Function: Drum Pad/Sampler
Price: $199-$249
Overview: With a peak in popularity of electronic drum sounds, it’s hard to watch live music without seeing a Roland SPDS! Building on the popularity of the SDP-S, Roland released the SDP-ONE series of Electronic drum pads, to offer a wide range of triggered electronic drum sounds at an affordable price. Offering separate “Electro”, “Kick”, “Percussion” and “Sampler” models, Roland ensures that you’ll have all the right sounds for whatever set you need.
Features: Approximately a quarter of the size of the SPD-S, the battery-powered SPD-One models a variety of different sounds. “Electro” offers 22 electronic claps, snares cymbals, and SFX, while “Kick” offers 22 different kick sounds, and “Percussion” includes 22 different standard and world percussion sounds. The Electo, Kick, and Percussion SPD-One models all have similar controls: 4 rotary knobs, one to change sounds, one to control pitch, one to control reverb/delay levels, and one for overall volume. A small button gives you an “A” and “B” sounds within the 12 presets. The last preset (User) is left empty and is designed to load custom samples. “Sampler” is a blank slate, left empty for the user to load any combination of one-shots, loops, or even backing tracks. The controls include four rotary knobs: one to change sounds, one to control the level of headphone output, one to control the mix between Click and Master, and one to control Master output.
Sound: Many of the sounds of the SDP-One are quite familiar, ranging from claps to acoustic and electronic kicks, snares, and claps, to exotic gongs and timpani. Probably our favorite of the 4 is the “Electro”, which allows any drummer to add a wide range of electronic drum sounds in a small, compact package. “Sampler” is possibly the most flexible and interesting of the 4, as it allows a drummer to run backing tracks and loops without having to have a computer and interface.
More: Easy-to-use, great sounds, well-built
Less: Limited to 2 user-created sounds, only one sound at a time.
