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Bobby Kennedy - Roland SPD-S

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 16:21:42 +0000

Roland SPD-S, KD8 & FD8
with Bobby Kennedy - Op Shop

We take a quick moment with noted New Zealand drummer Bobby Kennedy, from the chart topping Kiwi icon band Op Shop, to talk about how he uses the Roland SPD-S Sampling Pad.

Roland SPD-S

My Roland SPD-S has proved invaluable for getting pattern ideas down in hurry when I don't have access to my kit.

"The best part is that I can plug in some headphones and not annoy the neighbours or keep the household awake."

I even use it live. The SPD-S comes with a bunch of great sounding samples but I can expand my sounds even further by hooking it in to my MacBook Pro running my favourite drum samples.

Roland KD8
(showing front and back)
(kick pedal not included)

Roland FD8

If I then add my KD8 Kick Pad controller and my FD8 Hi-hat controller I can get a full kit sound all in a compact set-up.

"I call it "Drumkit-in-a-bag". Its awesome!"

Bobby Kennedy

Editors Note : The KD8 and FD8 simply plug into the reverse of the SPD-S allowing you to assign sounds to the two pedals. Using the 6 pads and 3 edge pads you can then program up your favourite kit. Two feet, two hands - you're all set.

With the onboard sequencer and sampler, you can also record patterns and export them via flash cards, or midi to other devices.

As Bobby says, this literally means that you can have a basic kit in your bag ready to go with in a few minutes.

Ladyhawke - Roland Products

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 16:21:42 +0000

Q: Your debut album was a huge success in both Australia and New Zealand and created waves around the world. What have been some of the highlights of the last couple of years?

A: I spent the last 3 years living in London, which gave me so many opportunities to tour all over UK and Europe. One of my best memories is playing Glastonbury last year, it has blown everything else out of the water. Definitely something I will not soon forget.

Q: You collaborated with a number of different writers on the first album. Has that continued on this record?

A: I’ve toned it down as far as collaborators go for this record. I am working mainly with Pascal Gabriel, who I have been friends with and worked with for 4 years now. We have great song writing chemistry, and intend on producing the entire record together.

Q: You’ve very much worn your influences on your sleeve to date, particularly that 80’s pop sound. Is there anything you’ve been listening to lately that will permeate this record?

A: Nothing out of the ordinary for me, my influences are extremely varied. I have a very broad music collection. This next record is going to sound quite a bit different to the first one. probably closer to the roots of where I come from musically.

Q: You recently added the Roland TD9KX V-Drums kit to your sound arsenal. How has that impacted your writing and recording?

A: It’s been a massive help and addition to the recording process. I’m running the native instruments Abbey Road 60’s drums through it, so I can play live and get the exact sound I want. I love the bounce on the skins too, doing a drum roll on the snare feels pretty close to the real thing. It’s very user friendly as well!

Q: What other Roland and Boss products are you currently using?

A: Some of these are used live and the rest I use in my studio ...

FZ-5

Vintage fuzz through BOSS state-of-the-art COSM® technology.

OC-3

The BOSS OC-3 Super Octave gives guitarists high-quality octave effects with a single stomp.

DD-20

The World’s Most Powerful Delay Pedal in a Twin Pedal format.

TR-2

The classic tremolo sound of vintage amps in a modern compact pedal.

SD-1

A very natural, overdriven tube amp sound.

DS-1

One of the most popular distortions ever made, used by pros everywhere.

RV-5

The RV-5 Digital Reverb offers six of BOSS’ best reverbs in an all-new stereo effects pedal.

BCB-60

The BOSS BCB-60 Pedal Board is a convenient way to set up and transport all your compact effects.

TD-9KX

A touring kit including the TD-9 sound module and upgraded components.

Darren Mathiassen - Sabian

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 16:21:42 +0000


I chose Legacy series cymbals by Sabian. They are the best all round cymbals in my arsenal.. So good in fact, that my sound man went out and bought himself a set! A perfect balance of smokey dark tones and icy shimmer.. They play equally well from large stage to small club gigs.. I never leave home without them.
	Sabian HHX Legacy 14" Hihats - Very responsive pairing delivers clean, crisp stick articulation and solid pedal 'chick', with warm, tonal color.

	Sabian HHX Legacy 17" Crash - With its dark response, this highly responsive model can play loudly but its always musical.

	Sabian HHX Legacy 18" Crash - With its dark response, this highly responsive model can play loudly but its always musical.

	Sabian HHX Legacy 21" Ride - This light, crashable model delivers stick definition, wash, and darkness with an unlathed 'control band' limiting spread.

:: Other Sabian Cymbals in Darren's setup ::
	Sabian’s Signature Fierce crashes are an essential part of my setup, to me they sit somewhere between a crash, china, and an effects cymbal.. They are excellent for riding and crashing.. They also make crispy sounding stacks!


