Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

> All constructive rants appreciated. But look: The DTXpress is to a 
> high end recording instrument as Notepad is to a full-fledged 
> wordprocessor. It's great as a practice tool, a convenient kit for 
a 
> nondemanding live applications, or studio or live demo-recording 
> tool. I don't think anyone mistakes it for a drumkit suitable in 
> every situation. For serious recording purposes, an e-kit has to 
> have, at least, a failure/adequacy rate for individual events far 
> better than the failure/adequacy rate of the drummer playing it. 
Who 
> wants to have keep re-doing a take because the crash dropped out or 
> the kick was doubling, etc. I don't think that any e-kit yet 
creates 
> the kind of confidence that most people who record seriously 
demand. 
> But they are much less taxing to record than acoustics, thereby 
> giving them the edge under certain circumstances. I've heard a 
> DTXpress in well-made recordings, and it's easy to notice its 
> limitations. But it's also hard not be impressed with how good it 
can 
> sound despite them. Let's put it this way: Assuming that any 
drummer 
> in your band was pretty savvy, if he bought a DTXpress, the reason 
> would probably be that it was in his budget, not because he thought 
> he was getting the bargain of the century on a $5000 piece of 
> equipment.
> 
> Ed

I agree... my drummer uses Yamaha customs and ATM 35's (not the "pro" 
crap) for mics.  Would have been nice not to have him bashing so 
loudly when I went up to play guitar or sing on a few songs... you 
get tired of wearing earplugs all night, night after night!

If/when I decide to record these drums for any half serious project I 
will actually most likely borrow a "good" rack mount module or 
something to get great drum sounds not just adequate sounds from the 
brain.

On the bands first cd (a disaster!) we actually ended up having the 
poor drummer go back and overdub his toms with the dtx (possible v1 
it was so long ago) because the kit was recorded so poorly... I 
didn't get pulled into the project till everything was recorded and 
they were fighting mixdown (boy what a fight on there hands).  The 
band was really into Dream Theatre stuff so poor Danny would sit 
there for like an hour on one fill going "how did I play that... man 
it's fast!" haha!  Well the album still sounded like crap in the end 
due to pure mic'ing technique just about everywhere.  But it was one 
hell of a learning experience for those boys!

oh oh, I've drifted off again... sorry,
Gilligan