Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "brown8700" <brown8700@a...> wrote:
> Anyway, so we could continue rehearsal, I pulled out the TAMA 
> Starclassics. The guys in the band had never seen or heard them.
> Guess what? They want me to continue to play the acoustics becuase 
> the dynamics are so much better; and I have to agree.

Stephen,

By now, you must have figured out what was wrong with the amp 
(crossover, soldering, loose wire, tweeter damage?). The fact that 
you all agreed about the dynamics must mean that the difference was 
obvious, and it's not really surprising, since the DTXpress can only 
manage a discrete number of steps from softest to loudest (especially 
with the Pintech meshes connected), compared to the infinitely 
variable range of an acoustic kit. But there are other factors to 
consider. First of all, a larger kit makes a larger psychological 
impact. A lot of people, performers as well as audience members, 
react skeptically about the often compact look of an e-kit, 
especially in a musical setting that's supposed to be BIG, like rock. 
It's easier to identify with traditional drums. Rock, however, is the 
least likely style to suffer from a loss of dynamic range. (Maybe if 
the other members hadn't seen the Tamas, they wouldn't have "noticed" 
the difference in sound.) That's not to say that dynamic range is 
totally absent in rock music--far from it--only that much of the 
playing does not depend on it. Another consideration is that an 
acoustic kit requires much more effort, expense, and finesse to come 
across well live--multiple and appropriate mikes, presumably a lot of 
inputs on the mixer, etc. The extent to which a live acoustic kit's 
amplification/mixing/processing is compromised is the extent to which 
it loses some of its advantage. All things considered, and 
notwithstandng the obvious tradeoffs--in the studio as well as live--
an e-kit offers more sonic and logistical versatility, as well more 
ease of setup. Moreover, as good as the DTXpress is, it is not the 
last word in electronic drumming; other modules and pads can 
approximate the acoustic experience with more finesse, affecting the 
balance even further. 

I'm just taking the opportunity to muse a little on the matter. 
Obviously, you'll ultimately do what's best for you and your band. 
But the band members won't always have the drummer's best interests 
in mind--musical or otherwise--and what seems right from a certain 
perspective, or in a certain context, won't necessarily be right in 
every conceivable situation. It's not an open and shut case, and it 
might not even require a single answer. But it is an interesting one 
that raises a lot more questions than might meet eye on first glance.

Ed