Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "fjcelauro" <fjcelauro@y...> wrote:
Only thing I didn't understand was the part 
> about "inserting a pot between the inputs" so that the lighter get 
> their due," does this have anything to do with the self-reject 
> setting and what do you mean by "pot"?  I don't know anything about 
> this type of equipment except how to play it and put it together 
> (and to a certaine extent, to change trigger settings) and opted 
for 
> the DTXpress because it was the only one i could figure out how to 
> work at the store.  overall, i am very happy, excpet i can't stand 
> the sound of any of the hihats, even thru top of the line 
> headphones.  i tried turning the decay down and it did a little but 
> it sounds and feels so artificial.  any suggestions and thanks 
again.

Frank,

A pot (short for potentiometer) is an electronic device that permits 
volume adjustments. Sometimes its a rotary knob, like the one on the 
face of the module. If you're handy, you can buy a 250k pot and 
splice it into a cable from a Pintech pad into a DTXpress input to 
attenuate the signal strength to the point at which only the hardest 
hits register peak gain (99%). If you don't have those skills, 
Guyatone makes a cable with a pot already inserted. The company told 
me that it should work in the manner that I just described, though I 
haven't tried it myself. I think the price is $45 at Musicians 
Friend. The DTXpress just doesn't have enough sensitivity control on 
its own to achieve full dynamic range with certain components from 
other manufacturers. But if you get the Pintech pad, try it yourself 
before investing in the trick cable. You may be satisfied with it as 
is; many people are. 

Besides the first kick pad that was issued with the DTXpress (the KP-
60), the hi hat sounds on the module seem to garner the most 
complaints from otherwise happy DTXPress users. You'll just have to 
experiment with sounds and settings until you find something that you 
can live with. You've already noticed that dropping decay opens them 
up. The hats that I liked on the DTXpress were the ones on the GM 
jazz kit; they had a good bite to them. Also, it helps to equalize 
the volume. The hats are fairly subdued. You may have to turn every 
other pad down in order to get a balanced volume from them, but you 
can always raise the overall level of the kits in the utility menu, 
on your headphones, and/or on your amp. Unfortunately, the range from 
open to fully closed is limited, as it is with most MIDI hi hats, at 
least at modest price levels. By the way, good headphones are a must. 
Look for high sensitivity and low impedance studio models.

Ed