheapest way to get a free-floating hi-hat on a Roland drum kit | No SD card slot, meaning no support for one-shot samples to customise your drum sounds |
- Roland TD-07 module pros and cons
- When did the Roland TD-07 come out?
- Is the TD-07 a good electronic drum kit?
- Which version of the TD-07 should you buy?
- How can I get a good deal on a Roland TD-07 kit?
- Does the Roland TD-07 sound good?
- How do I make my Roland drums sound better?
- Is the Roland TD-07 expandable?
- Does the Roland TD-07KV come with a kick pedal?
- How do I connect my TD-07 to an amp?
- FAQs
- Verdict: A solid first electronic drum kit
When did the Roland TD-07 come out?
The TD-07 was released in October 2020 in the form of the TD-07KV, with four additional configurations becoming available in July 2021 – the TD-07DMK, TD-07KX and TD-07KVX versions.
Is the TD-07 a good electronic drum kit?
The TD-07 replaces the low-end TD-17K-L, a stripped-down TD-17 that didn’t support Bluetooth and came with rubber tom pads instead of mesh. All configurations of the TD-07 are improved over the TD-17K-L, in that they all feature mesh heads across the snare and toms and adding Bluetooth support.
Conversely, Roland has made savings in other areas. The TD-07 is a cut-down version of the TD-17 module, dropping the SD card and one-shot sample support, losing the extra trigger inputs, less drum sounds to choose from for your kit presets, and no master output – a single ⅛ inch (3.5mm) headphone-out only.
While these losses are disappointing, this trade-off makes sense for drummers who just want a simple kit to practise at home on. It means even drummers on a low budget can buy a kit with quality mesh heads that feel way more realistic than rubber.
This means the TD-07 could be a great option for beginners who want to learn on an electronic kit that feels realistic to play on, or for drummers who’d rather spend their hard-earned money on their acoustic kit and just need a quiet practice tool for at home.
Which version of the TD-07 should you buy?
All TD-07 kits feature the same basic rack set up, mesh drum pads and TD-07 module. As you go up the range, certain drum and cymbal pads are swapped out for higher-end parts.
If you’re on a budget or new to drumming, my recommendation is to go for the TD-07DMK. This kit is a clear step up over the sort of kits available from other manufacturers at the low end – the difference is like going from a toy drum kit to a real musical instrument. Roland has a reputation for long-lasting, dependable hardware, so it’s worth investing in the slight premium.
However, if you can afford it, I would recommend stepping up to the TD-07KVX, skipping the models in between. This is because I place a lot of value in the VH-10 floating hi-hat that comes with the KVX, which in my opinion, represents a huge improvement in realism compared to the static hi-hat found on lesser models. If you’re also considering a TD-17 kit such as the base TD-17KV, I would even recommend the TD-07KVX over that just to get the improved hi-hat, so long as you’re happy with the more limited TD-07 module.
TD-07DMK
The TD-07DMK is the entry-level kit in the range, and the most compact, thanks to the use of smaller pads. Drum pads are covered by a PDX-8 snare (8” playing surface and 10” rim) and three PDX-6A toms (6.5” playing surface and 8” rim). All drum pads are dual zone. All three cymbal pads are the CY-5 model, a 10-inch pad with an offset mounting hole to maximise the size of the playing surface, with bow and edge triggering.
This kit does not use a traditional kick trigger tower as on most eDrums. Instead the bass drum trigger attaches directly to one of the legs of the stand, which a traditional drum pedal is mounted to (not included in the package). This results in a very compact set up, which Roland says is suitable for drummers who need to move their kit around frequently. If you’re a double bass drum player, good news – the trigger is wide enough to work with double pedals.
The DMK version of the TD-07 is the cheapest way to get a full mesh drum kit from Roland, upgrading on the cheaper TD-02 which either features all-rubber pads or just a single mesh snare pad.
