Mandala Drum Forums

The latest "At: Guitar Center" mass-mailer advertising drum catalog arrived in the post today.

The "Guitar Center Product Focus" page appears a few pages past the centerfold - featuring the Roland TD30KVS V-Drum kit at the price point of $7,499.99 USD

Apparently - at Guitar Center, the Roland TD30KVS includes:

4 tom (dual head and rim?) trigger pads

1 snare drum dual trigger pad

1 kick drum trigger pad

3 cymbal trigger pads

1 pair hi-hat trigger pads

1 drum rack with mounting clamps

1 Roland TD30 sound module

Price: $7,499.99 USD

I got to "thinking" and visited Google...

http://www.apple.com

17-inch 2.4GHz MacBook Pro: $2,499.00 USD

http://www.sweetwater.com

MOTU 828 mk3 Hybrid 28 x 30 USB FireWire Audio Interface: $749.00 USD

iConnect MIDI Professional MIDI Interface for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch with 2 USB device ports & 2 MIDI I/O Ports: $179 USD

http://www.google.com (search, USB powered hub)

Plugable Technologies USB 2.0, 10-Port Powered USB hub w/power adapter: $26.95 USD x 2 = $53.90 USD

Native Instruments Battery 3: $179 USD

http://www.synesthesiacorp.com
http://www.mandaladrumstore.com

***FREE SHIPPING IN USA***
 *Now Shipping*

Includes:

3 mk2.9 Mandala Drum Pads
Mandala Virtual Brain v3.0 Software
Mandala Sample Library
3 6 ft USB cables
Drum Sticks

***Bonus: HD Black Beauty® Sample Library and Player***
$969.00 USD

Twelve... Let me repeat that - Twelve (12) mk2.9 Mandala Drum Pads: $3,876.00 USD

Very Short Version:

The Mandala mk2.9 electric drum offers 6 user-definable zones (including rim) - Roland drum pads offer head and rim trigger functionality.

According to my Abacus, the math is as follows:

Guitar Center, Roland TD30KVS V-Drums: $7,499.00

Twelve (12) Synesthesia Mandala Drums, and the above á la carte menu items: $7,535.90

Punchline:

When I'm not playing drums, I like to drink coffee or Guinness - and, not necessarily in that order.

If I were to sit at a table at the local Starbucks, trying to look handsome for all the girls stopping in for their Chai Latte's - girls who wouldn't date me if I was the last guy on Earth - with a Roland TD30 drum module on my table; I'd be utterly ignored, as usual.

If I were to sit at a table at the local Starbucks, with my new 17-inch MacBook Pro, maybe - just maybe! - a visiting coffee-girl might offer me a sassy "nice computer" comment before her mad dash for the exit.

Even if "she" abandons Starbucks as quickly as she compliments my new MacBook Pro - at least I could surf the web while drinking my over-priced coffee; bathing in the quiet satisfaction my 12 piece Mandala Drum kit patiently waits for me at home, in my drum-room.

Am I making any sense here?

Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with Synesthesia Corporation whatsoever; just a Mandala Drum enthusiast who aspires to the Mandala Drum purchase scenario noted above.

Quite simply, I doff my nine-sided cap to you. Can you get working on the US fiscal crisis next?

That's a hoot!

Thanks for taking time to read the post; and thanks for including your links.

Subjectively, in the realm of electronic percussion:

Roland - and other manufacturers - offer fine products.

Synesthesia's Mandala Drum is exempt from categorization - it is without equal in the field.

But, what do I know?