Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "emf" <liberatusvirus@y...> wrote:
> --- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "zapaxe" <a_zapelectric@h...> 
wrote:
> > Very interesting, thanks for the heads up! You'd think that e-
drum 
> > manufacturers would make their brains with a little more 
control. 
> > Say like adding sounds from these software samplers.
> > Which brings to mind...The DTXtremeIIS is supposed to be able to 
> > have sampling capabilities...this DOES mean I could load some 
great 
> > software samples yes?
> 
> Steve,
> 
> The manufacturers still treat drum modules as poor relations to 
MIDI 
> keyboards, which are far more advanced in features and capability. 
> Some of this is due to the fact that drums aren't as inherently 
> mathematical as keyboards and require the development of special 
> touch nuances, and some is due to the fact that e-drums are 
nowhere 
> near as economically profitable as synths. It's a bit like the 
> chicken and the egg: Drum modules won't be immensely popular among 
> drummers until the features are better, and the companies won't 
> invest in making them better until drummers start using them in 
> bigger numbers. Companies also seem to deliberately withhold 
module 
> features (for example, bit and sample rates) in order to make sure 
> that something "new" is always available for release without 
> exhausting the inventory of possibility. Even Yamaha has 
mysteriously 
> said that it wants to monitor sales of its new modules before it 
> offers a truly professional grade one. 
> 
> That said, things are improving. Roland has just raised the bar a 
> little more, and Yamaha's impending DTXTIIS has some 
characteristics 
> that e-drummers should welcome (ddrum, though not one of the big 
> boys, is a simple, elegant, and realistic alternative that 
surpasses 
> them in many areas). As you say, the onboard sampling ability is 
one 
> of the things that many people want, as well as an easy way to 
store 
> and download.
> 
> Ed

------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi and thanks Ed,

I looked at the specs on the newer DTXpress III and the DTXtremeIIS 
and there is no mention of the quality of the samples in terms of 
Bit & sample rate. However in the sampling cababilities section they 
did say something about bringing in 44 KHz (monoural)into the brain 
from outside samples. Bits? Hmmm...And does that mean the samples 
within the brain are at 44KHz?
The fact that they do not make this perfectly clear is a heads-up to 
what you say!

I guess it's an unfortunate reality manufactureres are hold the bit 
& sample rates back to ensure that they can make future sales as I'm 
sure that it can't be too hard to up the bit & sample rates in their 
drum brains. But in the world of digital recording & computer DAWS 
the bar has been raised in this area and just about all audio card 
manufacturers are making the capabilities up to 24/32 bit & 
44/48/88/96 KHz sample rates.
Staying at 16 bit is just plain silly. There's been many argumants 
over this, but it seems that what has won the debate is that every 
single thing you do within your recording DAW will degrade the audio 
signal from volume changes, applying FX'x, etc...By the time it gets 
dithered to CD the sound has been noticeably degraded.
Of course one can keep it within midi till mix-down.
Someone told me about this, but I don't yet know how but I've also 
considered the possibility of using/recording with the DTXpress to 
midi, putting it in something like Battery and using a drum sample 
CD. Inconvenient me thinks!

Steve