Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "musiccrafter2003" <bob@m...> wrote:
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. 

Bob,

We certainly have our fair share of members who fit your projected 
audience. Many of us take e-kits to gigs, and many alternate them 
with acoustic sets as the situation warrants. But don't discount 
those who opt for e-drums because they practice mainly at home or in 
a dorm where space and noise are major factors. These people often 
need to have their kits take up as little room as possible when and 
after they use them. Yamaha's DTXpress has become more and more 
collapsible to meet such demands. The question of affordability is 
certainly significant, but in my experience, the more expensive the 
kit is, the more an older demographic will tend to be the major 
buyers. But the money that younger people have to buy what they 
consider to be a good product for the money continually astonishes 
me. Competition for e-drums at any price point for features offered 
is becomming more and more intense.

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 

I see the trigger design as crucial. Regardless of how portable and 
manipulable setup may be, in the end, if triggering is compromised, 
sales among serious users will suffer. Even if potential buyers don't 
have a chance to try out a product firsthand before they buy, sites 
like this one can give a measure of information that can determine 
choice. One thing that we all have discovered over the years is that 
even though one company's pads will perform to some extent through 
another company's module, the match will not always be satisfactory. 
Personally, I have found out the hard way that Hart, Roland, and, for 
some, even Pintech pads can present triggering difficulties for 
Yamaha modules, which do not have the fine tuning for sensitivity 
that others do. The position of the piezo element in relation to the 
head can have a great effect in this regard. A few companies put a 
sensitivity control on the pad itself to improve the odds. Testing 
your pads with Roland, Yamaha, ALesis, ddrum--whatever you can get 
your hands on--would seem to be a good idea. You might have someone 
familiar with performance across a wide range of current products 
help with design.

Gum rubber certainly does not seem to be an impediment to entry-level 
sales, or sales in general. The durability and feel are to many e-
drummers' liking. Escalating sales of the DTXpress are a case in 
point. EVen if you end up using your own pads, however, the ability 
to attach others to your rack would seem to be an advantage--unless 
your overall product is perceived as singular and eminently desirable 
in its own right. That will depend on what its competition in the 
marketplace offers. Many e-drummers upgrade/change/experiment 
continually. If the basic equipment doesn't appear to support the 
ability to make changes, it may not stand the test. Mesh heads, 
especially for the snare, are an obvious next step for gum-rubber 
users.  step for many DTXpress and Roland V-Club users is a mesh head 
snare. 

I could go on, but 2 cents from me is probably a good stopping point. 
IIf any of us can help with beta testing pads for compatibility with 
various components, let us know. At the very least, someone could 
compare your pads with Yamaha's through a DTXpressII module, or 
perhaps any other number of permutations.

Ed