Roland - V-Drums VAD 316 Kit

The nice thing about the VAD316 is the structure of the kit itself: 5 drums and 4 cymbals, mounted on sturdy chrome legs, enough to set you up just like on a classic acoustic drum kit. When you sat behind it, the space felt natural and you found your bearings immediately.

This electronic drum kit is also distinguished by its V31 module, a small control unit with the same sound engine as the flagship models in the 700 series. You'd hit a rimshot and you could already feel that the response wasn't dragging: the feel remained clear, the resonance breathed and you had the impression of having a real drum vibrating under the sticks.

When you explore the preloaded kits, you find the iconic sounds of the DW multi-layer recordings, and that changes everything in the game. You felt like the module recognised you, with every nuance coming through, from the most discreet ghost notes to the most violent accents. And if you wanted to go further, you could already download packs from Roland Cloud to vary the pleasures. The library was constantly evolving and opening up new areas, as if you had a bottomless trunk at your fingertips.

Would you have liked to try out the USB digital input to connect a digital snare drum, or perhaps an even more precise hi-hat? The V31 module already made this possible. You could add an extra pad and enrich the expression of your playing, without changing the configuration. The connections were generous: jack inputs, headphone output, audio interface via USB-C, Bluetooth, not forgetting MIDI. Plug in your computer, launch a sequencer, and you've got a complete control centre.

While you worked on your timing, the built-in coaching tools took over. The Time Check corrected your deviations, the Quiet Count helped you feel the tempo, and the Stroke Monitor showed you the regularity of your strokes. Even the Blast Beat Trainer was there for the hardcore players.