Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

I had my first gig with my new Pintech concertcast pads this weekend. 
It took a while to get used to the feeling of the mesh heads versus 
the rubber pads. I think I actually like the solid feel of the pads 
better while playing, but my elbows sure appreciated the 'give' of 
the mesh heads on Sunday afternoon.
I played Friday and Saturday nights (10 p.m. - 3 a.m.)and didn't have 
nearly the arm fatigue I would have had I played the pads.
I took the first couple of sets on Friday for me to get things set 
right in a live situation. 
The toms were great, but the snare just wasn't as 'hot' as I would 
have liked and the volume was very low. I had to run the snare at 127 
with dual voices, while the toms and bass were running in the 70-80 
neighborhood. And, yes, I was in 'Live mode' and had the snare maxed 
out. When running the snare through the number 2 trigger, I could 
adjust the attenuation to get the attack I was looking for. However, 
doing this wouldn't allow me to take advantage of the dual zones. 
When running the snare through the 9/10 output, I can get the dual 
zones, but there isn't an attenuation switch for that trigger (is 
there? there only seems to be attenuation switches for triggers 1 
through 6).
I'll take any and all advice on getting the snare to perform as well 
as the toms and bass would be appreciated.

Hi Stephan,

First, if you buy a splitter cable, you can move the
snare pad trigger to one of the first six inputs (with
a switch) to help boost it, then still run the rim
trigger to input 9 or 10.  

Next, on the issue of mesh heads, if you get a chance
to try a 2 ply version (instead of Pintech's single
ply) you may find them a better combination of
firmness, while still being easier on the arms and
wrists.  I'm using Hart 2 plys and love them.

Walt  
--- "brown8700 <brown8700@...>"
<brown8700@...> wrote:
> I had my first gig with my new Pintech concertcast
> pads this weekend. 
> It took a while to get used to the feeling of the
> mesh heads versus 
> the rubber pads. I think I actually like the solid
> feel of the pads 
> better while playing, but my elbows sure appreciated
> the 'give' of 
> the mesh heads on Sunday afternoon.
> I played Friday and Saturday nights (10 p.m. - 3
> a.m.)and didn't have 
> nearly the arm fatigue I would have had I played the
> pads.
> I took the first couple of sets on Friday for me to
> get things set 
> right in a live situation. 
> The toms were great, but the snare just wasn't as
> 'hot' as I would 
> have liked and the volume was very low. I had to run
> the snare at 127 
> with dual voices, while the toms and bass were
> running in the 70-80 
> neighborhood. And, yes, I was in 'Live mode' and had
> the snare maxed 
> out. When running the snare through the number 2
> trigger, I could 
> adjust the attenuation to get the attack I was
> looking for. However, 
> doing this wouldn't allow me to take advantage of
> the dual zones. 
> When running the snare through the 9/10 output, I
> can get the dual 
> zones, but there isn't an attenuation switch for
> that trigger (is 
> there? there only seems to be attenuation switches
> for triggers 1 
> through 6).
> I'll take any and all advice on getting the snare to
> perform as well 
> as the toms and bass would be appreciated.  
> 
> 
> 

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Hi Stephen,

Congrats. You  must have emerged from the 10 to 3 gig "glazed and 
confused." Anyway, on the matter at hand, is the bar pad the reason 
why you can't split the snare between 2 and 9 or 10 all the time? 
You're right, there's no attenuation switch on the back of the 
module for 9/10; you'll have to go through 2 for it. Did you say 
that you had the snare on a separate stand with the gain set in the 
90s? Do you have the pad type for every input that the snare enters 
programmed for DT snare, or whatever type gives you the most volume? 
One of the misc settings might be worth a try, especially one meant 
for low sensitivity snares; it might boost the level. Have you tried 
different settings from the Trigger Setup List? I use DT10/20 with 
the mesh heads. I've never tried Dynamic.

