Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "zapaxe" <a_zapelectric@h...> wrote:
> 
> Hello again,
> 
> What is YOUR vote for the BEST sounding Drum Module? It seems to me 
> that each module like anything else has it's high points as far as 
> sounds & samples.
> 
> I have just recently purchased a Yamaha DTXpress III drum module 
and 
> an Alesis DM Pro drum module, plus I already had the DTXpress I 
> module and I was looking for better sounds...
> 
> I have not hooked up the two new drum modules to my DTXpress I kit 
> yet, but I've played with each module only 'briefly' and Demo'd 
some 
> sounds of both with headphones. I'm not completely blown away as I 
> had hoped.

Anwers to your question are bound to be subjective, but subjective 
doesn't always exclude verifiable conclusions. It's not surprising 
that a relatively expensive module like the DM Pro (expensive in the 
day, anyway) would sound better than a budget model like the 
DTXpress. Techincal specifications, like 20 bit word length, might 
have something to do with it, but, in truth, it's not hard to imagine 
the samples on a 16 bit module sounding better to someone than than 
those on a 20 bit module. My favorite sounding module is the ddrum 4, 
but its noise artifacts and inconvenience can make it anything from a 
minor irritation to a nightmare; from a computing standpoint, it is 
over the hill. I also like what I've heard of the DTXtreme IIS. The 
Rolands, by and large, don't attract me, though it would be 
ridiculous to say that they aren't capable of making good sounds, 
too. 

I think that from a purist standpoint, a software drum sampler has 
the most promise, but it's a more demanding approach for many people. 
By the way, the card on the DM Pro is for adding your own samples. 
Check the manual.

Ed