Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

Ed:

Thanks. Your input is very helpful. Thanks for the tip on the Rolls mixer. Do 
you have any opinion on the Behringer Euroracks? Some of those are under 
$100. Wondering how they compare to the MX28.

Dean

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "emf" <liberatusvirus@y...> wrote:
> 
> --- 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