Roland Handsonic Electronic Hand Percussion Controller

Roland HPD-20 HandSonic Digital Hand Percussion Controller: Expressive Powerhouse for Stage and Studio

The Roland HPD-20 HandSonic is a groundbreaking digital percussion instrument that brings unparalleled expressiveness and versatility to hand percussionists, drummers, producers, and electronic musicians. Equipped with Roland’s renowned SuperNATURAL sound engine, this controller provides a vast array of high-quality, dynamically responsive sounds, coupled with deep editing capabilities and intuitive performance controls. It’s designed to deliver an incredibly natural playing experience, allowing for traditional hand percussion techniques to translate seamlessly into the digital realm, while also opening doors to entirely new sonic possibilities.

Authentic Feel and Advanced Pad Technology

The heart of the HPD-20 is its 13 highly sensitive silicone rubber pads, arranged in a circular configuration with varying sizes for optimal ergonomic efficiency. These pads are not only velocity-sensitive but also pressure-sensitive, enabling a wide range of expressive techniques characteristic of acoustic hand percussion. Players can perform dampening, muting, and tuning adjustments by simply touching or pressing specific pads, mimicking the intricate control of instruments like congas, tabla, and djembe. The two largest pads offer natural tonal variations based on where they are struck, further enhancing realism.

Additional performance controls include a Roll button for rapid-fire notes, a Realtime Modify knob for on-the-fly tweaking of pitch and effects, and the famous D-BEAM controller, which allows for sound triggering and effect manipulation with hand movements in the air, adding a unique expressive dimension.

Vast Sound Library and SuperNATURAL Engine

The HPD-20 comes loaded with 850 ready-to-play instruments, encompassing a truly global sound palette. This includes an enormous library of ethnic percussion from around the world (e.g., tabla, conga, bongo, djembe, cajon), melodic percussion, standard drum kit sounds, orchestral percussion, and a large selection of modern electronic tones ideal for dance music and other contemporary genres.

The inclusion of Roland’s acclaimed SuperNATURAL sound engine is crucial. This technology ensures that sounds respond organically to every nuance of playing, delivering unparalleled tone quality and expressiveness that far exceeds typical sample playback.

Beyond its built-in sounds, the HPD-20 offers significant customization:

• WAV File Import: Users can import up to 500 of their own WAV samples (16-bit/44.1 kHz, up to 12 minutes mono or 6 minutes stereo total time) via USB flash memory. These custom sounds can then be assigned to pads and treated just like the onboard sounds, with full editing and effects capabilities. This allows for integrating custom audio phrases, sound effects, backing music, and more.

• Deep Editing and Multi-Effects: The HPD-20 provides a full suite of tools for sound creation. Every instrument can be individually edited with parameters like volume, pitch, decay, and layering. It features three independent multi-effects engines (each with 25 different effects), plus 10 types of Ambience effects and a 3-band Kit EQ. The Realtime Modify knob provides instant access to tweak effects and parameters during performance.

Quick Recording and Comprehensive Connectivity

A handy Quick Rec function allows drummers to easily capture performances and ideas with a single button press. These recordings can be exported as WAV audio files to a USB flash drive for further use.

The HPD-20 is built for seamless integration into any live or studio setup:

• External Trigger Inputs: A TRIG IN jack (1/4-inch TRS) allows connection of an additional external Roland pad (e.g., a kick pad for foot control or another V-Pad for stick playing). A dedicated HH CTRL jack (1/4-inch TRS) enables realistic hi-hat control with an optional hi-hat pedal.

• Audio I/O: Stereo 1/4-inch OUTPUT jacks (L/MONO, R), a stereo 1/4-inch PHONES jack for monitoring, and a stereo 1/4-inch MIX IN jack for playing along with external audio devices.

• MIDI I/O: Traditional MIDI IN and OUT connectors for communication with other MIDI instruments and devices.

• USB Connectivity: A USB COMPUTER port (Type B) for audio/MIDI communication with DAWs and virtual instruments, and a USB MEMORY port (Type A) for connecting USB flash drives for WAV import/export and data backup.

The Roland HPD-20 HandSonic stands as a highly advanced and expressive digital percussion controller, providing a powerful platform for creative performance and music production across diverse musical genres.