Roland HandSonic HPD-20

Product Description

The HandSonic HPD-20 is Roland's digital hand percussion instrument, built around the SuperNATURAL sound engine with 850 ready-to-play sounds and 13 highly responsive pads. You can play traditional hand-percussion technique with authentic feel, or import your own sounds and build electronic beats. It suits percussionists, drummers, composers and producers who want a deep, compact instrument for stage and studio alike.

• 850 built-in sounds – percussion instruments from around the world, melodic instruments, drum kits and electronic beats
• SuperNATURAL sound engine for expressive tone and wide dynamic range
• 13 silicone rubber pads with high sensitivity and comfortable playing feel
• Import up to 500 of your own WAV sounds via USB memory
• 200 kits, 100 of which are factory-preset and ready to play
• Three separate multi-effects processors with 25 effects each, plus EQ

Play the pads like a true hand percussion instrument

The 13 pads sit in a circular layout with different sizes for optimal ergonomics. You strike them with hands and fingers, but can also touch or press a pad to dampen or mute another pad's sound and change its pitch – just like on congas and tablas. The two largest pads also give natural tonal variation depending on where you strike them. Further control comes from the Roll button, the Realtime Modify knob, and the signature D-BEAM controller, which lets you shape sounds and effects with hand movements in the air.

850 SuperNATURAL sounds and your own WAV files

The library covers ethnic percussion instruments from around the world, melodic and orchestral percussion, traditional drum kits, and electronic sounds for modern genres. All 850 sounds offer a wide dynamic range thanks to the SuperNATURAL sound engine combined with the pads' sensitive response. The HPD-20 holds 200 kits in total, 100 of which are ready to play out of the box, while the rest can be built and customized yourself.

If you want to use your own sounds, you can import up to 500 WAV files via USB memory, assign them to the pads and build your own kits. With up to 12 minutes of total recording time, you're not limited to short percussive hits – you can load in longer audio phrases, sound effects and backing tracks too.

Editing and multi-effects

Every instrument in a kit can be edited individually – volume, pitch and decay are adjusted exactly as you like. You can also layer two sounds and have them blend or switch dynamically based on your playing dynamics. Three separate multi-effects processors, each with 25 effects, cover everything from chorus and delay to distortion, filters and bit crush. The Realtime Modify knob lets you tweak pitch and effects while playing, and ambience effects plus EQ can be applied to the whole kit for the final mix.

Quick recording and connectivity

The Quick Rec function captures your performances and ideas at the press of a button, with or without the built-in metronome. Recordings export easily as WAV files to USB memory, and you can also make a full backup of your own User Kits the same way.

The TRIG IN jacks let you connect a Roland pad for stick playing or a kick pedal for punchy beats, and adding a Roland hi-hat control pedal (accessory) via the dedicated jack turns the HPD-20 into a compact percussion set. MIDI IN/OUT lets you trigger the HPD-20 from V-Drums, SPD pads or keyboards – and play other instruments from the HandSonic in return. The USB port handles audio and MIDI communication with DAW software and virtual instruments on your computer.

Who It's For

The HandSonic HPD-20 suits anyone who wants a standalone hand percussion instrument for live performance, as well as producers who want to control virtual instruments or record MIDI and audio data directly from the pads.

Specifications