Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "deanerdrummer" <deanscott@a...> 
wrote:
> 
> 
> I have a dtx3 with added mono pads already in outputs 9/10. I am 
considering 
> buying the RHH130 hihat. I want to then use the old hihat pad as a 
second 
> floor tom and eventually add even more pads (possibly the new round 
cymbal 
> pads). What is the best route for doing this since my existing 
module is filled 
> up? Should I purchase another dtx brain?
> 
> OR
> 
> It may be cheaper in the long run to just get a second dtx kit and 
marry them 
> together. I am considering this as well. 
> 
> Either way, I have gathered from reading other posts that I would 
need to run 
> both brains through a mixer and then to an amp. Correct? Or can the 
brains 
> be piggybacked off one another without the need for a mixer?
> 
> How many of you use a second dtx brain? It seems in the photo 
section I only 
> see one brain on the kits. Yet the kits have a multitude of pads. I 
am very 
> much a novice on this subject and would appreciate any feedback you 
can 
> give me in "simple" terms.

Hi Deaner,

Good to have you with us. Whether you buy another module, a trigger 
to MIDI interface, or a second complete kit to expand your horizons 
will depend on budget and how many more pads you want in your 
configuration. Check out OGD's multiple DTXtremeIIS bonanza for a 
real treat; it's in the photo section. 

One thing for sure is that the DTXpress rack runs out of room really 
quickly. Many people swap it out for something bigger and sturdier, 
often from Gibralter, fairly early in the game, though the Yamaha 
rack is expandable with some ingenuity. You can get parts from 
Drumbalaya.com. It might be more cost-effective and prudent to buy, 
say, a second module and a few more pads that you can integrate with 
your existing kit and gradually move up as desired, required, or 
financially feasible. You don't need to get another DTXpressIII for 
your second module. You could get an affordable new one from another 
company, or even a used one to create some variation in your sound. 
An older DTXpressI or II would save you some money and probably fit 
the bill for a good long while. 

Trigger-to-MIDI interfaces add inputs to modules via, as their name 
suggests, MIDI. They have no sounds of their own; they take them from 
the connected module. Roland's TMC-6 may be the only current model 
out there, but even at a reduced price, it still costs more than many 
used modules, and some of its features may be overkill with a 
DTXpress. The late great discontinued TMDs, however, like the Roland 
PM-16, Aphex, or the Kat MIDIkiti, if you can find one, can be 
completely satisfactory, even though they are limited to mono pads.

One way or another, Keith's magic box, which exists solely to add 
inputs to a situation like yours will become available, either as a 
DIY project or for sale below the cost of most, good used modules. 
Stay tuned for that development if you're interested. We'll be 
sending out a questionnaire to assess members' interest in it shortly.

I can't remember what you might be seeing in our photo section to 
suggest that people are magically adding pads to their DTXpress 
without adding inputs. The DTXpress has an extra input that will 
permit the addition of two more mono pads or one dual-zone pad. Some 
people split their inputs in two, allowing them to use two pads with 
the same voice and trigger settings. 

A mixer is the best way to join modules at the hip, either for common 
amplification or listening via headphones. Running them together 
together via MIDI is possible but a waste of the voice capabilities 
of one of them. A better option would be to connect one module to the 
other's auxiliary input (the mini jack, for instance, on the face of 
the DTXpress) for mixing, and maybe use the other module's auxiliary 
to connect a CD player.  Although this option is a cheap and 
relatively competent way to bide time, it is limiting in the quality 
and control of the resulting sound. A mixer need not be expensive. I 
keep promoting the three channel Rolls MX28, which sounds good and 
costs less than $100. It will take the stereo outputs of two modules 
as well as another feed (be it a CD player or another human), pan 
them, and mix them together with great aplomb for either headphones 
or a monitor. Of course, there are other more elaborate mixer options 
from numerous companies--a portable recording device with an embedded 
mixer, either analog or digital, being one of them. 

I hope this outline gives you some ideas.

Ed