Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "emf" <liberatusvirus@y...> wrote:
> --- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "musiccrafter2003" <bob@m...> 
wrote:
> > Hey guys! I'm new to the group and have been building electronic
> > kits 
> > for quite a few years. I would like to ask you all for a little 
> help 
> > with an electronic drum set that I am currently refining for 
> > production. I have a working prototype and have secured a patent 
on 
> > it. There is a huge amount of expertise in this group and your 
> > comments, suggestions, concerns and yes, even your criticism, 
would 
> > be greatly appreciated. The kit is a self-contained electronic 
drum 
> > set that sets up automatically and collapses to between 8 and 10" 
> > thick for transport. I expect the production unit will weigh in 
the 
> > 40-50 pound range. Once you do the initial adjustments to the 
kit, 
> > seat distance from kit, seat height, drum positions and angles 
and 
> > the foot pedal location (there are some adjustment limitations), 
> the 
> > kit sets up exactly the same way, automatically, in a matter of 
> > seconds. All of the cables are routed through the frame and 
> terminate 
> > at a plug receptacle that is located on the frame. A custom snake 
> > plugs into the plug receptacle on the frame and fans out to ¼"
> > plugs 
> > that connect to the sound trigger/sound module. The kit can be 
set 
> up 
> > and you can be playing, honestly, in about 5 seconds. I worked as 
a 
> > repair tech for quite a few years in the music industry and many 
of 
> > the drummers that I worked with were looking for a kit that could 
> be 
> > easily transported, but they still wanted to be able to sit down 
at 
> a 
> > real kit. Anyway, I'm currently working as an 
> > electrical/mechanical 
> > engineer and I also operate a company that specializes in music 
> > jingles (Music Crafter). I have set up a dedicated page on my web 
> > sight where I have posted a few pictures of the kit (Peratron). 
The 
> > local reviews of the kit have been overwhelmingly good. If any of 
> you 
> > get a chance, please stop by www.musiccrafter.com and take a look 
> at 
> > the Peratron and let me know what you think. Thanks for your 
help, 
> > and I will be looking forward to hearing what the real electronic 
> > drummer thinks.  Here is the path directly to the page. 
> > http://www.musiccrafter.com/The_Peratron.asp 
> 
> Bob,
> 
> Thanks for giving us the opportunity to look at your work. This 
being 
> Christmas, I had only a brief moment to check out the site, but the 
> kit looks solid and ergonomically ingenious. I'd love to know what 
> the pads can do (what are the transducers are, how many, and 
where). 
> What electronics did you use for testing the response? Do you have 
a 
> target audience--for instance, those who would be prone to buying 
the 
> DTXpress, the V-Club, the Bafo, etc.? I hope we can continue to 
> discuss the kit in the days upcoming.
> 
> Ed

Hi Ed,

Quite honestly the pads/triggers that are on the prototype are 
unimpressive but work quite well, they have been a point of 
contingency for me all along. I have been spending a lot of time 
working on viable options. I have had correspondence with other pad 
manufacturers with the possibility of integrating their pads into my 
system, as well as prototyping custom pads for the unit. The 
requirements for fitting the pads on to the intricate frame of the 
Peratron is a delicate balancing act. I have considered offering 
options rubber or mesh head type but most of that is still up in the 
air. The cost of the pads becomes a major factor as well when you 
look at the overall cost of the unit. The target market overall seems 
to be more the older players that still love to gig. This is the 
group that seems to have the disposable income for the unit; they 
still love to play but are tired of the hassles of setting up the 
conventional kit. I have also had many acoustic drummers that have 
expressed interest just because of the sheer simplicity of the set-up 
and teardowns. The mechanics of this system will undoubtedly ad cost 
to the unit because there is more to it then just a tube frame. But 
any drummer that moves his kit fairly often would be a prime 
candidate for the Peratron. There seems to be a fair amount of 
Christian groups that have accepted electronic drums. I believe that 
this is in part because they can be turned not only up but down as 
well and many in there audiences prefer the drums at a lower volume. 
The Peratron would be an excellent choice for this group of drummers. 
If someone is going to set it up in there studio and never move it 
the Peratron is most likely not for them, the added cost of the 
integrated mechanisms would be hard to justify just to have a cool 
option. The finished unit will be a true touring kit very solid and 
very reliable and exceptionally portable, it won't be released until 
these requirements have all been achieved. Do you see strong 
preferences for the trigger surfaces? There seems to be as many 
options as there are players. At this point in time this is my 
biggest challenge. Thanks for the input. Here's the link again. 
http://www.musiccrafter.com/The_Peratron.asp 

Thanks
Bob