Celebrate 100 issues of Drummer Magazine with Chad Smith. 

Take a look at Drummer’s behind the scenes images and interview preview with the big man from the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ recent UK gig at the O2 in London. 

Full interview within Issue 100 of Drummer, plus all the Tech Talk with Chad’s drum tech, Chris Warren. 

Available in store from Friday 27th January or pre order yours online!

Buy this issue now - £ 5.00

including postage

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This issue £ 4.25 or 1 Year subscription £ 20.00

Digital Edition

Chad Smith photoshoot at the O2 London.

Video previewing some of the forthcoming videos from Jules' interview with Chad Smith from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Chris Warren, Chad's Drum tech.

Find out more about the 100th issue of Drummer magazine

ROLAND ANNOUNCES NEW HD-3 V-DRUMS LITE 

High Performance, Affordable V-Drums for Everyone

Roland is pleased to introduce the new HD-3 V-Drums® Lite, an updated version of the popular entry-level HD-1 set. The HD-3 offers enhanced playability and features, while retaining the compact, stylish design, sound quality, and ease of use that made its predecessor such a huge hit. 

Roland created the V-Drums Lite for those who may not have the space or budget for a full-size V-Drums kit. Based on the same technology that made V-Drums the world’s most popular electronic drums, the HD-3 offers a compact and affordable solution for students, hobbyists, project studios, and anyone that wants to have fun playing the drums. 

Stylish and compact, the HD-3 is perfect for family music spaces, schools, studios, offices, and more. All of the set’s components are mounted on a single stand for easy setup and transport, and assembly is easy using just a screwdriver a standard drum key (both included). 

The HD-3 is incredibly quiet, thanks to the beater-less kick pedal, cushioned tom pads, and mesh-head snare. When monitoring with headphones, apartment dwellers and drum students can rock out any time without bothering neighbours and family members.

Other developments include cloth-head toms for an improved playing feel over the previous rubber design, as well as new dual-trigger snare and crash/ride pads. Users can now enjoy greater expression by playing rim shots on the snare, triggering edge sounds on the crash/ride, and choking crash/ride sounds by grabbing the cymbal. The kick pedal has also been enhanced for improved playability and lower-noise performance.

The updated sound module in the HD-3 includes 20 new drum kits with dedicated select buttons, along with a 16x2 character backlit LCD, with an enhanced metronome with a wider tempo range and variable sounds. The HD-3 is equipped with an input for connecting an external music player, so users can jam with their favourite songs and control the blend of music and live drumming through headphones or an amplifier.

The optional PM-03 Personal Drum Monitor is the perfect companion to the HD-3. This space-saving 2.1 monitor delivers multi-dimensional, full-range sound, from thunderous lows to sparkling highs.

The HD-3 V-Drums Lite will be available in February 2012.  For more information, visit www.RolandConnect.com.

ROLAND INTRODUCES DT-1 V-DRUMS TUTOR 

Interactive Learning Software for All V-Drums Users

Roland is proud to announce the DT-1 V-Drums® Tutor, a new drum lesson software application for all V-Drums users. Building on the success of the DT-HD1 software for the entry-level HD-1 V-Drums Lite, the DT-1 V-Drums Tutor offers integration with all V-Drums kits, expanded tutorials, Windows/Mac compatibility, and more. 

The DT-1 V-Drums Tutor uses both “game style” and drum notation screens to teach introductory drum patterns and techniques in a fun and easy manner. The software integrates seamlessly with any V-Drums kit via a simple USB-MIDI connection. 

Included are 57 basic drum patterns with rudiment exercises for developing drumming skills, as well as 60 full-band songs with a “minus drums” feature for play-along enjoyment. In addition, users can load their favourite SMF songs and jam along.

In the Game screen, drummers play along with falling blocks to obtain high scores, which helps develop timing accuracy in a fun, interactive way. 

