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about to buy .....

about to buy .....

2003-02-14 by darren

hello, i'm new here and about to buy a dtexpress II (i'm pretty sure
anyway). Unfortunately there is nowhere within a hundred miles of where I
live that stocks all the different edrum kits to play and compare, which
sucks obviously. So I am going to get one sent, and as a result of a weeks
worth of exhaustive research, I seem to have decided on the dtexpress II but
wanted to check a few facts with you guys before i go for it:

Am I right in saying that there is no way of assigning drums to discrete
outputs, so that (for example) you can let a live engineer balance your kik
and snare the way he feels is right from front of house? does that mean it
is literally stereo only output? Does this mean that during a soundcheck, if
the engineer is moaning that he's not getting enough kik, I would have to
start trawling through menus and punching buttons to turn it up?

There are two things that i would like to use midi for, can i just briefly
mention them and see if its possible? here goes; firstly i would like the
ability to play a drum track and transmit the midi data to a sequencer for
firing better sounds from a sampler at mixdown. I'm sure it can do this but
is there any limitation? does it transmit absolutely everything that it
recieves such as high hat pedal changes etc?
Secondly I would like to do the same in reverse, i.e. to allow an external
sequencer to play the kit from a midi file of me playing the song at an
earlier time. Is that facility good enough for live use? because sometimes
i'm required on guitar, and short of growing limbs this seems a good
solution.

One more thing, i've not managed to find out the extent of the
cross-manufacturer compatibility and because i am new to this lark i'm not
sure i fully understand what goes on. Could I replace those funny pie shaped
cymbals with a v-cymbal at a later date? Likewise if I wanted to upgrade to
a mesh head snare from a competitors range, is it compatible?

Lastly, I know this is a bit of a stupid question, but could I possibly get
some opinions about whether this kit is generally good enough for live and
studio use. I will be a bit dissapointed if i end up suffering from machine
gun rolls and stolen notes etc etc. I guess I need to cut through all the
marketing hype and biased reviews and ask some real people - is this an
interesting and fun practice kit, or is this a seriously decent drumming
tool? I really dont want to fork out for one of the kits that cost
three/four times the price but in fact dont sound any better, plus i'm a bit
of a yamaha fan!

many thanks in advance for any info

Re: [DTXpress] about to buy .....

2003-02-14 by Walt

Hi Darren,

yes, yes, yes and yes.

Anyway, let me try to attack your questions.  First,
you should be able to do the bi-directional MIDI stuff
you mentioned.  Many users interface with other
devices (or with software like Cakewalk) to export the
drum hits, and also send MIDI info to the xpress for
it to produce the sounds.  

Gigging and studio use are also things members have
experience with.  For gigging you may find over time
that some of the hardware - especially the plastic
clamps may need upgrading (someone recently posted
that in real cold weather, it is easy for them to
crack if you don't let them warn up before tightening.
 They are of a standard size so Gibraltar clamps work
too.  These plastic clamps are common on all of the
lower priced kits, so you can't avoid them.  I even
met a drummer using a DTXpress on a recent cruise - so
they're even sea-worthy!

As far as being able to upgrade pads, this is do-able,
but many us have found compatibility issues with some
of the hardware that is out there.  Usually it can be
resolved with parameter tweaking - sometimes it takes
discussion with the manufacturer of the device.  I
have used Roland PD-80s, Pintech mesh head pads, Hart
Ecymbal IIs and a bunch of other stuff.  The Hart ride
and HH were among the 'problem children', but the
others worked good.

