Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

>Hi Chris,
>Thanks for the note. I'm really happy that people are seeing the post. I
>think we can help each other out with some technical issues as well as just
>creating new kits, sounds, tricks, etc. Rather than write a whole new
>message, I've copied some that another drummer (Giles, I'm working on a
>reply to your latest!) and I have exchanged (oldest to newest as you scroll
>down). Giles was initially getting feedback on the kit to help make a buying
>decision, but he has also just taken the plunge and bought one. His newest
>message to me is the last one. All in all, I think you are going to be
>really pleased with the kit. Another review to check out is in the November
>Modern Drummer. This will set your mind to rest.
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Hi Giles,
>Good questions, and I don't blame you at all for doing your homework before
>buying something as expensive as this. One of the reasons that I posted my
>message on DrumWeb was for people who were looking for electronic drums
>along with those who already have them. When I was shopping, it wasn't easy
>to find the information that I needed.
>
>Anyway... my reason for buying e-drums was mainly due to my living
>situation. I have a house and family who would most likely be driven crazy
>by my pounding if I didn't have a way to control the volume. Also, I'm
>getting back into drumming after about a 15 year layoff and was most likely
>going to be doing a good part of my playing, at least at first, by myself,
>ie: practicing along with cd's or radio to get my chops back. With the
>e-drums, I can mix my playing in with the recorded music and listen to it
>all through the amp or headphones. Something that is pretty tough to do with
>acoustics. It also has a pretty small footprint and tucks into a corner
>quite nicely.
>
>I'm also into new technology and the idea of having 80 different kits at my
>fingertips was pretty intriguing. But enough about me...
>
>I don't know what's motivating you to look at e-drums but this will weigh
>heavily into your decision on which kit/pads/module to get. If you are
>looking to get a practice kit for home or writing and on a pretty tight
>budget (more my situation), then I'd say that the DTXpress is everything you
>would need. I'm not saying it's perfect (I'll get to this below) but it's
>really satisfying my needs. First advise I have is to get to a music shop
>and
>play a few sets if you can.
>
>Why DTXpress?
>Positives (not in any particular order):
>1) Price. I didn't even know that this kit existed before I went into my
>local music store and the clerk pointed it out. I was prepared to spend at
>least US$500 more than I spent on the DTXpress and then face the potential
>wrath of my wife. As it was, I spent under US$1100 on the kit plus kick
>pedal and throne (bought these on sale) and was able to tell her that I
>saved vast amounts over what I could have spent... For price:value, I can't
>see any other kit coming close. Pintech is one brand that seems to be
>selling for a great price w/great value but it's still quite a bit more than
>the Yamaha.
>
>2) Easy to set up and get going. I was pretty nervous when I started
>unpacking it but it turned out to be pretty easy to do. If you are going to
>gig with it, there's definitely a way to keep the stand set up and pad
>positions in place so that you just attach the pads and module, plug the
>vast array of cords in and you're going. Should be easier than an acoustic,
>and much lighter and less bulky.
>
>3) Sound. I was pretty blown away by the overall quality and selection of
>drum sounds (and more) on this module. I'm playing it through a keyboard
>amp (highly recommended for range) and it never ceases to cause jaws to drop
>when I turn it on and hit the first drum. Everything I've needed is there
>except a good "crack" snare, and I know I can get this with some playing
>with the sounds. All the customization features are there and more. I have
>customized two kits (rock and reggae) to my own specs and will do many more.
>Can't do this with one acoustic kit.
>
>4) I only find the mono pads limiting on the snare and ride cymbal. On the
>snare, it would be nice to have a rim shot available (or a stick/rim crack).
>I'm thinking of getting a Pintech or Roland dual zone screen pad to cover
>the snare and moving my current snare pad up as a 3rd tom or percussion
>sound. For the ride, it would be nice to have the edge for a 2nd crash and
>the surface or bell for ride. I may look at some other e-cymbals but these
>are ok for now. For the toms, crash, and hi-hat, the mono is fine. The hi
>hat pedal is actually a dual zone setup so you have up and down position and
>a combo middle zone. It's ok once you get used to the action.
