Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

Hi ppl

I've a DTXpress III with a PCY65S and a PCY65, both of which we've
discussed here before and the solutions have always involved taking
them apart and I haven't done that because until relatively recently
I've never successfully soldered anything so I kinda just shied away
from it. I've only one of each unit and I didn't want to knacker them.

The issues were, if I remember, the PCY65 giving an occasional bell
sound, and the PCY65S being unreliable as far as triggering the
different bits goes .. specifically despite setting self rejection
fairly high I can't seem nowadays to hit the front part without
sometimes also triggering the rear, sometimes the rear gives the sound
from the front, and choking no longer seems to work, it triggers
instead.

Well now it's all come to a head and I'm actually going to be playing
the darn thing live on the radio so I'd better get my act together. I
need to solve the problem pretty quickly.

So I thought .. I'll just buy a new PCY65S and a PCY65 and stick those
on. If we've still got the same problem I know it's not the unit, it's
a setting. If it's the unit, I can safely dismember the old units and
mess around with tinfoil till the end of time.

So my main question is .. might different units be a better idea? I've
no idea what's out there, but isn't there now a DTXpress IV and does
that have better cymbals and will they work? Or the XTreme ones?
Thoughts anyone on what I might purchase to replace. If you think
replace like with like, say so, tho.

And favourite supplier for same, is it still Thomann in Germany?

Cheers
J

Alright, let me ask this in a more simple way.

I might replace my DTXpress III cymbals. Are there better alternatives
or shall I just replace like for like?

J

As far as I am aware, all the Yamaha cymbals are made in the same way
and of the same quality construction, so buying the ones for a
DTXtreme doesn't get you anywhere (they are also the same as the
"Special" DTXpress ones).  

If you really want to try something different, you should maybe look
at either Roland ones or one from Pintech, such as the Visulite ones,
but with anything other than Yamaha ones you will need a bit of
parameter tweeking to get it to work properly.  Also, be careful,
because some dual zone ones will use two piezos rather than a piezo +
rim switch.

Keith.

> If you really want to try something different, you should maybe look
> at either Roland ones or one from Pintech, such as the Visulite ones,
> but with anything other than Yamaha ones you will need a bit of
> parameter tweeking to get it to work properly.  Also, be careful,
> because some dual zone ones will use two piezos rather than a piezo +
> rim switch.
>
> Keith.

Thanks Keith, sounds like I'm best just replacing like with like, I
haven't really got into the settings thing successfully so that sounds
like a step backwards :-)

Cheers
J

Just to wrap up this thread, I bought a new PCY^% and PCY65S from
Thomann and they work beautifully now.

In the last days the ride pretty much stopped working, and the rim of
the crash always seemed to also trigger the main sound.

So now maybe I know it was the triggers not the settings, and one
rainy day I'll take one of the old units apart and see if I can't fix
'em and get myself another trigger on my kit.

Good, that was making me miserable :-)

J