Walt
--- darren <darren.hussey@...> wrote:
> hello, i'm new here and about to buy a dtexpress II
> (i'm pretty sure
> anyway). Unfortunately there is nowhere within a
> hundred miles of where I
> live that stocks all the different edrum kits to
> play and compare, which
> sucks obviously. So I am going to get one sent, and
> as a result of a weeks
> worth of exhaustive research, I seem to have decided
> on the dtexpress II but
> wanted to check a few facts with you guys before i
> go for it:
> 
> Am I right in saying that there is no way of
> assigning drums to discrete
> outputs, so that (for example) you can let a live
> engineer balance your kik
> and snare the way he feels is right from front of
> house? does that mean it
> is literally stereo only output? Does this mean that
> during a soundcheck, if
> the engineer is moaning that he's not getting enough
> kik, I would have to
> start trawling through menus and punching buttons to
> turn it up?
> 
> There are two things that i would like to use midi
> for, can i just briefly
> mention them and see if its possible? here goes;
> firstly i would like the
> ability to play a drum track and transmit the midi
> data to a sequencer for
> firing better sounds from a sampler at mixdown. I'm
> sure it can do this but
> is there any limitation? does it transmit absolutely
> everything that it
> recieves such as high hat pedal changes etc?
> Secondly I would like to do the same in reverse,
> i.e. to allow an external
> sequencer to play the kit from a midi file of me
> playing the song at an
> earlier time. Is that facility good enough for live
> use? because sometimes
> i'm required on guitar, and short of growing limbs
> this seems a good
> solution.
> 
> One more thing, i've not managed to find out the
> extent of the
> cross-manufacturer compatibility and because i am
> new to this lark i'm not
> sure i fully understand what goes on. Could I
> replace those funny pie shaped
> cymbals with a v-cymbal at a later date? Likewise if
> I wanted to upgrade to
> a mesh head snare from a competitors range, is it
> compatible?
> 
> Lastly, I know this is a bit of a stupid question,
> but could I possibly get
> some opinions about whether this kit is generally
> good enough for live and
> studio use. I will be a bit dissapointed if i end up
> suffering from machine
> gun rolls and stolen notes etc etc. I guess I need
> to cut through all the
> marketing hype and biased reviews and ask some real
> people - is this an
> interesting and fun practice kit, or is this a
> seriously decent drumming
> tool? I really dont want to fork out for one of the
> kits that cost
> three/four times the price but in fact dont sound
> any better, plus i'm a bit
> of a yamaha fan!
> 
> many thanks in advance for any info
> 
> 


__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Shopping - Send Flowers for Valentine's Day
http://shopping.yahoo.com

Re: [DTXpress] about to buy .....

2003-02-14 by darren

hey, thanks very much walt, thats answered just about everything i needed
confirming!!!

just one small thing, when i talked about suitability for gigging and studio
work, i was more angling for an opinion about the actual sounds and
triggering intelligence than pure build quality. Can you really play these
things at gigs and not suffer from machine gun rolls and stolen notes etc?




on 2/14/03 2:27 PM, Walt at wgardus@... wrote:
Show quoted textHide quoted text
> Hi Darren,
> 
> yes, yes, yes and yes.
> 
> Anyway, let me try to attack your questions.  First,
> you should be able to do the bi-directional MIDI stuff
> you mentioned.  Many users interface with other
> devices (or with software like Cakewalk) to export the
> drum hits, and also send MIDI info to the xpress for
> it to produce the sounds.
> 
> Gigging and studio use are also things members have
> experience with.  For gigging you may find over time
> that some of the hardware - especially the plastic
> clamps may need upgrading (someone recently posted
> that in real cold weather, it is easy for them to
> crack if you don't let them warn up before tightening.