TD-07KV
The KV adds upgraded cymbal pads and a kick drum tower. While the Hi-hat remains a CY-5 pad, the crash and ride are upgraded to a pair of CY-8 pads, a 12-inch pad with a more realistic swinging motion than the smaller CY-5. The bass drum tower meanwhile is a KD-10 and is used on most Roland kits up to the TD-27.
All in all, the KV does not add any major additional features – if you’re on a budget, it may be best to stick with the DMK version. The cymbals for example, while larger, don’t add any major additions over the DMK, and still don’t quite look like real cymbals. If you can afford the KV model, you should base the decision on whether you prefer the feel of the kick drum tower over the simpler trigger on the DMK.
TD-07KX
The KX offers a better value proposition than the KV. Along with all the upgrades of that kit, a second crash is added in the form of another CY-8, plus larger drum pads all round. The toms are all upgraded to PDX-8 pads (8” playing surface and 10” rims), while the snare is upgraded to a PDX-12, a 12-inch pad with 12-inch playing surface.
This kit is a better option than the KV in my opinion. The larger pads bring the kit closer in feel to an acoustic drum kit. The snare drum in particular is a welcome addition. As an owner of a kit that came with a PDX-8 snare, there is a clear advantage opting for a larger snare. The small 10-inch rim on the lower-level kits in the range restrict the angle you can strike the drum at to avoid triggering the rim, so for a realistic experience, it’s a good idea to get the largest snare pad you can afford.
TD-07KVX
The KVX is the top dog in the TD-07 range, with upgraded cymbals all round, and objectively the best version of this kit. In fact, it’s one of the best drum kits in the Roland range.
The most important upgrade on this kit is the free-floating stand-mounted hi-hat, the VH-10. Unlike the CY-5 in other TD-07 models, this hi-hat pad is mounted on a traditional hi-hat stand. The result is a far more realistic feel – the pad moves up and down with the foot pedal, just like a real hi-hat – because it’s set up exactly like a real hi-hat.
This dramatically improves the realism of this kit, adding to the immersion and making it easier for drummers to transfer between an electronic and acoustic kit. If you can afford it, I’d always recommend getting an electronic kit with a free-floating hi-hat vs one without.
One thing to remember though, is that just like other kits with the VH-10, you’ll need to provide your own hi-hat stand.
The other upgrades on this kit are the crash and ride cymbals, which are upgraded to the CY-12C and CY-13R pads, which are shaped like real cymbals. Surprisingly, the KVX only comes with one crash instead of two like on the KX, but there’s a good reason for this.
Lesser TD-07 models come with dual-zone ride cymbal pads, which feature a playable bow and edge area. However, the CY-13R on the KVX is a triple-zone cymbal, meaning you can play the bow, edge and bell zones, as you would on an acoustic ride.
For this to work, the ride pad needs to be plugged in with two cables, meaning a second crash cymbal is not supported on this model, due to the limited number of inputs. However, it’s a worthy compromise to get a more realistic ride cymbal experience, and in any case, having a single crash cymbal is the standard basic configuration for a drum kit.
How can I get a good deal on a Roland TD-07 kit?
If you’re shopping for a Roland drum kit, you’ll probably notice that all retailers advertise them for almost the exact same price. This is because Roland maintains strict control over pricing, which may be to help protect the brand from being devalued due to heavy discounting.
Fortunately though, there is a way to get a good deal on a Roland kit. Retailers get around the fixed pricing by offering Roland kit bundles, for example throwing in a kick pedal, drum stool, headphones, and even a pair of sticks. These bundles are useful for beginners as you can get everything you need to get started with drumming.
Here are my top tips for finding a good Roland drum kit bundle:
- Check the price of all included accessories when sold separately, so you can compare the value of the free accessories from one bundle against another
- Check reviews for included products to ensure they are high quality
- Remember that it’s only a good deal if you’re getting free items that you would have bought anyway
Does the Roland TD-07 sound good?