Ed

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "brown8700 <brown8700@a...>" 
<brown8700@a...> wrote:
> I had my first gig with my new Pintech concertcast pads this 
weekend. 
> It took a while to get used to the feeling of the mesh heads 
versus 
> the rubber pads. I think I actually like the solid feel of the 
pads 
> better while playing, but my elbows sure appreciated the 'give' of 
> the mesh heads on Sunday afternoon.
> I played Friday and Saturday nights (10 p.m. - 3 a.m.)and didn't 
have 
> nearly the arm fatigue I would have had I played the pads.
> I took the first couple of sets on Friday for me to get things set 
> right in a live situation. 
> The toms were great, but the snare just wasn't as 'hot' as I would 
> have liked and the volume was very low. I had to run the snare at 
127 
> with dual voices, while the toms and bass were running in the 70-
80 
> neighborhood. And, yes, I was in 'Live mode' and had the snare 
maxed 
> out. When running the snare through the number 2 trigger, I could 
> adjust the attenuation to get the attack I was looking for. 
However, 
> doing this wouldn't allow me to take advantage of the dual zones. 
> When running the snare through the 9/10 output, I can get the dual 
> zones, but there isn't an attenuation switch for that trigger (is 
> there? there only seems to be attenuation switches for triggers 1 
> through 6).
> I'll take any and all advice on getting the snare to perform as 
well 
> as the toms and bass would be appreciated.

By the way, I can't say that I've gone through the entire Yamaha 
litany of snare voices, but I've heard it said that some of them are 
considerably louder than others. I have noticed that many of the 
ones that I happen to like don't pack a lot of punch.

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "brown8700 <brown8700@a...>" 
<brown8700@a...> wrote:
> I had my first gig with my new Pintech concertcast pads this 
weekend. 
> It took a while to get used to the feeling of the mesh heads 
versus 
> the rubber pads. I think I actually like the solid feel of the 
pads 
> better while playing, but my elbows sure appreciated the 'give' of 
> the mesh heads on Sunday afternoon.
> I played Friday and Saturday nights (10 p.m. - 3 a.m.)and didn't 
have 
> nearly the arm fatigue I would have had I played the pads.
> I took the first couple of sets on Friday for me to get things set 
> right in a live situation. 
> The toms were great, but the snare just wasn't as 'hot' as I would 
> have liked and the volume was very low. I had to run the snare at 
127 
> with dual voices, while the toms and bass were running in the 70-
80 
> neighborhood. And, yes, I was in 'Live mode' and had the snare 
maxed 
> out. When running the snare through the number 2 trigger, I could 
> adjust the attenuation to get the attack I was looking for. 
However, 
> doing this wouldn't allow me to take advantage of the dual zones. 
> When running the snare through the 9/10 output, I can get the dual 
> zones, but there isn't an attenuation switch for that trigger (is 
> there? there only seems to be attenuation switches for triggers 1 
> through 6).
> I'll take any and all advice on getting the snare to perform as 
well 
> as the toms and bass would be appreciated.

Walt:
I take it the Hart 2-ply heads provide more firmness. That may be 
just the ticket. I really only feel that I need that for the snare, 
so I'll order one and give it a try.

As to splitting the cable for the snare goes, I'm really out of 
inputs. I have set up two different sets of kits. One with the snare 
running through the 9/10, which leaves me one input for my barpad 
(albeit with only soundsource), and the other with the snare going to 
the number 2 trigger and the barpad in 9/10. This leaves me without a 
rimshot, but I've layered the snare to have a rimshot with an Xfade 
of 9. Neither is the best scenario. Ed (liberatusvirus) suggests that 
I may have to join Jade in the MidiKiti world.

Or I could just forget about the bar pad and use REAL cowbells, 
tambourines, etc.

ED:
Yes, I've found that I  get the most attack from the DTsnare pad typr 
as you suggested earlier. Misc 2 was the next best choice.
I have the snare attached to the rack rather than a separate stand. 
However, I have been able to set the gain at 99 and the MinVel at 10 
without any crosstalk. 
Before I got the Pintech pads, I experimented with an older model my 
friend has. I was able to get it to react perfectly. In fact, I as 
able to run it as a single zone, and still get a psuedo-rimshot type 
effect from the rim (increased volume, I guess).
If I could get my snare to react as his did, I wouldn't locked and 
loaded.
I'm wondering if the head tension could have anything to do with this 
problem. Could it? I believe it's tensioned about the same as the 
toms; maybe a tad tighter. I'll have to put the Tama Tension watch to 
it and find out.

#98 Steel65 seems to have more volume than most others. This is also 
my snare of choice. 

It's funny, but the audience and bandmates said the snare volume was 
fine and that the toms were not loud enough. My monitor mix was the 
same as the mains, and I thought just the opposite was true.

