Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

Very happy to see some people getting together to discus the issues arround
the DTXpress.  It has already been a valuable source of information.

Just for the record, I'm a UK player venturing back into the e-drum scene
after a long and healthy 7 years with just acoustics.  My latest projects
demand the flexibility and MIDI capability of an e-drum set up.  I'm currently
using a 10year old Simmons brain and mixed pads, but as soon as the DTXpress
arrives I'll be swapping over.

I'm realy concerned about the headphone volume though.  I intend to use this
for live and practice work and if the headphone volume isn't loud enough then
the live work will be impossible without an additional amp!  This sucks.
This sucks so much that I am thinking of cancelling the order right now and
going for an Alesis DM5 instead.  I can't believe Yamaha have made this
fundamental error, how on earth are performers meant to hear their own sounds
over a backing mix if the backing mix comming in through the aux inputs swamps
everything?  And as for that "fix", what a joke.  In a live set with a PA busting
a gut out front with the whole mix, turning the headphone mix down will just
leave you hearing the front of house bleading through your headphones sound
proofing.  I realy am a bit gutted here guys, money is a problem for me right
now and the DTXpress was a cheap way into e-drums that seemed to offer all
I needed, but this will mean I have to buy an amp as well, when I was just
aiming at going through the PA desk live and working with headphones at home.
This is realy gonna effect the cost!

Quick question, the outputs on the DTXpress brain, two stereo pair right?
Do they send just your drum sounds, or do they send the aux in feed as well?
I can see this headphone volume thing being a real bugbear, I need to think.

Out of interest, you should know, I've only ordered the DTXpress brain and
hi hat controller.  I'm building the pads myself from an Arbiter Flats kit
and home grown cymbals.  All the info on how to do this is on the absolutely
fantastic no profit web site :  http://www.logiztix.com/stix

And knowing what I know about cymbal pads, I can tell you what is wrong
with the ride pad, in my opinion.  Simply, the plastic resonant surface beneath
the rubber mat is not transmitting the signal well enough, that's why hitting
the hard plastic logo gives better response, more strength from your stroke
is transmitted into the resonant surface on which the motion sensor (piezo
transducer) is mounted.  Since the crash pad doesn't have this problem, I guess
the situation must be compounded by a poorly programmed ride sound which doesn't
have the volume at the low end of the sensitivity.  Does th DTXpress have a
signal indicator light for each channel?  If it does, then you can see if the
pad is triggering, even if you can't hear it, in which case, blame lies in
the patch, not the pad.

Well, that's my two penneth, so I'll catch you guys later, gotta go to work now.
Answer my questions if you have time, and please give me some reasurance that
the headphone level problem won't make my life hell.

Thanks guys, see ya
Andy

Thanks for joining the group, Andy!

	The headphone volume thing is pretty bad. It's just barely loud enough to
use by yourself. If you were using it in a live situation, you'd be sunk.
The kit is pretty darn good, otherwise. Maybe you could just get a small
headphone amp somewhere. I don't know what they cost but I don't imagine it
would be too much.
	I don't know whether the aux in sound comes through the line outs. I'd
test it for you but I don't have the cable to run my CD player in. I may
get it in the next couple of days and I'll let you know.
	Good idea regarding the homemade pads! The included pads aren't too bad
but you may be able to do better.
	I think the good far outweighs the bad with this drumkit. I've really
enjoyed it so far. I hope you decide to keep it. Keep us posted.

		Chris
	






At 09:20 AM 11/15/99 -0000, you wrote:
>From: sanctum@...
>
>Very happy to see some people getting together to discus the issues arround
>the DTXpress.  It has already been a valuable source of information.
>
>Just for the record, I'm a UK player venturing back into the e-drum scene
>after a long and healthy 7 years with just acoustics.  My latest projects
>demand the flexibility and MIDI capability of an e-drum set up.  I'm
currently
>using a 10year old Simmons brain and mixed pads, but as soon as the DTXpress
>arrives I'll be swapping over.
>
>I'm realy concerned about the headphone volume though.  I intend to use this
>for live and practice work and if the headphone volume isn't loud enough then
>the live work will be impossible without an additional amp!  This sucks.
>This sucks so much that I am thinking of cancelling the order right now and
>going for an Alesis DM5 instead.  I can't believe Yamaha have made this
>fundamental error, how on earth are performers meant to hear their own sounds
>over a backing mix if the backing mix comming in through the aux inputs
swamps
>everything?  And as for that "fix", what a joke.  In a live set with a PA
busting
>a gut out front with the whole mix, turning the headphone mix down will just
>leave you hearing the front of house bleading through your headphones sound
>proofing.  I realy am a bit gutted here guys, money is a problem for me right
>now and the DTXpress was a cheap way into e-drums that seemed to offer all
>I needed, but this will mean I have to buy an amp as well, when I was just
>aiming at going through the PA desk live and working with headphones at home.
>This is realy gonna effect the cost!
>
>Quick question, the outputs on the DTXpress brain, two stereo pair right?
>Do they send just your drum sounds, or do they send the aux in feed as well?
>I can see this headphone volume thing being a real bugbear, I need to think.
>
>Out of interest, you should know, I've only ordered the DTXpress brain and
>hi hat controller.  I'm building the pads myself from an Arbiter Flats kit
>and home grown cymbals.  All the info on how to do this is on the absolutely
>fantastic no profit web site :  http://www.logiztix.com/stix
>
>And knowing what I know about cymbal pads, I can tell you what is wrong
>with the ride pad, in my opinion.  Simply, the plastic resonant surface
beneath
>the rubber mat is not transmitting the signal well enough, that's why hitting
>the hard plastic logo gives better response, more strength from your stroke
>is transmitted into the resonant surface on which the motion sensor (piezo
>transducer) is mounted.  Since the crash pad doesn't have this problem, I
guess
>the situation must be compounded by a poorly programmed ride sound which
doesn't
>have the volume at the low end of the sensitivity.  Does th DTXpress have a
>signal indicator light for each channel?  If it does, then you can see if the
>pad is triggering, even if you can't hear it, in which case, blame lies in
>the patch, not the pad.
>
>Well, that's my two penneth, so I'll catch you guys later, gotta go to
work now.

>Answer my questions if you have time, and please give me some reasurance that
>the headphone level problem won't make my life hell.
>
>Thanks guys, see ya
>Andy
>
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