Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "buggoutbill" <wnofi@e...> wrote:
> Hey guys!
> I've been skimming this group, which has already helped answer alot 
> of questions. On in particular from 'emf' which answered my hi-hat 
> pedal sensativity question. Thanks!

You're welcome and welcome to the group.
 
> But, like any noobie, I still have a few more:
> 1. I saw the link to drumbalaya.com (wow! great store!) for the 
> DTXpressIII. How much better will the basic III be than my II? Will 
> the sounds be worth the wait? I can still crate mine back up and 
> bring it back to Guitar Center in about 25 more days. Unless we're 
> talking more than 3 months for the release of the III.

We may be talking just over three months for the new kit. The 
difference in the modules we simply have to take on faith, but I've 
heard from a very reliable, and impartial, source in the industry 
that Yamaha's new cymbal sounds represent a genuine improvement. The 
STD version of the III is probably not enough of a departure to 
warrant a trade-in. But the re-designed, round cymbals, including the 
new hi hat on a tradtional stand, of the IIISP loom large, especially 
the bell/bow/edge PCY 150. The collapsible curved rack for both kits 
is also a nice touch. The good news is that the cymbals are largely 
backward compatible for the II. OGD has made understanding the 
innovations his mission. Check his recent posts in December for a 
fantastic rundown of the various permutations and possibilities. You 
should be able to determine from his detailed analysis whether an 
immediate upgrade is right for you.
 
> 2. I've tried hooking up using MIDI to my EMU XL-7 to use the XL-
7's 
> drum kits/sounds. After some fiddling, I figured out how to change 
> MIDI note values on the DTX to correspond to the XL-7's kits. But, 
> one thing it does not seem to transmit is the cymbal chokes. Is 
there 
> a setting on the DTX that I'm missing?

You deserve a cigar (make it chocolate one) just for figuring out how 
to work with note numbers on the DTXpress on your own. To get the 
chokes, make sure that the DTXpress is set to allow "note off" 
or "key off." I can't remember the correct Yamaha terminology.
 
> 3. For an extra pad (cymbal), should I just stick with Yamahas? I 
> want to keep it under $100. Also, is there another hi-hat pedal I 
can 
> use with it? Any brand pads I should not or could not use?

Ah, the thousand dollar question and the two cents answer. If you 
stay with Yamaha rubber pads, you are at least assured of no 
incompatability. Almost any other pad will make a noise through the 
Yamaha module, but you might end up trading response, to one degree 
or another, for feel. You may also have to do more tweaking to get 
the settings just right. Many people have had great success with the 
Pintech Zenbals; Stephen Brown, a long-time user of them, has a 
review in our files section. The beautiful Hart Bronze ECII ride is 
not recommended because of sensitivity issues, though the crashes 
seem to work well. The Rolands are hit and miss. The CY-6 is a round 
rubber model that is within your budget; personally, I don't love it 
with Yamaha. The Visu-lites, which I have used with a number of 
different modules, do very well through the DTXpress module. If you 
stay with the DTXpress II, you could get yourself a cheap Yamaha 
wedge cymbal through Drumbalaya's bargain basement or ebay (if 
available) while waiting for the new cymbals to be released with the 
III.  

Hope some of this helps.

Ed