The TD-07 sound module is about as good as you can expect from a budget drum module, and relatively comparable to Roland’s higher-end kits available around 10 years ago. Whether or not the sounds are good is subjective, so the best way to decide is by listening to sound samples. Below, you can hear all the onboard sound samples, courtesy of DrumTec.
How do I make my Roland drums sound better?
Budget drum kits typically don’t set the world alight when it comes to the quality of the drum sounds generated by their modules, and the TD-07 is no exception. But you don’t need to invest in a higher end kit like the TD-27, TD-50, or even the Pearl Mimic Pro to get a realistic sounding electronic kit. If you already have a Mac or PC, you can make your kit sound more realistic with a piece of software called a VST drum library.
Examples of VST drum libraries include EZdrummer, Superior Drummer, Steven Slate Drums and Get Good Drums. These apps effectively take the MIDI signals from your drum kit via the USB connection and, using your computer, replace those sounds with high-quality samples from real drum recordings.
Learn how to make your eDrums sound more real with our guide on VST drum software.
Is the Roland TD-07 expandable?
The TD-07 module does not feature any additional trigger inputs beyond those available via the standard Roland cable snake. The cable snake is a multi-core cable that connects to the drum module via an old-school printer connector, which breaks out into multiple cables with standard ⅛ inch jacks, which can be connected to your drum pads.
That means if you have a TD-07 configuration that came with a single crash, you will have one unused trigger input that can be used for an additional pad. This cable is labelled as ‘CR2’ and is specifically designed for use with a cymbal pad.
If you already have two crashes, that trigger input is already in use, and you are unable to connect another drum pad to your module.
The CR2 input can be used in two ways – either adding a second crash, or upgrading your ride cymbal to one that supports three zones, so you can trigger edge, bow and bell sounds.
After plugging in a cymbal pad, you need to set up the pad in the module using the following steps:
- On the TD-07 module, press the ‘setup’ button
- Select ‘PAD’ and press the ‘ENTER’ key
- Select ‘CR2Usage’
- If you’ve plugged in a crash cymbal pad, select ‘CR2’. Alternatively, if you’ve plugged in a 3-zone ride, choose ‘RDB’, which allows you to plug in the cable to the RDB input on your ride
- Press ‘EXIT’ to save the settings.
Does the Roland TD-07KV come with a kick pedal?
As with all TD-07 sets, the TD-07KV does not come with a kick pedal. This is standard for eDrums, with drummers expected to provide their own bass pedal. The reason is that there’s a huge range of different kick pedals out there, and drummers will usually have a preference. Instead of providing a pedal with the kit that won’t get used and bumping up the price, Roland lets drummers choose their own.
If you’re after a new double pedal for your kit, check out our guide.
How do I connect my TD-07 to an amp?
The TD-07 can be connected to an amp via the ⅛-inch (3.5mm) headphone/output port on the top. If your monitor has a 3.5mm input, then you can use a stereo 3.5 to 3.5mm cable. Some amps only have twin ⅛-inch inputs, so you’ll need a 3.5mm to stereo ⅛-inch cable.
FAQs
Verdict: A solid first electronic drum kit
The TD-07 is a good option for beginners who are new to electronic drums as well as drumming in general. The kit’s main strengths are the quality drum and cymbal pads that it comes with, which, based on Roland’s track record, will offer dependable service for years to come.
The main downside of this kit is the lack of expandability, with no scope for adding extra drum or cymbal pads. However, for drummers needing an affordable kit to practise on, this is a reasonable compromise. Not everyone needs a monster drum kit – all the TD-07 configurations come with enough for learning on or for solo practise.
If you’re set on a Roland kit, at the lower end it’s worth comparing the TD-07DMK with the new TD-02 range if you’d prefer a more compact eDrum kit (related: how much space does an eDrumkit need?), or at the higher end, consider if you’d benefit from the increased expandability and customisation offered by the TD-17.
Photo credits: Roland
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