Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "zapaxe" <a_zapelectric@h...> wrote:
> The DM Pro is 20 bit. Now although one may not hear the difference, 
> how hard can it be to impliment a higher sample rate! I suspect 
> Yamaha just recycles samples they already have. But it's said that 
> one you get the sounds in a DAW envirenment, every single 
> calculation from the FX's down to the fader movements degrade the 
> audio quality. Of course using midi till mix down would remedy this 
> issue.

Personally, I wish that every module under the sun were at least 24 
bit, 96khz. In theory, Yamaha is perfectly capable of it, but I 
suspect that they are in arrears with their designs, their new items 
actually sitting around for a while before they see the light of day. 
This may be more true, or more unfortunate, for the new Xtreme, 
which, despite the good stuff that it offers, is also backdated in 
its smart card and its digital engine. (By the way, it does take 
samples, as does the ddrum4, although neither is equipped to handle 
them easily or prodigiously. See the manuals.)
> I had contacted Yamaha quite a while back (as if it matters or 
> helps) and made some suggestions and requests.
> Keeping OT here, one of my suggestions was to have a drum module 
> that could be loaded with drum & cymbal samples from a high quality 
> sample CD. This would take care of the complication somewhat & the 
> portability issues. Of course then 3, 4 years later they bring us 
> the DTXtreme II module, but I'm not sure it loads these 
> samples...Does it??? 

Yes, it does.

> DM Pro manual (as I just read it moments ago) by 
> using "SoundBridge"  software I can burn samples from any source to 
> a flash RAM card and bring it in the DM Pro. There was also a 
> mention of Digidesign "Sample Cell" which in addition can create 
> volocities along with the "SoundBridge" software - I could be wrong 
> about needing "SampleCell" for this. 
> This sounds very exciting!...And a little more complicated. It 
seems 
> that the DM Pro IS the answer I'm looking for...? I'll have to read 
> up on that DTXtreme II module in this sample importing capability. 
> Maybe I should get rid of my DTXpress I & III modules...?

If importing samples is your goal, the Xpress modules won't get you 
there. And modules are typically lacking in the velocity stages that 
software and samples can often provide. The TD-10, if I recall, falls 
in the mid-300s; the ddrum4's boast of 1,000 or so due to its analog 
triggering should be taken with a grain of salt, though it easily 
exceeds those of the digital modules (Yamaha, Roland, Alesis, etc.). 
The Alesis is limited in a few areas, but see if its sampling 
capability is satisfactory to you.  All of the current sampling 
modules (ddrum, Yamaha, and Alesis) are hampered to some extent by 
their memories, mainly because they are simply not up to date in 
their pure computing ability. But OGD et al. can go into greater 
detail about that end of things.

Ed