	My Sabian Signature Encore cymbals are dark, dry, and dynamically controlled.. Always an excellent choice for the studio and any environment where I need extra control and articulation... They have a unique and unmistakable sound, and an aesthetically pleasing matte finish.

Darren Mathiassen - Sonor

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 16:21:42 +0000

Darren Mathiassen currently plays for Hollie Smith, Bella Kalolo, The Nok and Iva Lamkum, he also played for Trinity Roots. He is one of the country’s most in demand session and live players, being one New Zealand’s finest talents behind the kit. He took the time to jot down some ideas on the setup he uses, and how he blends traditional acoustic drums of Sonor, the cymbals of Sabian, with some of the latest electric drum kit offerings from Roland. :: Sonor ::

Darren's priced Earth Snare	Sonor’s Artist Series Earth Snare AS1305 is one stonking piece of engineering. It’s like Hummer meets Bugatti. It hits like a freight train, and yet, is super responsive to head selection. The 27 ply shell enables me to take the tension through the roof, or send it through the floor if I need to. The Earth Snare is my main touring snare drum and is guaranteed to cut through any live mix! With the stunning 24 carat gold plated plated hardware and gloss Earth finish, it really stands out on stage!


	The Sonor S-Classix Series ... Most of the shows and recordings I do these days demand a certain retro flavor.. This beautiful kit is the perfect balance between old school and new school. Sonor has hit my sweet spot with this one. With its 5mm 9ply birch shells, and all German construction, It has an open full-spectrum sound that will punch an effervescent Jazz tone, or rain thunder on the parade. S-Classix will never bottom-out with low tuning because Sonor includes their ‘Tune-Safe‘ technology, which turns out to be no minor detail. The tension bolts will not back off in the studio or on the live show. Sonor’s skill and reputation with drum finishes and veneers spearheads the industry. The stunning satin veneers and wraps available in the S-Classix series definitely stand out from the crowd. And as my daily driver, the thin shell construction is also indispensable for a light weight load out after the gig! Left : Darren on his Sonor S-Classix kit finished in the colour option, Walnut Roots


	The Sonor Jungle Kit seriously has the biggest bang for such a little buck! It’s no toy with its 9-ply Maple shells. A little killer for Jazz and Breakbeats especially. The 10” jingle snare really pops as a main snare for snappy beats, and the kick always punches in any situation. An indispensable swiss army knife from Sonor! Bass Drum - 16" x 16" Tom Tom - 10" x 8" Floor Tom - 14" x 12" Jungle 'Jingle' Snare - 10" x 2" (also known as 'snare-bourine') Sonor Series 200 hardware Left : Picture taken from Sonor catalogue and shows demonstration hardware, kick and throne

Darren Mathiassen - Roland

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 16:21:42 +0000

:: Roland TD9-KX ::

Darren Mathiassen

The Roland V-Drums TD-9KX drum kit is my daily workhorse and essential instrument in my studio. There’s a plethora of outstanding on-board sounds, and they’re all very malleable right from within the module, and translate awesomely through the live PA system. This kit is totally plug-and-play, yet still has power-user tactics. The large display and function keys are unbelievably quick and easy to use, and all the extra detail in assignability and functionality you’d expect is right in there.

Roland's mesh head dual-trigger pads have the most accurate feel and response. Their quality construction and hardware eliminate crosstalk while still enabling a huge dynamic range!

This is essential when I’m using the TD-9KX to trigger other instruments, samples, and sound banks! Another cool trick for live use is I’ll throw my favourite acoustic Sonor snare and Sabian cymbals into the mix, and the V-Drums will give the most consistent and beefiest live sound.

Click here for more details on the TD-9K ...
Click here for more details on the TD-9KX ...

:: Roland SPD-S ::

Roland SPD-S

Roland’s SPD-S Sampler pad is perfect for taking on the road, it’s compact, robust, and powerful. I can load up samples and loops that I’ve created in the studio and play them all in realtime on stage. With its extra trigger inputs, I can jack in a KD7 kick trigger and an FD8 hihat pedal for total kit-like control.

These are awesome triggers and super portable too. And an extra bonus with the FD8 hihat controller is there’s no messing about with hihat calibration.

The SPD-S also has a mic/line input to record audio grabs directly to the internal memory. You can also enhance any content with the onboard effects processor. It really is a killer piece of kit that ads dimension to the show.

Click here for more details ...

:: Roland SPD-20 ::

Roland SPD-20

The Roland SPD-20 multi-percussion pad by Roland is packed full of awesome sounds, over 700. Ranging from Roland’s classic 808 and 909 kits, to orchestral, tuned and world percussion, and sound effects. I use the 4x stereo trigger inputs to add a PDX-8 snare, KD-7 kick, FD-8 hihat pedal, and CY-5 hihat cymbal. This builds a great little fully functional basic kit for live use and studio. And like all great Roland gear, it is further expandable via its MIDI ports.