Roland KD-85 User Manual

Owner’s Manual

Thank you, and congratulations on your choice of the Roland KD-85 V-Kick Trigger Pad.

201a

Before using this unit, carefully read the sections entitled: “USING THE UNIT SAFELY” and “IMPORTANT NOTES”
(p. 6; p. 7). These sections provide important information concerning the proper operation of the unit. Additionally,
in order to feel assured that you have gained a good grasp of every feature provided by your new unit, Owner’s
manual should be read in its entirety. The manual should be saved and kept on hand as a convenient reference.

VERY IMPORTANT!!!
BEFORE playing the pad, you must TUNE it to your preferred
playing tension. They are NOT tuned before shipping. Failure to
adjust tension may result in damage to the trigger sensor.

fig.Cover.e

Contents of the Package

❑ KD-85 (pad unit)

❑ Leg x 2

❑ Beater

❑ Stay

❑ Connection Cable
❑ Tuning Key

■ Owner’s Manual (this manual)

* This package does not include a kick pedal. Use with a commercially available kick pedal installed on the KD-85.

Please be aware that by using a felt beater, you risk causing damage to the head as a result of the metal portions of
the beater that can become exposed when the felt wears thin.

Names of Conponents

Frame

Output Jack

Tuning Bolt

Stay

T-Bolt

Hoop
Head
Cusion
Sensor

Stand Plate

202

03895089 ’05-6-2N

Leg

Copyright © 2005 ROLAND CORPORATION

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in

any form without the written permission of ROLAND CORPORATION.

Bracket

Rubber Foot

Foot

Features

The band has a width of 7.5 mm.
Use this for adjusting the head tension.

7.5 mm

• Kick trigger unit with embedded-mesh head for superior

playing feel, and quiet response.

• You can also play using a twin (double kick) pedal.

Adjusting the Head Tension

When adjusting, use the included tuning key.

Be sure to adjust the head tension

before use.

In general, a tension that produces a strike response

approximately the same as an acoustic drum will be

appropriate.

Striking the head when the head tension is loose
may damage the sensor and head.

Should you neglect to make the appropriate settings, you

could likely experience the following problems:

• Sometimes it does not sound (uneven volume).

• The volume is too low (reduced sensitivity).

• Compact, eight-inch pad allows for greater versatility

when setting up.

• The four-leg stand assures outstanding stability.

1.

Use the included tuning key to tighten the
tuning bolts.

Tighten the bolts until there is a space of approximately

7.5 mm between the frame and the hoop.

fig.Adjust.e

Frame

Hoop

7.5 mm

• On the KD-85, adjusting the head tension affects only the

head response, and does not change the pitch of the

sound as it would on an acoustic drum.

• The head tension will change as the instrument is used,

so you should readjust when necessary.

• The head stretches when used for extended periods, so

even when this is adjusted to 7.5 mm in the following

procedure, you may not achieve the same degree of

tension as when the head was initially adjusted. Strike

the head to check the feel and response as you adjust the

tension.

A black, 7.5 mm strip is printed at the edge of this page.
Use this as a reference when making the adjustment.

Tighten each tuning bolt one by one, observing the
numerical order shown in the diagram. Do not firmly
tighten a single tuning bolt by itself. Doing so will make
it impossible to tension the head evenly, and will cause
malfunctions.

fig.Bolt

1

34

2

2.

Fine-tune the adjustment while continuing to
check the pad feel and response.

5

2

Next

Assembling the KD-85

Take care not to pinch your fingers between the KD-85
pad and the stand plate.

1.

Place the KD-85 pad, with the head surface
facing downward, on a flat surface such as the
floor.

2.

Use the included tuning key to loosen the bolts
for the bracket on the back of the KD-85 pad,
then open the bracket.

3.

Mount the stay on the pad.

Align the mark on the stay with the protrusion of the

bracket, and use the tuning key to firmly tighten the bolts

that you loosened in step 2.

fig.Stay.e

Align the marks

Bolt

6.

Tighten the nut and rubber foot to secure the
rubber foot in place and keep it from loosening.

The nut and rubber foot must be tighten to prevent the

malfunctions.

7.

Loosen the T-bolts for the stay and mount the
legs on the stay.

Install the legs as shown in the figure so that the ends of

the legs protrude by about 1/2"–1" (1–2 cm).

fig.Leg2.e

Extend the leg
by about 1/2"–1"
(1–2 cm).

8.

Tighten the T-bolts to secure the legs to the
stand.

4.

Loosen the leg nut.

5.

Rotate the rubber foot to adjust the leg tip.

Adjust to use the spike legs when installing on carpeting

or other soft surfaces, or the rubber legs when installing

on flooring or other hard surfaces. When shipped from

the factory, the stand is adjusted for using the rubber

legs.

fig.Leg1.e

Spike Leg Rubber Leg

Nut

Spike

• The tip of the spike is sharp. Handle it with care.

• When using on flooring, the spike legs may damage the

floor. Adjust to use the rubber legs.

Rubber Foot

9.

Lift the KD-85 and place the stand and the four
legs upright.

10.

Adjust the angle of the stand plate so that it’s at
a right angle to the floor.

Loosen the T bolts that you tightened in step 8, and

adjust the length of the legs so that the stand plate is

vertical to the floor. Then firmly tighten the T bolts.

11.

Install the included beater on your kick pedal.

12.

Mount the kick pedal on the KD-85.

fig.Pedal.e

Adjust
the stay angle

Adjust
the leg length

Stand plate

90°

60°

* Install the kick pedal securely.

* Set the KD-85 so no mechanical noise is heard when you step

on pedal.

* Make sure that KD-85 does not touch the drum stand or the

other pads.

Under plate

Heel portion

3

Next