> They are of a standard size so Gibraltar clamps work
> too.  These plastic clamps are common on all of the
> lower priced kits, so you can't avoid them.  I even
> met a drummer using a DTXpress on a recent cruise - so
> they're even sea-worthy!
> 
> As far as being able to upgrade pads, this is do-able,
> but many us have found compatibility issues with some
> of the hardware that is out there.  Usually it can be
> resolved with parameter tweaking - sometimes it takes
> discussion with the manufacturer of the device.  I
> have used Roland PD-80s, Pintech mesh head pads, Hart
> Ecymbal IIs and a bunch of other stuff.  The Hart ride
> and HH were among the 'problem children', but the
> others worked good.
> 
> Walt
> --- darren <darren.hussey@...> wrote:
>> hello, i'm new here and about to buy a dtexpress II
>> (i'm pretty sure
>> anyway). Unfortunately there is nowhere within a
>> hundred miles of where I
>> live that stocks all the different edrum kits to
>> play and compare, which
>> sucks obviously. So I am going to get one sent, and
>> as a result of a weeks
>> worth of exhaustive research, I seem to have decided
>> on the dtexpress II but
>> wanted to check a few facts with you guys before i
>> go for it:
>> 
>> Am I right in saying that there is no way of
>> assigning drums to discrete
>> outputs, so that (for example) you can let a live
>> engineer balance your kik
>> and snare the way he feels is right from front of
>> house? does that mean it
>> is literally stereo only output? Does this mean that
>> during a soundcheck, if
>> the engineer is moaning that he's not getting enough
>> kik, I would have to
>> start trawling through menus and punching buttons to
>> turn it up?
>> 
>> There are two things that i would like to use midi
>> for, can i just briefly
>> mention them and see if its possible? here goes;
>> firstly i would like the
>> ability to play a drum track and transmit the midi
>> data to a sequencer for
>> firing better sounds from a sampler at mixdown. I'm
>> sure it can do this but
>> is there any limitation? does it transmit absolutely
>> everything that it
>> recieves such as high hat pedal changes etc?
>> Secondly I would like to do the same in reverse,
>> i.e. to allow an external
>> sequencer to play the kit from a midi file of me
>> playing the song at an
>> earlier time. Is that facility good enough for live
>> use? because sometimes
>> i'm required on guitar, and short of growing limbs
>> this seems a good
>> solution.
>> 
>> One more thing, i've not managed to find out the
>> extent of the
>> cross-manufacturer compatibility and because i am
>> new to this lark i'm not
>> sure i fully understand what goes on. Could I
>> replace those funny pie shaped
>> cymbals with a v-cymbal at a later date? Likewise if
>> I wanted to upgrade to
>> a mesh head snare from a competitors range, is it
>> compatible?
>> 
>> Lastly, I know this is a bit of a stupid question,
>> but could I possibly get
>> some opinions about whether this kit is generally
>> good enough for live and
>> studio use. I will be a bit dissapointed if i end up
>> suffering from machine
>> gun rolls and stolen notes etc etc. I guess I need
>> to cut through all the
>> marketing hype and biased reviews and ask some real
>> people - is this an
>> interesting and fun practice kit, or is this a
>> seriously decent drumming
>> tool? I really dont want to fork out for one of the
>> kits that cost
>> three/four times the price but in fact dont sound
>> any better, plus i'm a bit
>> of a yamaha fan!
>> 
>> many thanks in advance for any info
>> 
>> 
> 
> 
> __________________________________________________
> Do you Yahoo!?
> Yahoo! Shopping - Send Flowers for Valentine's Day
> http://shopping.yahoo.com
> 
> Community email addresses:
> Post message: DTXpress@onelist.com
> Subscribe:    DTXpress-subscribe@onelist.com
> Unsubscribe:  DTXpress-unsubscribe@onelist.com
> List owner:   DTXpress-owner@onelist.com
> 
> Shortcut URL to this page:
> http://www.onelist.com/community/DTXpress
> 
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
> 
>

