Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "tim_jazz_man87" <woodandsons@w...> 
wrote:
> I have had my Yamaha DTXpress II kit for 2 months. I was just 
> wondering that if in the future if I wanted a Roland PD-80 pad or 
PD-
> 120 snare pad, would it work? Are they compatible. The same goes 
for 
> the V-Cymbals.
> Has any one got a DTXpress II with additional Roland pads.

Hi Tim,

My first reaction to this question, which comes up quite a bit, is 
grossly materialistic: Have you checked the price of these Roland 
pads lately? Yikes. Seriously, there's no inherent reason why the 
Roland meshes wouldn't trigger through the Yamaha module, though some 
people have reported that the signal from the rims tends to be weak, 
which might be due to the placement of the piezos. Unfortunately, no 
cure would exist for such a problem. You can tame a pad that runs too 
hot through the Yamaha by adding a knob to attenuate the signal, but 
you may not be able boost one that's too low. All is not lost, 
however, because other mesh head options, notably Pintech's, cost far 
less and still exude quality. Plus, the rumor mill has it that Yamaha 
has patented a perforated mylar design, presumably to compete with 
Roland's meshes, that may have the same noise-reduction effect. If 
you're not in the market right now, it may emerge by the time you are 
(early next year). 

I'd say the same about the V-cymbals. Roland's central position in 
the market gives the impression that they're the only game in town, 
masking its exorbitant pricing to some extent. I've tried a Roland 
cymbal or two through Yamaha electronics, and I was not thrilled 
(though I liked them much better through Roland's). Again, other 
companies make cymbals that are eminently compatible with Yamaha and 
cost far less: Pintech and Visu-lite have high profiles here. Plus, 
Yamaha's new round cymbals, pictured on our front page, which are 
scheduled to reach the U.S. after Winter NAMM, are worth a look. We 
can be more specific about these matters if you'd like.

My crystal ball tells me that you may be primarily a jazz player. 
Issues of dynamic range often come into play with drummers who want 
their e-kit to honor their light touches. We can go into that as well.

Ed