Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

Hello Group,

I'm new here. Been browsing the archives, links, etc. Also been looking at YouTube videos.

Here's my situation and question(s):

I'm an amateur, have taken a couple of lessons, am always beating my sticks around the 
house, want to get a drum kit to actually play on but the wife and neighbors won't dig it. I 
walked into my local music shop today and saw a used DTXpressII kit on the show floor. I 
had never seen an e-drum kit before so I played on it a bit with headphones and thought 
to myself: "this is it; this what I need." The price is right ($550 complete), but since I have 
NO IDEA what I'm doing, thought I would ask you guys. FYI, I'm an old fart (saw the Stones 
on their first U.S. tour in '64, and just recently on the current tour), but hey, it's never too 
late to start, is it? ;-)

Couple of quick questions, if you don't mind my ignorance and promise not to laugh:

1. I just downloaded a manual from somewhere, and I see an "Aux In" jack on the front. 
This is how I can bring in tunes to play along with, right? I see that there is a "record" 
function, but that's only for the built-in songs; it can't actually record and store songs I 
want to bring in, can it?

2. Is there any built-in instruction for self-learning in the module itself?

3. Should I buy this sucker? Anything to ask for from the store? (guarantee? support?)

Thanks for any advice and feedback.

Harald

P.S. This kit was owned by the guy I took the lessons from, but he's on the road touring 
with a band in Europe so I can't ask him anything.

Welcome.

The aux-in is an audio one which allows you to mix sound from, say,
your CD player to play along to.  The "record" is a MIDI record which
records the timing of pad hits for playing back, but it doesn't record
audio.

You can load your own MIDI songs in the module for playing along to.

There is the "groove check" feature to help your timing, but no self
teaching in the module.

With regards warranty, it is always useful to have but the most
expensive part - the module - doesn't seem to have any reliability
problems.  Pads do seem to break occasionally but they are not
expensive to replace.

Keith.

Typical electronic components are rated 0-70C operating.  Allowing for
some self heating this often ends up being 0-50C for the operating
temperature range of domestic electronics.  Storage is usually
considerably higher (e.g. -55 to +125C).  They don't like water on the
circuit boards so you definitely want to avoid condensation, both for
corrosion and the conduction between tracks.

Keith.

> Thanks Keith! I'll be fine with this range. In fact, I will probably 
> be the 
> most vulnerable component! 

I would be more concerned about the glues in the pads in extreme heat
than the electronics.

Keith.