Stephen,

Watch out when tightening the heads. I tighten like crazy, and I'm 
always stripping tension rods. I'm sure that very few people are as 
compulsive about it as I am, but if a warning helps moderate the 
tendency, tightening won't increase the volume. As for your friend's 
Pintech, the designs of version 1 and version 2 differ slightly. In 
version 1, the sensor is located within the foam that rests on the 
metal plate on the bottom; in version 2, it is located directly on 
the metal diameter underneath the sponge triangle. This may help 
account for the difference in sound level. It also may account for 
the pseudo-rimshot. In that case, you probably won't be able to 
match your friend's ConcertCast without altering the physical 
design, or getting hold of an earlier model. Does Walt have one? 

Ed

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "brown8700 <brown8700@a...>" 
<brown8700@a...> wrote:
> ED:
> Yes, I've found that I  get the most attack from the DTsnare pad 
typr 
> as you suggested earlier. Misc 2 was the next best choice.
> I have the snare attached to the rack rather than a separate 
stand. 
> However, I have been able to set the gain at 99 and the MinVel at 
10 
> without any crosstalk. 
> Before I got the Pintech pads, I experimented with an older model 
my 
> friend has. I was able to get it to react perfectly. In fact, I as 
> able to run it as a single zone, and still get a psuedo-rimshot 
type 
> effect from the rim (increased volume, I guess).
> If I could get my snare to react as his did, I wouldn't locked and 
> loaded.
> I'm wondering if the head tension could have anything to do with 
this 
> problem. Could it? I believe it's tensioned about the same as the 
> toms; maybe a tad tighter. I'll have to put the Tama Tension watch 
to 
> it and find out.

Ed:
My friend doesn't use his. Maybe I can covertly switch it it out and 
keep his. Nah, I couldn't do that. Maybe I'll buy it from him, or 
maybe he'll just let me keep on using it (It's in my trunk).

Stephen,

As Holmes would say, the game's afoot. If you can manage to keep 
using your friend's pad and get an inepensive midi interface, then 
you can have your cross-stick sound, bar pad, maybe another snare or 
tom, and who knows what else in the mix. Yikes, that's like icing on 
the doughnut (sorry).

Ed

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "brown8700 <brown8700@a...>" 
<brown8700@a...> wrote:
> Ed:
> My friend doesn't use his. Maybe I can covertly switch it it out 
and 
> keep his. Nah, I couldn't do that. Maybe I'll buy it from him, or 
> maybe he'll just let me keep on using it (It's in my trunk).

Ed:
You're catching on to this doughnut thing. It's really catching on 
here, too. It's amazing.

Our bass player, the amazing Duncan Donut, had a new t-shirt for 
Saturday's gig. In typical DunkinDonuts lettering, it said "FUNKIN 
GONUTS"

What a hoot.

It's truly inspired. I also think that leading the chant, "You 
suck," makes a lot of sense. It relieves the tension; no musician 
performs well under pressure. 

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "brown8700 <brown8700@a...>" 
<brown8700@a...> wrote:

> Ed:
> You're catching on to this doughnut thing. It's really catching on 
> here, too. It's amazing.
> 
> Our bass player, the amazing Duncan Donut, had a new t-shirt for 
> Saturday's gig. In typical DunkinDonuts lettering, it said "FUNKIN 
> GONUTS"
> 
> What a hoot.

That's true. We also now open our shows with the line "Welcome to 
band practice!"
We also now offer a "No Suck Guarantee" on any song we've played more 
than three times.

For the unitiated, one of the bands I play in is "The Johnny Doughnut 
Experience: America's Premiere Garage Band". This band was born about 
a year ago out of an Open Mic night, has never had a rehearsal, and 
has a revolving cast of characters, all with so-called stage names.

www.johnnydoughnut.com

TADAA! I may have a solution.

Here's what I'm now thinking. I'll split the snare between 2 and 9/10 
as Walt suggests, and I'll replace my TP60 HiHat pad with my old TP80 
snare pad. I can then program the rim of the new HiHat pad for rim 
clicks, cowbells, etc., etc.

I have a stereo splitter already, so I should be able to try that at 
rehearsal tonight. 

Note: The rehearsal is with 50/50, not Johnny Doughnut.

Just to let everyone know, it is much easier to find Gile's DTXPRESSIONS
site now, since I have taken over the hosting of said site and have set
up an easy to access domain for it here:

http://www.dtxpressions.com

The old site is still here:

http://www.thehearns.fsnet.co.uk/dtxpressions/

This new domain should make it easier to remember. :) The site is exactly
the same and was FTP transferred by Giles directly to my servers here in
Austin, Texas. It has all the kits, voices and great links he created and
I will be working to update the site every so often in the great
tradition of Giles. :)

Vern

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