The iPad Pro
makesagreat
canvas for
reading music or
taking lessons
–the12.9-inch
screen has loads
of space
50 T3WINTER 2018 Discover more at techradar.com/au
Man vs Tech
Making my e-drumming experience
more authentic is a pair of KEF’s
Porsche Lab-designed Space One
headphones. These over-ears are so
comfy that I barely even notice I’m
wearing them. And the sound they
produce is even more luxurious than
how they feel, capturing the deep
resonance of the Roland bass drum
and the crisp ‘tiss’ of the cymbals with
aplomb.Thatsaid,Ihavetoconnect
the KEF cans to the drums with a
cable(insteadofusingtheSpace
One’s built-in Bluetooth wireless
option), but the provided cable isn’t
long enough. I’m finding that it keeps
draping over the snare, cramping any
morsel of style that I might have. But
hey, I can’t have everything, right?AXE TO GRIND
I’ve always wanted to learn the guitar,
andwiththeJamStik+,dubbed‘the
world’s first smart guitar’, I now have
my chance. The JamStik+ connects to
KEF’s cans via Bluetooth. If you like
theideaofstrummingsongsonthe
go, but don’t fancy carting an acoustic
guitar around like some kind of hippy,
this rather neat device is your friend.
Linking wirelessly to your smartphone
or laptop, the JamStik+ can be hooked
up to a variety of apps to help you
hone your axe-grinding skills. But how
easy is it for a discordant dimwit likeho wouldn’t want to be a
rock star? With money,
adulation and spandex
on tap, job satisfaction
is virtually guaranteed. Trouble is,
I don’t exactly have the credentials
to make the transition from lowly
journalist to lofty rock hero. For one,
I’m a tired 45-year-old dad who can
often be found wearing Tarocash
chinos at the weekend. More
importantly, I have about as much
musicality as a recycling bin being
emptied onto a stone floor. Still, I’ve
always wanted to learn to play the
guitar... and drums, and keys. As
eyepatch-wearing ’90s songstress
Gabrielle once said, dreams can
come true. Especially if you have
some snazzy tech to help you. Before
Icansing“Shotthroughtheheart
andyou’retoblame,yougivelovea
badname!”(which,admittedly,is
quite a long sentence),T3thrust me
onto a makeshift stage with a bunch
ofcoolkittotryandtransformme
into a bona-fide musical maestro.
FOUR TO THE FLOOR
As anyone (particularly drummers)
will tell you, the drums are the most
important part of any band – the glue
that melds the mayhem together, if
you like. Think of any classic song
- In The Air Tonight,Smells Like Teen
Spirit,thethemefromThe A-Team - and drums are the key ingredient. So
where better to start my rock odyssey
than with Roland’s TD-1KV, a portable
electronic drum kit so clever it could
transform an over-enthusiastic sea
cadetintoafull-onPhilCollins.
There are 15 different drum sets to
choose from on the digital interface,
with a Coach mode for developing my
speed, stamina and accuracy skills.
Thelatterchallengesmetokeeptime
withametronome,whichisalot
harder than I expected. Even the
slightest discrepancy is docked from
my final score, and after what I
believed to be a decent attempt
(ifIsaysomyself),I’msurprisedto
discover that I’ve only scored 46 per
cent. As is the case with most things,
though, I’m finding that the best way
tolearnisbydoingit‘forreal’,rather
than just completing set exercises.
Choosing a smooth jazz tune from
one of the 12 looped backing tracks,
IclosemyeyesandimagineI’m
playingatSydney’s505,tip-tapping
tentatively at first, before graduallybuilding up the confidence to add a
crash or two. I’m not going to lie,
playing Roland’s kit like this is terrific
fun. Although it’s slightly deflating
to then open my eyes and find that
my ‘audience’ has gone home, with
the exception of the cat.
If you’d rather play along to music
from your smart device, you can do so
viatheMixInjack.Youreffortscanbe
recorded and played back for later
scrutiny(ifyoudare!),whileaUSB-
MIDI port enables you to transfer your
handiwork to computer software such
as Cubase or Reason.I’MTIP-TAPPINGTENTATIVELYATFIRST,
BEFORE BUILDING UP THE CONFIDENCE
TO ADD A CYMBAL CRASH OR TWO
W