Which Roland Pads Are Best For You
Back in the day, when Electronic Drums first arrived on the scene, gum rubber pads were the standard. But as Electronic kits became more popular and Roland entered the fray, the Mesh Head pad was born. The standard rubber pad did not fall by the way side however. It’s still a standard and very popular among drummers of all skill levels.
So what are the differences between the two? Is one better then the other and which one is best for you?. Let’s take a look.
Rubber Pads
The rubber pads have a very distinct touch and feel to them. The old Simmons Electronic sets and early Roland sets like the Roland TD3 came with rubber pads for toms, but were later replaced with mesh heads on later models like the Roland TD-4SX, Roland TD9-SX and Roland TD-12.
They were actually designed after your traditional practice pad, and had that “practice pad” feel we all were accustom to. Years ago rubber pads did feel hard and didn’t have the rebound or bounce that acoustic drum heads offer.
Today’s rubber pads are actually really good though. Rolands pads are made with reformulated rubber. They have more “give” to them and produce a more natural bounce. And, they are not prone to producing dead spots when used heavily so they have a much longer life then the old gum rubber pads.
Benefits of rubber pads
Value
The most obvious benefit of rubber pads is that they’re very economical. They offer dual trigger capability, meaning you can set effects for both head and rim strikes, and they don’t cost as much as a mesh head.
Foot Print
They’re nice and compact too. You can maneuver a 7″ head a lot easier then a ten inch head and give yourself plenty of options for placement around your kit. In fact, many drummers accessorize their kits with rubber pads along with mesh pads.
Consistency
As a rule, rubber pads of the same type are very consistent along there full range of tone. When you hook up a bunch of pads you want them all to sound the same along there full range when connected to the drum module. Rubber pads don’t suffer from the tuning problems you normally find with regular drum heads.
Mesh Head Pads
Of course the Roland Mesh Head Pads can be considered the big daddy of all pads. Rubber pads are fine and do get the
job done. But lets face it, we all want to get as close as we can to the natural feeling of an acoustic kit. Rolands PD-105 Mesh Head gets the job done.
When you sit down on a kit, you want to have a pleasurable session as close to the real thing as possible. So Roland went the extra mile to satisfy you and created a mesh head that will satisfy most all drummers who love electronic kits.
Benefits of Mesh Heads
Realism
The mesh head is as close as you are going to get to a traditional drum head in terms of feel and bounce. The playability of mesh heads are simply remarkable and you can best understand that once you play on a set.
Sensitivity
The sensitivity of Mesh Heads jumps right out at you. When you use a compatible module, such as the Roland TD-9 or the Roland TD-12, you’re able to appreciate what mesh heads deliver. Each stroke on a mesh head reveals how realistic they are and you can really enjoy your sessions. Strike hard dead center and you get the sound you want. Use brushes around the edges and the head responds accurately. Many say it’s just like playing on a real acoustic set.
Adjustable
The Mesh Head is tunable so you can tighten or loosen the head to fit your playing style. Get the precise bonce and feel you want by simply altering the tension. Nothing really comes close to the performance of a mesh head. The only factor determining whether you go with a mesh head will be cost.
It’s Your Choice
Of course it all comes down to personal preference and of course budget. Any of the Roland pads will do the trick whether it’s rubber or mesh. Some start out with rubber and upgrade to mesh later, switching out and adding on to their kit by using the rubber pads as additions for triggering other sound effects. That’s what I did.
But for some, cost is not an issue and you want to jump right in and get the Roland TD9 SX 
Either way you can’t go wrong with Roland.
Read More Reviews
The Roland TD-9 Module
The Roland TD-9S Drum Set
V-Drum Comparison Chart
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Keep on Drummin*
Tags: how to play drums, mesh heads, roland drum pads, roland td12, roland td9, rubber pads