Re: about to buy .....

2003-02-14 by brown8700 <brown8700@aol.com>

Darren:
The DTX is definitely cross-compatible. MY DTX is now just a dtx in 
module form only, as I have replaced the rack, upgraded to Pintech 
mesh heads and Pintech Zenbals.

I use mine for both studio and live gig use.

I don't know that Walt touched on the 'sound check' problem you think 
you might have with the DTX. When playing in 'LIVE' mode, you can 
adjust the volume of the snare, kick, toms (as a group) and cymbals 
(as a group) form the knobs on the front of the module. You'll need 
not race through the menus to adjust volumes.

For the studio, thgere are better choices than the DTX. However, if 
you record in the same studio all the time, (as I do)you'll get an 
idea over time of where your levels should be. Plus, you can go in 
after the tracks are laid down and alter the EQ and other settings to 
enhance the drum track.

Stephen

Re: [DTXpress] about to buy .....

2003-02-14 by Walt

Some people think Yamaha's sounds are better than many
other brands, and as far as getting the triggering
stable enough for playing live, it should not be a
problem.  

Here is a member of the DTX group using his DTX to
play along with a song - you be the judge of how the
kit responds (this is a DTX, not a DTXpress, but it is
the same pads and basically the same sounds).

www.thediametrixletter.com/eleuthera1.mp3

Walt
--- darren <darren.hussey@...> wrote:
> hey, thanks very much walt, thats answered just
> about everything i needed
> confirming!!!
> 
> just one small thing, when i talked about
> suitability for gigging and studio
> work, i was more angling for an opinion about the
> actual sounds and
> triggering intelligence than pure build quality. Can
> you really play these
> things at gigs and not suffer from machine gun rolls
> and stolen notes etc?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> on 2/14/03 2:27 PM, Walt at wgardus@... wrote:
> 
> > Hi Darren,
> > 
> > yes, yes, yes and yes.
> > 
> > Anyway, let me try to attack your questions. 
> First,
> > you should be able to do the bi-directional MIDI
> stuff
> > you mentioned.  Many users interface with other
> > devices (or with software like Cakewalk) to export
> the
> > drum hits, and also send MIDI info to the xpress
> for
> > it to produce the sounds.
> > 
> > Gigging and studio use are also things members
> have
> > experience with.  For gigging you may find over
> time
> > that some of the hardware - especially the plastic
> > clamps may need upgrading (someone recently posted
> > that in real cold weather, it is easy for them to
> > crack if you don't let them warn up before
> tightening.
> > They are of a standard size so Gibraltar clamps
> work
> > too.  These plastic clamps are common on all of
> the
> > lower priced kits, so you can't avoid them.  I
> even
> > met a drummer using a DTXpress on a recent cruise
> - so
> > they're even sea-worthy!
> > 
> > As far as being able to upgrade pads, this is
> do-able,
> > but many us have found compatibility issues with
> some
> > of the hardware that is out there.  Usually it can
> be
> > resolved with parameter tweaking - sometimes it
> takes
> > discussion with the manufacturer of the device.  I
> > have used Roland PD-80s, Pintech mesh head pads,
> Hart
> > Ecymbal IIs and a bunch of other stuff.  The Hart
> ride
> > and HH were among the 'problem children', but the
> > others worked good.
> > 
> > Walt
> > --- darren <darren.hussey@...> wrote:
> >> hello, i'm new here and about to buy a dtexpress
> II
> >> (i'm pretty sure
> >> anyway). Unfortunately there is nowhere within a
> >> hundred miles of where I
> >> live that stocks all the different edrum kits to
> >> play and compare, which
> >> sucks obviously. So I am going to get one sent,
> and
> >> as a result of a weeks
> >> worth of exhaustive research, I seem to have
> decided
> >> on the dtexpress II but
> >> wanted to check a few facts with you guys before
> i
> >> go for it:
> >> 
> >> Am I right in saying that there is no way of
> >> assigning drums to discrete
> >> outputs, so that (for example) you can let a live
> >> engineer balance your kik
> >> and snare the way he feels is right from front of
> >> house? does that mean it
> >> is literally stereo only output? Does this mean
> that
> >> during a soundcheck, if
> >> the engineer is moaning that he's not getting
> enough
> >> kik, I would have to
> >> start trawling through menus and punching buttons
> to
> >> turn it up?
> >> 
> >> There are two things that i would like to use
> midi
> >> for, can i just briefly
> >> mention them and see if its possible? here goes;
> >> firstly i would like the
> >> ability to play a drum track and transmit the
> midi
> >> data to a sequencer for
> >> firing better sounds from a sampler at mixdown.
> I'm
> >> sure it can do this but
> >> is there any limitation? does it transmit
> absolutely
> >> everything that it
> >> recieves such as high hat pedal changes etc?
> >> Secondly I would like to do the same in reverse,
> >> i.e. to allow an external
> >> sequencer to play the kit from a midi file of me
> >> playing the song at an
> >> earlier time. Is that facility good enough for
> live
> >> use? because sometimes
> >> i'm required on guitar, and short of growing
> limbs
> >> this seems a good
> >> solution.
> >> 
> >> One more thing, i've not managed to find out the
> >> extent of the
> >> cross-manufacturer compatibility and because i am
> >> new to this lark i'm not
> >> sure i fully understand what goes on. Could I
> >> replace those funny pie shaped
> >> cymbals with a v-cymbal at a later date? Likewise
> if
> >> I wanted to upgrade to
> >> a mesh head snare from a competitors range, is it
> >> compatible?
> >> 
> >> Lastly, I know this is a bit of a stupid
> question,
> >> but could I possibly get
> >> some opinions about whether this kit is generally
> >> good enough for live and
> >> studio use. I will be a bit dissapointed if i end
> up
> >> suffering from machine
> >> gun rolls and stolen notes etc etc. I guess I
> need
> >> to cut through all the
> >> marketing hype and biased reviews and ask some
> real
> >> people - is this an
> >> interesting and fun practice kit, or is this a
> >> seriously decent drumming
> >> tool? I really dont want to fork out for one of
> the
> >> kits that cost
> >> three/four times the price but in fact dont sound
> >> any better, plus i'm a bit
> >> of a yamaha fan!
> >> 
> >> many thanks in advance for any info
> >> 
> >> 
> > 
> > 
> > __________________________________________________
> > Do you Yahoo!?
> > Yahoo! Shopping - Send Flowers for Valentine's Day
> > http://shopping.yahoo.com
> > 
> > Community email addresses:
> > Post message: DTXpress@onelist.com
> > Subscribe:    DTXpress-subscribe@onelist.com
> > Unsubscribe:  DTXpress-unsubscribe@onelist.com
> > List owner:   DTXpress-owner@onelist.com
> > 
> > Shortcut URL to this page:
> > http://www.onelist.com/community/DTXpress
> > 
> > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
> http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
> > 
> > 
> 
> 


__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Shopping - Send Flowers for Valentine's Day
http://shopping.yahoo.com

Re: about to buy .....

