I purchased the SPD-30 six months ago as a solution for a digital/analog hybrid kit. Ever since hearing some of the Lee Scratch Perry and King Tubby mixes in my punk days I wanted to replicate those drum-sounds live; the echoes, the reverbs. Up until a few years ago doing so meant laying out a massive amount of cash, and building some kind of custom system. The drummer from Dub Trio, Joe Tomino, has had some success at this. Stewart Copeland's old setup is a classic example of what it took in the past. For all their effectiveness, these systems have consisted primarily in analog processing through microphones and various effects pedals; in other words, complex systems with the potential for massive meltdowns in a live setting. A drummer attempting this sort of thing needs either a tech or a very sympathetic sound-man.
Roland Corp has been developing digital drum systems for some time now, but real integration with an analog kit has been touch and go up until the past few years. There have been attempts by other companies to meet the need, but the results have been less than stellar. Roland is at the forefront of developing this technology (Nord abandoned their ddrum line, and now it's quality is dubious). But there is still room for improvement, as the needs of gigging musicians and not just studio guys are taken into account.
First, the numbers. The SPD-30 is also known as the Octapad, due to the 8 striking surfaces on the unit. Combined with the 4 external instrument inputs, this makes for 12 possible striking surfaces. This is further multiplied by the Layer Settings which provide for triggering secondary instruments depending on the values chosen in the Instrument Settings. So, there are potentially 24 different instruments that could be accessed in any given Kit.
The unit comes with 99 pre-built kits, but given the massive list of instruments (760 at last count, including melodic and pitched instruments) as well as the broad editing parameters for each (8 types) and the 37 built-in effects the potential for sonic creativity is seemingly endless. Drifting around in the SPD, I have bent and twisted some of the instruments into sounds that have no relation to the original. The spectrum of control over each instrument means a muso can create very personal sounds and styles.
The amount of choice is, obviously, quite large. But, for me, I have some very specific sounds in mind, and so although the unit has all these possibilities, what I found is that I use about 1% of what is there. The rest have no interest for me, or have no immediate application for what I'm doing. I appreciate the sounds, but I will not use them. If I didn't know exactly what I was looking for, I would be lost in this machine, probably overwhelmed with the number of choices available; like a European in the American cereal isle.
Spatially, the unit is relatively small (54w x 27d x 9h cm), but when integrated into a kit like mine it seems to take up quite a bit of real-estate. This has been one of the primary challenges, as I like to have a secondary snare in my setup, but I have had to sacrifice that to include the SPD. On a small stage the size can present some strategic difficulties. It is also adds a bit more to a load-in than I would like.
In terms of kinetics, the SPD-30 is a winner. The response time is immeasurable in human terms. The sounds are instantaneous and the sensitivity is user-dictated, so as a player with a light touch, I can get a response that is equal to what I put into it, mirroring the level of my acoustic kit. Although I can't find specs on the bit-rate, the spread of the frequencies extends beyond 20kHz and below 20Hz. This means that my little kick drum can shake Jeeps if necessary and glitchy sounds can fly above the crowd. The sound quality is impeccable.
In terms of the physicality of the pads, they are similar to many practice pads I have used. They provide a comfortable return in the stick without too much initial force. They have a very natural feel, unlike other midi-pads I have tried out. I have had no trouble with isolation issues or cross-talk between the midi pads.
Aesthetically, everything about the unit feels and looks good: the nobs, the buttons, the case, the lights, the LED interface, even the typography. It is a well designed and engineered instrument made for heavy use. Storm-trooper chic comes to mind.
The SPD-30 is also highly expandable. It has four external trigger inputs and a USB-midi port for laptop integration. I use three external triggers, an RT-10K, RT-10s and a PD-9. These three triggers are like nerve endings that provide enhancements to my analog kit. This is the thing that really has me hooked on the digital system. The triggers can be calibrated to match my playing, so they never intrude on my acoustic playing, they provide perfect integration. I love them.
Some Cons
Although the SPD-30 has loop creation and playback capabilities, using these in live performance can be a bit wonky. What the websites don't tell you is that in order to launch any loops without using the LED interface, the Boss FS-5U pedal (sold separately) is required. I bought it and hooked it up after creating some loop phrases. When I press it a secondary LED window pops up that tells me which pad to strike to start the loop. Then, in order to stop the loop I need to press the pedal again and hit 2 pads simultaneously! I have simply given up attempting this kind of thing live. It is great fun in a studio, but in a live context with other musos depending on me the potential for disaster is high. Roland should reconsider how these actions are assigned to the pads and eliminate the necessity of the pedal too.
The built-in effects are high quality. However, the system is built so that only one effect can be applied on a chosen kit. The single effect can be enabled or disabled on each pad, but alternative effects cannot be applied to different pads or instruments in a kit. There is no effects chaining possible. Changing the single effect's parameters is easy as there is a button on the unit interface which brings up the LED screen. Three knobs on the unit provide for tactile control over whatever parameters each effect offers. The level of control varies from effect to effect.
What has developed over my time with the SPD-30 is a neglect of using the 8 pads on the unit itself. The external triggers have satisfied the level of interaction I need with the actual "brain" of the sounds I am making. I am finding that I don't need to use the 8 pads anymore. I simply setup the digital instruments and play. The extent of my interaction with the larger unit has been reduced to scrolling to the next kit, some volume control and effects tweaking.
The absence of an SD card slot means I can't play my own samples, unless I want to hook up my Macbook Pro and trigger stuff in Ableton. That's a "No" to the multiplication of gear. (Roland has added the SD feature to their new Trigger Module 2, nice).
Conclusion
I have no complaints about the quality or technical aspects of the unit; it does what it promises, without glitches or unexpected problems. It is very solid. The issues for me have been making the instrument fit my needs in a live context. At this point it is the best solution, but having something more compact, without the pads, and with the ability to introduce some of my own sounds would be nice. As a mentioned before, Roland has introduced the Trigger Module 2 with the built in SD card slot. Besides being considerably smaller (13w by 13.5d cm), it is a fraction of the price of the SPD-30. One drawback on the newer Module: only two external trigger ports.
Yours in drums,
Chris
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