In the Notation screen, a bouncing ball guides players through the patterns and demonstrates which pads to play and which hands to use when playing fills. Accuracy is indicated by colourful x and o markings, which assists in improving timing skills. The Dynamic Bar Graph helps develop evenness between the hands by displaying stroke balance visually. 

The DT-1 also allows drummers to slow down or speed up tempos, repeat sections, and select specific pads for playback to help them learn more difficult patterns. The software is compatible with Windows (XP/Vista/7) and Mac OS X (10.xx and later).

The DT-1 V-Drums Tutor will be available in April 2012.

For more information, visit www.RolandConnect.com

ROLAND ANNOUNCES TD-30KV AND TD-30K V-PRO SERIES V-DRUMS

New Flagship V-Drums with SuperNATURAL Sounds?

Roland is pleased to announce the TD-30KV and TD-30K V-Pro Series V-Drums, the new flagship kits in its industry-leading lineup of V-Drums electronic percussion. Featuring SuperNATURAL sounds with Behaviour Modelling technology, improved V-Hi-Hat and V-Pads, and many more enhancements, the TD-30KV and TD-30K kits offer serious players the ultimate V-Drums experience for stage, studio, and beyond.  

V-Drums have long been recognised as the world’s most natural playing and expressive electronic drums, thanks to patented mesh-head pads, advanced triggering, and a sound engine driven by Roland’s COSM modelling technology. Now, the TD-30KV and TD-30K kits add in SuperNATURAL sounds and advanced Behaviour Modelling resulting in an instrument that reacts and responds to all the subtleties, nuances and dynamics of a drummer’s technique.  First developed for Roland’s synthesizers and pianos, these leading-edge technologies deliver a quantum leap in realism in both sound and expression for digitally emulating drums, percussion, and other traditional instruments. 

At the core of the TD-30KV and TD-30K kits is the TD-30 module. It’s loaded with brand-new sounds produced by the SuperNATURAL engine and Behaviour Modelling, including an ultra-realistic ambience feature that emulates overhead mics and room sounds. There are 1,100 instruments and 100 drum kits onboard the TD-30 and they are all user- programmable for creating customised settings and kits.

The TD-30 features the familiar, intuitive V-Drums V-Edit interface, and includes metallic parts on the panel to enhance visibility in low lighting. The rear panel is stocked with trigger inputs for the pads, along with multiple audio outputs and MIDI I/O. Two different USB ports allow users to play audio files from convenient flash media, as well as connect directly to computers for MIDI over USB.     

Designed as the ultimate V-Drums stage kit, the TD-30KV offers unprecedented playability with enhanced pads and cymbals, as well as a striking onstage presence with new Black Chrome shell wraps. The snare and four tom V-Pads (PD-128S-BC; PD-128-BC x 2; and PD-108-BC x 2) feature updated rim sensors for ultra-accurate dynamics detection and rim shot depth, while a new V-Hi-Hat (VH-13-MG) brings high-resolution sensing for improved playability. The VH-13-MG, along with the CY-14C-MG and CY-15R-SV V-Cymbals, come in an attractive new metallic grey finish. Rounding out the TD-30KV is the KD-140-BC V-Kick and MDS-25 chrome-finish drum rack.

Equipped with standard pad components, the TD-30K gives drummers a pro-level recording set with the expressiveness of the new TD-30 sound module. The kit’s three toms feature the new PDX-100 V-Pad, which offers a 10-inch mesh head with a shiny metal hoop, vertical and horizontal mounting options, and a lightweight yet durable design. Other components include the KD-120BK V-Kick, PD-125BK 

V-Pad for the snare, VH-11 V-Hi-Hat, CY-12C, CY-13R, and CY-15R V-Cymbals and the new MDS-12V drum rack, which includes an internal cable management system for a clean, professional look. 

The TD-30KV and TD-30K V-Pro Series V-Drums will be available in April 2012. For more information, visit www.RolandConnect.com.