2003-02-14 by liberatusvirus <liberatusvirus@yahoo.com>

Hi Darren,

I'll spell Walt for a moment. Many of the members of this group use 
the DTX for live gigging, with great success. The DTXpress also 
seems to be a popular choice for studios, home and otherwise. The 
voices on the DTX are very good, but don't expect to get acquainted 
with all of the options or to find your eternal favorites in one 
sitting. But at the price, I would be very surprised if you were 
disappointed. So far as the machine gun effect is concerned, the DTX 
doesn't provide positional sensing on pads, but it does have a 
respectable dynamic range; minimum velocity and gain are fairly 
responsive. It also permits velocity crossfading, which is another 
guard against every hit sounding the same. As long as you don't 
expect these drums/cymbals to behave and respond like acoustic drums 
in every way, especially right off the bat, and you respect the 
learning curve, you're destined to get good results. I definitely 
wouldn't start seriously recording with them, however, until you've 
come to grips with how to program and hit the pads to get what you 
want and how to set rejection parameters to eliminate crosstalk. 
Remember this is a digital medium: hitting a drum or cymbal 
incorrectly doesn't get you an unexpected sound; it may get you no 
sound at all. Studio drumming is usually basic, anyhow, but 
electronic studio drumming is certainly best kept basic and not too 
fine. Post if you run up against snags. There's probably very little 
that gets to this board that someone in this group can't address.

Ed

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, darren <darren.hussey@v...> wrote:
> hey, thanks very much walt, thats answered just about everything i 
needed
> confirming!!!
> 
> just one small thing, when i talked about suitability for gigging 
and studio
> work, i was more angling for an opinion about the actual sounds and
> triggering intelligence than pure build quality. Can you really 
play these
> things at gigs and not suffer from machine gun rolls and stolen 
notes etc?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> on 2/14/03 2:27 PM, Walt at wgardus@y... wrote:
> 
> > Hi Darren,
> > 
> > yes, yes, yes and yes.
> > 
> > Anyway, let me try to attack your questions.  First,
> > you should be able to do the bi-directional MIDI stuff
> > you mentioned.  Many users interface with other
> > devices (or with software like Cakewalk) to export the
> > drum hits, and also send MIDI info to the xpress for
> > it to produce the sounds.
> > 
> > Gigging and studio use are also things members have
> > experience with.  For gigging you may find over time
> > that some of the hardware - especially the plastic
> > clamps may need upgrading (someone recently posted
> > that in real cold weather, it is easy for them to
> > crack if you don't let them warn up before tightening.
> > They are of a standard size so Gibraltar clamps work
> > too.  These plastic clamps are common on all of the
> > lower priced kits, so you can't avoid them.  I even
> > met a drummer using a DTXpress on a recent cruise - so
> > they're even sea-worthy!
> > 
> > As far as being able to upgrade pads, this is do-able,
> > but many us have found compatibility issues with some
> > of the hardware that is out there.  Usually it can be
> > resolved with parameter tweaking - sometimes it takes
> > discussion with the manufacturer of the device.  I
> > have used Roland PD-80s, Pintech mesh head pads, Hart
> > Ecymbal IIs and a bunch of other stuff.  The Hart ride
> > and HH were among the 'problem children', but the
> > others worked good.
> > 
> > Walt
> > --- darren <darren.hussey@v...> wrote:
> >> hello, i'm new here and about to buy a dtexpress II
> >> (i'm pretty sure
> >> anyway). Unfortunately there is nowhere within a
> >> hundred miles of where I
> >> live that stocks all the different edrum kits to
> >> play and compare, which
> >> sucks obviously. So I am going to get one sent, and
> >> as a result of a weeks
> >> worth of exhaustive research, I seem to have decided
> >> on the dtexpress II but
> >> wanted to check a few facts with you guys before i
> >> go for it:
> >> 
> >> Am I right in saying that there is no way of
> >> assigning drums to discrete
> >> outputs, so that (for example) you can let a live
> >> engineer balance your kik
> >> and snare the way he feels is right from front of
> >> house? does that mean it
> >> is literally stereo only output? Does this mean that
> >> during a soundcheck, if
> >> the engineer is moaning that he's not getting enough
> >> kik, I would have to
> >> start trawling through menus and punching buttons to
> >> turn it up?
> >> 
> >> There are two things that i would like to use midi
> >> for, can i just briefly
> >> mention them and see if its possible? here goes;
> >> firstly i would like the
> >> ability to play a drum track and transmit the midi
> >> data to a sequencer for
> >> firing better sounds from a sampler at mixdown. I'm
> >> sure it can do this but
> >> is there any limitation? does it transmit absolutely
> >> everything that it
> >> recieves such as high hat pedal changes etc?
> >> Secondly I would like to do the same in reverse,
> >> i.e. to allow an external
> >> sequencer to play the kit from a midi file of me
> >> playing the song at an
> >> earlier time. Is that facility good enough for live
> >> use? because sometimes
> >> i'm required on guitar, and short of growing limbs
> >> this seems a good
> >> solution.
> >> 
> >> One more thing, i've not managed to find out the
> >> extent of the
> >> cross-manufacturer compatibility and because i am
> >> new to this lark i'm not
> >> sure i fully understand what goes on. Could I
> >> replace those funny pie shaped
> >> cymbals with a v-cymbal at a later date? Likewise if
> >> I wanted to upgrade to
> >> a mesh head snare from a competitors range, is it
> >> compatible?
> >> 
> >> Lastly, I know this is a bit of a stupid question,
> >> but could I possibly get
> >> some opinions about whether this kit is generally
> >> good enough for live and
> >> studio use. I will be a bit dissapointed if i end up
> >> suffering from machine
> >> gun rolls and stolen notes etc etc. I guess I need
> >> to cut through all the
> >> marketing hype and biased reviews and ask some real
> >> people - is this an
> >> interesting and fun practice kit, or is this a
> >> seriously decent drumming
> >> tool? I really dont want to fork out for one of the
> >> kits that cost
> >> three/four times the price but in fact dont sound
> >> any better, plus i'm a bit
> >> of a yamaha fan!
> >> 
> >> many thanks in advance for any info
> >> 
> >> 
> > 
> > 
> > __________________________________________________
> > Do you Yahoo!?
> > Yahoo! Shopping - Send Flowers for Valentine's Day
> > http://shopping.yahoo.com
> > 
> > Community email addresses:
> > Post message: DTXpress@onelist.com
> > Subscribe:    DTXpress-subscribe@onelist.com
> > Unsubscribe:  DTXpress-unsubscribe@onelist.com
> > List owner:   DTXpress-owner@onelist.com
> > 
> > Shortcut URL to this page:
> > http://www.onelist.com/community/DTXpress
> > 
> > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to 
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
> > 
> >

