Roland SPD-1P percussion pad

Percussion pad

The Roland SPD-1P is a compact digital percussion pad designed to add electronic percussion sounds to a wide range of musical setups. Its single responsive pad can be played with drumsticks, hands or feet, while 22 onboard percussion sounds provide access to instruments including snares, hi-hats, cymbals, shakers, tambourines and timpani. The compact format makes it useful for music teachers and students looking to expand a setup without adding a full electronic drum kit.

The SPD-1P is designed to be straightforward to use, with physical controls providing direct access to the main sound parameters rather than requiring navigation through complex menus. It can be placed on the floor or a tabletop. It can also be mounted to compatible drum hardware or a microphone stand using the supplied mounting adapter. Battery operation helps keep the pad a more mobile and convenient option when a full drum kit isn't available.

22 percussion sounds in a compact pad

The SPD-1P includes 22 built-in percussion sounds, giving players access to a variety of acoustic percussion colours from a single pad. The available sounds include familiar drum kit sounds alongside instruments that can be less practical to carry and set up for every performance, such as gongs and timpani. Each sound can be selected from one of the 12 sound banks, with variations available for further tonal flexibility.

This makes the SPD-1P useful when a player needs to add an occasional percussion part without bringing additional acoustic instruments. A guitarist could use it to add percussion to a live set, a drummer can incorporate additional sounds into an existing kit, while a teacher can use it as a compact electronic percussion instrument for demonstrations and classroom activities.

Play with sticks, hands or feet

The playing surface is designed to respond to different playing techniques, so the SPD-1P can be struck with drumsticks, played with the hands or triggered with the foot. Sensitivity and trigger threshold controls allow the response to be adjusted to suit the playing method and environment.

This flexibility is particularly useful when the pad is incorporated into different setups. It can function as an additional percussion voice alongside an acoustic kit, as a foot-operated percussion source for a guitarist or vocalist, or as a hand-played instrument in its own right.

Import your own sounds

As well as its built-in sounds, the SPD-1P allows one user sample to be imported via USB. WAV files up to five seconds long can be loaded into the pad, using a sample format of 44.1kHz, 16-bit, mono or stereo. Once imported, the sample can be adjusted using the pad's tuning and effects controls in much the same way as the onboard sounds.

This opens up additional possibilities for education and performance. Teachers can load a short example or sound effect for a lesson, while performers can create a customised percussion sound for a particular piece. For longer backing tracks and samples, Roland's SPD::ONE WAV PAD is the more appropriate model, as the SPD-1P is designed around short user samples.

Simple hands-on controls

The SPD-1P has four main control knobs for adjusting the selected sound. These provide direct control over parameters including the instrument, tuning, effects and volume, while an instrument variation button provides additional sound options. Separate sensitivity and threshold controls allow the triggering response to be adjusted without having to work through menus.

The built-in effects include reverb and delay, allowing sounds to be given additional ambience directly from the pad. This is useful for adapting sounds to different musical situations without needing an additional effects unit.

The SPD-1P also works as a compact USB-MIDI controller. When connected to a computer, the pad can be used to trigger sounds within compatible music software or a DAW, giving producers and students another way to record percussion parts and work with software instruments.

This gives the SPD-1P a useful role beyond live performance. It can be introduced into music technology lessons as a tactile way of triggering MIDI percussion, while musicians working with recording software can use it as a compact alternative to a larger electronic drum controller.

Flexible mounting options

The SPD-1P can be used without mounting, either on the floor or a tabletop, or attached to a suitable stand using the included mounting hardware. The supplied adapter can be fitted to percussion hardware or a microphone stand with a rod diameter between 8mm and 12.7mm. Further aiding its mounting options, the SPD-1P can run from four AA batteries or an optional 9V AC adaptor. Roland specifies approximately 6 hours of continuous use with alkaline batteries under normal conditions, or approximately 7 hours with rechargeable Ni-MH batteries. Battery life varies according to the batteries used and operating conditions.

Four AA alkaline batteries are supplied, allowing the pad to be used straight away without requiring a separate power supply. An optional Roland PSA-S series AC adaptor can be purchased separately for permanent installations or situations where mains power is available.