Amazon.com Review
Casio pulled out all the stops when making the LD-80 digital drum. With seven pads, two pedals, and a layout reminding us of the Millennium Falcon, we were a little intimidated at first. The LD-80, however, proved to be an easy instrument to use and navigate. The display and button layout is pretty intuitive.
The ability to plug in and play is great. You could spend a long time just drumming away right out of the box without even getting into the 76 sounds or 20 built-in drum sets. The drum pads have touch response, meaning the harder you hit the louder it is, allowing for the feel of a real acoustic drum set. Indeed, once you plug in the high hat and bass pedal it is hard not to feel like you're playing on a professional acoustic set.
A real drum kit isn't going to be able to switch into lesson mode at the push of a button, though. The LD-80 does just that. And it does it with over 100 built-in auto accompaniment rhythms. The thing that separates the LD-80's lesson mode from that of other digital drum units is that you are able to turn off any of the separate drum, bass, percussion, or chord parts so you can play any part you want or adjust it to your skill level. Casio's Lighting Guide System lights a little red light at the bottom of each pad so following the lesson is easier. The metronome feature is easily accessible and is there to hold the hand of the rhythmically challenged. Add to that the recording function that lets you record your own playing up to 300 notes and we really felt like we could learn something.
In order to fit all this stuff in Casio made the LD-80 almost 2 feet wide and over a foot deep. For the size the LD-80 is very lightweight and doesn't take up much table real estate. If using the provided AC adapter, a pair of your own headphones, both pedals, and a MIDI cable, where to put all the cords can become an issue. We looked at it this way, though: a real acoustic drum set would take up much more room, doesn't have lesson mode, isn't MIDI capable, and won't record you while you play. The LD-80 can do all that and more.
We think pros and beginners alike will find the LD-80 has a lot to offer. Make a little room for it in your studio and it could come in handy all the time. The music student will love all the features of the lesson mode. Beware, though, that with two stereo speakers and the Super Bass option this thing can get pretty loud. But then again, that is where the nice big volume knob and headphone jack come in. --Brian Vandiver
Pros:
- Casio Lighting Guide System
- MIDI capable
- 7 pads and 2 pedals
- Full of sounds, features, and modes
- Touch response pads
