Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

I wanted to make my DTXpress sound like I had lots of cymbals. My idea was
to record a pad song which consisted of 5 different cymbals sounds played in
sequence. I then tried to assign this song to the crash cymbal pad and set
it up to play the different sounds sequentially. I should then have been
able to hit the pad three times during a fill and it would sound like I had
hit three different cymbals.

When I tried this I got different drum sounds instead of cymbals. I haven't
worked too hard on the problem but I wanted to check whether I was being
stupid or whether it might be a good idea. Any light shed on the following
questions would be helpful:

Is this possible?
Any suggestions about what am I doing wrong?
Is the volume set for each note of a song or can each note be played at a
different volume depending on how hard the pad is hit?

Thanks

Ben Wicks

Yes, it is a good idea. Personnally I use 2 layers on 2 pads, therefore in
my main kit I have 2 toms, a hit hat, a ride, a splash, 2 crashes and a
china, for me it is enough.(if you use dumpster I can send you my kit). The
advantages of using the two layers are that you know which sound you will
trig, nevertheless the cymbal pads don't have a very good dynamic(that's why
I use a normal pad for the ride).
I think that using the pad song fonction as you suggested it can work. The
problem is how to record the song. The difficulty comes from the choice of
the midi channel where the song will be recorded. I advise you to:
- First, make your kit with all the sounds of cymbal you want(use the rims
if you don't have enough pads). Don't forget the song pad.
- Now you will record the song. If you have a midi keyboard it would be
easier. If yes, choose the channel 10 with your keyboard. Write on a paper
the midi notes of your cymbals(look in you kit setup and change the midi
note if one note is used by two pads(the choice of the notes is not
important)). Then record your song using these notes(one note per measure).
If you don't have a midi keyboard....argh. It will be more complicated. The
aim is to record the notes of the cymbals on the channel 10 of the pad song.
Write the midi note of your cymbals on a paper. Make a drum kit using these
midi notes: just change the midi note of the snare, toms and one cymbal for
example.(you will have the 5 notes of your cymbals on these 5 pads, the
sound of the pads is not important, the  MOST IMPORTANT IS THE MIDI NOTE YOU
ASSIGN TO THE PAD). Now record the song(play each pad at the beginning of
each measure).
- Now play!(if it doesn't work maybe select the song and your kit at the
same time, in the recorded song, select on the channel 10 your kit("V=drumV
and PCNo=the number of your kit)).
I don't try these method but I hope it will work.
The volume is set for each note of the song, therefore you can't play at
different volume. The pad only trig the song.(however with the two layers
you can play at different volume each sound).
Good luck!!!

I tried this method and it works(without a midi keyboard). Did you succeed?
I can send you a sysex file with the kit and the cymbal song I made if you
want.