Re: [DTXpress] about to buy .....

2003-02-15 by Vernon Graner

I'll take a stab at an answer here, since I've been the sound engineer
that moans about this sort of thing on occasion! (see attached picture!
:)

darren said:
> Am I right in saying that there is no way of assigning drums to
> discrete outputs, so that (for example) you can let a live engineer
> balance your kik and snare the way he feels is right from front of
> house?

As far as I can tell, there is no "discrete" output for each sound from
the DTXpress module. All is not lost however, as Some ideas you could try
would be:

1. Place just the kick (or snare) on LEFT and then all other drums on
right output. This would give the engineer control of at *least* one drum
to set balance.

2. You could use the midi out from the DTXpress to trigger a secondary
kick/snare drum sample from a keyboard or some other MIDI device that has
discrete outputs that you could then feed into the snake (4 outputs,
kick, snare, then a stereo mix of the toms/hats etc).

3. And lastly, you can place the DTXpress module in "live" mode and then
use the knobs on the front of the DTXpress module to push the kick and
snare up or down during playback as per the engineers request/your taste.
Of course, the engineer could sneak up to your riser and tweek those
knobs himself if you make the module available towards the side or back
of your kit. :)

Also, as a point of reference, for live performance I would suggest you
have some sort of Amp/Speaker combo setup behind you or near you so the
band can get the "feel" of a central beat to help keep everyone together.
If not, you will need to have a pretty good monitor system to provide
everyone with the drums. :)

Vern

-- 
Vern Graner CNE/CNA/SSE     | "If the network is down, then you're
Senior Systems Engineer     | obviously incompetent so why are we
Texas Information Services  | paying you? Of course, if the network
vern@... www.txis.com  | is up, then we obviously don't need
Cell 507-7851 Desk 328-8947 | you, so why are we paying you?" VLG

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