Updated 06/07/2007

For those of you who have not heard of V Expressions Ltd., they are a company, that specializes in model programming and providing custom designed kits for Roland modules. What that means in English, is they have spent countless hours listening to drum recordings, re-programming, re-configuring, and tweaking the drum kits that are in Roland's modules, to provide us, the drummer, with the most realistic kits you can get from a box. Their programs are available for the Roland TD8, TD10, TD10 Expanded w/TDW-1, TD12 and TD20 modules. These guys aren't just some "computer geeks" that are sitting in an office coming up with drum kits. They are all drummers/percussionists! That's what makes their kits work, they use them, themselves! I first learned about these guys on eBay. I had a TD10Ex that I just wasn't happy with. For the majority, the kits sucked, so I was desperate for a change. I found that I spent more time trying to get that "right" sound, then practicing.  I did much research about them on several drum forums and found that they were legit, so I decided to give them a try. I contacted Chris and told him who I was and he agreed to let me test their programs. I do not receive any benefit from doing this, other then getting to play with some of the coolest drum kits that they have to offer! For those of my customers who know how I do business, I WON'T SELL OR RECOMMEND ANYTHING THAT I HAVEN'T USED, TESTED OR TRUST MYSELF. These guys are, in my opinion, an asset to the V or E drum community. As I get a chance to test some of their new programs, I will write my reviews below and also on some of the drum forums that I am part of. If you have any questions please feel free to email me at brian@hopedrums.com  If you decide to purchase one of their expansion packs, please let them know that you heard about them from Brian @ Hope Drums. They have done some great work and I want them to know that I am supporting them!    Brian

I was given a chance to test V Expressions "The Vault" series upgrade to the Roland TD10EX.  Might I say WOW! This is the greatest product that I have seen for the TD10, since the TDW-1 came out! I found that when I was setting up my kit, I had to program 6-7 of the kits for myself, because some of them that Roland had in there were a joke! With "The Vault", I have enjoyed playing every kit! I am not at all MIDI savvy, so I downloaded the step-by-step directions and followed them as written. I downloaded a free shareware version of MIDI OX, hooked up my module to my computer with a USB-MIDI adapter that I bought from Musicians Friend and was off.  The upgrade was simple to do and only took about 3 minutes, once I got everything hooked up! I think that it's a toss up between my favorite kits. Can't choose between BRASSnr, which happens to be #1 and MastWorx. Over all, GREAT job guys! I would definitely recommend your product (s) to my customers here at Hope Drums!!   Brian

Well, once again, I have to say "job well done" to the guys at V Expressions!  I just finished downloading and loading the new TD8 Elite upgrade into my TD8!  It makes this baby sing!! My favorite is the DW22 Kit, #3!  Cracking snare and big bass make this an awesome kit! I actually think that I like this over my TD10!! There was a little more work doing the upgrade, but still not hard for someone who doesn't know squat about MIDI! I already had the midi to USB interface and shareware MIDI OX program, all I had to do was download the shareware program TDM8. If you are tired of the same old kits that you have in your Roland module, GIVE THESE GUYS A TRY!!! I am hoping to upgrade to a TD20 within the next few months, so the first thing I will do is give these guys a call for that version and will keep everyone posted!!!  Brian

I finally did it..... I bought the TD20! I have been very pleased with everything that I have tested from V Expressions so far, so I didn't waste any time on contacting them for an expansion pack for the module. I actually emailed Chris before the module or my CompactFlash Card got here. I decided to give the "Master Picks" a shot, since it was their newest release. I must it was definitely an upgrade to the stock TD20 kits.  This expansion features a lot of older kit sounds from DW, Gretsch, Ludwig, Slingerland, Tama. If you are looking for today's modern rock sound, this is not the expansion pack for you.  This is great for those of us who are looking for that "classic sound" from earlier recordings of groups such as The Beatles, The Who etc.... Where else can you get a 1960 Ludwig Classic sound out of a drum module that was made in 2004! One thing that I did like in particular about the TD20 vs. the other older modules, was the ease of downloading and storing of kits. As I have said previously, I am not MIDI savvy, nor did I know anything about CompactFlash Cards. Their step-by-step directions were simple and fairly easy to follow. I bought a CompactFlash Card Reader and 128Mb card new on eBay for under $25 for the pair (shipping included).

