How does the Roland TD-02 connect to a computer?
Through the USB COMPUTER port, a USB-B socket on the module. Roland's TD-02 pages describe two USB driver modes: Generic, which uses the operating system's own driver and carries MIDI only, and Vendor, which needs Roland's TD-02 driver and adds USB audio ("in order to use USB audio, switch to vendor mode and use the vendor driver"). WebEDrums only needs MIDI, so Generic works with nothing installed. Vendor mode carries MIDI as well as audio, so a module already set up for recording needs no change.
Use a USB cable that supports data transfer, not a charge-only one. The optional BT-DUAL Bluetooth adaptor adds wireless audio and MIDI streaming for mobile apps; WebEDrums uses the cable. On Windows, one program at a time can hold the module, so close any recording software before opening the browser.
Which preset do I pick in WebEDrums?
The module reports its name over USB; when the name contains Roland, TD- or V-Drums, the kit setup page offers "Use Roland defaults instead", which is the table below. The same preset serves the TD-07, TD-17 and TD-27, whose default note maps Roland publishes and which share these numbers. If you have changed note numbers on the module, run the guided setup instead: it listens to each pad, zone by zone, and saves what it hears. Review each pad's lane, save, and edit later in Settings, Kit.
Which pads and zones does the Roland preset map?
This table is generated from the preset inside the app, so it is what WebEDrums listens for when you choose the Roland defaults. Several notes end up on one lane on purpose: the games have one red lane, not a head and a rim.
| Pad | Notes the preset listens for | Plays as |
|---|---|---|
| Kick | 36 head | Kick |
| Snare | 38 head · 40 rim · 37 cross-stick | Red (snare) |
| Hi-hat | 46 bow · 26 edge · 42 bow · 22 edge | Yellow cymbal |
| Tom 1 (high) | 48 head · 50 rim | Yellow tom |
| Tom 2 (mid) | 45 head · 47 rim | Blue tom |
| Floor tom | 43 head · 58 rim | Green tom |
| Crash | 49 bow · 55 edge | Green cymbal |
| Ride | 51 bow · 59 edge · 53 bell | Blue cymbal |
| Crash 2 (optional) | 57 bow · 52 edge | Green cymbal |
- Snare: the TD-02KV's PDX-8 mesh pad has head, rim and cross-stick playing, which Roland highlights; all three notes play red. A snare pad without a rim zone simply sends fewer of them.
- Hi-hat: the preset listens for the open and closed notes on both the bow and the edge (46, 26, 42, 22) and plays them all as the yellow cymbal. The pedal-only chick is left unmapped, so it never counts as a stray hit.
- Crash and ride: bow and edge of the CY-5 cymbals, plus the ride's bell note, play the lane's cymbal. Crash 2 (57 and 52) is for the second crash Roland sells as an option for the TD-02; leave it empty in the guided setup if you have one crash.
- A note the module never sends costs nothing in the table, and a note the preset lacks is silent rather than an overhit. If a pad you remapped stays silent, re-record that one pad.
How do I keep the latency down?
Headphones on the module give the kit's sound with no software delay. For the song, the TD-02 has a MIX IN jack meant for a music player: run a 3.5 mm cable from the computer's headphone output into MIX IN and you hear song and kit together on the module's PHONES jack, balanced with the module's own controls. That is the splitter diagram on the home page with the module doing the mixing. USB audio in Vendor mode is for recording the kit into a computer and is not needed for this.
"Kit sounds in the browser" is for a muted module; it adds some latency, so run the six-second calibration (eight clicks, hit the snare on each) after turning it on. The calibration also corrects any constant delay in the song path, which matters if the computer's audio goes out over Bluetooth.
What works in Chrome and Edge?
Chrome and Edge on Windows, macOS, Linux and ChromeOS. The TD-02 shows up under its own name, the browser asks for MIDI access once (Chrome has prompted for all MIDI access since version 124), and WebEDrums selects it as the drum device because the name matches a drum module. Firefox 108 and newer works with its site-permission add-on but forgets the songs folder between visits; Safari has no Web MIDI. Hits carry the millisecond timestamps Web MIDI provides, so the game sees them when the module sends them; the module's controller messages, such as hi-hat pedal position, are ignored and only the notes count.
Which games and apps read the Roland TD-02?
Any of them that takes MIDI, since the module sends standard notes over USB. The setup differs per program: the Clone Hero drums setup and the YARG drums setup guides walk through the desktop games with the fixes for a kit that is not detected; the connection guide covers cables and drivers for all of them; and the comparison lays the apps side by side, WebEDrums included.
Sources
Checked on October 16, 2026. If one of these pages has changed and this guide has not caught up, tell us on the contact page.
- Roland: TD-02KV product page (USB COMPUTER port, driver modes, pads)
- Roland: TD-02K specifications and highlights
- Roland: TD-02K/TD-02KV default MIDI note map (Roland support; an account may be asked for)
- YARG wiki: Troubleshooting instruments (Roland hi-hat notes)
- Chrome for Developers: Web MIDI permission prompt