Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

Well Ed, I haven't seen any ddrum kits 'on sale' for $1500, but if you
do please let me know cause I'll buy in a second ;). As far as the
limitations of the ddrum. I can definitely handle them. I think like
most people I would just find the best 2-3 mega-kits that suit me and
be happy with the quality of them. I'm not interested in 199 different
'so-so' kits as on other modules. I can always EQ and process the
ddrum kits as I see fit after recording...  So obviously the mesh
heads on the ddrum will be better than the DTX3SP, but do you have any
specific comments about the ddrum cymbals/hat vs. DTX3SP cymbals/hat?
I must admit the ddrum cymbals do not look very realistic in pictures.
The other option would be to go with a DTX3SP kit and then when I can
afford it also buy a computer drum sound library. I hear some of these
are 10+GIG of drums sounds, and have support for e-drum kits.
Specifically Toontrack's DFH (35GIGs of drums?!). I wonder how well it
plays though.

Happy Turkey Day!
Ken


> 
> Ken,
> 
> Going with an all in one package will certainly cut down on the 
> headaches. Mixing and matching isn't always terribly hard, but for 
> novices it can be demanding. The DTXpress IIISP and the DTXtreme IIS 
> have the hi hat on a stand, which I personally find indispensable, 
> even to the point of trumping any older setup that might have 
> marginally better sounds. I haven't any problem with the sounds on 
> the DTXPressIII or the DTXtreme modules per se; in fact, for what 
> they are, I'm generally impressed. By the way, I didn't know that the 
> DTXtremeIIS had any mp3s associated with it at this point, or is it 
> video that I'm thining of?  At any rate, so far as the basic specs of 
> sound quality are concerned, both the Xpress and the Xtreme are still 
> 16 bit systems, but the Xtreme has more quality sounds from Yamaha's 
> synth stable, as well as a host of other convenience features, 
> including the eminently playable snare and tom pads. But if your 
> budget can't swing it, the DTXpress IIISP is not a bad compromise at 
> all, and it will accommodate upgrades from the Xtreme.
> 
> The ddrum4 definitely has the capacity to blow people away, despite 
> the fact that much of it is ten years old. The sad part is that after 
> years of rumors concerning the imminent arrival of a ddrum5, which 
> even some industry people took seriously, Clavia has apparently 
> confessed that it has no plans for an overhaul whatsoever. But $1500 
> should be able to get you a complete ddrum4 kit, which is, as you 
> say, compact and geared toward approximating the sounds and feel of 
> acoustic percussion than the standard Yamaha and Rolands. I won't 
> rehearse all of the ddrum4's advantages; you can find them on 
> Clavia's website. But be forewarned that the kit isn't expandable, 
> except by buying a second module, that it's memory capacity for even 
> its own huge, brilliant library, is incredibly small--making the 
> number of desirable kits on the module at any one time fairly small 
> (primarily the mega-kits, which are irresistable once you hear them)--
> that downloading new sounds from the web is a pain in the neck, and 
> that its cymbals and hi hat are, to a large extent, proprietary. 
> Cymbals from other companies will not choke, and they will not be 
> able to reproduce the ddrum's positional sensing (which isn't 
> universal, anyway), though they may do so eccentrically. I use Visu-
> lite cymbals with a ddrum module; the positional anomalies are 
> acceptable to me. The ddrum hi hat works on a principle different 
> from that of any other company, but it is worth its questionable 
> looks. Other companies' snare/tom pads with the ddrum4 are not so 
> critical; sometimes they are even an advantage. Clavia's own mesh 
> heads will not do its sporadic positional sensing with the module's 
> OS (only its mylar ones will); Pintechs and Harts may very well do so 
> because of where their piezos are mounted.
> 
> Again, I've taken up a lot of room. For you, the choice appears to be 
> between the XpressIIISP and the ddrum4 on sale or used. For me, 
> nothing beats the sound quality of the ddrum, despite its warts, but 
> I also have a second module in my kit and non-ddrum components 
> integrated with it to pick up the slack. The second module is a 
> Yamaha.
> 
> Ed