Roland V-drums Resource Manual page 16

The World's Finest Electronic Drums and Percussion. PERIOD.
V-Drums —the History (con't)
2001: V-Cymbals®
Before we arrived at the current materials/structure of the V-Cymbals, we engaged in the following tests:
• Acoustic Cymbals (Metal Base) with Rubber Surface
To reduce the noise of acoustic sound, we attached the
rubber on the bottom side of the acoustic cymbals, but when
we hit the top cymbal (metal surface), it was too noisy. Also,
when we tested rubber attached to both sides of the cymbals
(upper/bottom), it was good in reducing the noise, but it was
too heavy for use. And, to admit the worst, when we hit the
pad too hard, it dented. This was not suitable.
• Mesh Base
With our knowledge of mesh materials from the earlier-developed V-Pad, we tested the mesh
base for V-Cymbals, but we could not design it in the shape of a real cymbal, even though we
stretched the mesh very tight. Also, it produced a bad feel when played, so we had to give up the
mesh idea.
• Plastic Base with Rubber Surface
Since the metal- and mesh-base prototypes could not satisfy
us in producing the ideal V-Cymbals, we went for a plastic base
in the third revision. The plastic-based cymbal itself was not
so good in terms of feel, and its sensitivity was limited when
struck too far from the pickup point. Therefore, we improved the
position and structure for the sensor.
Since we had to connect the V-Cymbals to the sound module via cable, we considered how to
stop the cymbal from revolving while allowing it to swing freely like a natural cymbal. But we solved
this, and produced a V-Cymbal that could be mounted on a regular acoustic cymbal arm/stand
without over-rotating.
Fisher: Another issue we had was the vibration; which was making it difficult to trigger
accurately, so we altered the shape of internal cymbal plate, which limited the vibration waves, and
thus improved sensitivity and accuracy. We received a patent for this as well.
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