>
>Limitations or negatives:
>1) Cymbal noise. I'd say the thing that I am least satisfied with on the set
>is the crash and ride cymbal pads themselves. They make a relatively loud
>plastic noise when hit that, with the volume turned down, can be louder than
>the sound coming out of the amp. I find myself having to listen for my ride
>cymbal. The cymbal sounds in the module are fine, they need to work on the
>pad noise. Also, the cymbals don't have a boom mount so positioning is a bit
>limited. The higher end Yamaha sets have a boom so it's available if you
>need it.
>
>2) Wasted memory in module. Yamaha advertises all these "songs" that you can
>play along with but, in my opinion, they are really cheesy and I'd never use
>this feature. It seems like a major waste of space that could have been used
>for several more sequencer patterns (just two now). Maybe this is some sort
>of Karaoke substitute for drummers. Big in Japan. The other wasted area is
>in some of the pre-set kits. They should have concentrated on making 20
>really useful, well thought out sets instead of spending less time coming up
>with 48 kits, 30 of which are pretty useless. Anyway, the 18 that are good
>make good starting places for making up your own. It just seems like a waste
>to have so many presets that I'll never use.
>
>3) Headphone volume: Now matter how much I try, I can't get the drum volume
>in the headphones to be loud enough if I use the jack on the module. I'm
>calling Yamaha this week so I should have an answer. I've resorted to using
>the headphone jack in my amp, which works just fine, and I can e.q. better
>there anyway. Not a huge issue but kind of annoying. I'm sure there's a
>solution.
>
>4) Complexity. I'm sure this is true for any module out there and probably
>worse on many, but I am blown away by the degree of technicality available
>from pure numbers of sounds to how much you can adjust each one. I didn't
>expect this in such a relatively inexpensive module and it's taking some
>patience and time to learn. It seems more like a synthesizer than a drum set
>(I guess this makes sense, since it really is just a modified keyboard...).
>It will be fun for you if you like playing with computers and keyboards but
>it may drive you nuts if you just like bashing your drums and not thinking
>about it. You will want to take the time to get "your set" just right so you
>need to learn how to use it to it's potential. For me it's fun.
>
>5) Potential durability. I can't say for sure, but I'm assuming that Yamaha
>didn't envision most people doing a lot of gigging with the DTXpress. It's
>holding up fine for me, but I'm not sure I would be confident tearing it
>down every night or having people slamming into it or spilling beer on it.
>It may not stand up to this. Hard to tell, though.
>
>I'm kind of burned out right now so I can't think of anything else, but I'll
>write back to you if I do. Obviously, I like talking about this stuff so I
>apologize for being so long winded. Good luck with your decision and write
>back if you have any more questions or buy one and want to share advise,
>even if it's another brand. Check out these websites for a better look at
>the DTXpress and specs:
>http://www.drumcentral.com/electronicdrumsetpics4.htm#YamDTXPRESS
>http://www.yamaha.co.jp/english/product/drum/dtx/index.html
>
>Later,
>Rick MacDonald
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>-----------
>Richard.
>First of all let me thank you for the superb reply.
>That was just the sort of information I needed.
>
>I've had a chance to test the kit out at my local
>music store - I played for about an hour.....
>
>1) I agree about the mono snare and ride cymbal,
>although there's no reason why you couldn't put a real
>cymbal or two on the rack to complement the pads. You
>would need a boom stand though as the positioning is a
>bit tight.
>
>2) You're right. The headphone volume from the module
>is very low. I tried really good sensitive studio cans
>with low-resistance OFC cable and it was better but
>STILL pretty quiet. Let me know what Yamaha say. I
>guess it'll be - "That's the way we build 'em, son"
>
>3) Demo songs. Interesting point, but you can't blame
>Yamaha for wanting to appeal to the masses. After all,
>if you're just starting out on the drums, these would
>be an ideal practice feature. But you're right again.
