Monday, November 28, 2011

VDrums : Friend or Foe? - Gigging with a VDrum TD20

Hello, my name is Chris B. Olds, I’m a Pro drummer on an Indie tour right now with my own Band, Buddhahead Groove Faktory. http://reverbnation.com/buddhahead - I’ve been on Tour on and off for the last 25 years, most recently with the Jonathan McEuen Band. I purchased a Roland VDrum set, so I’ve been using this TD20 for a couple of years now and I don’t mind sharing the experience...which has been pretty great so far! Yes there have been a couple of times I was concerned..like “Holy S*** what if the electronics fail !! “ and ..Well that honestly is a possibility, even so, I try and keep my mind on more constructive thoughts in general...( hoping I can afford a backup brain soon.. )

Here is one example, I was playing a show outdoors last summer and I found out a big no no for this platform...The Sun, or Direct Sunlight. No good, the LCD Display started failing and I could not tell if that was all that started to go. So make sure you have plenty of shade or throw something over it if you Must Play in the Direct Sun for a Show.

Additionally, Moving this VDrum kit seems to be OK, I have it down to a science now as I did with my Traditional Drum Kit for 35 yrs...so now, it’s just a little change of my system, and blammo...50 Drum kits in one. That’s what comes with this drum set from the Factory but it looks like there is room for 100. I have not had time to customise or custom program anything...yet.

So there they are... a couple of key points that I love about this kit, the portability and the versatility. The cymbal and or hi hat action is the only serious detractor I can think of really. I like my Master Sound Zildjian Hats and these things do not even come close to the kind of response I need from my hats. So I live with it...seriously, I paid a lot of money for this bad boy and I love all the benefits of owning a Roland VDrum TD20...and I would recommend it to anyone considering buying an electronic drum set.

I’ll be back soon with an update on the VDrum kit and some thoughts on Recording Art and working in the studio with the VDrums. 


Thanks to Chris Olds for becoming Percussion and Drum Stuff's first guest blogger. Contact me if you are interested in writing or sharing an article with us.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Something I Can Feel - MORO

Introducing MoRo… The four piece London band releasing their debut album, Slow River, on 5th December 2011. Written and produced by themselves with the help of engineer Mo Hausler (U2, Lily Allen) and mixer Adrian Hall (Alicia Keys, Sinead O'Connor).


Slow River, is a collection of 10 songs that draws inspiration from old soul and motown, but it's a record that never loses the energy of a young rock-n-roll band enjoying their music. Have a listen, check out some live videos and ink Dec 5th in your calender...

Here's my favorite song by MoRo. I'm totally digging in the drum work!

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from Percussion and Drum Stuff blog!

It's amazing isn't it? The holiday season is upon us! Oh, how time flies. Soon it'll be time for some indoor drumline shows. Until then it's time to start thinking about what's on your shopping list. The easiest way to avoid all the inconveniences of holiday shopping lines and crowds is to order your gifts online. But what does this have to do with this blog? Well, why not help support this site and get your holiday shopping done at the same time? I would really appreciate it if you can help support this site by using our Amazon.com search box. It's simple to use: just type the name of the product you are looking for in the Amazon.com search box and it will automatically take you to the Amazon website of the product. Simply order the gift as normal and a (tiny) fraction of what you spend will go to this site. Thanks!

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Drum Up Some Excitement with The Epcot Jammin' Chefs

I found another video of a Disney drumming group today. While the Epcot JAMMitors are world-famous for their percussive tunes on trash cans, the Jammin’ Chefs utilize kitchen utensils, ovens, pots and pans to serve up some palate-pleasing percussion. After awhile it starts to sound like pounding to me but it would still be a fun group to be a part of. The Jammin' Chefs are making an appearance during the final weekend of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. Anyone know how you become a Disney drummer?