Well....most of you who know me know that I change modules quite often....so I went back to a TD-8 for my latest venture. The TD8 happens to be my favorite module out of all the Roland products!! Chris and Allan sent me the TD8 "Sessions" pack. This pack has, in my opinion, the better sounding kits out of their 2 programs. I was off to a rough start, because I could not get my MidiOx program to run....solution: download the new V Drum Library program. I don't know if the guys at VEX are responsible for the program, even though they recommend using it, but I can tell you that it made the job MUCH easier than using MidiOx and the TD8 program!! The kits gave me that full bass sound that I long for and the clean tom sounds! I ended up combining some of my favorite kits from the Elite Pack and the Sessions Pack, which made for one great line-up of drum kits in the module. I would definitely say that if you wanted to get the most out of your TD8, you should definitely consider their package deal with both programs!!

Today I sat down with one of my customer's TD6 modules and got to work with the new V Expressions programs for the module. I must admit that I hated the TD6 before I started. I had never owned a 6 until a few months ago when I got one with a used kit that I bought while in Dallas, with the intention of reselling it. I sold the kit and kept the 6 so that I could learn more about it to better assist my customers and Pintech. Eventually I would like to be able to say that I have owned EVERY Roland module so that I can speak from first hand experience (and I'm almost there...I now have had the TD3, TD6, TD8, TD10, TD10EX and the TD20....I guess the 12 will be my next venture). That being said, I didn't like the 6 so I sold it a week later....now VEX had introduced their programs for the 6 so that gave me some hope. What I found in the 6s stock kits are that many of the kits sounded like toys and then ones that had a true drum set sound lacked depth (especially in the kick drum dpt) I started with the Elite package, since I have used it in my TD8, I would know what to expect, then I moved to their newer "The Collective". Here is what I have found:

With both packages you get 50 "new" kits for the lower price of $35 as compare do the $50 for other modules. Among those 50 there were some that I wasn't particularly fond of, but they beat the heck out of the stock kits. The Elite, even though there were more that I didn't like in this pack (12, 17, 23, 30 and 31), it was my favorite of the two; it was pretty similar to their TD8 version. I did notice that on kit 15 the 4th tom is a splash and on kit 21 toms 3 and 4 were reversed. I don't know if this was a simple error on the part of VEX or if it was intentional. Another downside for me, since I play a large variety of music is that none of the kits had a good rim knock sound, except for the Rock Ballad kit, which was hit and miss.

 If someone is playing Country or Christian music where the rim knock is important you will definitely want to look at "The Collective" pack. Kits 19 and 24 have a good rim knock. In this pack, there was only 1 kit (#12) that I really didn't like, so in my opinion, you get more for you money with the Collective. One thing that I noticed right off the bat, was that toms 3 and 4 were very low volume. I run my module through a Behringer KX1200 amp, via the mono (left) channel from the module. I realized that these toms were panned to the right...when I put on my headphones voila.....equal sound! I also noticed that on kits 14, 25 and 26, I was getting a heavy bell sound on the bow of my cymbal....another simple adjustment. The biggest downside (again, my opinion) to the Collective package was that  the kits weren't named.

Overall, I was very pleased with the module programs. I had basically given up on the 6, until now! Is the program worth $35....in my opinion YES!! These guys will save you countless hours of sitting behind your kit trying to find the right combinations of sounds, when you could be playing!!  If I had to pick just 1 program, I'd have to go with the Elite...while every kit wasn't perfect, like VEX says, they give you a good foundation to start from! Job well done....I'm sure there are several TD6/6V users that will thank you!!!!

This was sent to me by one of my customers:

BTW: Still LOVEN’ my new Pintech drums and TD-V6 module. I also bought/downloaded the extra V-expressions kits you mentioned. Bought one of their 3 pack options. Wow … big difference! Thanks for that tip! Joel B.