>They are SERIOUSLY bad.
>
>4) Complexity. I love this. My setup is home studio
>and gigging. My band write all original material -
>most of it is my stuff and I use a lot of loops and FX
>to complement the drums. Hopefully a lot of this can
>be reproduced on the pads. Can you tell me - is it
>possible to store your own samples inside the module
>and play them like the built-in ones or is it best to
>trigger an external sample module via MIDI?
>
>5) Durability. The kit I tried out had been in the
>store for about six months. Believe me, it's been well
>hammered and it's still sounds (and looks) as good as
>new. I guess the pads will start to look a bit ragged
>after two years or so but it all depends on how you
>play. If you turn up the sensitivity you don't have to
>hit the pads too hard - which gives you more control.
>That's the way to play e-drums. Conversely, acoustic
>kits need to be hit hard to sound their best.
>
>Once again, thanks for the feedback. I've decided I'm
>definitely going to take the plunge and buy the kit.
>You may hear from me again in about ten weeks when
>I've saved up the dosh.
>
>Keep on drummin'
>
>Giles
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>---
>Hi Giles,
>No problem, glad you got a chance to play them for awhile.
>
>#4) No, you can't store your samples in the module but you can run a midi
>line into it to play the external sounds from your computer on the pads. As
>far as I know, you can then modify the midi sounds just like any other sound
>using the controls on the module. So, I guess you could sample your own
>sounds into a midi program and then send them through the DTXpress module.
>Sounds like you know more about this stuff than I do, though.
>
>#5) I've actually upped the gain on my ride so I don't have to hit it as
>hard, but remember that when you do this, you reduce the dynamic range and
>some of the subtlety of your playing. You are right, though. It's nice to
>not have to really pound the drums to get a big sound. Maybe I won't get
>tendonitis this time around.
>
>Best of luck with your music. Let me know when you've got the kit.
>Rick
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>-
>Hi Richard
>Well, I've got the kit!!!
>
>Everything is going fine now, although I had a couple
>of teething troubles. Firstly, I couldn't get the HH
>pedal to work until I figured out I had a mono plug
>wired into it. I also had a dynamics problem with the
>ride until I tweaked the little sensitivity pot
>underneath. Now it's all fine.
>First impressions : brilliant! The sounds are dope. My
>friends were so impressed when I demo'd it last night.
>
>I've already created about 8 user kits (for some of
>the band's songs). I've used loops and "bits" on most
>of the kits and tuned them up or down to fit the tempo
>of the song. I also discovered last night that you can
>assign 2 voices to each pad (you probably knew
>this...) but it's a great way to add more punch to a
>snare sound. Just get a fat snare voice on V1 and add
>a nice rim crack on V2. Superb!
>Also I got a reverse cymbal sound and crossfaded it
>with a normal cymbal - talk about noise....
>
>I'm now working on recording my own bits (as user
>songs) with the intention of triggering them as "pad
>songs". But I've got a problem. I hit the record
>button and it's clicking away - counting up the
>measures - looking fine. I stop the recording and play
>back. Result: Nothing. No sound. Nada.
>The song light is flashing away but nothing I recorded
>is played back. Any ideas?
>
>Hope you get time to reply to this. If you've got your
>own tips, I'd love to hear 'em.

>>Hello!
>>
>> I recently ordered Yamaha's DTXpress kit and have been searching
>>for opinions from others on the net. I saw your post on the drumweb
>>bulletin board and thought I'd write to get your "review". I'd very much
>>appreciate hearing your opinion. I won't recieve the kit for another few
>>weeks and I'm hoping I made the right decision. Please give me as much
>>information as you have time to write.
>>
>> Thanks again!
>>
>> Chris
>>
>>
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